Rumsfeld floats proposal to end Bush doctrine of unilateralism
BBC world affairs editor John Simpson has called on the US government to investigate why more journalists were killed by American soldiers than by any other means during the Iraq war.
Putin urges decisive UN role in Iraq Activist Camp Trains Civilly Disobedient Post-9/11 Immigrant Roundup Backfired - Report Supreme Court Nike Ruling Shocks Corporate World U.N. Panel Finds No Iraq Link to Al Qaida Israeli Soldiers Exonerated in Death of Olympia Activist Senate Armed Services Democrats begin inquiry into Iraq WMD intelligence Deeper weapons probe is rejected Blair 'unwittingly misled Commons' over Iraqi weapons: Government hits back at BBC over allegations of 'sexing up' case for war as Prime Minister comes under new pressure Gay sex in private is lawful, rules US Supreme CourtThe human cost of the 21st century's first war is already enormous. In addition to those who have died, staggering numbers have been detained around the world in violation of their human rights and international law. Paul Vallely investigates their fate, and asks whether this suspension of due process in the name of defending democracy can ever be justified
Agency Disputes C.I.A. View of Trailers as Iraqi Weapons Labs Supreme Court Strikes Down Texas Sodomy Law Supreme Court Strikes Down Texas Law Banning Sodomy Supreme Court Strikes Down Texas Sodomy Law U.S. Mishandling Postwar Iraq, Says Official House Rejects Calls for Deeper Probe on Iraqi Arms 'There is not a single fact in either dossier that is actually disputed' So said Tony Blair yesterday. Well then, what about ...The Government performed a surprise U-turn yesterday by agreeing that Alastair Campbell should be questioned by MPs tomorrow about allegations that Downing Street exaggerated the threat from Saddam Hussein's weapons programme to justify the war in Iraq.
Belgium to lift threat of Bush war crimes trial Straw concedes 'substantial error' in Iraq weapons documentDowning Street's second dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction caused an "embarrassment" for the Government, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw conceded today.
Specter: U.S. should try two Palestinians in Israeli custody John Pilger: Bush's Vietnam Marcella S. Kreiter: Al-Qaida suspect named enemy combatant (UPI, 23 June 2003) U.S. Again Uses Enemy Combatant Label to Deny Basic Rights (Human Rights Watch, 23 June 2003) Powell patches Mideast peace Now Bush wants to buy the complicity of aid workers: Relief groups have been told they must be an "arm of the US government" Bush forced to defend rising US death toll MP attacked for Nazi comparison How a Labour rebel became friends with US hawks: Jackie Ashley meets Ann Clwyd, an unlikely defender of Donald Rumsfeld and the war in Iraq Officials: Hundreds of Iraqis Killed By Faulty GrenadesLondon (CNSNews.com) - Facing diplomatic pressure from the United States, including the possibility of losing funding for a new NATO headquarters, Belgium on Sunday announced plans to revise the country's war crimes law for the second time this year.
The 10-year-old law gave Belgian courts "universal jurisdiction" in cases involving crimes against humanity or violation of the rules of war, meaning prosecutors could bring charges regardless of where the alleged crimes were committed or the nationality of the defendant.
The law was originally used to prosecute Rwandans involved in that country's 1994 genocide, but later led to suits against leaders such as former President George H. W. Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Unexploded grenades remain potentially lethal for weeks and months after landing on the ground, where civilians can unwittingly pick them up or step on them. Many victims are children such as Ali Mustafa, 4, whose eyes were blown out when a grenade he played with near his Baghdad home in April exploded in his face.
Dead or alive? Why America needs to know whatever happened to Saddam Hussein Inca may have used knot computer code to bind empireElectricity is vital to life in the Iraqi capital where the temperature can soar as high as 60C (140F) at the height of summer. Without it there is no air-conditioning, no refrigerators to prevent food rotting and no light in a city terrified by looters. The failure to get the electrical system working has become a symbol for Iraqis in the capital of the general failure of the American occupation to provide living conditions even at the miserable level they enjoyed under Saddam Hussein.
DNA tests after missiles strike 'Saddam convoy': Human remains removed after US Hellfire missiles target source of dictator's satellite phone callAmerican specialists were carrying out DNA tests last night on human remains believed by US military sources to be those of Saddam Hussein and one of his sons, The Observer can reveal.
The remains were retrieved from a convoy of vehicles struck last week by US forces following 'firm' information that the former Iraqi leader and members of his family were travelling in the Western Desert near Syria.
The new anti-Semitism: A document once used by the Nazis to stir up hatred of Jews and long known to be a forgery is once again being circulated, this time by Muslim scholars. David Aaronovitch challenged them When two tribes go to war: An escalating series of transatlantic trade disputes threaten to fragment the global economic order Dangerous liasons: The gunner apologised and told us that he had been about to kill us. He said he had his finger on the trigger. A second later, it would have been too late. Late scores: Germany 1 Microsoft 0Something really interesting is going on in Germany. Some time ago, the city of Munich decided to review what should be done about upgrading the municipality's computing infrastructure - and specifically the software running on its 14,000 PCs. A thorough examination by consultants UnilogIntegrata AG recommended that the city could save money and increase security by switching from Microsoft to open source software - ie systems based on the Linux operating system and OpenOffice applications.
Britain is threatening to refuse export licences for spare parts for Hawk jets to Indonesia, after growing government concern about human rights abuses by the military in the suppression of rebels in Aceh.
Galloway seeks inquiry after papers exposed as fakesGeorge Galloway yesterday demanded a government inquiry after documents alleging that he took more than $10m (£6.3m) from Saddam Hussein were exposed as forgeries.
The suspended Labour MP claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy and rejected an apology from the Christian Science Monitor, threatening to extend his legal action to British newspapers, including the Sun, which repeated the Boston-based title's accusations.
EU 'has to play larger world role to avoid US domination' Protesters take on police at summit resort Search for 200 after refugee boat sinks Liberia's child soldiers play war games with real bullets: The road to Monrovia is a bloodstained thoroughfare strewn with surreal violence Speed is of the essence for road map, says Powell American military bans BBC crew from Guantanamo Bay for talking to inmates US believes Saddam is still alive and active in IraqTen weeks after the end of the war Saddam Hussein and his two sons are probably alive and in Iraq, their presence fuelling resistance to 150,000 US troops, US intelligence officials now believe.
