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December 2006Hold these grotesque executioners to accountPosted: Sunday, December 31, 2006 By Iain Macwhirter Stop all the clocks. He is dead. Saddam Hussein had a rather good death, and dictators shouldn't have good deaths. He went to the gallows in dignity, holding the Koran, urging reconciliation, his head uncovered amid his captors' balaclavas. The grotesque exercise turned a brutal tyrant into something like a martyr, a victim of a victor's justice. After what Human Rights Watch called a "trial by ambush", because of the conduct of the defence and the rush to judgment, the execution was overhasty too, as if his captors felt they had to dispatch him before 2006 was out. Was this intended as a kind of new year message from George W Bush? For Auld Lang Syne? The execution of Saddam may have brought "closure" to the White House, but it left a bitter taste in the mouths of the rest of us. He was executed under the auspices of an Anglo-American occupation that has brought little but death and destruction to Iraq. Even members of the Iraq Study Group in the US Senate accept that the people of Iraq are probably worse off now than under Saddam. So, who is going to hold the executioners to account? Full Article : sundayherald.com They made sure Saddam took his secrets to the grave Posted: Sunday, December 31, 2006 On the Gallows, Saddam Curses U.S. and 'Traitors' By Marc Santora, NY Times BAGHDAD, Dec. 30 — Saddam Hussein never bowed his head, until his neck snapped. His last words were equally defiant. "Down with the traitors, the Americans, the spies and the Persians." Robert Fisk: He takes his secrets to the grave. Our complicity dies with him How the West armed Saddam, fed him intelligence on his 'enemies', equipped him for atrocities - and then made sure he wouldn't squeal We've shut him up. The moment Saddam's hooded executioner pulled the lever of the trapdoor in Baghdad yesterday morning, Washington's secrets were safe. The shameless, outrageous, covert military support which the United States - and Britain - gave to Saddam for more than a decade remains the one terrible story which our presidents and prime ministers do not want the world to remember. And now Saddam, who knew the full extent of that Western support - given to him while he was perpetrating some of the worst atrocities since the Second World War - is dead. Full Article : independent.co.uk Robert Parry: Bush Silences a Dangerous Witness Like a blue-blood version of a Mob family with global reach, the Bushes have eliminated one more key witness to the important historical events that led the U.S. military into a bloody stalemate in Iraq and pushed the Middle East to the brink of calamity. "But now with nearly 3,000 American soldiers killed and the Iraqi death toll exceeding 600,000 by some estimates, Bush may be forced to savor the image of Hussein dangling at the end of a rope a little more privately. Still, Bush has done his family's legacy a great service while also protecting secrets that could have embarrassed other senior U.S. government officials. He has silenced a unique witness to crucial chapters of the secret history that stretched from Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979 to the alleged American-Saudi "green light" for Hussein to attack Iran in 1980, through the eight years of the Iran-Iraq War during which high-ranking U.S. intermediaries, such as Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates, allegedly helped broker supplies of war materiel for Hussein." Full Article : consortiumnews.com Now Saddam's Accomplices Where Were the Mass Graves? Saddam's Hanging Verdict Is Illegal And Unjust Ethiopian tanks move south from Mogadishu Posted: Sunday, December 31, 2006 Ethiopian tanks have driven south from Mogadishu to attack fighters of the Islamic courts movement whose leader reportedly urged them to make a stand in Kismayu, a port city in Somalia. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys apparently made the call during Friday prayers at a mosque, a day after armed units of his Somalia Islamic Courts Council fled the capital in the face of government troops backed by Ethiopian armour. Full Article : english.aljazeera.net Saddam told them to 'go to hell' Posted: Sunday, December 31, 2006 "Executions are generally expected to be solemn affairs –- certainly not opportunities for thugs to score some final sectarian points before the "enemy" is disposed of. The video itself seems quite distasteful –- but it is informative to the extent that it reveals the political baggage that the current government carries on its shoulders. It does not add up to a pretty picture." Full Article : blogs.abcnews.com Saddam buried in his home village Relatives of the former Iraqi president say Saddam Hussein has been buried in a family plot in Awja, close to Tikrit. An earlier family statement issued on Saturday night said the executed leader would be buried in Ramadi, but the authorities there said they were unaware of any plan to bury him there. Full Article : aljazeera.net Renegades Dinner and Awards Ceremony Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006 The 5th Annual Renegades Dinner and Awards ceremony was held at Porky's Restaurant and Bar on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain on Saturday 30th December, 2006. Many members and specially invited guests of the BP Renegades Steel Orchestra came out in their fancy suits and dresses to witness this auspicious occasion and to wine and dine at this formal ceremony. The MC for the night was the young Keron Yan who very skillfully kept the audience entertained throughout the night's proceedings. Full Article : trinbagopan.com NYAC's Emancipation and Young Composers ... Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006 The National Youth Action Committee held its Annual Young Composers Competition and Annual Emancipation Competition prize-giving ceremony on Thursday 28th December, 2006, at the SWWTU Hall on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. The audience mainly included the participants of the two competitions, their parents and their supporters. The MC's were Mrs. Dela Obika, President of the National Women's Action Committee and Mr. Oji Borel. Full Article : trinisoca.com December 30, News 2006 Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006  Remember that this execution was carried out by a U.S. installed government in Iraq while the U.S. is also occupying Iraq. The U.S. illegally invaded Iraq and killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Simply put, Saddam Hussein was executed by the U.S. government no matter how they try to spin it. --Ayinde ¤ Saddam was Right and Bush was Wrong Flashback NO PROOF SADDAM GASSED THE KURDS! ¤ Where Were the Mass Graves? ¤ Executing Saddam, Protecting the Rackets ¤ Official Lies, Dogma and Unaccountable Power ¤ At the End of My Rope ¤ Saddam at the End of a Rope It was symbolic that 2006 ended with a colonial hanging--- most of it (bar the last moments) shown on state television in occupied Iraq. It has been that sort of year in the Arab world. After a trial so blatantly rigged that even Human Rights Watch---the largest single unit of the US Human Rights industry--- had to condemn it as a total travesty. Judges were changed on Washington's orders; defense lawyers were killed and the whole procedure resembled a well-orchestrated lynch mob. Where Nuremberg was a more dignified application of victor's justice, Saddam's trial has, till now, been the crudest and most grotesque. The Great Thinker President's reference to it 'as a milestone on the road to Iraqi democracy' as clear an indication as any that Washington pressed the trigger. ¤ A Nation Soaked in Blood Tears Itself Apart ¤ Storm Rages Over Trial, Sentence ¤ Bush Lies Again After Saddam Executed Saddam Hussein had barely stopped dangling when George W. Bush revved up the lie machine. His idea of justice is "rough justice" or "frontier justice" or "the King's justice," whereby if he calls it justice, it is justice. If he deems it a fair trial, it is a fair trial. "Today, Saddam Hussein was executed after receiving a fair trial," he said in the very first sentence of his rushed statement, a claim Bush repeated, in case you missed it, in his second sentence and then again in his third. But Bush, as powerful as he is, does not make a trial fair by declaring it fair. ¤ So Long to 'Our' Tyrant ¤ Shaking Hands with Saddam Hussein Seven New Orleans officers indicted in post-Katrina killings Iraq poll: U.S. troops departure is asset BAGHDAD, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- About 90 percent of Iraqis feel the situation in the country was better before the U.S.-led invasion than it is today, according to a new ICRSS poll. Top Ten Ways the US Enabled Saddam Hussein The tendency to treat Saddam and Iraq in a historical vacuum, and in isolation from the superpowers, however, has hidden from Americans their own culpability in the horror show that has been Iraq for the past few decades. Initially, the US used the Baath Party as a nationalist foil to the Communists. Then Washington used it against Iran. The welfare of Iraqis themselves appears to have been on no one's mind, either in Washington or in Baghdad. Hanging Saddam The execution of Saddam Hussein is another grim chapter in the catalogue of war crimes perpetrated against the Iraqi people. It is a gratuitous act of barbarism devoid of justice. Bombings Kill at Least 68 in Iraq Bombings killed at least 68 people in Iraq on Saturday, including one planted on a minibus that exploded in a fish market in a mostly Shiite town south of Baghdad. BBC - Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq (with Iraqi TV images) Saddam Hussein 'executed in Iraq' Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been executed by hanging at an unspecified location, reports say. Iraqi TV said the execution took place just before 0600 local time (0300GMT). It was witnessed by a doctor, lawyer and officials. It was also filmed. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk Reports: Saddam Executed in Baghdad Some Arab media, including Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya and the U.S.- financed Al-Hurrah, reported about an hour before daylight Saturday (about 10 p.m. EST Friday) that Saddam had been executed. There was no confirmation from the Iraqi government. Full Article : breitbart.com Saddam Hussein hanged, says Al Hurra TV station U.S.-backed Iraqi television station Al Hurra said Saddam Hussein had been executed by hanging shortly before 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Saturday. Full Article : news.yahoo.com Saddam Hussein was hanged just before 10 p.m. EST. Full Article : talkingpointsmemo.com It's a hornet's nest. But I'm game. So why not jump in. "Bush administration officials" are telling CNN that Saddam Hussein will be hanged this weekend. Convention dictates that we precede any discussion of this execution with the obligatory nod to Saddam's treachery, bloodthirsty rule and tyranny. But enough of the cowardly chatter. This thing is a sham, of a piece with the whole corrupt, disastrous sham that the war and occupation have been. Bush administration officials are the ones who leak the news about the time of the execution. One key reason we know Saddam's about to be executed is that he's about to be transferred from US to Iraqi custody, which tells you a lot. And, of course, the verdict in his trial gets timed to coincide with the US elections. Full Article : talkingpointsmemo.com Robert Fisk: A dictator created then destroyed by America But history will record that the Arabs and other Muslims and, indeed, many millions in the West, will ask another question this weekend, a question that will not be posed in other Western newspapers because it is not the narrative laid down for us by our presidents and prime ministers - what about the other guilty men? Full Article : independent.co.uk Arab haj pilgrims outraged at Saddam execution Taliban says Saddam's execution to intensify jihad The Execution of Saddam Hussein The execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein serves not justice, but the political purposes of the Bush administration and its Iraqi stooges. The manner in which the execution was carried out—hurriedly, secretively, in the dark of night, in a mockery of any semblance of legal process--only underscores the lawless and reactionary character of the entire American enterprise in Iraq. Full Article : trinicenter.com Saddam Hussein's execution: Your views The Execution of Saddam Hussein Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006 By the Editorial Board, wsws.org December 30 2006 The execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein serves not justice, but the political purposes of the Bush administration and its Iraqi stooges. The manner in which the execution was carried out—hurriedly, secretively, in the dark of night, in a mockery of any semblance of legal process--only underscores the lawless and reactionary character of the entire American enterprise in Iraq. There were conflicting statements throughout Friday about how and under what circumstances the death sentence against Hussein, confirmed by an Iraqi government tribunal December 26, would be carried out. There were continual communications back and forth between the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, which nominally controlled the judicial proceedings, and the American military authorities who had physical control of the prisoner and delivered him to the execution site in the US-controlled Green Zone. Full Article : wsws.org A dictator created then destroyed by America Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006 By Robert Fisk, independent.co.uk December 30 2006 Saddam to the gallows. It was an easy equation. Who could be more deserving of that last walk to the scaffold - that crack of the neck at the end of a rope - than the Beast of Baghdad, the Hitler of the Tigris, the man who murdered untold hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis while spraying chemical weapons over his enemies? Our masters will tell us in a few hours that it is a "great day" for Iraqis and will hope that the Muslim world will forget that his death sentence was signed - by the Iraqi "government", but on behalf of the Americans - on the very eve of the Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, the moment of greatest forgiveness in the Arab world. But history will record that the Arabs and other Muslims and, indeed, many millions in the West, will ask another question this weekend, a question that will not be posed in other Western newspapers because it is not the narrative laid down for us by our presidents and prime ministers - what about the other guilty men? Full Article : independent.co.uk Top Ten Ways the US Enabled Saddam Hussein The tendency to treat Saddam and Iraq in a historical vacuum, and in isolation from the superpowers, however, has hidden from Americans their own culpability in the horror show that has been Iraq for the past few decades. Initially, the US used the Baath Party as a nationalist foil to the Communists. Then Washington used it against Iran. The welfare of Iraqis themselves appears to have been on no one's mind, either in Washington or in Baghdad. A Brief History of Toco Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 It is a most common assumption that once you have left Valencia and have entered into the region of the northeast coast, that you have arrived in Toco village. This is a myth, for although the Toco main road passes through several villages such as Balandra, Rampanalgas and Cumana and the entire region is referred to as the Toco region, the Toco village lies at the center of a chain of 14 coastal villages. The village of Toco is the most northeasterly village on the island of Trinidad at the point where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet. Tobago lies only some 35 kilometers to the northeast which renders Toco the closest point in Trinidad to the sister island. The name Toco was ascribed to the area by its early Amerindian inhabitants. The meaning of the name is uncertain, yet its historical significance and value to the country is well noted. Full Article : triniview.com Saddam Hussein Executed Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 Remember that this execution (assassination) of Saddam Hussein was carried out by the U.S. installed government in Iraq while the U.S. is illegally occupying Iraq. The U.S. had physical control of Saddam up until the time of his execution and transported the body afterwards. Simply put, Saddam Hussein was executed by the U.S. government. It is also important to remember that the U.S. illegally invaded Iraq and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. --Ayinde BBC - Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq (with Iraqi TV images) Saddam Hussein 'executed in Iraq' Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been executed by hanging at an unspecified location, reports say. Iraqi TV said the execution took place just before 0600 local time (0300GMT). It was witnessed by a doctor, lawyer and officials. It was also filmed. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk Reports: Saddam Executed in Baghdad Some Arab media, including Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya and the U.S.- financed Al-Hurrah, reported about an hour before daylight Saturday (about 10 p.m. EST Friday) that Saddam had been executed. There was no confirmation from the Iraqi government. Full Article : breitbart.com Saddam Hussein hanged, says Al Hurra TV station U.S.-backed Iraqi television station Al Hurra said Saddam Hussein had been executed by hanging shortly before 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Saturday. Full Article : news.yahoo.com Also Read: Saddam Hussein was hanged just before 10 p.m. EST. Full Article : talkingpointsmemo.com It's a hornet's nest. But I'm game. So why not jump in. "Bush administration officials" are telling CNN that Saddam Hussein will be hanged this weekend. Convention dictates that we precede any discussion of this execution with the obligatory nod to Saddam's treachery, bloodthirsty rule and tyranny. But enough of the cowardly chatter. This thing is a sham, of a piece with the whole corrupt, disastrous sham that the war and occupation have been. Bush administration officials are the ones who leak the news about the time of the execution. One key reason we know Saddam's about to be executed is that he's about to be transferred from US to Iraqi custody, which tells you a lot. And, of course, the verdict in his trial gets timed to coincide with the US elections. Full Article : talkingpointsmemo.com A dictator created then destroyed by America By Robert Fisk, independent.co.uk December 30 2006 Saddam to the gallows. It was an easy equation. Who could be more deserving of that last walk to the scaffold - that crack of the neck at the end of a rope - than the Beast of Baghdad, the Hitler of the Tigris, the man who murdered untold hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis while spraying chemical weapons over his enemies? Our masters will tell us in a few hours that it is a "great day" for Iraqis and will hope that the Muslim world will forget that his death sentence was signed - by the Iraqi "government", but on behalf of the Americans - on the very eve of the Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, the moment of greatest forgiveness in the Arab world. But history will record that the Arabs and other Muslims and, indeed, many millions in the West, will ask another question this weekend, a question that will not be posed in other Western newspapers because it is not the narrative laid down for us by our presidents and prime ministers - what about the other guilty men? Full Article : independent.co.uk Arab haj pilgrims outraged at Saddam execution Taliban says Saddam's execution to intensify jihad The Execution of Saddam Hussein By the Editorial Board, wsws.org December 30 2006 The execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein serves not justice, but the political purposes of the Bush administration and its Iraqi stooges. The manner in which the execution was carried out—hurriedly, secretively, in the dark of night, in a mockery of any semblance of legal process--only underscores the lawless and reactionary character of the entire American enterprise in Iraq. There were conflicting statements throughout Friday about how and under what circumstances the death sentence against Hussein, confirmed by an Iraqi government tribunal December 26, would be carried out. There were continual communications back and forth between the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, which nominally controlled the judicial proceedings, and the American military authorities who had physical control of the prisoner and delivered him to the execution site in the US-controlled Green Zone. Full Article : wsws.org Saddam Hussein's execution: Your views Final Plans Made for Saddam's Execution Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 Final Plans Made for Saddam's Execution U.S. Judge Rejects Saddam Plea Official: Saddam to Be Executed Tonight Saddam's last hours Former leader sees brothers and leaves will as judge says hanging imminent Saddam Hussein's execution was imminent last night as senior Iraqi officials finalised details of his hanging and indicated that it would probably take place shortly before dawn this morning. The Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, signed the former dictator's death sentence and at a late night meeting with US officials agreed the execution formalities. Saddam to hang within hours: officials Saddam Execution Set to Destabilise Iraq Further The Rush to Hang Saddam The important question was never really about