Rhod on Public Affairs

Four Sun journalists arrested

2012-01-29T20:39:00.002+11:00

Four Sun journalists arrested in investigation into police bribery

The Guardian

"The role of the former Sun editor Rebekah Brooks is expected to come under fresh scrutiny after four of the paper's current and former journalists were arrested on Saturday in connection with an investigation into corrupt payments to police.

Detectives with Operation Elveden, the Metropolitan Police's investigation into illegal payments to officers, raided the Sun's offices in Wapping, east London, morning after receiving information from News Corp, the parent company of News International, which owns the paper. A serving police officer in the Met's Territorial Policing command was also arrested at his place of work and questioned at a police station.

In a statement, News Corp said: "Metropolitan Police Service officers from Operation Elveden arrested four current and former employees from the Sun newspaper. Searches have also taken place at the homes and offices of those arrested. News Corporation made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated."

It is understood that staff and management at the Sun had no warning of the operation. The four Sun journalists arrested were Mike Sullivan, the paper's crime editor; the former managing editor, Graham Dudman; an executive editor, Fergus Shanahan; and Chris Pharo, a news desk executive. They all worked under Brooks, who edited the Sun from January 2003 to September 2009, when she became chief executive of News International."(1)

Once again this matter expands. It's not just News of the WQorld that was involved. Apparently The Sun was too. Of course, up to the investigation to ascertain the full scope of the facts before more formal legal repercussions follow.

Pakistani Military & Govt Clash

2012-01-12T05:59:00.003+11:00

A war of words has erupted between Pakistan's two power-centers, the military & government;

The confrontation between Pakistan's civilian government and its army has turned into a bitter open clash, with the military saying that remarks made by the prime minister had "potentially grievous consequences for the country".

The military and the government are at loggerheads over a scandal dubbed "memogate", in which the former ambassador to Washington is accused of making a "treacherous" written offer to the US to rein in Pakistan's military, in return for American support for the civilian government. The case, aimed squarely against President Asif Ali Zardari, is before the supreme court. It has appointed a judicial commission which began hearings this week.

The prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, said this week that affidavits to the court by the army chief and the head of the military's spy agency were "unconstitutional and illegal".

The military responded on Wednesday with a highly unusual statement in which it said that "no allegation more serious" could be levelled against the army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, and the director general of Inter-Services Intelligence, Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha.

"This has very serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the country," the military said.

It is thought that the military is trying to remove Zardari and that his determination to hang on could end in another coup. There is speculation that, to pre-empt the move, the government could try to sack the army chief.

In their written testimonies to the court, Kayani and Pasha pressed the judges to investigate the allegations against the former US envoy, Husain Haqqani. The government has asked the court to drop the case and leave a parliamentary committee to investigate. The government was furious that the military's affidavits had not been cleared by it first, though technically they were filed through the government's attorney general.(1)

More tension and tirades like this and maybe we'd see another military coup in Pakistan.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/pakistan-army-confrontation-government

Mitt Romney Flips on Iraq

2011-12-11T12:04:00.001+11:00

By Ben Armbruster on Dec 9, 2011 at 5:33 pm

When President Obama announced in October that he was ordering all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of the year, Mitt Romney’s campaign issued a statement assailing the president, calling his decision an “astonishing failure”:

“President Obama’s astonishing failure to secure an orderly transition in Iraq has unnecessarily put at risk the victories that were won through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of American men and women. The unavoidable question is whether this decision is the result of a naked political calculation or simply sheer ineptitude in negotiations with the Iraqi government. The American people deserve to hear the recommendations that were made by our military commanders in Iraq.”

Yet today during an interview with the Des Moines Register editorial board, Romney backtracked. Immediately after criticizing Obama for not keeping up to 30,000 troops in Iraq, the former Massachusetts governor said the withdrawal is the right move:

ROMNEY: With regards to Iraq, of course we’re following the Bush timeline with one exception and that is the [blank space] President Bush and I believe others anticipated that we would have an ongoing force, somewhere between 10 and 20 and 30,000 there to help with the transition. President Obama’s own Secretary of Defense suggested that would be the case and they were unable to negotiate a status of forces agreement to allow the 10 to 20 to 30,000 troops to remain which I think was a failure on the part of the administration. But is the wind down in Iraq appropriate? Yes.(1)

For once Mr. Romney & I agree. Though his pattern of changing positions, like this one, is concerning. Even if I were to put aside ideology, etc.