Canberra knew of Bali bomb threatAustralia's spy agency has admitted that the mastermind behind the Bali bombing last October was known to its analysts before the fatal attacks took place.
Doublethink over Orwell 'Truth was a stretchable fabric': America realises the daring rescue was not all it seemed at the timeIraq experts, ink-aging tests discredit documents behind earlier Monitor story.
Antiwar groups turn their focus to Bush Soldiers 'Will Create Cycle of Revenge'MPs from across the political spectrum today reacted with shock and concern to revelations that trigger-happy US troops in Iraq regularly kill civilians.
Yesterday the Evening Standard published confessions from American soldiers that they have fired indiscriminately at non-combatants and left wounded fighters to die or even shot them.
Troops tear down illegal Israeli settlementsOn the road to the settlement, a couple of army bulldozers were stuck, unable to move because a crowd of settlers were sitting in front of them. It was extraordinary to see the Israeli army, which regularly uses live ammunition against Palestinian protesters, brought to a standstill by a few unarmed youths.
On her 58th birthday, The Lady of Burma languishes in jail, a martyr to her people's fight for democracy CIA alarmed by failure to find stolen airliner Bush 'misled every one of us', says rival for White House Iraqis threaten suicide blasts over wagesSpecialist Anthony Castillo: "We're more angry at the generals who are making these decisions and who never hit the ground, and who don't get shot at or have to look at the bloody bodies and the burnt-out bodies, and the dead babies and all that kinda stuff."
US says troops face Iraqi 'guerrilla war' Iraq's 1st Public Poll Backs U.S. Lawmakers Begin Iraq Intelligence Hearings: White House Continues To Defend War Decision Conyers: Coverup in Texasgate Belgium Gets War Crimes Cases Against Bush/Blair Kerry rips Bush on economy A Former Foreign Service Officer on the Future of Diplomacy in the Age of Bush: A Serious ConversationIt was an extraordinary experience. The intellectual curiosity, the hunger for contact, the high spirits and humor of several hundred students would be invigorating anywhere, at any time. In a 96%-Muslim country in East Africa, in the wake of a U.S. war in Iraq that just about all of them opposed, it seemed to me nothing short of amazing. Despite an unpopular foreign policy, despite a near universal perception of American heavy-handedness, people still want to talk. It's too bad that Americans seem incapable of carrying on a serious conversation.
Bloodbath in Colombia: The Army and the Paramilitary Death Squads Belgium Gets War Crimes Cases Against Bush/Blair Pentagon Admits Iraq Guerrilla War US Oil Giant Faces Court Battle Over Burma Violations Report by the E.P.A. Leaves Out Data on Climate ChangeThe Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to publish a draft report next week on the state of the environment, but after editing by the White House, a long section describing risks from rising global temperatures has been whittled to a few noncommittal paragraphs.
New Studies Reveal Poor U.S. Treatment of Asylum Seekers, ChildrenWASHINGTON - Less than a month after an internal Justice Department audit found widespread abuse of hundreds of Muslim immigrants detained after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and the Pentagon, two new reports released this week are charging that the detention of unaccompanied immigrant children and asylum seekers is causing serious harm to innocent people who need protection rather than prison.
What really happened at the Baghdad museum? Yesterday an eminent archaeologist claimed in the Guardian that Baghdad museum staff had not exaggerated the extent of losses during the war, or been involved in the looting afterwards. Here the man who first raised doubts about the museum's story responds Minister defends Iraq intelligence assessment Bush warns Iran on nuclear weapons: American president backs Tehran protests as exiles in EU rage at French raid on mojahedin US forces capture Saddam's secretary Battle to save Afghanistan's shattered heritage: The international community's indifference is hampering efforts to undo the vandalism of the Taliban regime Extra troops must fill vacuum beyond Kabul to quell warlords, warns Musharraf Seumas Milne: The right to resist: Armed opposition to the occupation of Iraq will continue until the US and Britain withdraw Senate Committee Opposes FCC Media Regulations Bounty hunters: An American bounty hunter has captured fugitive Max Factor heir and convicted rapist Andrew Luster in Mexico. Read our guide to the strange world of the real-life Renegades. Furry logic: Relatively little is known about orang utan intelligence. But scientists at a Washington zoo are coming up with some intriguing findings. Laura Spinney reports Toothbrush study finds less is more for preserving teeth and gumsSenior figures in the intelligence community and across Whitehall briefed the former international development secretary Clare Short that Tony Blair had made a secret agreement last summer with George Bush to invade Iraq in February or March, she claimed yesterday.
The American-led reconstruction effort in Iraq is "in chaos" and suffering from "a complete absence of strategic direction", a very senior British official in Baghdad has told The Telegraph.
The comments paint a grim picture of American incompetence and mismanagement as the Coalition Provisional Authority struggles to run post-Saddam Iraq.
Dividend Tax Cut Will Benefit Many in House, Financial Reports Show: Some Representatives May Save Thousands Support for Troops Questioned: Democrats Detail Bush's Cuts in Military Family Benefits Report Finds No Wrongdoing in Search for Texas Lawmakers Paul Krugman: Dereliction of Duty E.J. Dionne: The Tax Debate Nobody Hears About Report: Homeowners Staggering Under Costs: Millions Spend More Than Half Their Incomes On Housing Blair in trouble Investigative Researcher Charles Lewis of the Center for Public Integrity on conflicts of interest between members of the Bush administration and the defense industry MI5 warns major terror attack is 'only a matter of time' Mystery of US base plea to KenyaA pair of Houston pest control contractors are among hundreds of American and foreign workers being recruited by a division of Houston-based Halliburton to work on the rebuilding of Iraq.