whether Saddam Hussein was guilty of crimes against humanity. The public record is bulging with the lengthy litany of his vile and unforgivable atrocities: genocidal assaults against the Kurds; aggressive wars against Iran and Kuwait; use of internationally banned weapons like nerve gas; systematic torture of countless thousands of political prisoners. December 29, News 2006 Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 Saddam Hussein 'executed in Iraq' Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been executed by hanging at an unspecified location, reports say. Iraqi TV said the execution took place just before 0600 local time (0300GMT). It was witnessed by a doctor, lawyer and officials. It was also filmed. ¤ Why Somalia war unsettles the world ¤ U.S. Embassy Is Warning Beijing on Iran Gas Deal ¤ No delay in Saddam execution, Iraqi PM says ¤ The 'untouchables' of US science ¤ James Brown draws a crowd for last Harlem appearance ¤ This 'victory' could mean a return to anarchy ¤ The trials of occupation ¤ More Troops but Less Control in Iraq ¤ The Disrespect for Truth has Brought a New Dark Age ¤ Suicide bomber kills 10 north of Baghdad ¤ Reyes: U.S. intelligence 'manipulated' ¤ New Orleans officers charged with murder ¤ $200 bill ¤ A Tale of Two Sisters ¤ The Re-Talibanization of Afghanistan ¤ World Responds to Palestinian Family's Jailing Despite Media Blackout ¤ Peace mom arrested at Bush's ranch ¤ Saddam likely to be hanged within hours: senior Iraqi source ¤ George W. Bush Is Going To Bomb Iran ¤ Saddam wins big! (And human rights take a thumping) ¤ Horn of Africa: Latest Victim of 'War on Terror' ¤ SADDAM'S HANGING VERDICT IS ILLEGAL AND UNJUST ¤ The temples of the occupation ¤ Israeli journalist reveals the secrets of the assassination of Arafat by Ariel Sharon ¤ "Press Release" Defense Committee for President Saddam Hussein ¤ Silence Of The Lambs U.S. Embassy Is Warning Beijing on Iran Gas Deal Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration and Congress are warning that a proposed $16 billion deal between a Chinese company and Iran could trigger economic penalties under an American law aimed at starving Iran of funding for terrorism and nuclear weapons. Officials at the American embassy in China delivered a demarche Saturday in Beijing. They demanded an explanation of the deal from Chinese government officials and warned them that it could trigger a 1996 law, the Iran Libya Sanctions Act. The law prohibits foreign firms that invest more than $10 million in Iran's energy sector from raising capital in American financial markets. Full Article : nysun.com In Somalia, a reckless U.S. proxy war Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 NAIROBI: Undeterred by the horrors and setbacks in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon, the Bush administration has opened another battlefront in the Muslim world. With full U.S. backing and military training, at least 15,000 Ethiopian troops have entered Somalia in an illegal war of aggression against the Union of Islamic Courts, which controls almost the entire south of the country. As with Iraq in 2003, the United States has cast this as a war to curtail terrorism, but its real goal is to obtain a direct foothold in a highly strategic region by establishing a client regime there. The Horn of Africa is newly oil-rich, and lies just miles from Saudi Arabia, overlooking the daily passage of large numbers of oil tankers and warships through the Red Sea. General John Abizaid, the current U.S. military chief of the Iraq war, was in Ethiopia this month, and President Hu Jintao of China visited Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia earlier this year to pursue oil and trade agreements. Full Article : iht.com U.S. Should Not Support Ethiopia's Invasion of Somalia Why Somalia war unsettles the world Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 How a war ends often depends on how it began. Take the one that boiled over in Somalia last week. Islamist forces attacked a legal government guarded by an invading Ethiopian army. Which side had just cause? The answer isn't so easy. Both the UN and the African Union, two international bodies that often intervene in sovereign nations, largely stood by, argued, or scratched their collective heads as the fighting in Somalia raged on. Secretary-General Kofi Annan declared a UN-backed intervention was not needed. Full Article : csmonitor.com James Brown draws a crowd for last Harlem appearance Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 Even in death, James Brown can move a crowd. Thousands of people danced and sang in the streets outside the historic Apollo Theatre in raucous celebration of the "Godfather of Soul" yesterday as his body was displayed on the stage where he made his 1956 debut. Music thumped from shop fronts and portable stereos. People sang on the pavements. Brown's wails and growls blasted on a loudspeaker inside the auditorium as fans marched quietly past his open gold coffin, where he lay resplendent in a blue suit, white gloves and silver shoes. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Ethiopian-led forces seize Mogadishu Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 Somali government troops marched into the country's capital, Mogadishu, last night as the Islamic militias that have controlled the city and much of southern Somalia fled in disarray. "We are in Mogadishu," declared Mohamed Ali Gedi, the head of the weak transitional government of Somalia that had previously failed to even reach the capital and been forced to set up further west in Baidoa. The real power behind the sudden shift, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, said his soldiers would ensure Mogadishu does not descend into chaos. "We will not let Mogadishu burn," said Mr Meles who claimed the fighting could be over "in days, if not a few weeks". Full Article : independent.co.uk Saddam may be hanged by Saturday Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006 Baghdad - Saddam Hussein's lawyers have been asked to pick up his personal effects but Iraq's justice ministry denied it had taken custody of the former president and dismissed a US suggestion he would hang as early as Saturday. One defence lawyer, who declined to be identified, said Saddam had been handed over by US forces to Iraqi government custody. US military spokespeople said they had nothing to add to a statement late on Thursday that he was still in their control. Asked about comments from the defence lawyer that Saddam had been handed over, Deputy Justice Minister Bosho Ibrahim told Reuters: "This is not true. He is still with the Americans." Full Article : iol.co.za Source: Saddam's Time Running Out U.S. Takes First Step Toward Handing Him Over To Iraqi Authorities Al-Dulaimi warned that turning over Saddam to the Iraqis would increase the sectarian violence that already is tearing the country apart. "If the American administration insists in handing the president to the Iraqis, it would commit a great strategic mistake which would lead to the escalation of the violence in Iraq and the eruption of a destructive civil war," he said. December 28, News 2006 Posted: Thursday, December 28, 2006 ¤ What freedom of information? ¤ Bush's Great Leap Forward ¤ Blair's Folly ¤ In Somalia, a reckless U.S. proxy war ¤ Ford Speaks From The Grave, Criticizes Bush On Iraq ¤ The Trials of Occupation ¤ Saddam Ready for 'Sacrifice' as Baathists Vow Revenge ¤ The life and afterlife of James Brown ¤ Prices and Blizzards ¤ Indian leader likens caste system to apartheid regime ¤ U.S. Embassy Is Warning Beijing on Iran Gas Deal ¤ Dollar Slides; U.A.E. Says Selling U.S. Currency, Buying Euros ¤ Bush Could Usher in a Very Dangerous New Year ¤ Somalia to declare martial law ¤ Killing children is no longer a big deal ¤ Iraq prepares for rapid Saddam execution ¤ Our Next Big Mess ¤ James Brown lies in repose at Apollo ¤ Saddam Is The Last Hope For The US ¤ Stress of violence leads to more suicides ¤ Lynching Saddam – Part 11 Venezuelan and Ecuadorian Presidents Seal Friendship ... Posted: Thursday, December 28, 2006 Caracas, December 22, 2006 (venezuelanalysis.com)— Ecuador’s President Elect Rafael Correa arrived in Venezuela Tuesday to strengthen his friendship with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and to sign cooperation commitments. The two presidents signed a joint declaration to promote integration via the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) and for energy cooperation. Correa also requested that Venezuela rejoin the trading group of the Community of Andean Nations (CAN). Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com FAQ: War between Somalia and Ethiopia Posted: Thursday, December 28, 2006 Is there a history of violence between the two countries? Yes. Successive Somali governments objected to the demarcation of the 1,000-mile border with Ethiopia, which was drawn by colonial powers. In 1964, the two countries fought a war over the Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia, which is home to mainly ethnic Somalis. War erupted again 13 years later but Ethiopia, backed by Soviet and Cuban forces, inflicted a heavy defeat on its neighbour after a two-year conflict. During the 90s, Ethiopia launched attacks on a Somali Islamic group, al-Itihaad al-Islaami, headed by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the current head of the SCIC. The current Somali president, Abdullahi Yusuf, helped Ethiopia defeat Aweys' group. Full Article : guardian.co.uk The Dubious Ethiopian Invasion of Somalia Indian leader likens caste system to apartheid regime Posted: Thursday, December 28, 2006 Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh became the first leader of his country yesterday to compare the condition of low-caste Hindus with that of black South Africans under apartheid. Mr Singh drew the parallel at a conference in New Delhi on social and caste injustices saying it was modern India's failure that millions of Dalits (meaning "oppressed") were still fighting prejudice. "Even after 60 years of constitutional and legal protection and support, there is still social discrimination against Dalits in many parts of our country," Mr Singh said. Full Article : guardian.co.uk James Brown, 1933-2006 Posted: Thursday, December 28, 2006 "Internationally known as the hardest working man in show business . . . . Mr. Dynamite, the amazing Mr. Please Please himself . . . the star of the show, Jaaaames BROWN!" That was the unforgettable opening of "The James Brown Show Live at the Apollo," an LP released in 1963, which spent 66 weeks on the Billboard album charts – something no R&B album had ever done. The hardest working man in show business died Christmas day at a hospital in Atlanta. He was 73. Full Article : commondreams.org Saddam Ready for 'Sacrifice' as Baathists Vow Revenge Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 Saddam Hussein has vowed to go the gallows as a "martyr" ready and willing to sacrifice himself, after Iraq's highest court rejected an appeal against his death sentence. In a defiant letter released today but said to be written from his prison cell in November when he was first sentenced to death, the ex-dictator addresses Iraq’s citizens directly, urging them to unite against "the enemies". "I sacrifice myself. If God wills it, he will place me among the true men and martyrs," he wrote. "O faithful people, I bid you farewell as my soul goes to God the compassionate…Long live Iraq. Long Live Iraq. Long live Palestine. Long live jihad and the Mujahidin. God is great." The message came as Saddam’s Baath Party - disbanded after his ousting in 2003 - threatened retaliation if the execution went ahead, warning in an internet posting that it would target US interests anywhere. Full Article : commondreams.org December 27, News 2006 Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 ¤ Former US president Gerald Ford dies at 93 ¤ Hundreds burned alive in Lagos pipeline fire ¤ What has long been a catastrophic tragedy is also now a horrific farce ¤ Slavery in the UK ¤ Islamic threats follow Ethiopian troop advancement in Somalia ¤ No more troops for Afghanistan, says Belgian minister ¤ Iraqis By the Numbers ¤ Hugo Chavez's Political Imperative ¤ Journey to Vietnam ¤ Israel approves W Bank settlement ¤ James Brown, 1933-2006 ¤ James Brown: Please Don't Go ¤ Announcing the P.U.-litzer Prizes for 2006 ¤ Rumsfeld and the American Way of War ¤ Where Will You Be When the Boat Capsizes? ¤ The Power of Propaganda ¤ Cowboys Differ on Iran Attack ¤ Iran backed dangerously into a corner ¤ Why doesn't the US condemn Ethiopian invasion and occupation of Somalia ? ¤ Iran: U.N. Ignoring Israeli Nuke Program ¤ Okla. bombing probe flayed ¤ Reservist Due for Iraq Is Killed in Standoff With Police ¤ Journalistic Malpractice: Iraq, 9/11 and US support of Israel ¤ Gambling to save face on Iraq ¤ Syncronized dancing robots ¤ Will Bush Explain Why War Continues? ¤ Rumsfeld denies making claims Iraq had WMDs ¤ Secretary Rumsfeld Remarks on ABC "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" ¤ 2,700 Palestinians have been detained without trial this year ¤ "It didn't happen under Saddam" ¤ Haditha: The Mai Lai of Iraq ¤ Big quake cuts communications in Taiwan ¤ African Union orders Ethiopia out ¤ Yes, oil from Venezuela ¤ World's `Worst' Visa System Scares Business Away From the U.S. ¤ Noam Chomsky Comments on the Iraq Study Group Report ¤ Seething Cuba slams Costa Rica's Arias as pawn of US Ethiopian troops told to leave Somalia Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 The African Union has told Ethiopia to pull out thousands of its troops from Somalia, where they are fighting alongside pro-government forces. "We are calling for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops without delay," Alpha Omar Konare, the AU Commission chairman, said. "We appeal to all parties to cease hostilities without delay and resume dialogue that started in Khartoum under the aegis of the Arab League, the AU and IGAD,"Mr Konare said at the end of an AU and Arab League meeting in Ethiopia. Full Article : telegraph.co.uk Probes of Bush Policies in Works Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts lawmakers are set to launch a blizzard of investigations in the new Congress, probing issues such as wartime contracting, post-Katrina housing assistance, and the Bush administration's relationship with Cuba and other countries in Latin America. In what could be closely watched proceedings, two members of the Massachusetts delegation -- representatives William D. Delahunt of Quincy and Martin T. Meehan of Lowell -- are planning joint committee hearings to examine the administration's Iraq war policies, particularly the reasons for the military's lagging efforts to train Iraqi troops. Delahunt is in line to become chairman of the House International Relations Committee's subcommittee on oversight and investigations, and Meehan will take over the same subcommittee on the House Armed Services Committee. Full Article : commondreams.org Ethiopian troops move on Somalia's capital Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 Government troops move on Mogadishu Ethiopian troops supporting the forces of Somalia's transitional government are advancing towards the capital, Mogadishu, as the United Nations Security Council calls an emergency meeting on the conflict. Full Article : aljazeera.net The Horn of Africa teeters on the cusp of all-out war Neighbours arethreatening to turn Somalia into a battleground for their old scores "Analysts agreed it would not be an easy fight against Ethiopia's powerful army, and the UIC's [The Union of Islamic Courts] reported allies – Eritrea and Yemen – may be tempted to join the southern militia. Already, they have covertly supplied arms and training to the UIC, according to a UN report obtained by Associated Press. Eritrea and the predominantly Christian Ethiopia fought a three-decade war of independence and since Eritrea became a country in 1993, the two have skirmished regularly across their border. Many have warned that Somalia – which hasn't had a centralized government during the 15 years since President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991 – could become the battleground for neighbours looking to settle old scores." Full Article : thestar.com Analysis: U.S. may feed conflict in Somalia, experts say America is seen as backing Ethiopian intervention, leading to calls for 'jihad.' NAIROBI, Kenya -- As fighting has intensified between Somali Islamists and an Ethiopian intervention force, Western diplomats and experts warned that U.S. policy in the Horn of Africa -- intended to curb Islamic radicalism -- may not only be fueling this newest conflict, but also may be making it easier for al-Qaida to gain a foothold in the strategic region. Full Article : sacbee.com Somalia: All-Out War "Catastrophic" for Southern Region - Famine Watchdog The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has warned of potentially "catastrophic" effects of all-out war in Somalia. In an emergency alert issued on Friday as the conflict began to escalate, the analysis service highlighted the food security threat to southern Somalia, where 1.1 million people are already facing a humanitarian crisis while half a million are seriously affected by floods. Full Article : allafrica.com Analysis: Somalia's powerbrokers Somalia has been without a recognised central government since the collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre's regime in January 1991. Recent attempts to establish a new authority, based in the capital Mogadishu, have had mixed results. And much power still lies with armed factions and warlords who are notorious for switching allegiance. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk Ethiopia-Eritrea Proxy War in Somalia Risks Broader Regional Conflict, Warns New Council Report December 14, 2006 Council on Foreign Relations Conflict in the Horn of Africa is escalating rapidly as power struggles within Somalia are exacerbated by military support that both Ethiopia and Eritrea give to the opposing parties there. Ethiopia backs the weak interim government; Eritrea sponsors the Islamic militants fighting to overthrow it. Because the United States has accused Somalia of harboring al-Qaeda suspects, "the Ethiopian-Eritrean proxy conflict increases the opportunities for terrorist infiltration of the Horn and East Africa and for ignition of a larger regional conflict," warns a new Council Special Report. Full Article : cfr.org Saddam Hussein Execution Expected Within Month Posted: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 (CNSNews.com) - Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator who the United States deposed in its 2003 invasion of Iraq, could be hanged at any time during the next 30 days, following the rejection of his appeal on a conviction of crimes against humanity. Full Article : cnsnews.com Saddam to hang within 30 days Saddam Hussein could be hanged within days after the rejection of his appeal by Iraq's highest court yesterday. The former Iraqi dictator was sentenced to death in November over the killing of 148 Shia Muslims from the town of Dujail in 1982. He is facing another trial accused of genocide against the Kurds - but that may now never be completed. The death sentence from the first trial must be implemented within 30 days, the chief judge, Aref Shahin, said yesterday, hinting that it could come even sooner: "From tomorrow, any day could be the day of implementation." Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, a member of the Shia majority persecuted under Saddam's Sunni-minority rule, has already said he wants the execution to take place before the end of the year. Full Article : guardian.co.uk The Proposed Iranian Oil Bourse Posted: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 For the first time in history, in the twentieth century, America was able to tax the world indirectly, through inflation. It did not enforce the direct payment of taxes like all of its predecessor empires did, but distributed instead its own fiat currency, the U.S. Dollar, to other nations in exchange for goods with the intended consequence of inflating and devaluing those dollars and paying back later each dollar with less economic goods—the difference capturing the U.S. imperial tax. Here is how this happened. Full Article : energybulletin.net Israel approves new West Bank settlement Posted: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 Israel has approved a new settlement in the West Bank to house former Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday, breaking a promise to the U.S. to halt home construction in the Palestinian territories. Full Article : yahoo.com King Abdullah: Israel not as strong as we though Posted: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 Jordanian king tells Japanese newspaper 'The perception in the Middle East is that Israel lost Lebanon war'; adds: More and more countries in the region will now believe that the only way to get Israel to listen is through force and not negotiations Full Article : ynetnews.com December 26, News 2006 Posted: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 ¤ 24 die in Philippines store fire ¤ Poor record-keeping plagues Bush AIDS effort ¤ 'There Are No Holidays In Iraq' ¤ Ethiopian fighter jets bomb Mogadishu airport ¤ Katrina fraud likely to balloon past $1B ¤ Probes of Bush Policies in Works ¤ Should Stupid Thoughts Be Crimes? ¤ Wrong Answer to the Wrong Question ¤ 'Godfather of Soul' James Brown Dies ¤ U.S. deaths in Iraq exceed 9-11 count ¤ Media Follies 2006! ¤ The Decider Hath Decided... ¤ Was Libya framed by US and Britain for Lockerbie to make Libya toe the line ? ¤ The Power of Nightmares 1 of 3 ¤ The Physics of Santa and His Reindeer ¤ The Warmonger's Brigade ¤ Ethiopia pushes deeper into Somalia ¤ Shock and Awe: The Politics of Redaction ¤ Iran Oil Revenue Quickly Drying Up, Analysis Says ¤ Iraq's Palestinians threatened once more ¤ Will Iraq's Oil Blessing Become a Curse? ¤ Iraq and Iran protest US arrest of Iranian officials ¤ Metaphorical bulldozer ¤ PANAMA'S EARLY CHRISTMAS GREETINGS Legendary Singer James Brown Dies at 73 Posted: Monday, December 25, 2006 ATLANTA (AP) - James Brown, the undeniable "Godfather of Soul," told friends from his hospital bed that he was looking forward to performing on New Year's Eve, even though he was ill with pneumonia. His heart gave out a few hours later, on Christmas morning. Full Article : myway.com Flaws Are Detected in Microsoft’s Vista Posted: Monday, December 25, 2006 Microsoft is facing an early crisis of confidence in the quality of its Windows Vista operating system as computer security researchers and hackers have begun to find potentially serious flaws in the system that was released to corporate customers late last month. On Dec. 15, a Russian programmer posted a description of a flaw that makes it possible to increase a user's privileges on all of the company's recent operating systems, including Vista. And over the weekend a Silicon Valley computer security firm said it had notified Microsoft that it had also found that flaw, as well as five other vulnerabilities, including one serious error in the software code underlying the company's new Internet Explorer 7 browser. The browser flaw is particularly troubling because it potentially means that Web users could become infected with malicious software simply by visiting a booby-trapped site. That would make it possible for an attacker to inject rogue software into the Vista-based computer, according to executives at Determina, a company based in Redwood City, Calif., that sells software intended to protect against operating system and other vulnerabilities. Full Article : nytimes.com Singer James Brown Dies at 73 Posted: Monday, December 25, 2006 James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73. Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, he said. Full Article : breitbart.com December 24, News 2006 Posted: Sunday, December 24, 2006 ¤ Banality and barefaced lies ¤ Impending Police State in America ¤ The "War on Terrorism" is a Fabrication ¤ Mass Infanticide Then and Now ¤ Residents blame U.S. for deadly attack in Baquba ¤ U.S. trapped in Arabian sands ¤ Residents blame U.S. for deadly attack in Baquba ¤ Pick a horror: Iraq toll or Dubya's lost goal ¤ Don't Count on the Democrats to End the Iraq War ¤ Time to Drop the Face-Saving Fictions ¤ From the Raid on "Fort Negro" to Iraq ¤ Black 'Saints' Cannot Deliver Whites From Racial Inertia ¤ Es-Ka-LAY-Shun ¤ Eight US Marines charged in 21 Iraqi murders, cover-up ¤ Ex-Abu Ghraib detainee recounts atrocities committed by US forces ¤ Militiamen abduct, rape and kill students ¤ Ten years later the price is still worth it ¤ Are Bush and Cheney Planning an Early Attack on Iran? ¤ U.S. says U.N. Iran resolution not enough ¤ UN sanctions hit Iran after call by Bush ¤ UN resolution just a "scrap of paper", says Ahmadinejad ¤ Could Bush Start Another War? ¤ Blair was dangerously off target in his condemnation of Iran ¤ Iran calls U.N. resolution 'invalid' and 'illegal ¤ Will the US Become a Banana Republic? ¤ Sorry, Wrong Continent Spy Cameras See Britons' Every Move Posted: Sunday, December 24, 2006 George Orwell Was Right: Spy Cameras See Britons' Every Move Almost 70 years after George Orwell created the all-seeing dictator Big Brother in the novel "1984," Britons are being watched as never before. About 4.2 million spy cameras film each citizen 300 times a day, and police have built the world's largest DNA database. Prime Minister Tony Blair said all Britons should carry biometric identification cards to help fight the war on terror. Full Article : bloomberg.com Iran: What about Zionists' nukes? Posted: Sunday, December 24, 2006 Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini says sanctions imposed by UN on Islamic Republic 'cannot affect or limit Iran's peaceful nuclear activities but will discredit the decisions of the Security Council, whose power is deteriorating'; adds: Council doing nothing in response to Olmert's comments on Zionists' nuclear capabilities Full Article : ynetnews.com US Congresswoman Calls for Castro's Assassination Posted: Sunday, December 24, 2006 Watch The Clip Of Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Calling For Castro's Assassination... Video : youtube.com www.638waystokillcastro.com Fla. Lawmaker Acknowledges Castro Remark A Florida congresswoman acknowledged Saturday calling for Fidel Castro's assassination after earlier claiming a video clip of her making the comments was fake. A Congo Lesson for Bush Posted: Sunday, December 24, 2006 An author points out similarities between King Leopold's disastrous invasion of Congo and the war in Iraq. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: Your interview in the Washington Post made headlines across the country Wednesday because you continued to talk about "victory" in Iraq — a hint that you may increase the number of American troops there. But it caught my eye for a different reason. In it (after expressing some "befuddlement" at the suggestion that you do not read books), you explained that the most recent book you read was "King Leopold's Ghost," about the plundering of Congo a century ago. This pleased me because I wrote that book. Full Article : commondreams.org UN sanctions hit Iran after call by Bush Posted: Saturday, December 23, 2006 The UN Security Council unanimously approved a tough resolution yesterday evening authorising sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, bringing to an end two months of often fractious negotiations aimed at pressuring Tehran to clarify its nuclear ambitions. The resolution orders all countries to ban the supply of specified materials and technology that could contribute to Iran's nuclear and missile programmes. It also imposes an asset freeze on key companies and individuals involved in the programmes named on a UN list. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Blair was dangerously off target in his condemnation of Iran Posted: Saturday, December 23, 2006 Two things occurred last week, apparently unconnected. In the first, Tony Blair, at the end of his tour of the Middle East and the Gulf, issued a thunderous denunciation in Dubai of the 'threat' posed by Iran. He painted a scary picture. (Doesn't he always?) Iran, he said, was 'at war' with the 'moderate' Arab world and Western forces trying to bring peace and stability to the region. If it was not for evil Iran, Blair implied, Iraq and Afghanistan could become holiday hotspots for tourists, following the example set by Dubai, which has had more than a million British visitors this year. Iran at war with the Arab world? The last statesman who framed it in that ugly context was ... Saddam Hussein. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Israel's Nuclear Weapons Must Be On The Table Posted: Saturday, December 23, 2006 Ever since Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli nuclear technician, confirmed the existence of Israel's nuclear weapons program with his photographs of the secret underground bomb facility published in the London Sunday Times in 1986, the world has known Israel has been making nuclear bombs but has pretended they do not exist. Vanunu was released from prison in April 2004 but was prohibited from leaving Israel. The Israeli government continues to keep him in Israel against his will. Criminal action is pending against him for speaking to journalists and foreigners. Full Article : american-reporter.com Holocaust Jew accused of war crimes Posted: Saturday, December 23, 2006 An old Jewish man who took his own cold-blooded revenge against Germans for the Holocaust will not be extradited back to Poland from Israel to answer charges of genocide. The case of Solomon Morel, 86, is the only one in Holocaust history where a Jew stands accused of war crimes against Germans. It has perplexed legal minds in both countries. Poland says genocide is genocide whether a Jew or a Nazi committed it, while many Israelis see rough justice in the 1500 German deaths for which Mr Morel is alleged to be responsible. Full Article : theage.com.au Mainstream journalist defends western bias Posted: Saturday, December 23, 2006 Reuters' UN correspondent Evelyn Leopold defended her and other mainstream journalists' western bias by saying she and her colleagues are from the west. She also criticized some journalists that she said had different biases and an agenda. At a recent UN Security Council briefing on the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, Ms. Leopold reportedly yelled out "Next question, next question" after a Muslim Weekly correspondent asked if the UN investigation was considering outside claims of Israeli involvement. Ms. Leopold denied yelling out anything, but said that nobody at the UN should be asked that question (quoted below), including UN Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz who presided over the briefing. Full Article : cnnexposed.com December 22, News 2006 Posted: Saturday, December 23, 2006 ¤ The vocabulary word for today: Zugswang Zugswang (noun, from German): a position in chess where every possible move you can make results in a worse position. ¤ Moscow wins Georgia gas battle ¤ Gates pledges 'enduring' US presence in Gulf ¤ Marines charged in Iraqi civilian deaths ¤ US confirms backing Assad opposition ¤ Failure in Iraq? We've Already Failed ¤ Is The Country More Secure Because of President Bush's Policies? ¤ "I'm Jealous of Cuba" ¤ Breaking the News ¤ Afghanistan's Drug Catastrophe ¤ The United States is Insolvent ¤ Military Draft System To Be Tested ¤ Beware the Fake Media Watchdog ¤ The Nightmare before Christmas ¤ The Bush Administration's 9/11 Story is a Conspiracy Theory ¤ The Great Game on a razor's edge ¤ 'Everything depends' on bringing Christianity to Iraq ¤ Lieberman Officially Endores Escalation in Iraq ¤ North Korea Talks Stall Over U.S. Financial Sanctions ¤ 'NY Times' Finally Publishes Op-Ed 'Redacted' by C.I.A. ¤ Israel, Syria and Bush's Veto ¤ Europeans bail out of Iran sanctions ¤ The $2 Trillion Dollar War ¤ Marines' Haditha Massacre: Murderers, and Casualties, of War ¤ Bush Is A One Word Oxymoron ¤ All I Want for Christmas is...the Truth ¤ Put on the Spot, Our Punk President Lies Yet Again ¤ Unnecessary Killers in an Unnecessary War ¤ Once Again Bush Gets It Wrong. Who'd o' Thunk? ¤ A Very Dangerous New Year ¤ US encourages the Talibanisation of Afghanistan ¤ After Charges, Looking Back on Haditha ¤ Abandoned and terrified, refugees are targets of the death squad ¤ "I never made so many coffins a day" ¤ Iraq will be nothing else but the Arab and the liberation fort! ¤ Cannon fodder in Christmas times ¤ A Christmas Present ... ¤ All Tears Are Not Enough ¤ George Galloway - Israel : A History Of Violence NACC and NWAC's Queen and Kings Prize-Giving Ceremony Posted: Friday, December 22, 2006 NACC and NWAC presented their 22nd Annual Calypso Queen and Young Kings Calypso Monarch Competition Prize-Giving Ceremony 2006 at the SWWTU on Thursday 21st December, 2006. The event was long in coming and the gathering consisted of Calypsonians and their supporters who had anxiously awaited their prizes. The MC for the night was Sister Dela Obika, Servant President of the NWAC (National Women's Action Committee) and Calypsonians were backed by the powerful sounds of the Earl Knight and the Services Brass Band. Full Article : trinisoca.com The Eve of the Hindu Wedding Posted: Thursday, December 21, 2006 On Saturday 16th December, 2006, at around 4pm, Triniview.com journeyed back to the home of the dulahin (bride to be) and was once again warmly welcomed by all. Saturday being the eve of the wedding, was all about preparing for the big day ahead. The house, just as it was the day before, was filled with friends and family who arrived early to assist Geeta, the dulahin, in the final preparations for the actual wedding ceremony. Full Article : triniview.com Blair losing battle to prove his influence Posted: Thursday, December 21, 2006 Tony Blair's "shoulder to shoulder" support for George Bush has been called into question again by claims that he was "brainwashed" by President Bush over plans to pull troops out of Iraq. The Prime Minister returned yesterday from his seven-nation visit to the Middle East, apparently without achieving any significant breakthrough in the peace process. But British officials said that he had found a desire to make progress among Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and insisted that he had never expected to find a magic solution. They said his tour should be judged over the longer term rather than immediately. Full Article : independent.co.uk December 21, News 2006 Posted: Thursday, December 21, 2006 ¤ New Report Says Iraq Attacks Hit Record High ¤ This is where George Bush gets dangerous ¤ U.S. Cancels Order for 75 Million Doses of Anthrax Vaccine ¤ US soldiers' suicide rate in Iraq doubles in 2005 ¤ The US and Latin America Overview for 2006, Perspectives for 2007 ¤ The world according to Blair, by 'Mr Tony' ¤ CIA Official Reveals Bush, Cheney, Rice Were Personally Told Iraq Had No WMD in Fall 2002 ¤ There's the Big Lie, and then there's the Really Big Lie ¤ U.S. warns time is running out for North Korea ¤ McVeigh Video Destroys OKC Bombing Official Story ¤ A 'Surge' in Wasted Sacrifice ¤ The Last Latin Dinosaur ¤ The proxy war in Palestine ¤ Victory Requires an Immediate Pull-Out of US Troops ¤ Suicide bomber kills at least 10 in Baghdad ¤ Defiant , I stand. ¤ The Urge to Surge ¤ Civil Wars? ¤ Pentagon mulling show of force to Iran ¤ Good Evening, Vietnam ¤ A Judicial Victory for the Leader ¤ Architect of Defeat ¤ Sell-Out Democrats Walk Into a Bush Trap on Iraq ¤ Bush "Developing Illegal Bioterror Weapons" for Offensive Use ¤ Assault on Red Crescent an Escalation in Iraq ¤ Bush plans bigger army amid fear of new Iraq deployment ¤ 132 Iraqis Killed ¤ Pentagon report paints grim picture for US in Iraq ¤ If The Americans Really Intend To Negotiate With The Resistance... ¤ HRW ¤ "IraqSlogger" warmly endorsing crude propaganda ¤ Iraqi soldiers eat frogs, rabbit at handover ceremony ¤ Bush Can’t Kick the Habit ¤ Hold Those Responsible for Iraq Accountable ¤ The Worst "Way Forward" in Iraq ¤ Disbelief at israeli snub of Syrian offer ¤ Bush backs away from 'absolutely winning' statement ¤ WHEN WILL THEY EVER LEARN? ¤ Muslim Holocaust & Holocaust Denial by Bush US Alliance ¤ Iraq Is Vietnam - And You'd Better Believe It ¤ Report: Iraq on brink of collapse ¤ How Syria dodged a neo-con bullet ¤ Iraqi Women's Bodies Are Battlefields for War Vendettas ¤ US soldiers' suicide rate in Iraq doubles in 2005 Latin America's secret slave trade Posted: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 Oliver Balch reports from the triple frontier of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, where humans have become the most sought-after contraband. The human-trafficking business is estimated to be worth over £10bn a year, making it the world's third most profitable criminal activity after drug-smuggling and gun-running. Many of those trafficked through the triple frontier are destined for the illegal labour market in Brazil or Argentina. The trade in babies for adoption is also widely reported. But a large proportion end up as sex workers. Many end up in brothels across the region, although a high number are destined for the triple frontier's own thriving sex industry. Full Article : guardian.co.uk US considers naval build-up as warning to Iran Posted: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 The Bush administration is weighing options for a naval build-up in the Gulf as a show of force and a warning to Iran on its nuclear programme and its support for Shia militias in Iraq, it emerged yesterday. Under the proposed build-up, first reported by CBS television, the Pentagon would send an aircraft carrier to join one already in the region. The proposed deployment was described as a message to Tehran not to take provocative steps, and was not preparation for an attack. Full Article : guardian.co.uk The world according to Blair, by 'Mr Tony' Posted: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 The Prime Minister has unveiled the world according to 'Mr Tony' as he launched into a bizarre lecture on life, the universe and everything. Tony Blair left an audience of Arab female university students lost for words as he called for a 'global culture' based on common values of openness, tolerance, equality and fairness. And he revealed the 'theory of Mr Tony' - you cannot please everyone so just press ahead even if others think you are wrong. The oddly-worded remarks came during a tour of a women-only university in the United Arab Emirates. Full Article : thisislondon.co.uk Maticoor Night: The Dulahin's Feminine Zone Posted: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 On Friday 15th December, 2006, the first night of preparation for the wedding between Geeta Maharaj of Welcome Road South, Enterprise Chaguanas and Kishan Seegobin also of Chaguanas, Triniview.com was able to share in this celebration. It was beautiful synchronicity to be driving up to Geeta's home where family and friends gathered to join in the festivities, and simultaneously be welcomed by the sounds of the village Raghu Boys Tassa group raising a rousing welcome to all guests, and signaling to the village that the wedding celebrations was about to begin. This is a key element of the traditional format of the night; the entire close-knit village is involved and welcomed as a wedding is an occasion for all to share and celebrate. The energetic and pulsing rhythms of the Tassa drums started off the mood of celebration. This was not to be a solemn ceremony but one that embraced life and energy and the joy of female sensuality. This celebratory tone was to continue for the rest of the evening, interspersed with rituals, all performed with joyous festivity. Full Article : triniview.com Paramin Parang Festival Draws Thousands Posted: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Parang lovers by the thousands came together for the Paramin Parang Festival 2006 which took place on Monday 18th December, 2006, on the hills of Paramin. This year was the 29th anniversary of this celebration and the turn out was fantastic as usual. The journey to Paramin alone was an experience. Driving up the steep, undulating hills in the large jeeps proved to be daunting yet quite exciting. Although the Paramin area is not that far into the country, the sharp bends and turns as well as the height of the terrain made the journey seem quite long. Full Article : triniview.com Iran: sanctions will not stop nuclear plans Posted: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, today said UN sanctions would not stop Iran from enriching uranium. The show of defiance came as the UN security council moved closer to adopting a resolution after months of wrangling. Russia said today a new draft met most of its concerns. "The new draft resolution, which has been drawn up by the European troika (Britain, France and Germany) and is now being debated within the UN security council, takes most of our approaches into consideration," the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told the news service Interfax. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Libya sentences foreign health workers to death Posted: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 A Libyan court today sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death after finding them guilty of deliberately infecting 400 children with the HIV virus. The presiding judge, Mahmoud Hawissa, read out the verdict in a seven-minute hearing at a Tripoli court, which came at the end of the defendants' second trial. The six - who had detained for nearly seven years - had previously been convicted and sentenced to death, but Libyan judges granted them a retrial after international protests over the fairness of the proceedings. Full Article : guardian.co.uk December 18, News 2006 Posted: Monday, December 18, 2006 ¤ Venezuela, Oil Producers Buy Euro as Dollar, Oil Fall ¤ All-time high for homegrown as pot becomes top cash crop in US ¤ Washington Refuses to End the War ¤ More Troops, More Body Bags ¤ Despair and Disappointment in Afghanistan ¤ Iran's Elections ¤ Santa Claus is Chinese or, Why China is Rising and the US is Declining ¤ US robberies, murders on the rise ¤ Iran to replace dollar with euro in foreign deals ¤ Tehran's Holocaust Conference ¤ The United States of Punishment ¤ The Sober Racism of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto ¤ Red Crescent suspends Baghdad work ¤ But How Will America Then Keep Control of Oil Fields? ¤ The terrorist you've never heard of ¤ It's Either Occupation or Education ¤ My heart is tired, heavy with the wounds of Iraq ¤ Lame Duck Visits Dead Duck Walking Venezuela, Oil Producers Buy Euro as Dollar, Oil Fall Posted: Monday, December 18, 2006 Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is directing a growing share of the country's oil profits into euros as the dollar and crude prices fall. The dollar, down 9.5 percent against the euro this year, may face more pressure in 2007 because Venezuela and oil producers from the United Arab Emirates to Indonesia plan to funnel more money into the single European currency. "The U.S. dollar has suffered a long process of deterioration," Domingo Maza Zavala, one of seven board members at the central bank of Venezuela, said in a Dec. 14 interview. "The diversification strategy started this year." Full Article : bloomberg.com Pot is called biggest cash crop Posted: Monday, December 18, 2006 The $35-billion market value of U.S.