X Factor culture fuelled the UK riots

2011-12-10T11:36:00.002+11:00

X Factor culture fuelled the UK riots

A "get rich quick" celebrity culture exemplified by The X Factor and the dysfunctional lives of footballers has created a society "out of balance", the work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, says today in an interview surveying Britain after the summer riots.

Duncan Smith, who as chair of the social justice cabinet committee is one of the key figures shaping a coalition response to the riots, warned there was "every chance" riots would recur unless structural reforms were made to repair "communities in which so many families are broken".

He is due to call next week for major investment from the private sector to help prevent social breakdown. He will argue that public-private spending can reduce social failure.

In an interview with the Guardian, Duncan Smith welcomed this newspaper's research into the disturbances, carried out jointly with the London School of Economics, and argued that some of the looting and robbery was fuelled by an acquisitive consumer culture. "If you look at the footballers, you look at our celebrity culture, we seem to be saying, 'This is the way you want to be'. We seem to be a society that celebrates all the wrong people," he said.(1)

I partially true. The other side is that the British ruling classes blocks many parts of the UK from entry.

If you want to increase career & job prospects, why does that have to exclude the Head of State , for example? If you treat that as off the table, then you're not sincere. You're being selective & outright elitist.

I can give similar examples. But then, this UK government is not composed of individuals that believe in equality, real social justice & real democracy.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/09/x-factor-culture-fuelled-riots

Putin Accuses Clinton of Instigating Russia Protests

2011-12-09T00:24:00.001+11:00

Putin Accuses Clinton of Instigating Russia Protests

New York Times

MOSCOW — With opposition groups still furious over parliamentary elections that international observers said were marred by cheating, Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday accused Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton of instigating protests by baselessly criticizing the vote as “dishonest and unfair” and he warned that Russia needed to protect against “interference” by foreign governments in its internal affairs.(1)

I guess it's in the eye of the beholder if this is true. We'd need hard evidence made public to know future sure.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/world/europe/putin-accuses-clinton-of-instigating-russian-protests.html?_r=1&hp

14-Year-Old It Gets Better Filmmaker Commits Suicide After Endless Bullying

2011-12-07T16:29:00.001+11:00

14-Year-Old It Gets Better Filmmaker Commits Suicide After Endless Bullying

14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer struggled with coming out for much of the past two years. Not that he or his loved ones had a problem with his sexuality, per se. Rather, it was the incessant tormenting of bullies at Jamey’s WIlliamsville North high school that led to his depression and thoughts of suicide.

Inspired by Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, Jamey even made an It Gets Better video to help empower others in his shoes back in May of this year. It’s difficult not to get choked up watching his assurances that he no longer struggles with suicidal thoughts in the video knowing today how his story will eventually play out.

On Sunday, September 18 Jamey wrote two final posts on his Tumblr blog, where he had frequently discussed the anti-gay bullying he was on the receiving end. These two posts mentioned wishing to see his grandmother again, and giving thanks to Lady Gaga “for everything you have done for me.”

And then he took his own life.(1)

Another tragic loss of life in the history of persecution & dumb predjudice. My heart goes out to the friends and family.

Footnote:
(1) http://unicornbooty.com/blog/2011/09/20/14-year-old-it-gets-better-filmmaker-commits-suicide-after-endless-bullying/

Israeli Settlers Kidnap Palestinian Shepherd

2011-12-06T12:33:00.001+11:00

Report: Israeli settlers kidnap Palestinian shepherd in West Bank
Palestinian official tells WAFA news agency that Yitzhar settlement abducted Salim Shehadeh, 60, seizing 50 of his sheep.

Israeli settlers kidnapped a Palestinian shepherd on Monday, Palestinian media reports citing Palestinian officials claimed on Monday, adding that the residents of the settlement of Yitzhar also seized some of the man's flock.

The official WAFA Palestinian news agency cited a Palestinian official in charge of tracking settler activity in the northern West Bank as saying that the Yitzhar residents took Salim Shehadeh, 60, to the settlement near Nablus.

Another report, this time in the independent Palestinians news agency Ma'an, said that Shehadeh, a resident of the Palestinian village of Orif near Nablus, was attacked and then taken by six settlers.

Quoting village council head Fawzi Shehadeh, the report also claimed that the settlers seized 50 of the man's sheep as they abducted him.

Speaking to Ma'an on Monday, Palestinian Authority official Ghassan Doughlas said that the PA was engaged in "intense negotiations" with Israel to resolve the issue.(1)

If true, once again Israeli settlers demonstrate how they can't be trusted to illegally live in the Occupied Palestinian Territory(OPT).