Iraq's lethal peace: It could yet change American minds Frida Berrigan: US Weapons Aid the Repression: Death in Aceh A Threat to Democracy: Bush's Deceptions About Iraq Embedded Photographer: "I Saw Marines Kill Civilians"A small blue van was moving towards the convoy. Three not-very-accurate warning shots were fired. The shots were supposed to make the van stop. The van kept on driving, made a U-turn, took shelter and then returned slowly. The Marines opened fire. All hell broke loose. They were firing all over the place. You could hear 'Stop firing' being shouted. The silence that set in was overwhelming. Two men and a woman had just been riddled with bullets. So this was the enemy, the threat.
A second vehicle drove up. The same scenario was repeated. Its passengers were killed on the spot. A grandfather was walking slowly with a cane on the sidewalk. They killed him too (SEE PHOTO IN LE MONDE). As with the old man, the Marines fired on a SUV driving along the river bank that was getting too close to them. Riddled with bullets, the vehicle rolled over. Two women and a child got out, miraculously still alive. They sought refuge in the wreckage. A few seconds later, it flew into bits as a tank lobbed a terse shot into it.
Levin Seeks Release of WMD Intelligence Independent Science Panel Releases Scathing Report on Genetically Modified Food and Crops The Sabra and Shatila Case in Belgium: A Guide for the Perplexed My (almost) conversation with Colin Powell Howard's Iraq evidence on parade in UK Harley Sorensen: The War Built On A Lie: VIEW FROM THE LEFT Former Aide Takes Aim at War on TerrorFive days before the war began in Iraq, as President Bush prepared to raise the terrorism threat level to orange, a top White House counterterrorism adviser unlocked the steel door to his office, an intelligence vault secured by an electronic keypad, a combination lock and an alarm. He sat down and turned to his inbox.
"Things were dicey," said Rand Beers, recalling the stack of classified reports about plots to shoot, bomb, burn and poison Americans. He stared at the color-coded threats for five minutes. Then he called his wife: I'm quitting.
[...]
"The administration wasn't matching its deeds to its words in the war on terrorism. They're making us less secure, not more secure," said Beers, who until now has remained largely silent about leaving his National Security Council job as special assistant to the president for combating terrorism. "As an insider, I saw the things that weren't being done. And the longer I sat and watched, the more concerned I became, until I got up and walked out."
[...]
Beers will say that the administration is "underestimating the enemy." It has failed to address the root causes of terror, he said. "The difficult, long-term issues both at home and abroad have been avoided, neglected or shortchanged and generally underfunded."
[...]
Within U.S. borders, homeland security is suffering from "policy constipation. Nothing gets done," Beers said. "Fixing an agency management problem doesn't make headlines or produce voter support. So if you're looking at things from a political perspective, it's easier to go to war."
[...]
"I can't think of a single example in the last 30 years of a person who has done something so extreme," said Paul C. Light, a scholar with the Brookings Institution. "He's not just declaring that he's a Democrat. He's declaring that he's a Kerry Democrat, and the way he wants to make a difference in the world is to get his former boss out of office."
[...]
"The first day, I came in fresh and eager," he said. "On the last day, I came home tired and burned out. And it only took seven months."
Part of that stemmed from his frustration with the culture of the White House. He was loath to discuss it. His wife, Bonnie, a school administrator, was not: "It's a very closed, small, controlled group. This is an administration that determines what it thinks and then sets about to prove it. There's almost a religious kind of certainty. There's no curiosity about opposing points of view. It's very scary. There's kind of a ghost agenda."
Iraq 'has three weeks to avoid falling into chaos' US troops ambushed amid drive to extinguish resistance: Soldiers are injured in guerrilla attack as Americans tackle renewed loyalist activity that has claimed 40 soldiers since 1 May US accused of stirring up student protests in IranWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A leading Republican lawmaker said on Sunday U.S. forces may have to help "root out terrorism" in the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, including taking aim at Hamas.
In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Sen. Richard Lugar, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said American forces might be part of an international force to help stop attacks by Hamas, the main group behind a campaign of suicide bombings against Israelis, and other groups.
Texas to Free 13 Jailed on Agent's Word Belgian "Boycott Bush" Campaign Closes U.S. Oil Stations Robyn E. Blumner: Church and state against the wall in voucher case Goodbye, Erin Brockovich, as class actions endThe US Congress is set to hand business chiefs the greatest gift since the advent of the Bush administration: an end to so-called 'class action' suits.
'Whole Family' Dies in Clash with US: Death toll cut from 27 to 7; Mostly civilians killed in clash Depleted Uranium Arms Pose Risks to Troops, Residents US support in Iraq fades after raids: How One Iraqi's Lifelong Love for America ShatteredDULUIYAH, Iraq -- Njim Rais loved America. Growing up in this provincial Iraqi city, he dreamed of seeing Niagara Falls, and was so enraptured by a television program set in Florida that when his sister was born 10 years ago, he insisted she be named Miami. He promoted America's virtues in Duluiyah until people rolled their eyes.
Then, at 2 a.m. on Tuesday he had his first visit from an American: There was a roar of Bradley fighting vehicles down his street, patrol boats on the river, and four Apache helicopters circling in a throbbing net over his house. He saw his mother try to gather Miami into her skirt while an American soldier trained a weapon on them, and then he heard her scream as if someone had died. Two of his brothers had been arrested.
Iraqi mobile labs nothing to do with germ warfare, report finds Turning the tanks on the reporters: Iraq will go down as the war when journalists seemed to become a target, writes Philip Knightley Hamas rules out ceasefire as both sides bury their dead Sense of despair haunts the African RenaissanceThis was supposed to be the dawn of a fresh era from the Sahara to Cape Town. Instead, cycles of unstoppable violence have condemned millions to death, with famine, Aids and economic catastrophe in their wake.
UN and America say multinational force is only way to end violence Tehran rocked by protests as students take to the streets Villagers enraged and baffled by American show of force: US troops accused of indiscriminate use of firepower in countering guerrilla attacksRAWAH, Iraq, June 14 (IslamOnline.net) - American troops "slaughtered" more than one hundred Iraqi civilians, most of them killed while asleep, at the early hours of Friday, June13 , eyewitnesses told IslamOnline.net.