-grown cannabis tops that of such heartland staples as corn and hay, a marijuana activist says. For years, activists in the marijuana legalization movement have claimed that cannabis is America's biggest cash crop. Now they're citing government statistics to prove it. A report released today by a marijuana public policy analyst contends that the market value of pot produced in the U.S. exceeds $35 billion -- far more than the crop value of such heartland staples as corn, soybeans and hay, which are the top three legal cash crops. Full Article : latimes.com Ex-Soldiers Break 'Silence' on Israeli Excesses Posted: Monday, December 18, 2006 'Something rotten' is going on in Gaza and the West Bank by Haroon Siddiqui A young Israeli was in Canada last week raising ethical questions about the conduct of Israeli soldiers in the Occupied Territories. Yehuda Shaul was born in Jerusalem to an American mother and Canadian father (from Toronto). Shaul went to school in a West Bank settlement and served in the army from 2001 to 2004. He did a 14-month stint in Hebron, guarding about 650 settlers living among approximately 150,000 Palestinians. He is one of the founders of Break the Silence, a group of ex-soldiers speaking out about what they saw and did during their tour of duty in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Full Article : commondreams.org China's goddess of the river is driven to extinction Posted: Monday, December 18, 2006 After surviving 20 million years, China's goddess of the river is driven to extinction For 20 million years, the white-fin dolphin, or baiji, swam China's longest river, the Yangtze. But a few years of breakneck development, overfishing and a massive increase in shipping have reduced sightings of this shy, graceful creature to zero. A recent expedition failed to spot a single Lipotes vexillifer, and now conservationists fear the almost-blind, long-beaked animal is gone for good, the first big aquatic mammal to become extinct due to human activity. "We have to accept the fact that the baiji is extinct. It is a tragedy, a loss not only for China, but for the entire world," said the joint leader of the expedition, August Pfluger, an economist who runs the Swiss-based baiji.org, an environmental group dedicated to saving the dolphins. Full Article : independent.co.uk Tax Leads Americans Abroad to Renounce U.S. Posted: Monday, December 18, 2006 By Doreen Carvajal PARIS, Dec. 17 — She is a former marine, a native Californian and, now, an ex-American who prefers to remain discreet about abandoning her citizenship. After 10 years of warily considering options, she turned in her United States passport last month without ceremony, becoming an alien in the view of her homeland. “It’s a really hard thing to do,” said the woman, a 16-year resident of Geneva who had tired of the cost and time of filing yearly United States tax returns on top of her Swiss taxes. “I just kept putting this off. But it’s my kids and the estate tax. I don’t care if I die with only one Swiss franc to my name, but the U.S. shouldn’t get money I earned here when I die.” Historically, small numbers of Americans have turned in their passports every year for political and economic reasons, with the numbers reaching a high of about 2,000 during the Vietnam War in the early 1970s. But after Congress sharply raised taxes this year for many Americans living abroad, some international tax lawyers say they detect rising demand from citizens to renounce ties with the United States, the only developed country that taxes it citizens while they live overseas. Americans abroad are also taxed in the countries where they live. Full Article : nytimes.com December 17, News 2006 Posted: Sunday, December 17, 2006 ¤ Saddam seen as no threat ¤ Take This War and Shove It ¤ Put No Faith in the United Nations ¤ The Bloodbath We Created ¤ Yeah, We're the Ones Who Got It Wrong ¤ Bush rejects most dramatic Iraq options ¤ Ex-Soldiers Break `Silence' on Israeli Excesses ¤ The Disappearance of George P. Bush ¤ Iraq is Not the Only Thing That's Broken ¤ Blackmailed by Dictators ¤ Blair vows to stay course in Iraq ¤ Bush May Back Sending More Troops to Iraq ¤ Blair snubbed by Bush move to send more troops to Iraq ¤ France to withdraw 200 special forces from Afghanistan ¤ No. 10 secret memo: We are seen as a shambles ¤ Time magazine's "Person of the Year" is You ¤ New U.S. military manual critiques own Iraq tactics ¤ Lights, Cameras, Little Action at Talks ¤ Act III in a Tragedy of Many Parts ¤ The Puppet and the Puppeteer ¤ Cops Shoot Another Rich White Man ¤ Why Does It Take 50 Bullets? ¤ 69 Iraqis, Killed ¤ Three Possible Outcomes for the Rest of Bush's Presidency ¤ U.S. still stuck on stupid in Iraq ¤ It's Not Just Bush: We're Accountable Too ¤ The trap of recognising Israel Academic to be Tried for Attending Holocaust Conference Posted: Saturday, December 16, 2006 Robert Faurisson, a French academic who attended an Iranian conference questioning the Jewish Holocaust, could face legal punishment. Robert Faurisson might be brought to court as a result of the comments he made at the "unacceptable" Tehran gathering, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said. The foreign minister said the French academic was previously taken to court and banned from teaching at universities for his attitude toward the holocaust. Full Article : zaman.com US Congress trip could thaw Cuban relations Posted: Saturday, December 16, 2006 A group of 10 members of the US Congress have arrived in Cuba in what is being seen as the first move in a possible thawing of relations with the country. The cross-party group is believed to be the largest congressional delegation to visit the country since the revolution in 1959 and comes amid further rumours of Fidel Castro's failing health. The group includes William Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, who have campaigned against the trade embargo which has been tightened by President Bush. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Florida executions on hold after botched injection Posted: Saturday, December 16, 2006 Florida yesterday became the third state in America to suspend all executions yesterday, sharpening the debate about the morality of putting convicted murderers to death by lethal injection. Governor Jeb Bush announced a temporary reprieve for 374 prisoners on death row after the medical examiner ruled officials had botched an execution this week, subjecting Angel Nieves Diaz to a prolonged and reportedly painful death. Full Article : guardian.co.uk December 15, News 2006 Posted: Friday, December 15, 2006 ¤ Diplomat's suppressed document lays bare the lies behind Iraq war ¤ Bush’s Mad-dash to History’s Dustbin ¤ U.S. Occupation Soldier Teaching Iraqi Children English? Video ¤ Who's running Lebanon? ¤ The Cash Cows of Personal Debt ¤ The enemy within ¤ Schools report shows young people's lives are blighted by racism ¤ Stardust may be basis of life on Earth ¤ Iraqi Red Crescent accuses U.S. forces of attacks ¤ Meanwhile, People are Dying ¤ As American as Shopping and Torture ¤ Full text: Tony Blair's speech ¤ Take This War and Shove It ¤ Puppet On A String: Hamas Dances To Israel’s Tune ¤ Even if they're off, cellphones allow FBI to listen in ¤ Get in touch with your inner fat ¤ It's Not Just Bush: We're Accountable Too. ¤ New U.S. military strategies in Iraq bring more death, destruction ¤ Tears of Rage; Tears of Grief ¤ Hollowcaust Hullabaloo ¤ Appellate court rejects slave reparation claims ¤ Why the Bush family intervention on Iraq failed ¤ Florida, California suspend executions Tony Blair's speech opening debate on Iraq crisis Posted: Friday, December 15, 2006 This is the text of prime minister Tony Blair's speech opening today's debate on the Iraq crisis in the house of Commons, as released by 10 Downing Street. I beg to move the motion standing on the order paper in my name and those of my right honourable friends. At the outset I say: it is right that this house debate this issue and pass judgment. That is the democracy that is our right but that others struggle for in vain. And again I say: I do not disrespect the views of those in opposition to mine. This is a tough choice. But it is also a stark one: to stand British troops down and turn back; or to hold firm to the course we have set. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Appellate court rejects slave reparation claims Posted: Friday, December 15, 2006 Descendants barred from pursuing payments from companies, panel rules Full Article : msnbc.msn.com Iraqis can't be blamed for the chaos unleashed by invasion Posted: Friday, December 15, 2006 Only those who live there can solve Iraq's problems, but Bush and Blair must bear prime responsibility for igniting them A rare joke was circulating among Iraqis shortly before their prime minister met George Bush in Amman recently. What would the US president be demanding? Answer: a timetable for Iraqis to withdraw from Iraq. It was a barbed reference to the huge number of Iraqis who have been forced to flee their homeland since the US invaded and presided over a catastrophic collapse in security. Up to 3,000 are leaving every day, according to the UN. Full Article : guardian.co.uk December 14, News 2006 Posted: Thursday, December 14, 2006 ¤ An untold story of 9/11 ¤ Uncle Sam's lucky finds ¤ Alleged Liquid Bomb Plot Credibility Crumbles ¤ Iraqis can't be blamed for the chaos unleashed by invasion ¤ West could be sucked into new battleground ¤ Slow death prompts renewed calls to end US executions ¤ Full speed ahead, with menace ¤ Israel court refuses to outlaw targeted killings ¤ Israeli TV catches Olmert "coaching" Italy's Prodi ¤ Israelis accused of vandalising airport ¤ Bush to seek $100 bln more war funds ¤ EU wants Olmert to clarify nuclear slip ¤ Why Israel maintains nuclear ambiguity ¤ Racism in the US Farm Program ¤ That Embezzled Anti-Castro Money ¤ Bush's 'New Way Forward' Is into Quicksand ¤ Diplomat's suppressed document lays bare the lies behind Iraq war ¤ The full transcript of evidence given to the Butler inquiry ¤ Snapshot of the US ¤ Bush vows not to be rushed on Iraq ¤ Olmert's nuclear blunder leads to Gulf states' call for sanctions ¤ Survey indicates Iraqis in despair ¤ The Bloodbath We Created ¤ Gunmen Kidnap Dozens of People in Baghdad Boy who could walk on hot coals offers clues on pain Posted: Thursday, December 14, 2006 Boy who could walk on hot coals offers clues to pain management The life and death of a young street performer from Pakistan who could walk on hot coals and drive knives through his arms without flinching has led scientists to a genetic discovery that could revolutionise the treatment of pain. Scientists at Cambridge University began studying the child to understand why he was unable to feel pain, but was otherwise completely healthy. He died shortly before his 14th birthday, from injuries sustained after jumping off a roof while playing with friends. The scientists broadened their investigation to three families related to the child and found that none had experienced pain at any time in their lives. All six family members had bruises and cuts and most had fractured bones. Two were missing the front third of their tongues after biting themselves in childhood. The way in which the young street performer died also highlighted the importance of pain as a built-in defence mechanism to stop people damaging themselves. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Circumcision could halve HIV risk Posted: Thursday, December 14, 2006 Breakthrough hailed as study shows circumcision can halve HIV risk Circumcision can halve the risk of a man picking up the HIV infection which leads to Aids, scientists in the United States said last night. Two major trials, in Kenya and Uganda, have confirmed what doctors and campaigners have suspected and hoped for several years. The results have major implications for the fight against the Aids pandemic raging in Africa and Asia. Yesterday Kevin de Cock, head of the World Health Organisation's HIV/Aids department, said it could cut the numbers of infected men by "many tens of thousands, many hundreds of thousands and maybe millions over coming years". Full Article : guardian.co.uk December 13, News 2006 Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 ¤ US staying the course for Big Oil in Iraq ¤ Operation Hollywood ¤ Jefferson Davis ¤ For God And Country? ¤ Court: Botswana Bushmen wrongly evicted ¤ Iran's Smackdown on Dubya ¤ The Iraq Study Group Study Group ¤ Beyond Orwell and Kafka ¤ Dumb and Dumber Congress Critters ¤ Miscarriages increase as U.S. troops lay siege to city ¤ The Maps Tell The Story ¤ Enemy to 9/10ths of Humanity Dies ¤ Routine and systematic torture is at the heart of America's war on terror ¤ At least 71 Shia killed as bombers lure job seekers into minibus trap ¤ Calls for Olmert to resign after nuclear gaffe ¤ Lebanon 'smashes Israel spy ring' ¤ America's Injustice System is Criminal ¤ Americans Have No Idea How Bad It Is ¤ More Dangerous Than Crack ¤ The Dixie Chicks Come Home to Roost ¤ Is the USA the Center of the World? ¤ Statement of Denial ¤ 123 Iraqis, 1 GI Killed; 96 Iraqis Wounded ¤ Iraqi Quagmire Haunts NATO Riga Summit ¤ Venezuela to sell USD 225 million of dollar-denominated bonds ¤ Fla. Senator Defies Bush, Visits Syria ¤ Nicaragua eyes Venezuelan energy ¤ A Fraudulently Financed War ¤ The cost: An army and a leg ¤ Iran Calls for Action Against Israel's Nuclear Capability ¤ US staying the course for Big Oil in Iraq ¤ Bush delays new Iraq strategy ¤ Dozens killed in Iraq violence ¤ UK 'plot' terror charge dropped ¤ CNN.com leaves out Annan's plea for US accountability ¤ Baghdad robbers grab $1m in cash Lebanon 'smashes Israel spy ring' Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Lebanon has reportedly broken a spy ring that was plotting to murder Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of militant group Hezbollah, on behalf of Israel. Police have arrested a Palestinian woman who is accused of being recruited in Tunisia, the Safir daily reported. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk Israel - the 'state' of perpetual denial Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 For a nation of people in a constant fit over other peoples' 'denials', they sure get in a fair share of their own. In the latest mind-boggling episode of what is clearly a perpetual state of denial, after admitting before the world that israel has what everyone knows it has, Olmert has the gall to DENY that he admitted it, while continuing to neither confirm nor deny that they actually have nuclear weapons. Can it get any more twisted than that? Let's see - they DENIED firing the shells that killed beach-goers in Gaza, DENIED deliberately hitting the UN post, DENIED deliberately bombing civilians in Qana, DENIED using cluster bombs in Lebanon, after firing more than a million, DENIED deliberately targeting ambulances, and DENIED being on Lebanese soil when, clearly, they were. They continue to DENY intentionally killing 19 people as they slept in Beit Hanun, and continue to DENY any aggressive intent during fly-by incidents with German and French peacekeepers in Lebanon. Full Article : wakeupfromyourslumber.com Gates beats Olmert to the nuclear punch If anyone is aghast that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert let slip the worst kept secret in international affairs - that Israel is a nuclear state - perhaps they should turn their sights on another blabbermouth: Bob Gates. During Gates's Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing last Tuesday, the nominee to replace Donald Rumsfeld as SecDef also let the "secret" slip: Full Article : blog.foreignpolicy.com Nuclear Israel - Real Threat to the Middle East Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Spokesman: Confession of Zionist PM, real threat to regional security Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said here Tuesday that the confession of the Zionist regime's prime minister that Israel has nuclear military potential shows real threat to the Middle East security and stability. According to a report released by the Foreign Ministry Media Department, he added that such a confession reveals the vicious goals and plots of the Zionist regime to materialized the strategy of terror and continued occupation of the regional territories. Full Article : irna.ir Calls for Olmert to resign after nuclear gaffe Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, was yesterday trying to fend off accusations of ineptitude and calls for his resignation after he accidentally acknowledged for the first time that Israel had nuclear weapons. After decades in which Israel has stuck to a doctrine of nuclear ambiguity, Mr Olmert let slip during an interview in Germany that Israel did indeed have weapons of mass destruction. He told Germany's Sat.1 channel on Monday evening: "Iran, openly, explicitly and publicly, threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Can you say that this is the same level, when they are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel and Russia?" Full Article : guardian.co.uk Baghdad blasts kill 71 Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 At least 71 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a dual bomb attack on a central Baghdad square that was shocking even by Iraq's grim standards. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Iran defiant as anger mounts over Holocaust forum Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Iran has pressed on with a controversial Holocaust conference as international outrage mounted over its hosting of "revisionist" historians who cast doubt on the mass slaughter of Jews in World War II. British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday slammed the conference as "shocking beyond belief", a sentiment echoed by his Israeli counterpart Ehud Olmert and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Full Article : breitbart.com Move to bring genocide case against Ahmadinejad as Iran president repeats call to wipe out Israel The outgoing US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, is backing a call for the president of Iran to be charged with inciting genocide because of his speeches advocating the destruction of the state of Israel. Barely a week after he announced his resignation from the UN post, Mr Bolton will appear tomorrow among a panel of diplomats and lawyers calling for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be prosecuted. The panel has been convened by a Jewish umbrella group in the US, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organisations. "Thanks to people's wishes and God's will, the trend for the existence of the Zionist regime is downwards and this is what God has promised and what all nations want," he said. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Pope's criticizes US 'terror' tactics Posted: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Pope's message contains veiled criticism of US 'terror' tactics Pope Benedict XVI criticised George Bush as he declared states had to set ethical limits in what they do to protect their citizens from terrorism. He also suggested some countries had flouted humanitarian law in recent wars. Full Article : dailymail.co.uk Lebanon's Army captures Israeli Mossad 'Terrorist Ring' Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 Beirut- The Lebanese army has said it had captured members of a terrorist network allegedly working for the Israeli Mossad and that a suspect confessed to his role in assassinating Hezbollah and Palestinian officials. Full Article : yalibnan.com The Lopinot Heritage Festival 2006 Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 The Lopinot Heritage Festival took place on Sunday 12th December, 2006, to a crowd of hundreds. This event, although very festive in nature, was also an educational experience for visitors to learn about Parang in Lopinot. The event began a little before midday with a procession from the vicinity of the Lopinot Heritage Site to the La Veronica R.C. Church on the Lopinot main road. A solemn procession was lead to the church by the Parranderos from various Parang groups, and after the sermon by the La Veronica R.C. Parish priest, they left the compound with this music. As the group proceeded, the atmosphere became more lively and festive, picking up more participants along the way. Full Article : triniview.com Parang in Maracas, St. Joseph Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 On Saturday 9th December, 2006, Parang lovers were given a treat at the Maracas - St. Joseph Community Centre. Large crowds of people assembled inside and outside the Community Centre to listen to Parang by six of the top bands in the country. Although the rain was threatening, people stayed on for most of the show. Full Article : triniview.com Israel Nuke Comment Sparks Controversy Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 JERUSALEM (AP) - A slip of the tongue by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert about Israel's nuclear policy ballooned into a domestic crisis Tuesday for the Israeli leader, who came under criticism from across the political spectrum. Full Article : apnews.myway.com Torture is at the heart of the US 'war on terror' Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 After thousands of years of practice, you might have imagined that every possible means of inflicting pain had already been devised. But you should never underestimate the human capacity for invention. United States interrogators, we now discover, have found a new way of destroying a human being. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Departing Annan attacks Bush's 'war on terror' Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 Kofi Annan, the outgoing UN secretary general, has delivered a barely disguised broadside against President George Bush in his last major speech before leaving office at the end of the month. He suggested that in the "war on terror", President Bush had ridden roughshod over the international community and compromised America's respect for human rights. Mr Annan made plain his concern that the United States had allowed its status as the world's sole superpower, coupled with its desire to protect itself against terrorists, to undermine its historical commitment to multilateralism. Full Article : news.independent.co.uk December 12, News 2006 Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 ¤ Democracy Shamocracy ¤ Iraq as a Living Hell ¤ Is the Rocking Horse King Riding into the Sunset? ¤ The Cruel Line into Gaza ¤ The Atrocities of Gen. Augusto Pinochet and the United States ¤ Homeland Security Stalks the New South Africa ¤ IMF Identity Crisis ¤ Swift Boat Vets, related groups to face big fines ¤ $20bn gas project seized by Russia ¤ Tinker Bell, Pinochet and The Fairy Tale Miracle of Chile ¤ Torture and the American Empire ¤ Gates testimony / Preserving nuclear ambiguity ¤ Bush, Baker and Iraq: Why the Patient Can Not Be Saved ¤ American Conservative: Bush's Torture/Dictatorship Scandal ¤ Data Mining Can't Improve Our Security ¤ Three Children Of Palestinian Intelligence Official Slain ¤ Worst. Meeting. Ever! ¤ Annan Urges U.S. to Reject Unilateralism ¤ Iran pledges $250m to Palestinian govt ¤ The Americans don't see how unwelcome they are ¤ Against Torture ¤ History will not treat us kindly ¤ Car Bomb Survivors, No Longer Statistics ¤ Video: Not Enough Cemetery to Go Around ¤ Former detainees argue right to sue Rumsfeld over torture ¤ Elephants Not in the Room ¤ The "Iraq Memorial" should go on the White House Lawn ¤ Bush - "I'm the master of low expectations" ¤ Bread, Bread, Everywhere, Yet not a Morsel to Eat ¤ The bubble boy in the Oval Office ¤ 'Iraq insurgent attacks to rise' ¤ Monday: 111 Iraqis Killed ¤ Talks under way to replace Iraq PM ¤ Departing Annan attacks Bush's 'war on terror' ¤ 'Grenada 17' may walk free 23 years after Caribbean coup ¤ Gunmen kill children of Hamas critic ¤ Annan fires parting shots at Bush's US ¤ Car bombs kill 42, wounds 106 in Baghdad ¤ If Lying About War's Reality is Impeachable, Start the Proceedings ¤ Apocalypto: The Most Powerful Film Of All Time Diana was bugged by secret service in US Posted: Monday, December 11, 2006 American intelligence agencies were bugging Princess Diana's telephone over her relationship with a US billionaire, the Evening Standard has learned. She was even forced to abandon a planned holiday with her sons in the US with tycoon Teddy Forstmann on advice from secret services, who passed on their concerns to their British counterparts. Both US and British intelligence then forced Diana to change her plans to stay with Mr Forstmann in the summer of 1997, saying it was too "dangerous" to take her sons there. Instead the princess took the fateful decision to take a summer break with Harrods owner Mohamed Fayed. This ultimately led to her going to Paris with his son Dodi, where they died in a car crash. Full Article : thisislondon.co.uk National Symposium on the Aluminum Smelters Posted: Monday, December 11, 2006 by Christopher E. M. Castagne December 11, 2006 The symposium on the aluminum industry in Trinidad and Tobago which took place this past Wednesday was the most positive development in the entire smelter issue so far. For the first time in this two year old debate, the nation was presented with credible, relevant and current information on all of the major aspects of the proposed smelters. This included information and research on the economic, social, engineering, legal, and environmental concerns and implications, as well as on the Global Aluminum Industry, presented by local and international experts with decades of experience. Sadly, the huge significance of what transpired was totally missed by the press, and, to a lesser extent, the general public. The press seriously disappointed by only attempting to perpetuate the much abused and clichéd assumption that Trinidadians like bacchanal in looking for some sort of action story, and totally sidelined the actual content of the proceedings in their coverage of the event. That aside, if the conspiracy theorists could let go for a split second the fact the symposium was mandated by the Prime Minister and given to the NEC, an acknowledged serious conflict of interest, but realize that in the end neither party had any controlling interest or significant input into the proceedings, they might just be able to recognize some of the resounding victories scored by the people of this nation in the process. In fact, perhaps the most significant implication of the entire venture lies in the final outcome, that was so far from what was originally anticipated (or dreaded, rather), and in the fact that in hosting such, the organizers, principally the South Chamber of Industry and Commerce, were so resoundingly successful at meeting the highest demands of the concerned public in terms of presenters and content of presentations, composition of invited audience, live coverage for the public (two TV stations, broadcasting on three channels, two local and one cable, as well as radio) and even public opportunity for live participation, via the Internet. While it deserves commendation, their success is not the significant part; that it was solely due to the overwhelming public pressure that these conditions were successfully met is! If one were to look closely, one would realize that this has largely been the story with each stage of this struggle so far. Further, to extrapolate that experience into the future, we would be all well-advised not to pay any heed whatsoever to whatever cries, claims or lamentations of "done deals" we hear floating around, and to understand, with conviction, that the truth shall always prevail in the end; and that with perseverance, comes success! To expand on some of what was mentioned above, the following is a short report on some of the salient outcomes from the symposium. Energy Minister Lenny Saith’s short contribution was simply to outline Government's justification for the proposed smelters, the main benefits identified as monetizing natural gas, technology transfer, economic diversification (including possible downstream industries), sustainable jobs and wealth creation. About the concerns raised, he simply said that an (unspecified) proportion of Alcoa’s produce would be sold for local use, that relocation would be carried out with respect and dignity and that the smelters will be subject to the "rigorous regulatory process" to ensure they comply with the Town & Country and EMA legislation. Absolutely no scientific or empirical evidence, no facts or figures, were used to support his claims, each of which was later picked to pieces and shown to be at best unlikely, at worst totally false! And this was done by unemotional, objective intellectual experts and authorities who clearly outlined their points and provided undisputable supporting research. First, Colin Pratt, an international expert in the aluminum business, gave an insightful overview of the global aluminum industry. He showed aluminum to be a high demand product with a huge, expanding and secure market, and showed Trinidad as an ideal location for smelting due to relatively clean energy at a competitive price and favourable positioning to raw material (e.g. from Jamaica) and market (Europe and North America). He also mentioned that out of the original big six companies who controlled the business worldwide, Alcoa was one of the only two remaining and the only one with the original guarded, vertically integrated structure. He also mentioned that due to recent increases in transparency in power regulations and energy prices aluminum companies were finding it difficult to set up smelters in first world countries! Additionally, he said he found the argument about downstream industries curious as these are usually situated much closer to the market, i.e., in Europe or America, and would not work easily in Trinidad. All of these points were of much interest during the economic presentation by Mr. Gregory McGuire, a leading economist, former Chairman of NGC and current UWI lecturer. McGuire confirmed that the current industry price for natural gas in Trinidad and Tobago is too expensive to attract smelters. Based on estimations for the price of natural gas that would be required for the Alcoa smelter to be economically feasible, he showed that the country would be generating significant losses from the enterprise, especially with Alcoa maintaining 100% interest as is the case. In terms of economic diversification, McGuire mentioned that the smelters would only achieve diversification within the energy-based industry and use of natural gas, but that Trinidad currently already has one of the most diversified gas portfolios in the world, thus nothing new would be accomplished. Entry into the global aluminum market via production of aluminum and downstream products he saw as having positive economic potential for the country under certain conditions, which the listener was able to realize are basically not being met by the Alcoa smelter. In terms of downstream spinoff industries, the case of local steel production was recalled as having been similarly justified, with the anticipated downstream activities never materializing! More than one presenter would subsequently agree that these can still take place in Trinidad, without the presence of any smelters, based on imported aluminum as in Japan, where such activity is thriving. Dr. Roy McCree presented just before McGuire. McCree is an accomplished social scientist and lecturer, born and bred in Pt. Fortin, who has done extensive research on the impact of industrialization on the socio-economics and quality of life of Point Fortin, La Brea and the entire southwestern peninsula. He began by highlighting the diversity in size, demographics, history and lifestyles of the various communities in the peninsula and environs, exposing the common notion of a single homogeneous mass as far from reality and illustrating the doomed nature of any "one size fits all" approach to developing the area. He proceeded to put the issue into important historical and current context, with the La Brea and Pt. Fortin experiences of the oil industry up to the mid to late 20th century and Atlantic LNG at present, respectively. Using hard facts, he showed how general increase in economic activity to the area associated with industrialization usually results in only minimal socio-economic benefits to the pre-existing residents, as the more sustainable and higher paying jobs always go to persons from outside the area. He also reminded the audience that the positive social contributions to the La Brea area in the days of the oil refinery only came about as a result of the fierce rioting in the 1930s, and were not due to "philanthropic" philosophies of the oil companies! Other speakers (Prof. John Spence) showed how intended objectives of sustainable jobs and economic activity and improvement of socio-economic situation and quality of life could be achieved without the presence of any smelter per se, i.e., alternative development, including agriculture and downstream aluminum industry based on imported aluminum which could be smelted in Guyana using renewable energy, vast uninhabited land space, and promoting Caribbean integration. Prof. Julien Kenny reinforced this possibility and suggested such activity would be far more along the lines of the Caribbean Aluminum Industry as envisioned by Dr. Eric Williams. He also outlined government’s breach of local legislation and international treaties and agreements, and highlighted the lack of legislative infrastructure to manage and control these industries and recent examples of very serious consequences of this lack of environmental management on a small scale. Health effects were shown to be minimal when the industry is subject to proper precautionary practice, for which legislation and enforcement power are most necessary. (Recent experiences of our Caribbean neighbours in Jamaica highlight our vulnerability to the unscrupulous activities of these multinationals, specifically Alcoa (See T&T Review- Monday Dec. 4th article by John Maxwell p. 10). Note: After 12 years in court and exhausting all appeals, when Alcoa was finally commanded to pay money to one villager for damages caused to his roof and house, the company made it clear that it was not going to accept that as any reason to repay the remaining 59 households who also sustained damage, leaving them the possibility of having to pursue the cases in court one by one! (See www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20010417/lead/lead1.html) NOTE: All papers available at www.stcic.org/symposium/index.htm (except McGuire) Share your views here. December 10, News 2006 Posted: Sunday, December 10, 2006 ¤ After Baker, what next for the war in Iraq? ¤ Augusto Pincohet 1915-2006 ¤ A rogue 51st state ¤ Bush still calls shots on war ¤ Pulling Out Combat Troops Would Still Leave Most Forces in Iraq ¤ Photos confirm US raid child deaths ¤ Sunday: 104 Iraqis Killed, 25 Wounded ¤ Four civilians killed in NATO airstrike in Afghanistan ¤ Becoming What We Despise ¤ A Very Bad Idea ¤ Iraq insurgents’ bombmaking gets more lethal ¤ What’s the Opposite of a Pyrrhic Victory? ¤ 'The Terrorist and the Policeman Both Come from the Same Basket.' ¤ The Americans Don't See How Unwelcome They Are ¤ The Sunshine Boys Can’t Save Iraq ¤ Starbucks on the Moon ¤ Oh, The Mind Games they play! ¤ Israel drags heels on Tutu visit ¤ U.S., Iraqi troops seal off Haditha - residents ¤ Speaking frankly about Israel and Palestine ¤ 110 killed in fresh Sri Lanka fighting ¤ Class and the Manipulation of Bigotry ¤ Another Saber Rattler in Latin America ¤ The Cost of Bush's "Mistake" ¤ Iraq Report An Unvarnished Repudiation of Bush ¤ Actually, the "Bad News" From Iraq is "Significantly Underreported" ¤ Clashes break out after Pinochet's death ¤ Scientists marvel at sea life miles deep ¤ Iraq president rejects Baker report ¤ “My Life as a Buck-Passing Phony” ¤ Fire at Moscow hospital kills 45 women, arson suspected ¤ Shiite militias forcing Sunnis to abandon their Baghdad homes ¤ Don’t let your media fool you about Beirut demonstration ¤ This is the daily life story in Iraq ¤ It's Hard To Stop Lying When Your Name Is "Lyin' Colin Powell" ¤ Beware of gringos bearing 'gifts' Chile's Ex-president Augusto Pinochet dies at 91 Posted: Sunday, December 10, 2006 Ex-president Augusto Pinochet, who ruled Chile from 1973-1990, has died a week after suffering a heart attack, a military doctor said today. "He died surrounded by his family," Dr. Juan Ignacio Vergara told reporters outside the hospital. Full Article : nzherald.co.nz Obituaries: General Augusto Pinochet Reforming dictator whose grip on power in Chile persisted well beyond his brutal 'war against communism' Pinochet dies at 91, mourned by Thatcher General Augusto Pinochet, Chile's former military leader, whose human rights record divided opinion across the world, died in hospital yesterday. He was 91. Baroness Thatcher, who remained a loyal supporter to the last, was said to be "greatly saddened" by the news. Sandoval recalls Pinochet regime horror Wellington man Jorge Sandoval won't say he is glad former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is dead, but every day he remembers having his fingernails pulled out by the Pinochet regime. Amnesty - 'Israel should be disarmed' Posted: Sunday, December 10, 2006 The London-based human rights organisation Amnesty International has asked the European Union (EU) to block arms sale to Israel and Palestinians so as to stave off impending disaster in Israel and the Palestinian territories. However, Israel has reacted negatively to the proposal. Full Article : wakeupfromyourslumber.com Blair: If you don't like it, don't come here Posted: Sunday, December 10, 2006 IMMIGRANTS and Muslims who have settled in the UK should adopt British values or go elsewhere, an uncompromising Tony Blair said yesterday. Full Article : mirror.co.uk US bugged Diana's phone on night of death crash Posted: Saturday, December 9, 2006 The American secret service was bugging Princess Diana's telephone conversations without the approval of the British security services on the night she died, according to the most comprehensive report on her death, to be published this week. Among extraordinary details due to emerge in the report by former Metropolitan police commissioner Lord Stevens is the revelation that the US security service was bugging her calls in the hours before she was killed in a car crash in Paris. Full Article : observer.guardian.co.uk No Assassination, No Cover-Up, No Baby Israeli Nuclear Weapons Whistleblower Speaks Out Posted: Saturday, December 9, 2006 Ever since Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli Nuclear Technician, confirmed the existence of Israel’s nuclear weapons program with his photographs of the secret underground bomb facility published in the London Sunday Times in 1986, the world has known Israel has been making nuclear bombs but has pretended they do not exist. Vanunu was released from prison in April 2004 but was prohibited from leaving Israel. The Israeli government continues to keep him in Israel against his will. Criminal action is pending against him for speaking to journalists and foreigners. Full Article : atlantaprogressivenews.com Bush Brought Down to Size in Cartoon Satire Posted: Saturday, December 9, 2006 Comedy Central has ordered "Lil' Bush: Resident of the United States," a cartoon satire that re-imagines President George W. Bush and key executives in his administration as elementary school misfits. The title character is surrounded by close pals like Lil' Cheney, who grumbles unintelligibly, and Lil' Condi, who pines for Lil' Bush and does his homework for him. Full Article : news.aol.com Speaking frankly about Israel and Palestine Posted: Saturday, December 9, 2006 Jimmy Carter says his recent book is drawing knee-jerk accusations of anti-Israel bias. I signed a contract with Simon & Schuster two years ago to write a book about the Middle East, based on my personal observations as the Carter Center monitored three elections in Palestine and on my consultations with Israeli political leaders and peace activists. We covered every Palestinian community in 1996, 2005 and 2006, when Yasser Arafat and later Mahmoud Abbas were elected president and members of parliament were chosen. The elections were almost flawless, and turnout was very high — except in East Jerusalem, where, under severe Israeli restraints, only about 2% of registered voters managed to cast ballots. Full Article : latimes.com Words Even an Ex-President Can't Say in America: The Media Lynching of Jimmy Carter It seems Israel's "supporters" have conscripted me in their lynching of Jimmy Carter. Count me out. True, the historical part of Carter's book, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, contains errors in that it repeats standard Israeli propaganda. However, Carter's analysis of the impasse in the "peace process" as well as his description of Israeli policy in the West Bank is accurate - and, frankly, that's all that matters. Full Article : uruknet.com Israel Warns of Al Qaeda Attack on Lebanon... Posted: Saturday, December 9, 2006 Israel Warns of Al Qaeda Attack on Lebanon Peacekeepers Israel has warned the U.N. force in Lebanon that Al Qaeda is planning an attack on international peacekeepers, Israel TV reported Friday. Full Article : foxnews.com Is Israel planning an attack on Lebanon Peacekeepers in an attempt to justify keeping their troops in Lebanon? Donald Rumsfeld on Farewell Tour of Iraq Posted: Saturday, December 9, 2006 Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was in Iraq today on his 13th unannounced visit since the war started in 2003, ABC News has learned. It was an unusually secretive farewell tour of the nation that will almost certainly define his legacy. Full Article : abcnews.go.com December 09, News 2006 Posted: Saturday, December 9, 2006 ¤ Troops under investigation for Kandahar shooting spree ¤ 4 Dead in Chicago Skyscraper Shooting ¤ At least 32 killed in attack on two families in Iraq ¤ Outside View: Time to leave Iraq ¤ Tell Us More About These "Understandings" ¤ $8bn spent a month leaves no money to clean toilets ¤ Psychiatrist who treated Iraqi distress shot dead ¤ With 4,000 Deaths a Month, Chaos Has Already Arrived ¤ Israel blocks Tutu massacre inquiry ¤ 'You must leave in 24 hours or your heads will be cut, your houses burnt' ¤ IDF troops shoot and wound two Palestinians in Gaza ¤ Leave Iraq Now; Don't Wait until 2008 Election Day ¤ What if Baghdad Bob Was Right All along? ¤ The Baker Agenda: Troops out, Oil Companies in? ¤ Meese of Arabia and the Baker Group's Grab for Black Gold ¤ Staticide, Not Civil War in Iraq ¤ 9/11: The Roots of Paranoia ¤ They Told You So ¤ As Report Says, Iraq War Is a Crying Shame ¤ Send the Neocons to Iraq ¤ Iraqis, U.S. dispute deadly raid in new friction ¤ Setting the limits of invasion journalism ¤ Cuba and the US: A Brief History ¤ This Is Health Care In America... ¤ Ethiopia moves closer to open war in Somalia ¤ Honesty in Iraq ¤ The Spirit of Democracy in Venezuela ¤ 23 killed in Iraq; 35 bodies found ¤ Gunman, 3 others killed in Chicago tower ¤ McKinney introduces bill to impeach Bush ¤ 45 women die in Moscow 'arson' fire ¤ The white washing of Muhammad Ali ¤ Unmethodical madness ¤ That Iraq Report? A classic bullshit-cloud ¤ Israeli Weapons of Massdestruction(WMD) ¤ Another US crime in Ashaqi Photographic evidence ¤ Tony Two-Face ¤ Afghanistan's opium crop at an all-time high ¤ Iraq's People Forgotten Victims of the 21st-Century Holocaust ¤ Index on Afghanistan : November 2006 Has Rumsfeld Really Gone? ¤ The