Footnote:
(1) http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-israeli-settlers-kidnap-palestinian-shepherd-in-west-bank-1.399695

Wyclef Jean squandered Haitian relief funds

2011-12-05T15:00:00.001+11:00

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Less than a third of the $16 million gathered in 2010 by hip-hop star Wyclef Jean for earthquake relief in Haiti actually made it to emergency efforts in the country, the New York Post reported on Sunday.

According to the exclusive report, Jean's charity, Yele Haiti, doled out millions in questionable contracts -- in fact, $1 million was paid to a Florida firm that doesn't seem to exist.

The Post also reported that a company called P&A Construction -- which is run by Warnel Pierre, Jean's brother-in-law -- received $353,983 from the group.

Founded in 2005 with his cousin Jerry Duplessis, Jean's charity was troubled before the disastrous January 2010 earthquake struck his native country. In 2008, it was revealed that the organization had never filed required tax forms detailing its spending to the IRS.

The charity lost $244,000 in 2009. But almost immediately after the January 12, 2010, quake, Jean took to Twitter asking for $5 donations, which quickly rolled in.

Soon after, it was reported that Yele Haiti had given $250,000 to a Haitian TV station controlled by Jean and Duplessis.

"Have we made mistakes before? Yes," said a tearful Jean, a former Haitian presidential candidate, holding a January 2010 press conference to defend his charity against that charge. "Did I ever use Yele money for personal benefits? Absolutely not. Yele's books are open and transparent."

Yele Haiti has not yet issued a statement to respond to the new charges(1)

If true it's disgusting. I hope he's never trusted ever again.

Footnote:
(1) http://news.yahoo.com/wyclef-jean-squandered-haitian-relief-funds-report-214108289.html

Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Costs Life

2011-11-30T11:42:00.003+11:00

A US teen has killed himself because of anti-immigrant rhetoric in the US(1). People need to tone it down over there. A citizenship pathway plan, etc, for those that aren't serial criminals and so on, should be provided. And cool rhetoric not emotional frothing should dominate the immigration issue in the US. Otherwise this kind of event can happen.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/29/joaquin-luna-immigration-texas-suicide

NYT Suckered on US Fed. Defecit

2011-11-22T14:39:00.002+11:00

The NYT seems to have laced the Fed. US Budget deficit as leading story and the lack of a deal to cut it(1).

Not sure why, other that that it's got sucked in to the debate in the US Congress as if it's the chief challenge facing the nation.

Logically, as war is the most serious policy, the Afghan and Irai occupation wars should be chief concern. By addressing these other issues reduces coverage & public awareness.

There's nothing inherently good or bad about a budget defecit. Even if it's a record in size.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/us/politics/behind-deficit-panels-failure-a-surprise.html?_r=1&hp

UK Police To Monitor Your Mobile?

2011-10-31T17:59:00.001+11:00

Britain's largest police force is operating covert surveillance technology that can masquerade as a mobile phone network, transmitting a signal that allows authorities to shut off phones remotely, intercept communications and gather data about thousands of users in a targeted area.

The surveillance system has been procured by the Metropolitan police from Leeds-based company Datong plc, which counts the US Secret Service, the Ministry of Defence and regimes in the Middle East among its customers. Strictly classified under government protocol as "Listed X", it can emit a signal over an area of up to an estimated 10 sq km, forcing hundreds of mobile phones per minute to release their unique IMSI and IMEI identity codes, which can be used to track a person's movements in real time.

The disclosure has caused concern among lawyers and privacy groups that large numbers of innocent people could be unwittingly implicated in covert intelligence gathering. The Met has refused to confirm whether the system is used in public order situations, such as during large protests or demonstrations.

Nick Pickles, director of privacy and civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, warned the technology could give police the ability to conduct "blanket and indiscriminate" monitoring: "It raises a number of serious civil liberties concerns and clarification is urgently needed on when and where this technology has been deployed, and what data has been gathered," he said. "Such invasive surveillance must be tightly regulated, authorised at the highest level and only used in the most serious of investigations. It should be absolutely clear that only data directly relating to targets of investigations is monitored or stored," he said.

Datong's website says its products are designed to provide law enforcement, military, security agencies and special forces with the means to "gather early intelligence in order to identify and anticipate threat and illegal activity before it can be deployed".(1)

Quite disturbing, particularly when/if used without a warrant.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/30/metropolitan-police-mobile-phone-surveillance

UK Phone Hacking Scandal Worsens As Well

2011-10-27T11:50:00.002+11:00

British police have discovered a mobile phone apparently linked to 1,000 hacking incidents in their investigation of the now dissolved News of the World. It even had a codename; 'the Hub'.(1)

My how this is unraveling!