The U.S. forces deliberately opened fire from tanks and helicopter gunships at the houses of Iraqi civilians in Rawah, 400 kilometer to the north-west of Baghdad, killing tens of people, they charged.
Secularism is on the rise AmeriCorps Officials Are Told of Cutbacks: Local Directors Expect 'Devastating' Reductions in Program Bush Pledged to Expand Dean aligns with Bush on death penalty (The Barre Montpelier Times Argus, 14 June 2003) Soldiers back from Iraq in dismal health Iranian students openly defy rule of the Mullahs NASA gives go-ahead for nuclear mission to outer planetsPresident Bush cannot be pleased to know that his State of the Union address last January included an ominous report about Iraq that turns out to have been based on forged documents. The incident is an embarrassment for Mr. Bush and for the nation, and he should now be leaning on his aides to explain how they let fabricated information about Iraq's nuclear weapons program slip into his speech. The answer might help explain whether Washington deliberately distorted intelligence to rally the nation for the war against Iraq.
Nicholas D. Kristof: White House in Denial Paul Krugman: 'Some Crazy Guy'Consider the case of Westar Energy, whose chief executive was indicted for fraud. The subsequent investigation turned up e-mail in which executives described being solicited by Republican politicians for donations to groups linked to Mr. DeLay, in return for a legislative "seat at the table." The provision Westar wanted was duly inserted into an energy bill. (Republican leaders deny that there was any quid pro quo.)
There's every reason to believe that the Westar case is unusual only in the fact that the transaction came to light. Under Mr. DeLay's leadership, Republicans have established a huge fund-raising advantage, based not just on promises -- special interests have always been able to buy favorable policies, but never so brazenly -- but also on threats. Mr. DeLay pioneered the "K Street strategy," which -- in a radical break with tradition -- punishes lobbying firms that try to maintain good relations with both parties.
Covert Unit Hunted for Iraqi Arms: Amid Raids and Rescue, Task Force 20 Failed To Pinpoint Weapons Your Vegan Holistic President: Sure an odd, spiritual guy like Dennis Kucinich doesn't have a chance in hell. But it sure is nice to dream Bill allows some Head Start schools to base hiring on religion The New Right Wing Agenda DPS Documents: More Questions About Killer-D Manhunt US marines diverted to Liberia U.S. troops may be headed for Africa Jules Witcover: It's Too Early To Start Using The 'I-word' About Bush My life on the inside Aids origin found in hybrid chimp virus Dozens of Iraqis killed in battles with US forces Helicopter shot down by Iraqi 'terrorists' Peace process in crisis as Hamas man is assassinated in missile attack Rumsfeld threatens Nato boycott over Belgian war crimes lawsuits Blair ignored CIA warning over forged documents on Saddam's nuclear capability: Government still used intelligence months later to justify action against Iraq Peace process in crisis as Hamas man is assassinated in missile attack Dozens of Iraqis killed in battles with US forces Resistance to occupation is growing: US and British troops are being sucked into an Iraqi quagmire Sabotage Hits Iraq Pipeline as US Prepares to Resume ExportsCIA rejects blame for Bush's Iraq uranium claim Q&A: Robert Fisk Reports from Occupied Territory S Korea enhances defence budget to counter North Shirts Off Our Backs Says Aei Won't Get Away With It Again The Intel-gate Row in Britain: A Chronology Occupation and Strategic Myopia: The Tragic Legacy of the Six Day War Wayne Madsen: Unfit for Office: Time for Rumsfeld to Resign No Child Rebates for Low-Income Families Army Backtracks on Halliburton Contract Crunch time: Deep Texas cuts remind us why we pay taxes IOL Unveils Threads Of Iraqi Resistance Sanctions killed 1.5m Iraqis: UN agencies UN Security Council Renews US Troop Immunity from War Crimes Court Despite Annan Warning George Monbiot: How to Stop America House Expected to Pass Bill to Rewrite the Rules on Class-Action Lawsuits U.S. Conservatives Take Aim at NGOs WASHINGTON - While non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and Oxfam have made significant contributions to human rights, the environment, and development, they are using their growing prominence and power to pursue a "liberal" agenda at the international level that threatens U.S. sovereignty and free-market capitalism. That was the message delivered by a series of speakers at an all-day conference, "Nongovernmental Organizations: The Growing Power of an Unelected Few," Wednesday sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a Washington think tank that has been particularly influential with the Bush administration. Weapons story called `all a lie': Former Saddam aide says there are no banned arms: Blair refuses to appear Stock losses cull millionaire ranks: Survey says U.S. had 100,000 fewer millionaires in 2002 despite increase in global wealth. Broadcaster David Brinkley Dies at 82 The House Votes on Whether to Include Some of the Nation's Poorest Working Families in President Bush's Tax Cut Radioactive Mystery: How Did 'Bogus' Info about Iraq's Nuclear Plans Get Into Bush's Speech?Bush's 2003 State of the Union speech contained thirty-nine examples of empty language. He used it to reduce complex problems to images that left the listener relieved that George W. Bush was in charge. Rather than explaining the relationship between malpractice insurance and skyrocketing healthcare costs, Bush summed up: "No one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit." The multiple fiscal and monetary policy tools that can be used to stimulate an economy were downsized to: "The best and fairest way to make sure Americans have that money is not to tax it away in the first place." The controversial plan to wage another war on Iraq was simplified to: "We will answer every danger and every enemy that threatens the American people." In an earlier study, I found that in the 2000 presidential debates Bush used at least four times as many phrases containing empty language as Carter, Reagan, Clinton, Bush Senior or Gore had used in their debates.
The mystery about the uranium information is the latest question in a growing controversy over what the Bush administration really knew about Iraqi weapons programs and whether officials manipulated intelligence.
[...]
Asked for an explanation, a senior White House official said "we were very careful with what the president said. We vetted the information at the highest levels."
But one international nuclear official told the New Yorker magazine that the information was so bad, anyone using an Internet search engine could have determined it was a forgery.
Fifty ways to leave your lover: US Army's online Lothario wreaks havoc and heartbreakMs Solod said her last contact with Mr Saleh was six weeks ago, when she confronted him with his alleged lies. "He sent me a message that said, 'Get out of my life. Let me be the warrior monk that I am'."