Long Awaited Iraq Study Group Report -- Holds a hidden danger ¤ Widows Become the Silent Tragedy ¤ Lynching Saddam - Part 9: "arbitrary detention" ¤ US and Israel Targeting DNA in Gaza? The Spirit of Democracy in Venezuela Posted: Friday, December 8, 2006 by Stephen Lendman December 08, 2006 "Today we gave another lesson in dignity to the imperialists, it is another defeat for the empire of Mr. Danger....another defeat for the devil. We will never be a colony of the US again....Long live the socialist revolution....Destiny has been written....Socialism is human. Socialism is love." This is how Hugo Chavez Frias characterized his smashing electoral victory on December 3 when he appeared on the balcony of the Palacio de Miraflores (the official presidential palace residence) and addressed a huge gathering of his followers below that evening telling them of his victory for the people and that he now has an even stronger mandate to pursue his Bolivarian Project to do more for them ahead than he's already accomplished so far which is considerable. He told his loyal, cheering supporters his impressive landslide electoral victory is one more blow to George Bush, and it follows on the others won by populist candidates in the region in the past six weeks by Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil on October 29, Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua on November 7, and Rafael Correa in Equador on November 26. Chavez will serve for another six year term that will run until December, 2012. Earlier in the day, Hugo Chavez showed he's indeed a man of the people by casting his own vote the same way ordinary people do. Unlike George Bush who goes everywhere in an entourage of limousine, helicopter, or Air Force One luxury accompanied by a phalanx of security needed to protect him from the people he was elected to serve, Chavez drove himself in his aging red-colored Volkswagon to his assigned polling station accompanied by his young grandson in the back seat, voted, and then left the same unaccompanied way he came. That's how a man of the people does it - no bells, whistles or extravagant trappings of power that's a hallmark of how things are done to excess in the US calling itself a model democracy but one only for the few with wealth and power and that behaves like a rogue state that's only a model for despots and tyrants. In Venezuela under Hugo Chavez there's real participatory democracy for all the people. After it played out in a fair and open electoral process, Chavez greeted his supporters in an atmosphere of jubilant celebration once National Electoral Council (CNE) president Lucena Tibisay announced at 10:30 PM election night that with about 78% of the vote tallied, Chavez received 61.4% (5,936,000 votes) to right wing opposition candidate Manuel Rosales 38% (3,715,000 votes). The early figures were then updated showing Chavez increased his advantage to 62.89% (7,161,637 votes), handily defeating Rosales by about 26 points (at about 37%) - an impressive nearly two to one thrashing. It was also announced that voter turnout was about 75% or the highest percentage in Venezuela's history making this election an historic event and a clear mandate for Hugo Chavez. Once the first results were announced on election night, it was clear to Mr. Rosales he'd lost and he was forced to concede defeat. He added, however, he would continue opposing the policies of the Chavez government "struggling for the people of Venezuela (and announcing) we are beginning the struggle for the construction of a new time for Venezuela....and I won't stop there, from today on I will be in the streets (staying) in the struggle, in the fight." He didn't say what he has in mind is returning the country to its ugly past serving the interests of wealth and power and ignoring the needs of ordinary people, all his pious rhetoric aside. He's sure to get lots of encouragement and help from Washington as its unbending agenda going forward is to do precisely that. Short of an armed invasion, however, it may be harder than ever to do that as Hugo Chavez came out ahead in all 23 of Venezuela's states including in Rosales' home state of Zulia that went for Chavez with a 50.57% majority, an embarrassment he also neglected to mention in his concession statement cum bravado. A dozen other candidates participated in the election as well, but had nothing to brag about, getting in total less than half of one percent of the vote total. >From the US capitol, State Department spokeswoman Janelle Hironimus added her government's response without a touch of irony from an administration that's already tried and failed three times to oust Hugo Chavez: The US government recognizes the right of the Venezuelan people "to elect the government of their choice and the path they want for their country." US Undersecretary of State for Latin America Thomas Shannon added: "We do not want a relationship of confrontation (with Venezuela). We've always looked for ways to deepen the dialogue with....President Chavez (and we hope) he will show a greater interest." Neither US official tried explaining that their post-election good faith rhetoric is belied by their government's actions since the Bush administration came to power in 2001 trying every underhanded trick it could cook up to undermine and oust Hugo Chavez and is still engaging in subversion. It would be quite a change in the Bush White House if it ever practiced what it always disingenuously preaches fooling no one, especially Hugo Chavez and his government. The same kind of post-election forked tongue comments came from US Ambassador William Brownfield who congratulated Venezuelans on a smooth and peaceful election and indicated Washington's willingness to have a less confrontational relationship with Chavez saying: "We recognize that and we're ready, willing and eager to explore and see if we can make progress on bilateral issues." Hugo Chavez understands full well the kind of relationship the ambassador means and responded to the overture: "They want dialogue but on the condition that you accept their positions. If the government of the United States wants dialogue, Venezuela will always have its door open. But I doubt the US government is sincere....we are a free country. We were once a North American colony, and we will not be one ever again." Chavez was being polite but firm as he knows the US is never sincere in its dealings with other countries and is determined to remove him from office. Also, its relations with all Global South countries are uncompromisingly ones on an "our way or the highway" basis. For Hugo Chavez, that's no way, and it's hard to imagine relations between the two countries will change going forward, at least under a Bush administration. Chavez explained further saying: "How are we going to have good relations with a government that has financed conspiratorial activities here?" It's also a government establishing closer ties with the military in Latin American countries (circumventing ruling governments if necessary) to counter the influence and spread of populist leftist governments like Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Former US Southern Command General Bantz Craddock explained the real sentiment of the Bush administration toward the region when he said: "The challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean today are significant to our national security. We ignore them at our peril." He wasn't referring to the need to be more conciliatory to populist leftist leaders like those in Venezuela, Bolivia or Ecuador (in January) or Fidel Castro in Cuba (the US has tried and failed many dozens or even hundreds of times to kill) who have notions of governance much different than those in Washington. For the moment at least, the cheering crowd outside the Miraflores on election night had other thoughts on their mind, but like their president demand nothing less than a relationship based on equality and respect with their dominant northern neighbor. They gathered in the late evening pouring rain dressed in their signature red T-shirts and caps, waving Venezuela flags and shouting "Uh, ah, Chavez no se va" - "Uh, ah, Chavez will not go." It continued all night in the celebratory streets of Caracas echoing Chavez's words repeating "Libertad (liberty) and telling the crowd this was a victory for them, for socialism and for the Bolivarian Revolution he now wants to advance to the next stage. Venezuela Under Chavez - How Real Democratic Elections Are Run The polls opened at 7AM on Sunday, December 3, but hours earlier people were already queueing up in their eagerness to participate in Venezuela's democratic electoral process. Most of them, as we know, were there to support Hugo Chavez Frias as their president and won't allow anyone else to have the job as long as he wants it. The lines were long at many of the stations, but observers noted voting across the country ran smoothly with only minor problems that were no obstacle to the electoral process. About 1400 observers were on hand to witness the day's events including 10 representatives from the Carter Center in the US, 130 from the European Union (EU), 60 from the Organization of American States (OAS) and 10 from the Mercosur Common Market of the South countries. At day's end, OAS team leader Juan Enrique Fisher congratulated Venezuelan officials for a "transparent and well-run election....We congratulate the Venezuelan people for their spirit of citizenship, President Chavez for his popular mandate and candidate Rosales for his civic spirit and for fortifying democracy." He described the voting as "massive and peaceful" and added scattered reports of voting equipment malfunctions were minor and more attributable to voter unfamiliarity with the machines than to irregularities. Spanish parliamentarian Willy Meyer, one of seven members from the European Parliament, noted the process was smooth-running and turnout was "massive, well-arranged and happy..." European Union leader Antonio Garcia Velasquez said Venezuelan electoral officials gave them "complete liberty and with all requirements so that the job (of observing) can be fulfilled in conformity with our stipulations." The NGO Electoral Eye noted in an afternoon statement that 99% of the voting centers were operating "completely normally." Voting took place using 33,000 ballot tables at 11,118 polling stations throughout the country, and each candidate in the election was allowed to have observers present at all of them if they wished. All registered Venezuelans, of course, could vote including the 57,667 eligible ones located in other countries. Voting took place on Sunday to make it as easy as possible for people to participate, and while polling stations were scheduled to close at 4PM Caracas time, most stayed open as long as there were people in line who hadn't yet voted. Venezuela's Electoral Process Prior to the Election of Hugo Chavez Before Hugo Chavez was first elected the country's president in December, 1998, less than half of all eligible Venezuelans were registered to vote and thus were unable to participate in choosing their elected officials who might help them raise their standard of living including the great majority of impoverished people in the country most in need of positive change. For decades previously, two parties in the country, Democratic Action (AD) and Social Christian Party (COPEI), dominated the political process through a power-sharing arrangement that served the interests of Venezuela's wealthy elite and its "sifrino" middle class ignoring the needs and rights of the great majority of poor and effectively disenfranchised. It finally boiled over in the streets in the late 1980s and 1990s that led to the governing coalition bringing Hugo Chavez to power in 1998 that changed everything - just the way Chavez promised he's do it if elected. Along with his political and social revolution, Chavez promised to address the problem of electoral fraud and exclusion that had to be overcome for any true democracy to exist. At the outset of his first term in office, the National Assembly strengthened earlier reforms and initiated new ones focusing on voter access and rights, security and eliminating the kinds of fraudulent practices that characterized Venezuelan elections in the past. A major and successful initiative was later established in 2003 known as Mision Itentidad (Mission Identity) that aimed to implement Article 56 of the Bolivarian Constitution stating: "All persons have the right to be registered free of charge with the Civil Registry Office after birth, and to obtain public documents constituting evidence of the biological identity, in accordance with law." The Mission constituted a combined mass citizenship and voter registration drive that's given millions of ordinary Venezuelans national ID cards granting them the full rights of citizenship they never before had. It also resulted in over five million Venezuelans being able to register and vote in elections for the first time ever up to the middle of 2006 - including qualified immigrants and indigenous people who never before had any rights. In 2000, before this initiative was begun, 11 million Venezuelans were registered to vote. By September, 2006, the number had grown to over 16 million in a country of 27 million people. How the Electoral Process Is Administered The electoral process is administered by the National Electoral Council (CNE). It's an independent body, separate from the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government or any private corporate interests. It's comprised of 11 members of the National Assembly and 10 representatives of civil society, none of whom are appointed by the President. Elections are now conducted in Venezuela using Smartmatic touchscreen electronic voting machines with verifiable paper ballot receipts that voters can check to assure they confirm the vote they cast and then are saved by the CNE to have as a permanent record of vote totals that can be used in case a recount is needed. They also require voters to leave an electronic thumbprint to assure no one votes more than once. The machines work as intended leading the Carter Center to comment, based on their observations of their use: "The automated machines worked well and the voting results do reflect the will of the people." Further independent studies verified the same thing including ones carried out by vote-process experts at the University of California Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, Stanford and elsewhere. Great care was taken in their design to eliminate any possibility of tampering. It involves using a special technology splitting the security codes into four parts that has been endorsed in numerous voting security reports because it makes the machines used in Venezuela the most advanced system in the world according to the European Union Election Observation Mission in the country. How Elections Are Now Run in the US Contrast this exercise of real participatory democracy with the way things are done in the US, especially since the fraud-laden election bringing the Bush administration to power. A growing number of investigations have since revealed how corrupted the electoral process has become, especially in national elections, where a systematic effort has been made to disenfranchise portions of those segments of eligible voters likely to oppose Republican candidates or selected Democrats representing elitist interests. Many techniques are used to do it starting with the privatization of the electoral process that gives large electronic voting machine companies total unregulated control over it. In the 2004 national election, more than 80% of the US vote was cast and counted on these machines owned, programmed and operated by three large corporations, most of which have no verifiable paper ballot receipts making it impossible to have a recount as any done, if needed, will only verify the first result being challenged. The process now is secretive and unreliable run by private corporate interests with everything to gain if candidates they support win, and based on what's now known, that's exactly what's happened. As long as this system prevails, the US electoral process is fraudulent on its face making a sham of the notion of the kind of free, fair and open elections that are a hallmark of the way things are run under Hugo Chavez. It's what one observer, commenting on US elections, calls the "ultimate crime" as the very bedrock of democracy depends on the right of the electorate to exercise its will at the polls without it being subverted by private or other interests. Its importance is what Tom Paine said about it at the nation's founding: "The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which all other rights are protected. To take away this right (as has happened in the US) is to reduce a man to slavery." Subversion with electronic voting machine manipulation is only part of the problem as investigations have also uncovered much more revealing a systematic perversion of the democratic process. In the 2000 and 2004 national elections in the US, millions of votes cast were never counted that included "spoiled ballots," rejected absentee ballots and others lost or deliberately ignored in the count. In addition, there's been massive voter roll purging, for a variety of reasons, that added up to one common denominator - eligible voters disenfranchised were likely to vote for the "wrong" candidates so they were denied the right to vote at all. In Venezuela under Hugo Chavez today, every eligible voter can register and is encouraged to vote without fear their vote cast will disappear, go to another candidate or they will be purged from the voter roles. That's how a true democracy is supposed to work, and in Venezuela today it does. In the US it doesn't, and it shows in the results. It also shows in that half or more of eligible voters here never bother showing up on election day believing, with justification, their votes don't count. Another major difference between the two countries is in Venezuela the people are informed well enough to understand what the candidates stand for, how their government serves them, and they're willing to actively engage to keep their hard-won democratic rights and social benefits they won't give up without a fight. In contrast, in the US, the public is lulled into believing in an illusion of democracy and the rights of the people guaranteed under one that don't exist anymore, if they ever did. Because of their apathy, they're not in the streets like the people of Venezuela, their comrades in Mexico, who aren't as fortunate, or the anti-Bush/Olmert masses comprising up to half the population of Lebanon in the streets of Beirut demanding real democracy, justice and an end to Western domination. Instead, they're home or out shopping because they fail to understand unless they go there in large enough numbers for the rights they don't, in fact, have, they'll never get them. Chavez's Goal to Build A Socialist Society in the 21st Century Chavez first announced to the world his hope to build a socialist society in the 21st century in Venezuela at the January 30, 2005 Fifth World Social Forum. He wants a humanistic one based on solidarity, not the bureaucratic kind that doomed the Soviet Union and Eastern European states where governments were top - down with no participation of the people who ended up ill-served. Later on, Chavez elaborated saying "We have assumed the commitment to direct the Bolivarian Revolution towards socialism....a new socialism....a socialism of the 21st century....based in solidarity, fraternity, love, justice, liberty and equality" beyond the free-market model based on exploitation of working people for the interests of capital. The Chavez government has pursued these goals incrementally since it came to power in February, 1999 following Hugo Chavez's election in December, 1998. He promised Venezuelans his vision of a Bolivarian Revolution to free them from what 19th century liberator Simon Bolivar called the imperial curse that always "plague(d) Latin America with misery in the name of liberty." His Movement for the Fifth Republic Party (MVR) got a peoples' mandate for change at its outset to draft a new constitution that transformed Venezuela from an oligarchy serving wealth and power alone to a model humanist democratic state serving everyone based on solidarity and the principles of political, economic and social justice. He delivered in ways unimaginable in the US where essential government-delivered services for the people are denounced as radical and denied in a nation now dominated by a reactionary ideology and the notion that only neoliberal market-based solutions are acceptable - even though it's proved they don't work. Under this flawed model, government only works for the privileged few that benefit under its law-of-the-jungle rules that come at the expense of the great majority losing out the way it always happens in a top-down society run by and for them. This is the state of things today in the US, a nation where its founding principles have been turned upside down and is now run by and for plutocrats with values corrupted by false notions of fairness, equity and justice. That was how Venezuela was governed before the age of Hugo Chavez. In the 28 years before he was first elected, the people suffered from deprivation, neglect and indifference. Venezuelan inflation-adjusted per capita income fell 35% in those years, the worst decline in the region and one of the worst in the world. Chavez halted the decline and turned it around as high oil prices and a favorable economic climate lifted the nation's growth to the highest level in the region following the crippling 2002-03 oil strike and destabilizing effects of the short-lived coup deposing Hugo Chavez for two days in April, 2002. Since that time, unemployment