Footnote:
(1) http://www.theweek.co.uk/media/phone-hacking-scandal/35701/police-find-secret-hacking-phone-news-int

Syria Crackdown Worsening

2011-10-27T11:45:00.000+11:00

3,000+ have died in Syrian crackdowns on demonstrators, etc, since March this year. According to Amnesty International

the authorities have "given security forces a free rein in hospitals", adding: "In many cases hospital staff appear to have taken part in torture and ill treatment of the very people they are supposed to care for."

.

And the US recalled its ambassador.

Once again we have another tyrant lording it over his subjects for daring to exercise basic rights, like demonstrating and free speech.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.theweek.co.uk/middle-east/syria-uprising/35679/syria-world-watches-brutality-increases

Michael Rubin Swears Again

2011-10-25T13:55:00.002+11:00

Weird how some people just engage in political swearing instead of a coherent argument.

EG: the use of the phrase 'moral equivalence'. Perfect example. As if two people commit the same crime but only one criminal is 'wrong'.

Last I checked to apply double standards is hypocrisy. You can't be both hypocritical and moral at the same time. A person or act is either moral, or is hypocritical.

A good recent example is Michael Rubin's article in Commentary;

I’m in Wiesbaden, Germany, for a conference on Afghanistan. A German friend points out this German story which quotes a German foreign ministry spokesman, like Amnesty, as calling the swap a “prisoner exchange” and continuing to suggest Israel and Hamas should build on this episode to advance the peace process. If Europeans cannot tell the difference between a democracy and an innocent soldier kidnapped in his own territory from that of a terrorist group whose charter embraces genocide, then Europe is in more of a black hole than Gilad Shalit ever was.(1)

Either someone is a prisoner or they're not. Dismissing Shalit as only 'kidnapped' because a non-state actor committed the capture it blatant hypocrisy. Governments can 'kidnap' people; like by apprehending them without a warrant. Which Israel does under the term 'administrative detention'. Though, logically, Mr. Rubin wouldn't concede that as it seems, in his view, a state, esp. a 'democratic' one, can do no wrong. And to point out it has is 'moral equivalence'. My god, what a sick world we live in where people make such arguments.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/10/18/amnesty-international-shalit-terrorism/

One of the best film reviews I've read

2011-10-19T02:56:00.002+11:00

This is not a political post, but a film review that's probably the best I've ever read. It's about the last Harry Potter film;

And So It Ends: a look back at why Potter matters, July 16, 2011

When all is said and done - when the eye candy special effects of Quidditch matches and fantastical creatures has been superseded by advances in technology in Hollywood blockbusters yet to come - it is the little moments that this viewer and his wife will return to.

When a friend one time bemoaned the fact that `Half-Blood Prince' gets bogged down in pointless hormonal teen-angst instead of getting on with the story, I smiled... and shook my head.

No, I said, that IS the story and it's what I love about the Harry Potter series: it never loses track of the characters. It never forgets that, when viewed as a whole, these eight movies are a story of growing up, of the transition from childhood to adulthood. Of love and friendship and death. Because without those little funny and touching moments between the characters - if all you want is for the movies to rush from one plot element to another - then all you're left with is plot... and no story. Remember: plot is what happens TO the characters; story is what happens AS A RESULT of the characters.

That's the real gorgeous beauty of these movies, and it's what will bring viewers back repeatedly to their DVD shelves. As Frodo said to Sam in `The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers': "What are we fighting for Sam?" "That's there's still some good in this world," Sam replies, "and that it's worth fighting for."

That's why you need those little indulgent moments, because without them it's just razzle-dazzle special effects and set-pieces. Harry and Ginny's first kiss: they're in the Room of Requirement and Ginny tells Harry to close his eyes while she hides Professor Snape's copy of Advanced Potion Making. And before Harry opens his eyes Ginny leans forward, kisses him and whispers, "That can stay hidden up here too, if you like." That, my fellow Muggles, is pure movie gold. That's what the characters are fighting for. Love. Yes, the PLOT concerns itself with good triumphing over evil, but that only comes to pass as a result of the STORY which is about friendship. Because that is something worth fighting for.

It's why the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's astonishing trilogy, `His Dark Materials', is an utter failure: `The Golden Compass' movie rushes from one plot element to another: and THEN we go here, and THEN we go there. Never slowing down to allow the characters TO BE characters. What are they fighting for? Well, nothing the viewer could care less about...