David Rozelle: Drifting toward fascism Day of carnage leaves Middle East in chaos: Israel and Hamas count the dead Bush struggles to salvage road map Victim was top Hamas fighter Skulls of 'earliest Homo sapiens' found in Ethiopia The world's oldest humans: proof we came from Africa US plays aid card to fix war crimes exemptionThe US is turning up the heat on the countries of the Balkans and eastern Europe to secure war crimes immunity deals for Americans and exemptions from the year-old international criminal court.
Bush Under Fire in Congress for Criticizing Israel U.S. Will Monitor Foreign Seaports Rumsfeld Says Iran Is Developing Nuclear Arms Under Guise of Civilian Program Iran 'actively developing nuclear bomb' says Rumsfeld US plans for executions at Guantanamo US on the defensive over Blix Scientists develop GM 'protato' to feed India's poorest childrenHans Blix, the UN chief weapons inspector, lashed out last night at the "bastards" who have tried to undermine him throughout the three years he has held his high-profile post.
Civilian death toll in Iraq put at 3,240: Nationwide total doesn't account for some battles, townsThe finding: At least 3,240 civilians died throughout the country, including 1,896 in Baghdad. The count is still fragmentary, and the complete number, if it is ever tallied, is sure to be much higher.
The great majority of civilian deaths appear to have been caused by US and British attacks [...]
Security watchdog attacks Blair over Iraq intelligenceThe Parliamentary watchdog responsible for security accused the Government yesterday of manipulating intelligence on Iraq while failing to provide political leadership for the war on terror.
In a hard-hitting annual report, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) censured Downing Street for publishing a dossier on Iraq's weapons in which security information was combined with a student's thesis that was taken from the internet.
The pressure against the US and Great Britain is increasing as no weapons of mass destruction have yet been found. On Tuesday Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik rubbed salt into the wounds.
«It is interesting that no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq», said Bondevik during a conference in Oslo on Tuesday.
«As long as no weapons of mass destruction have been found, it strengthens the stand Norway took against the war», the PM said, stressing that the whole point of the war was the fear that weapons of mass destruction existed in Iraq.
FAIR Media Advisory: Troubles at the Times: Beyond Blair Sabra and Shatila plaintiffs welcome today's ruling by the Brussels Appeals Court opening the way for a full investigation and trial of Amos Yaron and others Ted Rall: They impeach murderers, don't they? Bush Must Step Down Taking To The StreetsIn what is expected to be the largest pro-choice march in 12 years, feminist leaders from around the country have announced a "March for Freedom of Choice" that will take place in April 2004.
Forged Evidence Weapon threat not the motive for war, ex-spy says Under-fire President waters down claims on Iraqi weapons Imad Khadduri: Mobile lies Schuyler Ebbets: Pattern of Megalomania Robert Scheer: Bad Iraq Data From Start to Finish: Americans were duped: Evidence of administration manipulation and mendacity just keeps rolling in.Did Rumsfeld know of the DIA report? If so, did he keep that information from the president? Or did he and Bush knowingly deceive the American people? And isn't that an impeachable offense?
Guard, Reserve short on recruits US soldiers accused of raping teenage girlsAn Iraqi newspaper run by Sunni Muslims traded charges yesterday with the US-led occupation authority over the alleged rape of two Iraqi girls by US soldiers, a claim denied by the coalition.
According to the daily As-Saah, the girls, aged 14 and15 , were talking to American soldiers in Suwaira,180 km south of Baghdad, on Friday when the soldiers suggested they accompany them to their camp to take pictures but then collectively raped the pair.
Paul Krugman: Who's Accountable?I'll tell you what's outrageous. It's not the fact that people are criticizing the administration; it's the fact that nobody is being held accountable for misleading the nation into war.
Justices Provide a Victory to One Category of Job-Bias Plaintiffs Blair and Campbell will shun Commons inquiry into WMD Widespread Looting Leaves Iraq's Oil Industry in RuinsIn a report devoted to the fight against poverty, the DG emphasizes that only the first stage of globalization has been put into effect. A source of wealth and well-being for some, globalization has been "a cause of the persistence of inequalities and exclusion" for others. The paper will be submitted this Monday in Geneva to the International Labor Conference, which brings together 3000 delegates representing governments, employers, and workers.
The ILO fears heavy consequences, not only social, but also political, as a result of the phenomenon. Supported by a study conducted in Latin America, the Director General records that faith in democracy is in significant retreat. At the rate things are going, declares Juan Somavia, Millennium development objectives, specifically to reduce poverty by 50% from now to 2015, are doomed to failure. Of three billion human beings who live on less than two dollars a day, one billion subsist on half that. The gap between the incomes of the rich and the poor only gets wider: in 1960 the income of the richest fifth of the world's population was 30 times that of the poorest fifth. The relationship moved to 74 to 1 in 1999.
Fuss over Army plan for gas grenade: Patent says it can deliver chemical, biological agents Birth of a Scandal Capitalists against Bush89-year old money manager Seth Glickenhaus founded and heads a $1-billion money management firm that bears his name. "He's delivered returns of 17% a year, on average, to his clients since 1981," says this article from the current issue of Barron's (subscription required), in which Sandra Ward provides the Q's and Glickenhaus supplies the A's
U.S. Soldier Shot and Killed in Iraq, 8th to Die in 14 Days Apocalypse soon: Evangelicals in the US believe there is a biblical basis for opposing the Middle East road map Security and liberty in balanceIn his testimony Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft displayed poor timing and tone-deafness to rising concerns about whether the delicate balance between national security and liberty is tipping in the wrong direction.