declined and the crushing poverty level in the country fell from a high of around 62% in 2003 to a level near 40% today and falling. Chavez, however, went much further by enshrining the principles of a participatory democracy and its social revolution in the new 1999 Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It mandates revolutionary structural changes for political, economic and social justice that include quality health care for all as a "fundamental social right and....responsibility....of the state." It bans discrimination, guarantees free expression Chavez's fiercest critics enjoy and use to the fullest against him without recrimination, provides for housing assistance, an improved social security pension system for seniors, assures support for the rights of indigenous people, and requires quality education be made available for all to the highest level that virtually eliminated illiteracy - compared to the stated 20% level here in the US according to the Department of Education figures but which, in fact, is much higher and increasing based on the best evidence of functional illiteracy among the secondary student populations of the nation's inner cities. That would now be unacceptable in Venezuela where Chavez post-election wants to take his Revolution to the next level doing more than ever for his people. Along with all of the above, the government additionally already provides subsidized food for those in need, land reform, job training and micro-credit. It's a country in which most of the productive capacity is state or privately owned, but a great emphasis has been made to be innovative and go in new directions, experimenting with the idea of co-management with state-owned enterprises allowed to be jointly managed by the workers in them. A major effort has also been made to expand the number of cooperatives outside of state or private control, and since Chavez was first elected the total number of them has grown from 800 to 100,000 employing 1.5 million people or 10% of the adult population and rising. Another of Chavez's top priorities since first taking office in 1999 has been land reform. The country has long been run by rich oligarchs including large land-owning ones that allowed 5% of the largest landowners to control 75% of the land and 75% of the smallest ones to have only 6% of it. Chavez is trying to implement land reform legislation allowing underused land owned by the latifundistas (the large rich landowners) to be redistributed to landless campesinos who'll put it to productive use and improve their lives in the process. Chavez also wants to continue enhancing all the above-listed programs that have improved the lives of his people including the many innovative social Missions using the country's oil wealth to do it. His impressive electoral victory gives him a greater mandate than ever to advance his Bolivarian Project to the next level and his vision of socialism or social democracy in the 21st century. It won't be a simple task as the power of the oligarchs supported by the Bush administration, and what may succeed it, are powerful obstacles in the way of social advance. So far he's achieved wonders for the past eight years in the face of great odds, but much more needs to be done. With the power of the Venezuelan people standing with him, not willing to give up the great gains already gotten, Chavez is now looking ahead to advance the country's social democracy well into the new century. Hugo Chavez is now an empowered symbol and leader of a growing social revolutionary populist movement slowly spreading in the region that needs to be turned into an unstoppable juggernaut. It represents a hopeful and promising alternative to generations of entrenched elitism backed by military power along with oppressive US dominance and the poisonous effects of the neoliberal Washington Consensus model savagely exploiting the Global South for the interests of capital in the North. It's a way to be free from the US-controlled IMF and World Bank debt-bondage demanding in return punishing fiscal austerity, state-owned industry privatizations, social neglect, the loss of organized labor rights in a system of market deregulation benefitting the privileged alone at the expense of staggering levels of poverty, deprivation and inequality for the majority. It's a way to build a free society of, for and by the people unbeholden to wealth and power. It's a way to reduce poverty and inequality and improve the lives of ordinary people in ways never thought possible in the developing world until Hugo Chavez had a vision and was able to implement it and begin its spread. Chavez now has allies in Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Nicaragua, Uruguay and even Chile that still exists under the shadow of Augusto Pinochet and his 17 year dictatorship that crushed the strongest democracy in the region and from whose rule the country has yet to fully recover, but hopefully has a chance under its new more enlightened leader. They represent what author Tariq Ali refers to in the region as an "Axis of Hope," and Chavez has now earned enough political capital to bring it closer to fruition. The momentum in Latin America is with Hugo Chavez and his allies if they can seize it and take it to the next level. The chance for success has never been better with the US more vulnerable than ever and staggering from its loss of dominance in the Middle East and the forces arrayed against it there showing they can stand up to the most powerful nation on earth and prevail. It's a sign America is not all-powerful, is in decline politically and economically and choosing an independent course is an alternative that can work if enough nations unite and do it together. The region's most dominant nations have already shown they can oppose Washington and prevail. Following Argentina's IMF-imposed structurally adjusted economic meltdown at the end of the 1990s, President Nestor Kirchner got the financial markets in 2005 to accept his take-it-or-leave-it offer of 30 cents on the dollar payment on the country's unrepayable sovereign debt of around $130 billion and have to accept it in the form of long-term, low-interest bonds. Then, events at the November, 2005 Summit of the Americas in Mar del Playa, Argentina sounded the death knell for the US-proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) expansion of the disastrous NAFTA model because the dominant Southern Common Market Mercosur countries in the region of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela want no part of it signaling for scholar Immanuel Wallerstein that "The Monroe Doctrine is dead. And there are few mourners." And yet another blow to US-promoted globalization came with the collapse of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha (so-called "Development") Round talks in July, 2006 because more developing countries now realize the US/Western-one-way trade deals have been disastrous despite disingenuous rosy promises of economic growth and prosperity that only delivered increased poverty, deprivation and environmental destruction instead. Before these agreements from hell were ever agreed to, average per capital income growth in Latin America was 82% from 1960 to 1980 (4% per person, per year). Once the notion of globalization took hold after 1980 based on the Washington Consensus neoliberal model, the rate of income growth in the region through 2000 fell to 9% (less than half of 1% per person, per year), and since 2000 it dropped to 5% - a stunning indictment of how so-called "free-trade" US-style (that isn't "fair trade") is a formula for economic ruin for those countries adopting it, and significant ones like Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia and others in Latin America want no more of it. It remains to be seen going forward if this kind of momentum can continue, gain strength with new allies working together for the common self-interest of all to break free from the dominant US chokehold by asserting their independence as Venezuela under Hugo Chavez has shown can be done and be able to get away with it and benefit as a result. Further success in Venezuela and elsewhere depends on breaking free from what South African born and now activist and distinguished Bolivarian Venezuelan Professor of philosophy and political science Franz Lee says must be accomplished ahead: "(Getting) rid of all the five tentacles of capitalist imperialism: exploitation, domination, discrimination, militarization and alienation....in a class struggle against global fascism." In Venezuela, the process has only just begun. Hugo Chavez has taken up the challenge to move it ahead, but he'll need the support of other enlightened leaders to boldly go with him where he's already gone and then take it a lot further to achieve a peoples' victory over the forces that have long held them down and denied them the equity and justice they deserve. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Coalition forces kill 20 militants in Iraq Posted: Friday, December 8, 2006 US-led coalition forces killed 20 insurgents, including two women, today in an attack targeting Iraq al-Qa'ida militants northwest of Baghdad, the military said. During the coalition raid in an area around Thar Thar Lake in Salahuddin province northwest of Baghdad, ground forces were searching buildings when they returned machine gun fire they received from one of them, killing two insurgents, the US military said. Full Article : independent.co.uk Bush left battered and bruised Posted: Friday, December 8, 2006 The battle of Bush's ear began in earnest yesterday following publication of the Iraq Study Group's report. The US president's instinct is to hang tough, gambling that "a last big push" will bring victory of sorts. "We're going to stay in Iraq to get the job done," he said last week. Amid great uncertainty, one thing is sure: George Bush does not do graceful exits. All the same, the president will have to listen up, and change his tune and tactics, as post-midterm intimations of political mortality steadily narrow his choices. Donald Rumsfeld, the Pentagon pit bull, has gone. So, too, has John Bolton, the ambassador who put the "UN" in unilateralist. Mr Bush and Dick Cheney, the White House eminence grise, will use separate Iraq policy reviews by the defence department and national security council to dilute or deflect the report's impact. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Bush-Blair split over report's key proposals Posted: Friday, December 8, 2006 George Bush yesterday rejected key recommendations made by the Iraq Study Group, revealing important differences with Tony Blair, who embraced the proposals put forward by the US bipartisan commission. Those differences became clear after the two leaders met at the White House. President Bush flatly contradicted the ISG's proposal that Iran and Syria be included in regional talks aimed at ending Iraq's worsening civil war. He restated the White House position that talks with Tehran were conditional on the Iranians stopping uranium enrichment, while contacts with Damascus would depend on an end to Syrian destabilisation of Lebanon and a cessation of arms and money flows over the border to Iraqi insurgents. Full Article : guardian.co.uk December 08, News 2006 Posted: Thursday, December 7, 2006 ¤ Warning over spiralling Iraq refugee crisis ¤ Rwandan leader accuses France of aiding genocide ¤ Baker's predictable plan is what Bush is already doing ¤ NYPD's Death Squads ¤ Oil, War and Other Incongruities ¤ Iraq report members push combat trainers ¤ Wednesday: 13 GIs Reported Killed; 94 Iraqis Killed; 114 Iraqis Wounded ¤ Venezuela's Election Provides Opportunity for Washington to Change Course ¤ The Two Crucial Fallacies of Bush Administration Policy in Iraq ¤ Thursday: 57 Iraqis Killed, 10 Wounded ¤ Closer to the Abyss ¤ Venezuela's Chavez rejects U.S. rapprochement overture ¤ Cracks appear between Bush and Blair ¤ Setting the limits of invasion journalism ¤ The Roman Empire is falling - so it turns to Iran and Syria ¤ Panel: U.S. Lied About Level Of Violence In Iraq ¤ Hey, We Got Beat Fair and Square ¤ Oil for Sale: Iraq Study Group Recommends Privatization ¤ Flirting With Fascism on CNN Headline News ¤ Afghan Torture Allegations Upset Denmark ¤ Goodness Gracious! The Truth! ¤ No More Victims! ¤ Congresswoman Calls For The Assassination Of Cuban President ¤ Why the Baker Report Leaves Iraqis Cold ¤ Iraq war costs could top $1 trillion ¤ Flirting With Fascism ¤ ‘Many women’ languish in U.S., Iraqi jails ¤ No Right Of Return...No Right Of Entry/Re-Entry ¤ Stop Calling It ‘Intelligence’ ¤ How More Produces Less in Iraq ¤ The belated self-evident, from the Iraq Study Group Port of Spain Corporation Christmas Concert Posted: Thursday, December 7, 2006 The Port of Spain Corporation's Christmas Concert featuring the Bishop Anstey High School Choir took place on Tuesday 5th December 2006, at City Hall, Port of Spain. This concert sought to add to the Christmas spirit by highlighting the musical talents of the students of Bishop Anstey High School. Specially invited guests were invited to join in the festivities. Councillor Loraine Alexander welcomed all to His Worship the Mayor's Annual Christmas Concert where the Mayor serenades guests in commemoration of the season. According to Mrs. Alexander, the Bishop Anstey High School Choir was selected to serenade the Mayor's guests because of its magnificence over the years including the fact that it received the coveted Prime Minister's award for the past 10 years and was victorious in the Music Festival this year. Full Article : triniview.com Goodwill Messengers CD Launch Posted: Thursday, December 7, 2006 The launch of CD "Goodwill Ambassadors of the Red, White and Black" took place at the T&T North Room, 12th Floor, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. The secretary of the Endowment of National Advancement through Indigenous Songs (ENAIS), Mr. Gerard Jackson welcomed all to the launch of this CD ... Full Article : trinisoca.com Top 20 Stars of Tomorrow Awards Posted: Thursday, December 7, 2006 The National Youth Action Committee presented its 12th annual Top Twenty Stars of Tomorrow Award Ceremony on Sunday 3rd December 2006, at The Strand, Corner Tragarete Road and Dundonald Street, Port of Spain. The programme featured twenty of Trinidad and Tobagos brightest young stars that shone in 2006 ... Full Article : trinisoca.com Israel destroying homes of Palestinian Bedouins Posted: Thursday, December 7, 2006 The Israeli Interior Ministry ordered the demolition of more than 42,000 homes of Palestinian Bedouins in the Negev desert. Speaking at a session for the Israeli parliament's interior committee, Interior Minister, Roni Bar-On, claimed that all these buildings were "illegal" and warned that any new homes built in what Israel calls "unrecognized" villages in the Negev desert would be razed, the Palestinian Information Centre (PIC) reported. Full Article : aljazeera.com Israelis piqued by Gates nuclear 'confirmation' Posted: Thursday, December 7, 2006 Robert Gates, the incoming U.S. secretary of defense, won plaudits in Washington this week for his candour on the Iraq war. Some Israelis were less pleased, however, to hear Gates mention with equal frankness what U.S. administrations have long avoided saying in public -- that the Jewish state has the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal. Full Article : reuters.co.uk Bangladesh is paying for west's excesses Posted: Thursday, December 7, 2006 While the west puzzles over ways to curb future climate change, in the developing world the present climate change is being felt already, and there is nothing abstract about it. Every year an estimated 150,000 people die as a result of global warming - mainly through natural disasters, disease and malnutrition - and the toll is rising exponentially. There is much talk, but little is done. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Congress must insist Bush isn't above law Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 Should President Bush be impeached? The very idea seems extreme, if not loony. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has explicitly ruled impeachment off the Democratic majority's agenda. But activists and legal scholars are organizing to pressure Democrats to begin impeachment hearings. And the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, has issued two remarkable studies on abuses of presidential authority, raising the question of impeachable offenses. The Gingrich Congress' attempt to railroad President Clinton out of office gave impeachment a bad press. It is scorned as irresponsible, vindictive, partisan spitball politics. Rather than addressing the challenges the nation faces, impeachment, many pundits argue, wastes months on harsh, divisive wrangling. And of course, in 1998, the public punished Republicans -- ultimately leading to the toppling of Gingrich himself. Full Article : suntimes.com Baker wants Israel excluded from regional conference Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 The White House has been examining a proposal by James Baker to launch a Middle East peace effort without Israel. The peace effort would begin with a U.S.-organized conference, dubbed Madrid-2, and contain such U.S. adversaries as Iran and Syria. Officials said Madrid-2 would be promoted as a forum to discuss Iraq's future, but actually focus on Arab demands for Israel to withdraw from territories captured in the 1967 war. They said Israel would not be invited to the conference. "As Baker sees this, the conference would provide a unique opportunity for the United States to strike a deal without Jewish pressure," an official said. "This has become the most hottest proposal examined by the foreign policy people over the last month." Full Article : insightmag.com Baker panel's mention of Palestinian "right of return" raises eyebrows A reference to Palestinians' "right of return" in the report issued by the high-level Iraq Study Group broke a diplomatic taboo which sparked immediate concern in Israel and surprise among Middle East policy experts. The reference was buried deep inside a 160-page report that urged US President George W. Bush to renew efforts to revive Israel-Palestinian peace talks as part of a region-wide bid to end the chaos in Iraq. Full Article : breitbart.com Gore: Iraq war worst mistake in the history of US Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 Gore to Bush on Iraq: It's Not About You ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Calling the Iraq war "the worst strategic mistake in the entire history of the United States" and "worse than a civil war," former Vice President Gore urged President Bush to find a way to get U.S. troops out of Iraq "as quickly as possible without making the situation worse" while appearing this morning on NBC's "Today." "I would urge the President to try to separate out the personal issues of being blamed in history for his mistake and instead recognizing that it is not about him. It's about our country," Gore said in an interview with NBC's Matt Lauer. Full Article : abcnews.com Chavez Officially Proclaimed President-Elect for 2007-2013 Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 Caracas, Venezuela, December 5, 2006 (Venezuelanalysis.com)- With a large crowd of supporters outside, Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias was officially proclaimed President-elect of Venezuela for the "period of the next 6 years" by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) yesterday morning, with 7,161,637 votes, 62.89% of the total. His next term officially begins on February 2, 2007. Chavez "humbly" accepted the certification of his election for his next term in a black suit and red tie, and spoke briefly congratulating and thanking the electoral power and Venezuela’s citizens. "I receive this certification with a great humility and with a great commitment," said Chavez. Chavez announced that Venezuela will be a Latin American power, and that those who voted for him, voted for a project. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Iran to replace dollar with euro in foreign trade Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 Iran has decided to replace dollar with euro in its foreign trade given the continual impediments and hostile policies directed by U.S. toward the country, Iranian finance minister said on Monday. According to ISNA, the would-be decision is also more attuned to existing trade volume between Iran and European nations, the country’s major economic partners, which is transacted through the ‘euro banks’. “Such inclination has been underlying part of our economic policy for a while and our Oil Stabilization Fund (OSF) in dollar is at its lowest now,” Davud Danesh-Jafari continued. Full Article : Dissident President Carter talks about AIPAC and Israel on C-SPAN Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 Iraq: One by one, they tell the truth Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 As Tony Blair flies out to meet George Bush, the latest admission of failure in Iraq has made the two leaders appear even more isolated Full Article : independent.co.uk Britons to attend Iran's Holocaust conference Posted: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 Iran announced yesterday details of a conference questioning whether the Holocaust really happened, prompted by an international outcry a year ago when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the slaughter of six million Jews by the Nazis as "myth" fabricated to justify Israel. The foreign ministry said "intellectuals and researchers" from 30 countries - including Britain - would attend Studying the Holocaust: An international view, in Tehran on Monday and Tuesday. The idea for the gathering was dismissed earlier this year as "shocking, ridiculous and stupid" by Tony Blair. Iran responded by inviting him to attend. Full Article : guardian.co.uk December 05, News 2006 Posted: Tuesday, December 5, 2006 ¤ Chavez "Didn't Fall from the Sky" The victory of the 'Bolivarian' socialist in Venezuela is proof that Hugo Chavez enjoys real popularity at home -- and it is the direct consequence of the traditional elites' failure to address the issue of poverty for so many years. ¤ US not winning Iraq war, admits US defence secretary nominee ¤ Fiji military seizes power in bloodless coup ¤ Iraq: One by one, they tell the truth ¤ World Powers Fail to Reach Iran Accord ¤ Bolton Resigns in New Defeat for Hawks ¤ Bolton leaves another vacancy on Bush foreign policy team ¤ Apartheid Israel ¤ Chavez's Victory Strengthens Alliance with Cuba ¤ Debating the War, While Deaths Mount ¤ Media Sham for Iraq War -- It's Happening Again ¤ Bush's Strategy of Wishful Thinking ¤ Viva Chavez! ¤ Israeli Officials Using Madison Avenue PR ¤ He's The Worst Ever ¤ 'Civil war' and the real press scandal ¤ As Rice's Iran strategy fizzles, Cheney waits Chávez triumph brings emollient words from US Posted: Tuesday, December 5, 2006 By Rory Carroll in Caracas Tuesday December 5, 2006 The Guardian UK "The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, yesterday vowed to push ahead with his self-styled socialist revolution after being re-elected by a landslide. Returns from 78% of polling stations gave the incumbent 61% of the vote from Sunday's poll, a thumping endorsement for another six-year term at the helm of the world's fifth-largest oil exporter. His challenger, Manuel Rosales, a state governor, trailed at 38% and conceded defeat, disappointing opposition militants who wanted to use sporadic irregularities as evidence of fraud by someone they describe as a fledgling dictator." "However, in a marked softening of Washington's tone, the US undersecretary of state for Latin America, Thomas Shannon, acknowledged Venezuela's democratic expression. Speaking to the Spanish news agency Efe on a visit to London, Mr Shannon called for a thaw. "We do not want a relationship of confrontation." Confronted with a tide of newly elected leftwing leaders, the US has extended olive branches to Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega and Ecuador's Rafael Correa. The US civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson and the Centre for Economic and Policy Research, a Washington-based thinktank, urged an end to the war of words waged since the US tacitly backed a failed coup against Mr Chávez in 2002. Iran welcomed the triumph of an ally who has cultivated ties with the Muslim world, saying it reflected Latin America's resistance to US arrogance. The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group based in Egypt, also congratulated Mr Chávz." Full Article : guardian.co.uk Fiji military chief seizes power in coup Posted: Tuesday, December 5, 2006 Fiji's military chief Commodore Voreqe 'Frank' Bainimarama confirmed Tuesday he had launched a military coup to take over the government, overthrowing civilian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. But Andrew Hughes, the Australian who serves as Fiji's police commander, predicted the fourth coup in 20 years would fail because Bainimarama lacks popular support. 'He doesn't have the support of the government, of the president, of the police, of the churches, of the chiefs, of the people of Fiji, and I can foresee a popular uprising,' Hughes told Australia's ABC Radio. Full Article : monstersandcritics.com Pinochet Death Watch Posted: Monday, December 4, 2006 by Marc Cooper Who's going to definitively catch former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet first? The slow, grinding wheels of earthly justice or the swift ruthlessness of the Grim Reaper? Just as the latest criminal case against the 91 year-old former general was about to be heard one more time in the Santiago courts on Monday, Pinochet suffered an acute heart attack. He was immediately hospitalized and submitted to emergency surgery. Last rites have been given. As the case with much of his life, even his possible impending death has been shrouded with deception. Doctors have contradicted the version offered by Pinochet's son, Marco Antonio, that he was given a bypass. Attending physicians say it was, instead, an angioplasty. Similar reports say that the former dictator's life still hangs in the balance and that the next 24-48 hours will be crucial to his survival. Full Article : thenation.com Carter Criticizes US Approach to Israel Posted: Monday, December 4, 2006 Says policy should be 'more balanced' by Bob Kempter Former President Jimmy Carter on Sunday said the only hope for peace in the Middle East is for America to take a more "balanced view" of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something he believes may be politically impossible. Carter, promoting his new book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," in a marathon, nationally broadcast interview on C-Span, said that, given widespread support for Israel in the United States, it would be "unimaginable" that a politician would assign any blame to Israel for the ongoing violence in the Middle East and still win office. Full Article : commondreams.org December 04, News 2006 Posted: Monday, December 4, 2006 ¤ Venezuelans return Chávez to power by a landslide ¤ Runaway victory for Chavez ¤ Annan says Iraq life 'worse than under Saddam' ¤ World's youth believe 'war on terror' counterproductive ¤ Is President Bush Sane? ¤ Al Gore's Documentary on the dangers of climate change ¤ U.S. funding Somali warlords - intelligence experts ¤ It's Time to Declare War on Iraq ¤ Election Diary, Venezuela ¤ When Will Kristoff Go to the Occupied Territories? ¤ Repression on the Menu in Mexico ¤ Flattening the Great Education Myth ¤ Babylon is Burning ¤ Media Bias and Bush's War on Terror ¤ What a Difference a Year Makes ¤ Philippines fears 1,000 killed by typhoon, slides ¤ Bush's Meeting With A Murderer ¤ Israel creates new ministry to deal with Iran threat ¤ John Bolton resigns as ambassador to U.N. ¤ Another Bloodbath in Lebanon? ¤ Green Zone Iraqis cheer as Abeer is raped ¤ Lawless Baghdad descends into chaos ¤ Bipartisan Blaming of the Iraqi People ¤ America now has staggering 7 million jailed citizens Venezuelan Opposition Candidate, Manuel Rosales, Concedes Posted: Monday, December 4, 2006 By Venezuelanalysis.com December 04, 2006 The main opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales, recognized his defeat to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this evening in the Venezuelan presidential elections, shortly after the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) announced Chavez's 23 point lead with just over 78% of the votes counted. Nevertheless, Rosales declared Chavez's margin of victory was not as large as the CNE announced. The opposition candidate told supporters that he will remain in the streets, "struggling for the people of Venezuela." "I want to announce to the people of Venezuela that today we are beginning the struggle for the construction of a new time for Venezuela... and I won't stop there, from today on I will be in the streets," said Rosales to huge applause. "The results of the CNE are not the what they say they are," continued Rosales, "The margin of difference is smaller, so I'm going to continue in the streets, struggling for the people of Venezuela, struggling for democracy, with liberty which we present." "The truth is that even with a closer margin, we recognize that today they defeated us, but we will stay in the struggle, in the fight, we will stay in the streets," said Rosales There is little doubt that Rosales' recognition of the CNE results is welcome news for Venezuela. Many Venezuelans feared, before Sunday, that regardless of the victor, the loser of the presidential elections might refuse to recognize the results, potentially seeding conflict among Venezuela's strongly divided population. Source: www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2165 Chavez Wins Re-Election by Wide Margin Posted: Monday, December 4, 2006 Iran welcomes Chavez victory as win against US Iran hailed on Monday the presidential election victory of fellow US foe Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, saying it reflected Latin America's opposition to Washington's "arrogant attitudes". Chavez was re-elected by a landslide on Sunday, handing him an ample mandate to broaden his promised socialist revolution and challenge US influence in Latin America. He is the fourth leftist to win an election in the region in the past five weeks. Full Article : smh.com.au Chavez storms to re-election victory Full Article : reuters.com Chavez Wins Re-Election by Wide Margin Full Article : breitbart.com Venezuelans return Chávez to power by a landslide Hugo Chávez today began a third six-year term as president of Venezuela after trouncing his rival, Manuel Rosales. The national electoral council said Mr Chávez had won 61% of the vote while Mr Rosales, the governor of an oil-producing province, had won 38% after nearly 80% of the vote had been counted. Wearing his trademark red shirt, Mr Chávez told cheering supporters at the presidential palace late yesterday his landslide victory was a blow to the Bush administration, the frequent target of tirades from the Venezuelan leader. "It's another defeat for the devil who tries to dominate the world," Mr Chávez told a crowd of red-shirted supporters listening to him under pouring rain. "Down with imperialism. We need a new world." Even before polls closed, Chávez supporters were celebrating in the streets, setting off fireworks and cruising Caracas, honking horns and shouting: "Chávez isn't going anywhere." Full Article : guardian.co.uk Woodford Square Lights up for Christmas Posted: Monday, December 4, 2006 The formal ceremony celebrating the lighting up of Woodford Square for the holidays took place on Saturday 2nd December, 2006, in Port of Spain, to a crowd of over one hundred. The event started at about twenty minutes to six with an audience filled mainly with children and their accompanying parents. The ceremony started with the National Anthem sung by Ancil Valley, one of the Digicel Rising Star contestants, who blew the audience away with his fantastic voice. Full Article : triniview.com Rosales acknowledges Chávez' triumph Posted: Sunday, December 3, 2006 Single opposition candidate Manuel Rosales late Sunday admitted President Hugo Chávez' victory in Venezuelan presidential election, while claiming that the gap between he and Chávez is smaller than the difference the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced earlier. Full Article : english.eluniversal.com Chavez Reelected President of Venezuela: 61.4% of Votes Posted: Sunday, December 3, 2006 By Venezuelanalysis.com Caracas, December 3, 2006– According to the first preliminary results from Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, President Hugo Chavez won the presidency with 61.4% of the vote to his challenger’s 38.4%. This is with 78.3% of the votes counted. So far, Chavez got 5.9 million votes and Manuel Rosales, the candidate of the opposition, who got 3.7 million votes. This means that Chavez got slightly more votes than during the 2004 recall referendum and about 23 percentage points more than Rosales. CNE President Tibisay Lucena also announced that as soon as 80% of the votes had been tallied, the CNE would make an announcement of who officially won the presidency. In middle and upper class neighborhoods people started booing and banging pots in protest to the announcement, while in the capital’s poor neighborhoods people began launching fireworks in celebration. A mere 20 minutes after the CNE announcement, Chavez appeared on the balcony of the Miraflores Presidential Palace, singing the national anthem to a crowd of supporters who had gathered below in the midst of a heavy downpour. Reprinted from: www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2164 Venezuela's Chávez Wins Decisive Victory Posted: Sunday, December 3, 2006 Leftist President Given Another Six Years To Consolidate His 'Bolivarian Revolution' CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec. 3 -- Venezuelans overwhelmingly reelected President Hugo Chávez on Sunday, further extending a presidency that began when he was swept into power eight years ago. The populist leader will receive another six years in office to broaden his leftist revolution and cement his government as the most defiant anti-Bush administration voice in Latin America. With 78 percent of the votes counted by 10 p.m., electoral authorities announced that Chávez, 52, had secured 61.3 percent of the vote to 38.4 percent for Manuel Rosales, whose candidacy united a fractured opposition but had only four months to gather momentum. Chávez's tally presented an insurmountable lead. Full Article : washingtonpost.com December 03, News 2006 Posted: Sunday, December 3, 2006 ¤ Rumsfeld memo admits Iraq errors ¤ Viva Chavez! Venezuelan president set for election victory ¤ Saturday: 187 Iraqis, 1 GI Killed; 83 Iraqis Wounded ¤ Baghdad says civilian deaths up 44 percent in November ¤ Truck rams into crowd of people in Iraq, killing about 20 ¤ Chavez favored as Venezuelans prepare for vote ¤ Venezuela's Economic Boom Buoys Chávez's Campaign ¤ israel destroys water well in Bethlehem ¤ UN suggests Israel PAY for its crimes ¤ Rumsfeld: US failing in Iraq ¤ Helicopter missing in Afghanistan ¤ 6 militants, 3 others die in Iraq raids ¤ The House of Death ¤ Iraq unrest 'worse than civil war' ¤ Teenager shot dead by Israeli forces ¤ The clash of stupidities ¤ flying to israel - the unofficial Washington tradition ¤ Dead Russian Spy was . . . Muslim??? ¤ Bush is Not Insane - He is a Fool's Fool ¤ Why George Bush Needs the Axis of Evil ¤ Chavez needs no fraud to win any popular election ¤ When Denial Goes Pathological ¤ Iraq worse than under Saddam UN suggests Israel PAY for its crimes Posted: Sunday, December 3, 2006 A United Nations human rights inquiry said on Friday that Israel should be made to pay compensation for damage caused by its month-long war in Lebanon, especially losses incurred by civilians. It suggested setting up an international compensation programme similar to the one which has paid out billions of dollars to cover losses due to Iraq's 1990-91 invasion and occupation of Kuwait. Full Article : wakeupfromyourslumber.com Rumsfeld: US failing in Iraq Posted: Sunday, December 3, 2006 A leaked memo shows that the former Defence Secretary thinks a major change in strategy is needed, focusing on a staged pull-out of troops. Full Article : guardian.co.uk The House of Death Posted: Sunday, December 3, 2006 When 12 bodies were found buried in the garden of a Mexican house, it seemed like a case of drug-linked killings. But the trail led to Washington and a cover-up that went right to the top. David Rose reports from El Paso Full Article : observer.guardian.co.uk Corruption costs Iraq $4bn a year Posted: Saturday, December 2, 2006 Corruption: the 'second insurgency' costing $4bn a year The Iraqi government is in danger of being brought down by the wholesale smuggling of the nation's oil and other forms of corruption that together represent a "second insurgency", according to a senior US official. Stuart Bowen, who has been in charge of auditing Iraq's faltering reconstruction since 2004, said corruption had reached such levels that it threatened the survival of the state. "There is a huge smuggling problem. It is the No 1 issue," Mr Bowen told the Guardian. The pipelines that are meant to take the oil north have been blown up, so the only way to export it is by road. "That leaves it vulnerable to smuggling," he said, as truckers sell their cargoes on the black market. Full Article : guardian.co.uk December 02, News 2006 Posted: Saturday, December 2, 2006 ¤ Chaos erupts as Mexican president is sworn in ¤ Race a Complicated Issue in NYC Shooting ¤ When Denial Goes Pathological ¤ Fighting the Iraq War ... At Home ¤ The Semantics of Civil War ¤ Maliki's Monopoly of Power ¤ The Bride Wore Black ¤ The Global Trade in Sex Toys ¤ Chavez Against Rosales ¤ How Long Must Iraq Hell Last? ¤ The Global Trade in Sex Toys ¤ 91 Die in Triple Car Bomings in Baghdad ¤ Bolton not amused by Hezbolla's western-style protest ¤ Mass Demonstrations against the US backed Lebanese Government ¤ Hezbollah tent city rises in Beirut in mass Siniora protest ¤ Corruption: the 'second insurgency' costing $4bn a year ¤ Dollar falls further on fears of downturn in America ¤ Musharraf, Ahmedinejad break the ice on pipeline ¤ Hearings on Bush Crimes Will Unite Nation ¤ Triple Baghdad bombing kills at least 51 ¤ Philippines toll continues to rise ¤ Israeli WMD ¤ Repeating The Mistake, Intentionally! Snake king Ali Khan dies from cobra bite Posted: Saturday, December 2, 2006 By CHRISTINA KOH TAIPING: Malaysia's snake king Ali Khan Samsudin, 48, died as he had lived - handling the reptiles that he loved. His eldest son Amjad Khan, 21, said his father had been performing at a show in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday when he was bitten by a King Cobra. Ali Khan, who regularly performs with his beloved snakes for charity and for a living, died at 1am yesterday at Kuala Lumpur Hospital where he had been recuperating. Amjad Khan related that when his father contacted him on Tuesday to tell him he had been bitten, the family had not been too worried. Full Article : thestar.com.my New UN resolutions back Palestinian right to a state Posted: Saturday, December 2, 2006 UNITED NATIONS - The General Assembly approved Friday night six pro-Palestinian resolutions over U.S. and Israeli objections, culminating in the world body's declaration of backing the Palestinians' right to an independent state. Full Article : haaretz.com Lady Hochoy Centres 2006 Christmas Concert Posted: Saturday, December 2, 2006 The Lady Hochoy Centres presented their Christmas Concert 2006 entitled "Our Gifts to Share" on Thursday 30th November, 2006, at the St. James Amphitheatre. The venue was filled with parents, friends and relatives of the children who have varying levels of mental, learning and sometimes physical disabilities. Full Article : triniview.com December 01, News 2006 Posted: Friday, December 1, 2006 ¤ U.S. volunteer charged with terrorism in Uganda ¤ Britain tried to use Fear Propaganda and Starvation against "Egyptians" ¤ Bush's Body Language Says "I'm Afraid" ¤ Iran accuses Canadian embassy of spy activity ¤ Iraq: Civil War or Divide and Conquer ¤ Security of electronic voting is condemned ¤ Let them eat cake (or a Yule log or cookies shaped like Barney) ¤ Pound hits 14-year dollar high ¤ Litvinenko: Case closed ¤ Vigilante Troops Dole Out Ultra-harsh Punishment for Stealing Wood! ¤ Smile, darn ya, smile! ¤ More bodies uncovered in Philippines ¤ 20 killed in truck attack near Baghdad ¤ Ariz. cop had black men rap away ticket ¤ Why Not Invade Vietnam Too? ¤ Illuminating Outliers in the Death of Alexander Litvinenko ¤ Ahmadinejad wants US out of Iraq ¤ Chavez vows to thwart vote coup plot ¤ Never Heard of al-CIA-duh Group Threatens Banksters ¤ Huge protest brings Beirut to a standstill ¤ Democrat Side of War Party Calls for More Mass Murder and Misery in Iraq ¤ Sleeping with the Enemy ¤ Economics and the Al-Qaeda attack lie ¤ Iranian Weapons In Iraq - Deja Vu All Over Again ¤ The Move To Label All Civil Disobedience "Terrorism" ¤ U.S.-British "special relationship" questioned ¤ Like Hitler and Brezhnev, Bush is in denial ¤ Powderkeg ¤ U.S. Rates Travelers for Terror Risk Spy's friend 'tests positive for Polonium 210' Posted: Friday, December 1, 2006 Spy's friend 'tests positive for Polonium 210' Mario Scaramella, the Italian academic who met Alexander Litvinenko on the day he was allegedly poisoned, has tested positive for Polonium 210, it was disclosed today. Former Spy's Wife Positive for Radiation An Italian security expert who met with former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko the day he fell fatally ill has also tested positive for the same radioactive substance found in his body, British authorities said Friday. Letters 'revealed secret hit squad' Detectives are investigating letters smuggled out of Russia purporting to show the existence of a secret squad set up to target poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko and others. Litvinenko 'victim of rogue Russian elements' Posted: Friday, December 1, 2006 British intelligence sources increasingly suspect that Alexander Litvinenko, the former spy killed with a radioactive poison, was the victim of a plot involving "rogue elements" within the Russian state, it was reported today. While ruling out any official involvement by Vladimir Putin's government, investigators believe only those with access to state nuclear laboratories could have mounted such a sophisticated plot. A postmortem examination is being carried out on 43-year-old Mr Litvinenko, who died last Thursday, at the Royal London hospital today. The three pathologists are wearing protective clothing to avoid possible contamination with polonium 210, the isotope found in the former agent's urine. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Hundreds feared dead in Philippine mudslides Posted: Friday, December 1, 2006 At least 400 people are feared dead after Typhoon Durian swept across the central Philippines, causing flash floods and burying villages in waves of muddy volcanic ash and huge rocks. The country's civil defence office said today that 198 people had died, with 260 missing, but the death toll was expected to rise. "There are a lot of conflicting reports but, looking at the trend, we could have about 300 to 400 people dead by tonight," Richard Gordon, head of the local Red Cross, said in a television interview. Full Article : guardian.co.uk |
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