Ultimately, all of this success comes about because of the brilliant way in which the author J.K. Rowling has constructed her seven-volume storyline. See, `The Chronicles of Narnia' are good - very good - but in the end don't quite fully succeed, and this is because the author, C.S. Lewis, had never envisioned them as a series: `The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' was originally intended by the writer to be a one off. As thoroughly enjoyable as the three Narnia movies are, there is no through-story like Rowling's Harry-Voldermort. Indeed, over the course of the three Narnia movies even some of the Pevensie children themselves become side characters. And although that was entirely the point - part of the plot - in the end it harms the story. It dilutes what the characters are fighting for. It weakens its forcus.

Look at the Harry Potter series: viewed in hindsight it's not just the story of teenage friendships, for it also presents an astounding portrayal of one man coming to be viewed in the end entirely differently by the viewer. Professor Snape. What an astonishing character arc - and yet Rowling had it all there, right from the beginning: Snape using a counter-curse against Professor Quirrell to save Harry during the first movie's Quidditch match. Wait, isn't Snape the bad guy?! We're made to wonder, right from that first movie all the way through to the revelations of the eighth. `Narnia' has nothing on that. It's clear that Rowling has thought her seven-volume story through like a military operation: the first four books may have come out only a year apart, but the author had begun planning them seven years before the first one was ever published.

And the friendships, that's all there too. Look at the Ron-Hermione moments seeded throughout the entire movie series. Harry and Hermione are just good friends, thus all the unself-conscious hugs she gives him. Yet there is a physical tension - a conscious awareness of each other - between her and Ron. At the end of `Chamber of Secrets' Hermione flings her arms around Harry... but, both of them equally awkward and embarrassed, Ron and Hermione only shake hands. In `Prisoner of Askaban' during Hagrid's first lesson with Harry cautiously approaching Buckbeak, Herminone grabs Ron's hand, before quickly letting go, both of them looking around uncomfortably. All, finally, converging in Hermione's emotional outburst at the end of the Yule Ball in `Goblet of Fire' where (like a soul crying out `Look at me!') she says, "Next time there's a Ball, pluck up the courage to ask me before somebody else does - and not as a last resort!" And in another moment of movie gold, Harry and Hermione comforting each other on the steps in Hogwarts, unable to be with the one they want. "How does it feel, Harry, when you see Dean with Ginny?" After Hermione sends her bird charms crashing into the wall beside Ron and Ron flees, Harry replies, "It feels like this."

It's why `Half-Blood Prince' is one of my favourite instalments: not only is it the calm before the storm of the seventh and eighth movies but it allows the characters' friendships to come to fruition. `Half-Blood Prince' does not become sidetracked, far from it. You need that, because that is the story. It's what I love about it: yes, they're wizards and witches but the film makers never lose sight of the fact that they're also young adults going through the most important transitional period of their lives. These movies aren't about fantastical magical events inconveniently interrupted by mushy teenage moments. Instead they're precisely all about those ordinary, everyday teenage moments, played against the backdrop of incredible events. Those amazing events only occur at all because of who the characters are; it's only natural that the plot should play second to the story of their lives. Because they are what truly matters. Because they, as Sam would put it, "Are worth fighting for."

As if that wasn't enough, as if the story of Harry-Ron-Hermione (and, indeed, Snape) isn't in itself reason enough to revisit this whole series, Rowling has also given us an amazing supporting cast of characters. All too often in a series, all the characters outwith the main group rarely hold a reader's/viewer's attention for long. And yet Rowling has created not one single boring character, and what an amazing supporting cast they are: the Dursley, the Weasleys, the Malfoys, Hagrid, Dobby, Sirius, Bellatrix, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, and on and on. In fact, one of Rowling's most inspired moves, and certainly a wonderful way of keeping things fresh, was to continuously have a new colourful character each year as the Professor of the Dark Arts. Glideroy Lockhart, Remus Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, Dolores Umbridge. Not to forget the delightful potions master from `Half-Blood Prince', Horace Slughorn, or the Professor of Divination, Trelawney. Then, too, you have the caretaker Argus Filch, the ghost Nearly Headless Nick. Well, you get the idea. Quidditch, the Ministry of Magic, the Dementors. The richness of the world Rowling has created is so rewarding that I can't ever imagine tiring of it.