FCC Ruling Puts Rivals on the Same Wavelength: Public opinion, political self-interest prompt lawmakers to unite to fight new media rules. US Threatens Mass Expulsions About 50 Percent of US Dollars in Russia Are Forged The impeachable offense: Bush jeopardized troops' lives on false pretext Tablets that may reveal El Niño secrets are feared lost in Iraq Blunkett regrets Iraq dossier Bush Aides Deny Effort to Slant Data on Iraq Arms Democracy Now! interview with Constitutional law expert David Cole on the authoritarian anti-rights Ashcroft agenda U.S. Seeks Exemption from War Crimes Court Bush Adamant Iraq Had Banned Weapons 'Program' Prosecutor who leaked report to Haaretz to face trial US helicopters in secret mission to spray Afghanistan's opium fieldsLast year Afghanistan retook its place as the world's leading producer of heroin, supplanting Burma. The amount of land used to cultivate opium poppies shot up from 1,685 hectares (4,164 acres) in 2001 under the Taliban to 30,750 hectares (75,985 acres).
[...] 90% of the heroin that reaches Britain comes from Afghanistan.
[...] Mr Ahad said he was unimpressed by western efforts to eliminate Afghanistan's poppy crop. "The Americans destroyed my country," he said. "I hope Bush and Blair sink," he added, while calling for a tray of green tea for his British guests.
British Scientist Puts Odds for Apocalypse at 50-50 U.S. Hunt for Iraqi Banned Weapons Slows (AP, 09 June 2003) U.S. forced to print Saddam banknotes Jonathan Turley: Crooked Arm of the Law Frank DeFrank: Maybe Helen spooked the presidentIt's the job of the national press to ask the nation's highest office-holders questions Americans want answered. That's how Americans learn things about their officials and their world.
But the time-honored, news-gathering tool practically has become extinct under the presidency of George W. Bush.
We haven't heard from the president in a news conference setting since that embarrassing, scripted performance March 6. That's the one when 82-year-old Helen Thomas, the grand lady of the Washington press corps who has covered presidents back to John F. Kennedy, was stiffed by the White House.
It's the one when President Bush ignored the raised hands of reporters and acknowledged only those who his staffers had pre-approved. How the national press let the White House get away with that is still a mystery.
Majority of British dissatisfied with Blair: poll Germany In 1933: The Easy Slide Into Fascism If We Knew Where It Was -- Why Don't We Know Where It Is? Despite talk of diplomacy, US-N. Korea standoff hardens North Korea threatens to counter US arms build up Captives Deny Qaeda Worked With Baghdad"This gets to the serious question of to what extent did they try to align the facts with the conclusions that they wanted," an intelligence official said. "Things pointing in one direction were given a lot of weight, and other things were discounted."
Ari & I: White House Press Briefing with Ari FleischerMokhiber: The tax bill cut the President's own personal income tax by $26,000. I'm wondering, what is he planning to do with the extra cash?
Ari Fleischer: I haven't asked him.
Mokhiber: You said in April that the war was about weapons of mass destruction. The war resulted in thousands of innocent civilian deaths, according to the Los Angeles Times. Do you personally feel any remorse given the public case that is being made that this war was based on that false pretext?
Ari Fleischer: Number one, you have no basis to say that it is a false pretext. Number two, when you take a look at the mass graves that have been discovered all around Iraq, I think that world breathes a sign of relief that the brutal dictator Saddam Hussein, with no regard to human rights, was removed from power so that the Iraqi people can at long last have a life to build a future that is based on freedom and opportunity and not on tyranny.
Mokhiber: But you said the war was based on weapons of mass destruction.
Ari Fleischer: That still stands, per earlier in the conversation.
MPs press Blair and Campbell to explain WMD report Truth and consequences: New questions about U.S. intelligence regarding Iraq's weapons of mass terrorThe number of children in Iraq suffering from diarrhoea and related diseases appears to have risen dramatically in the past year, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) said on Sunday.
'Looted' treasures found in Baghdad Seven men on mission improbable: UN inspectors are assessing Iraq's largest nuclear plant. But the US will not let them aid its own vain search for Saddam's arsenal We've Aimed, Detained and Missed BeforeIn October 2001, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that just as former attorney general Robert F. Kennedy would arrest a mobster for spitting on the sidewalk, so Ashcroft would use all available laws, especially immigration law, to lock up suspected terrorists and thereby "prevent terrorist attacks." Last Monday, the Justice Department's inspector general reported on the results of this initiative in unsparing detail. More than 730 foreign nationals were locked up after Sept. 11, 2001, on immigration charges and labeled "of interest" to the Sept. 11 investigation. In the end, not a single one was charged with the crimes of that day or any other terrorist crime. The FBI ultimately cleared nearly all of them of any connection to terrorism whatsoever.
No-Fly List Ensnares Innocent TravelersIn their efforts to prevent a repeat of the Sept. 11 tragedy, the U.S. government and the airline industry are relying on software so outdated that it can't distinguish between the last name of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and punk rocker Johnny Rotten Lydon.
Barrels Looted at Nuclear Site Raise Fears for Iraqi VillagersTUWAITHA, Iraq, June 7 -- For Iptisam Nuri, a mother of five who was sick with typhoid, the arrival of the barrels in her home at first seemed a godsend.
When the electricity went out during the war, the water-pumping station that serves this area 30 miles southeast of Baghdad shut down, and people were thirsty. Then men from a village near here broke through the fence guarding "Location C" at Saddam Hussein's nuclear complex.
"We had to find something to bring water," said one of the men, Idris Saddoun, 23.
They say they broke into the warehouse, emptied hundreds of barrels of their yellow and brown mud, took them to the wells and canals and filled them with water for cooking, bathing and drinking.
For nearly three weeks, hundreds of villagers who live in the shadow of the high earthen berm and barbed wire fences that surrounded the labyrinth of the Iraqi nuclear program here bathed in and ingested water laced with radioactive contaminants from the barrels.
Revealed: the secret cabal which spun for Blair Wheels fall off the 'mobile labs' as doubts grow over evidence: This paper has, from the outset, consistently questioned the legality, morality and necessity of war with Iraq and has repeatedly called for firm evidence of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. In this special report we examine the growing doubts over their existenceAnother former UN inspector, Bernd Birkicht, said he believed the CIA had made up intelligence on WMD to provide a legal basis for the war. Supposedly top-secret, high-quality intelligence had led the inspectors on an absurd wild goose chase, he complained.