Watching these characters - and, indeed, the actors - grow up before us is fascinating. I love the fact the first two movies are kids movies; there's no hint, really, of what lies ahead. Until, of course, you get to `Prisoner of Askaban'. Even the naysayer film critics sat up at that one and said, "Hey, hold on a minute..." From the fifth film onwards these were no longer merely kids' movies. It's what accounts for their immensely broad appeal: children will watch them for the action and special effects, teenagers and adults for the humour and the series' growing depth. Even the opening titles change as the story darkens: from bright gold in the first few movies to chipped and crumbling grey stone.

Viewed as one 1100+ minute über-movie the achievement is nothing short of remarkable.

Thank you, Rowling.

And thank you Warner Bros and the cast and crew for the ten-year visual journey of these marvellous books that you have taken my wife and I on.(1)

The core claim, that the best features of a film are the small moments, the human elements and character development, I agree with very much. A film or story that is just flashy quick and violent can get dull. I feel like the writer was lazy or unimaginative, only after money, etc.

A long, elaborate and intricate story with characters so real you feel like you're part of the story; that's a book or film that entertains and keeps me interested.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.amazon.com/review/RU0DZLEUFYJQH/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B001UV4XIS&nodeID=2625373011&tag=&linkCode=#wasThisHelpful

HoL Passes NHS Bill

2011-10-14T10:38:00.002+11:00

The House of Lords has passed the NHS bill introduced by the Tory/LD coalition government(1). I don't know if it'd even be successfully implemented; perhaps the government is just going ahead with it for ideological reasons even if it fails?

Footnote:
(1) http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/85870,news-comment,news-politics,lords-pass-andrew-lansleys-nhs-bill-but-its-on-life-support

Gilad Shalit Deal Made

2011-10-12T12:18:00.003+11:00

Israel and Hamas have agreed a deal for the release of Sgt Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held hostage by Palestinian militants for five years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal had been reached after arduous talks, and that Sgt Shalit would be back with his family "within days".

Israel is likely to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

Sgt Shalit was captured in a cross-border raid in 2006, and repeated attempts to free him have failed.

But Mr Netanyahu said in a national TV address: "We have concluded arduous negotiations with Hamas to release Gilad Shalit. He will be coming home in the next few days."

'Window of opportunity'
The militant group Hamas, which runs Gaza, said in a statement that there were tens of thousands of people on the streets celebrating the deal.

The group's leader Khaled Meshaal appeared on TV to hail the swap deal as a victory for the Palestinian people.

He promised to carry on working to free every Palestinian prisoner held in Israeli jails.

The BBC's Jon Donnison in Jerusalem says Sgt Shalit's family and the families of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails will not believe a deal has been done until their relatives are home.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted an unnamed official in Mr Netanyahu's office as saying that "a brief window of opportunity has been opened" that could lead to Gilad Shalit's release.

The official added: "The window appeared following fears that collapsing Mid-East regimes and the rise of extremist forces would make Gilad Shalit's return impossible."

An Israeli source involved in the talks was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that the deal called for 1,000 Palestinians prisoners to be freed in two stages.

The first involves the release of 450 for the soldier, with the remaining 550 to be freed later.

Some of the 5,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel have been convicted of serious crimes, but others are being held without charge.

Israel's Channel 2 TV reported that both sides had shown greater flexibility in recent talks.

Indirect talks over 25-year-old Sgt Shalit's release - being mediated by Egypt and Germany - had focused on prisoner exchanges.

In October 2009, Hamas released a video of the soldier calling on Mr Netanyahu to do everything to free him.(1)

Despite the rhetoric of Israeli governments throughout the years, they do negotiate with 'terrorist groups'. Netanyahu has consented to negotiations with Hamas and appears to have clinched a deal to obtain release of Mr. Shalit.

If anything this shows that he is your average, pragmatic, politician. His rhetoric is that of a right wing hothead, but in reality he does compromise. Something that his hardcore supporters will no doubt be disappointed with.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15267100

US Meddling in Syria?

2011-10-02T23:23:00.003+11:00

While it's the mouthpiece of the Syrian regime, it may be true that Obama has started meddling in Syrian internal politics(1).

If so, I so, I oppose it. That their affair to worry about. Obama's got enough domestic challenges to address already. Or is he avoiding them?

Footnote:
(1) http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/syria-warns-u-s-ambassador-against-meddling-in-internal-affairs-1.387651?localLinksEnabled=false

US soldier jailed for seven years over murders of Afghan civilians

2011-09-24T18:51:00.001+10:00

US soldier jailed for seven years over murders of Afghan civilians

Pvt 1st Class Andrew Holmes among five soldiers charged over 'thrill killings' of civilians in Kandahar in 2010

A US soldier has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the murders of Afghan civilians last year.