"We received information about a site, giving the exact geographical co-ordinates, and when we got there we found nothing," said Mr Birkicht. "Nothing on the ground. Nothing under the ground. Just desert." He added that a "decontamination truck" in satellite photographs presented by Mr Powell to the Security Council was a fire engine.
No 10 says sorry to MI6 for 'dodgy' Iraq dossier Details Sought on Bush Role in Texas Dispute Michael Portillo: For a time I believed him Blair's secret weapon: Investigation: A covert project, set up by the UK government, 'cherry-picked' intelligence to fit the hidden agenda of justifying war with Iraq, reports Neil Mackay Bush's Scorched-Earth Campaign: Politics drives policy as the White House seeks to knock out the Democratic Party No 10 ordered Reid to go on the offensive against media The suicide squaddies Focus: Comical Tony: As 62% of people find Tony Blair's government untrustworthy, David Cracknell and Nick Fielding examine his 'blunder' on Iraq Expanding role of Defense Department spurs concerns: Some say officials overstep bounds, limit other agencies (Boston Globe, 08 June, pA8) Failure to find arms undercuts Bush doctrine: First-strike policy tested in Iraq will be harder to sell now, experts say; 'We played that card'; Furor shines spotlight on interpretation of weapons intelligence US said to twist its data on Iraq Kristol: Bush Made Misstatements on Iraq WMDs Blow to Blair over 'mobile labs': Saddam's trucks were for balloons, not germs Partner in Cherie law firm seeks judicial review of 'illegal' invasion No 10 regret on war dossier Spies threaten Blair with 'smoking gun' over Iraq: Senior intelligence officers kept secret records of meetings after pressure from No 10"A smoking gun may well exist over WMDs, but it may not be to the Government's liking," said one senior source. "Minuted details will show exactly what went on. Because of the frequency and, at times, unusual nature of the demands from Downing Street, people have made sure records were kept. There is a certain amount of self-preservation in this, of course."
WASHINGTON - The announcement that the State Department's director for policy planning, Richard Haass, is leaving to become the next president of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), marks the latest sign of the eclipse of Secretary of State Colin Powell's influence in the Bush administration. Next to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Haass was seen as Powell's closest adviser.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA bowed to Bush administration pressure to hype the threat of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs ahead of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, a leading national security historian concluded in a detailed study of the spy agency's public pronouncements.
"What is clear from intelligence reporting is that until about 1998 the CIA was fairly comfortable with its assessments on Iraq," John Prados wrote in the current issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
"Admit Your Lies", Ex U.N. Inspector Tells U.S., U.K. FAIR Action Alert: Financial Times Reporter "Can't Possibly Be Neutral": Venezuela correspondent is acknowledged partisan Robin Cook: Shoulder to Shoulder and Stabbed in the BackLONDON -- "Chutzpah" is the word applied to people who radiate belief in themselves without any visible reason to justify it. In the chutzpah stakes, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is way off the scale.
Ashcroft Defied on City Hall Steps: Telling Ray Kelly to Protect the Constitution Soros Bids Adieu, Says U.S. Needs HelpAfter 15 years and $1 billion in charity, international financier and philanthropist George Soros bid an emotional farewell to Russia on Thursday, saying it was time to focus his efforts on a nation more in need of help -- America.
"I was led to come to Russia because of my concern for a prospering open society," Soros told students and journalists at the Higher School of Economics, which was created with his funding. "But now I have to concentrate on what goes on in America. The fight for an open society now has to be fought there," he said.
Deflation to hit U.S. next year: CIBC: First time in 50 years Weapons dossier 'sent back six times' Blix attacks Blair warnings over Iraqi weapons Health crisis looms over looted Iraqi nuclear plant Methodist leaders to Bush: Repent: Clergy claim president's policies 'incompatible' with church teachings"It is our judgment that some policies advanced by your administration give evidence of the spiritual forces of wickedness that exist in our society today," the ad read, according to the report.
The signers also include two UMC leaders who were arrested during an anti-war protest in Washington, D.C., this year. They claim Bush is "threatening the very earth and all its inhabitants with open discussion of the usage of nuclear weapons."
The Methodist leaders don't think much of Bush's domestic policies, either, saying they are "incongruent with Jesus' teaching" because they allegedly lack the kind of compassion Jesus taught, said the Christian Times report.
Arrests at Bechtel protestAmid protests claiming it is profiting from the war in Iraq, Bechtel Corp. plans to start recruiting more Iraqi firms to rebuild the war-damaged nation.
John MacArthur: All the news that's fudged to print U.S. withdrawal from Korea's DMZ could change dynamic along the border In the Homebody Wake: Lots of 'Bush Slept Here' Places Yes, our government lied about causes of Iraq war A Nuclear Whistleblower at Home Anti-Israel German Politician Did Not Kill Himself: Friends Blix: America jumped to a conclusion over weapons: Weapons inspector was 'disappointed' with quality of US and British intelligence Pentagon in 2002 Found 'No Reliable' Iraq Arms Data Firm Saw Link in Favor, Donations aJustice Dept. Bans Event by Gay Staff Opposition Builds to FCC Decision Death Row Mulled for Guantanamo: Plans studied for executions where U.S. has suspected terrorists American Anglers Warned on Mercury Poisoning Ari & I: White House Press Briefing with Ari Fleischer: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 - 12:30 PM John Dean: Missing Weapons Of Mass Destruction: Is Lying About The Reason For War An Impeachable Offense? Retired State analyst alleges distortion, misstated conjecture in leadup to IraqWASHINGTON - The oceans bordering the United States are overfished, polluted, infested with invasive species, dotted with ''dead zones'' and in a state of crisis, but they still can be saved, an independent commission reported Wednesday.
Pools of Fire: The Looming Nuclear Nightmare in the Woods of North Carolina Russia Demands Investigation of Israel's Nuclear Arsenal Intelligence chiefs tell Blair: no more spin, no more stunts: MI5 and MI6 win assurances over spy reports The Niger connection: Tony Blair, forged documents and the case for war Richard Falk on American Empire (Audio interview on Pacifica Peacewatch) Corrections and clarificationsA report which was posted on our website on June 4 under the heading "Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil" misconstrued remarks made by the US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, making it appear that he had said that oil was the main reason for going to war in Iraq. He did not say that.
Bechtel: Profiting from Destruction New Report Exposes Contractor Bechtel as Threat to Iraqi Environment, Human Rights and Basic Services U.S. To Ban "Incitement" Against Occupation In Iraq U.S. To Ban "Incitement" Against Occupation In Iraq Kucinich: Show Us The Evidence, Mr. President It Was The Technology, Not The ABM Treaty: Missile Defense Remains Unready One Year Before Deployment US Radio Asks Iraqis to Join Quest for Banned Arms Confusion on Russian nuclear deal with IranConflicting statements on Wednesday over Russia's intentions to sell nuclear fuel to Iran cast doubt on the efficacy of US efforts to block the Islamic republic's suspected nuclear weapons programme.
An unemployment story Washington won't releaseJune 5, 2003 -- THERE were 313,000 fewer jobs in the U.S. last year than the government originally believed.
But you won't see that disastrous number in tomorrow's report on the job market for May.
Let's be blunt. The real agenda of the new conservatives is nothing less than the destruction of democracy in the United States of America. And feudalism is one of their weapons.
Partial birth' abortion ban passes: House approves ban by wide margin; Bush ready to sign Marijuana 'Guru' Free After 1 Day Sentence Iraqi Weapons Expert Insists Search Is Futile: As a new hunt for banned arms begins, a military scientist says the chemical agents he helped develop have been gone for years Police Arrest Majority Leader's Teen Son Robert Fisk: Welcome to Iraq, Mr President US sets new plan of attack for North KoreaWASHINGTON, DC, June 3, 2003 (ENS) - A coalition of environmental and government ethics organizations today asked U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to launch a criminal investigation into the conduct of the Bush administration's second in command at the Interior Department, Steven Griles.
The organizations say Griles, Interior Department Deputy Secretary and a former lobbyist for mining and oil industries, has failed to abide by recusal agreements and has played a key role in several decisions that have directly benefited his former employer and clients.
Pentagon seeks to create digital diaries: Behavior study is goal, but methods draw fire from privacy rights groupsWASHINGTON - Coming to you soon from the Pentagon: the diary to end all diaries - a multimedia, digital record of everywhere you go and everything you see, hear, read, say and touch.
To administration, credibility is nothing Bush warns Israel 'to deal with the settlements' Pressure grows in Britain and US for WMD inquiries Comical Ali alive and still in uniformBush officials are refusing to permit the release of matters already in the public domain--including the existence of intelligence documents referred to on the CIA Web site.
Halliburton faces inquiry in France N Korea 'to produce more nukes' US may help Iranian terrorist group Time Magazine Breaks News With Study Showing Doctors' Malpractice Rates are Higher in States that Cap Damages F.C.C. Votes to Relax Rules Limiting Media Ownership Bob Herbert: The Reverse Robin Hood Dan Plesch and Richard Norton-Taylor: Transcripts raise alarm across Nato When white-collar jobs follow the blues Report critical of treatment of Sept. 11 detainees Ex-Army boss: Pentagon won't admit reality in IraqWASHINGTON -- The former civilian head of the Army said Monday it is time for the Pentagon to admit that the military is in for a long occupation of Iraq that will require a major commitment of American troops.
Poll: 70% say things going well in Iraq Political ThrillaTempers flared over the weekend in a face- to-face, TV showdown between Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly and political humorist Al Franken.
A Needed Human Rights LawAn 1996, American lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Swiss banks of withholding the assets of Holocaust victims. Two years later, the suit was settled, and a fund of $1.25 billion was established to pay those with legitimate claims. The suit was filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act -- a little-known statute that is a powerful tool for promoting human rights. But now the Justice Department wants to end the law's use in such suits, a reversal that would effectively grant impunity to those who abuse human rights abroad.
TV Consolidation May Take 'Local' Out Of Local Newscast: FCC Expected To Enact Looser Ownership Rules Senators Confident They Can Reverse TV Network Cap Analysis: FCC and 'marketplace' of ideas Short: Blair lied to cabinet and made secret war pact with US: Tory threat to break ranks on Iraq North Korea, US move to boost their fighting power Instead of Going Home, G.I.'s Get a New Mission Blair: I'm 100% behind evidence on WMD Blair puts credibility on line as weapons row builds Coming soon: the great GM crops debate. But does the Government really want your views?WASHINGTON, May 31 -- A new study by groups critical of the tax law that President Bush signed on Wednesday has found that 8 million mostly low-income taxpayers will not receive any benefit from the law.
War crime threat to Blair What the experts say now Weapons: a question of trust: The PM must justify the faith that so many had in him When spies meet spin... Claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction are at the heart of a ferocious political debate. Were we misled? Revealed: the cluster bombs that litter IraqExperts in clearing conflict zones of unexploded bombs say that millions of Iraqi adults and children are at risk, along with humanitarian aid workers, United Nations personnel, civilian staff and military officials.
The map reveals that hundreds, or possibly thousands, of the bombs - which produce hundreds of 'bomblets' scattered out over a large area - failed to detonate.
'This shows an appalling level of contamination,' said Richard Lloyd, director of Landmine Action, who is travelling to Iraq this weekend to assess the extent of the danger. 'It also confirms that American and British forces attacked built up areas in cities with cluster bombs.
'The coalition forces have a responsibility to protect those Iraqi civilians who now live with this lethal legacy all around them.
'It has to be highly questionable whether the use of such weapons in built-up areas is legal under international law.'
The Bioweapons Enigma Palestinian militants call for ceasefire Afghan drugs trade funds terrorists: Prime Minister warns Russia that trade in narcotics is being used to fund terror groups World's third largest river starts to rise by 400ft to create the Great Wall of Water Revealed: How Blair used discredited WMD 'evidence': UK intelligence chiefs warned claim that Iraq could activate banned weapons in 45 minutes came from unreliable defector The lies that led us into war ... Glen Rangwala shows how the UK and the US manipulated UN reports - and conjured an anthrax dump from thin air Democratic EconomicsThis site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Last modified: Sun Oct 3 18:54:52 CDT 2004