Pvt 1st Class Andrew Holmes, 21, was among five soldiers charged over the "thrill killings" of the three civilians during patrols in Kandahar. The murders have been described as among the most serious war crimes charges to emerge from the Afghanistan war.

Holmes, from Boise, Idaho, confessed in court to firing a heavy machine gun at a boy from 15 feet away, after his co-defendant threw a grenade at him.

He was accused of directly participating in the first killing and initially charged with premeditated murder among other charges.

But in a deal with prosecutors, Holmes pleaded guilty to murder by an inherently dangerous act, as well as possessing a finger bone from his victim and smoking hashish.

Judge Lt Col Kwasi Hawks sentenced him on Friday to seven years in jail, saying there was no excuse for the murder.

"You aimed a fully loaded squad automatic weapon at [a] child that stood 15 feet away," he said.

However, Hawks also told the defendant, "I hope and I believe you will have a long and productive life, and I believe a happy life."

Holmes told the judge he wanted the "opportunity to be a son, a brother, a nephew".

His family cried as his sentence was given.

The soldiers, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Seattle, were arrested in Afghanistan last year after prosecutors said they killed the three men for sport in January, February and May of 2010.

Prosecutors say that in addition to the murders by the group, formerly known as the 5th Stryker Brigade but renamed the 2nd Stryker Brigade, some of the defendants kept body parts severed from the corpses and photos as war trophies.

Holmes' sentence came one day after he changed his plea to guilty in a deal with army prosecutors.

Holmes will receive credit for the 499 days he has already been behind bars and could leave prison early on good behaviour, it was reported.

He will receive a dishonorable discharge after serving his sentence, said army spokesman Joe Kubistek. Holmes will also forfeit his army pay.

During the closing argument in his case, prosecutor Major Rob Stelle showed a large photo of Holmes standing over his victim.

"It was callous, reckless indifference, a depraved heart," he said of the killing.

"The accused had a choice. He pulled the trigger and ended that man's life."

Holmes' lawyer, Dan Conway, argued his client was a 19-year-old soldier placed in a difficult situation.

Drug use was said to be rampant in the army unit.

One soldier who blew the whistle on hash smoking by his comrades was beaten up and threatened in retaliation.(1)

The US military has SOME scum in it. Rounding up and trying these people,. ENFORCING the law, is essential to justice. Thanks to those involved in exposing criminals in any nation's military.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/24/us-soldier-jailed-afghan-civilians

Baha Mousa killing; Lying the Problem

2011-09-09T23:30:00.003+10:00

I agree with The First Post(1) that when it comes to war crimes, the real problem isn't the unlawful acts themselves. It's the reflexive lying and spin.

Why don't these schmucks let the public decide for themselves instead of LUNGING to propagate 'We don't commit torture' 'There is no evidence' 'There is always punishment for offenses'?

I think we know what the answer is though.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/84289,news-comment,news-politics,talking-point-baha-mousa-killing-reveals-shameful-army-culture

US Man Dies From Toothache, Couldn't Afford Meds

2011-09-09T23:06:00.001+10:00

US Man Dies From Toothache, Couldn't Afford Meds

A 24-year-old Cincinnati father died from a tooth infection this week because he couldn't afford his medication, offering a sobering reminder of the importance of oral health and the number of people without access to dental or health care.

According to NBC affiliate WLWT, Kyle Willis' wisdom tooth started hurting two weeks ago. When dentists told him it needed to be pulled, he decided to forgo the procedure, because he was unemployed and had no health insurance.

When his face started swelling and his head began to ache, Willis went to the emergency room, where he received prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medications. Willis couldn't afford both, so he chose the pain medications.

The tooth infection spread, causing his brain to swell. He died Tuesday.(1)

Very disturbing. I hope things improve on this matter, but am unfamiliar with confirmed prospects. My analysis is simply that there are always problems with solutions and whatever it is for this issue should be implemented even with high financial cost.

Footnote:
(1) http://abcnews.go.com/Health/insurance-24-year-dies-toothache/story?id=14438171

Phone Hacking Scandal Worsens

2011-08-17T15:39:00.003+10:00

The scandal has enveloped further it appears(1) Les Hinton not mentioning the 2007 letter is a pretty big omission. We'll see what happens I guess. Of course there are many other issues that require attention and whether or not justice prevails on this one remains to be seen.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/83167,news-comment,news-politics,clive-goodman-letter-is-harbottle-lewis-letter-also-raises-questions-phone-hacking

Turkey: Military chiefs resign en masse

2011-08-01T04:20:00.002+10:00

Things are rumbling in Turkey. The fall of senior military officers might mean less military threat to the political system in the country(1). And it's foreign policy too perhaps?

Footnote:
(1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14346325

IDF General: Yeshiva settlement harbors "Jewish terror"

2011-07-18T20:10:00.001+10:00

IDF General: Yeshiva settlement harbors "Jewish terror"

A senior Israeli army commander has warned that unchecked "Jewish terror" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank threatens to plunge the territory into another conflict.

In unusually outspoken comments, Major General Avi Mizrahi took aim at extremist Israeli settlers, and said the settlement of Yitzhar, one of the most radical Jewish strongholds in the West Bank, should be closed, calling it a source of terror against Palestinians.

The general's comments are likely to put him at odds with Israel's pro-settler government, which has resisted US-led efforts to curb settlement expansion in a bid to revive stalled peace talks. The foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, himself lives in a West Bank settlement. All settlements are regarded as illegal under international law.

The army has anxiously watched an upsurge in violence by hardline settlers, who in recent months have set fire to a West Bank mosque, burned Palestinian olive groves, and vandalised Palestinian property. Settlers have killed three Palestinians this year.

"What's happening in the field is terrorism," General Mizrahi told Channel 2's Meet the Press, and it "needs to be dealt with." The Israel Defence Forces (IDF), he said, fears "terrorism against Palestinians is likely to ignite the territories."

The general's criticism points to frustration within the army's high command at their ability to check violent settlers.

Palestinians and Israeli NGOs frequently accuse the army of siding with settlers in conflagrations with Palestinians, prompting the army to respond that it is obliged to protect its citizens and does not set policy.

The number of violent incidents has spiked in recent months, partly because of the murder earlier this year of five members, including three children, from one Jewish family in Itamar, a settlement near Nablus. Two Palestinians were charged with the crime.

Human rights groups suggest that the more radical settlers, many of whom oppose a two-state solution on the premise that the whole of Israel is bequeathed to them by God, are agitating against Palestinian moves to seek statehood recognition at the United Nations in September.

Some fear that the surge in violent attacks against Palestinians could compound rising frustrations with the stalled peace process and trigger more violent riots.

"The army is very afraid that [action by settlers] at a critical moment could set off a Third Intifada," said Adam Keller, spokesman for Israeli human rights body Gush Shalom, referring to a mass Palestinian uprising.

"The fact that the army is nervous is making the settlers more aggressive," he said

The Israeli commander General Mizrahi blamed the courts for failing to rein in the most radical of the settlers – a small proportion of the roughly 500,000 Israeli settlers who are living beyond the Green Line in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.(1)

Good to see Israeli figures notice how dangerous many of the Israeli settlers in the West Bank are. Though all the settlements are supposed to be dismantled, not just Yitzhar.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/jewish-settlers-are-terrorising-palestinians-says-israeli-general-2315435.html

Gaddafi threatens attacks in Europe

2011-07-09T20:54:00.001+10:00

Gaddafi threatens attacks in Europe

Muammar Gaddafi has threatened to send hundreds of Libyans to launch attacks in Europe in revenge for the Nato-led military campaign against him.

In a speech on Libyan television the Libyan leader said: "Hundreds of Libyans will martyr in Europe. I told you it is eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. But we will give them a chance to come to their senses."

The Canary Islands, Sicily, other Mediterranean islands as well as Andalusia in southern Spain were Arab lands that should be liberated, he said.

Gaddafi, whose forces have been battling rebel fighters increasingly encroaching on his territory and Nato warplanes, was speaking to a crowd of about 50,000 in the desert town of Sabha, about 500 miles south of Tripoli.

The speech appeared designed to show that he still enjoys support in the areas of Libya still under his control.

"You will regret it, Nato, when the war moves to Europe," he said.

"The Libyan people have no problem, the colonial powers are the ones who have a problem. They want to control our oil. They are jealous because God gave us the gift of oil," Gaddafi said.

"We do not fear them. We have no choice but to resist, become martyrs and fight on till the end."(1)

Wow. I guess it's practically possible it can be done. now look at the consequences of meddling in the internal affairs of foreign lands you know little about.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/08/gaddafi-threat-to-attack-europe

Northern Ireland kicks off again......

2011-06-24T12:04:00.001+10:00

An explosive device was been thrown at a police vehicle in west Belfast, after violence flared elsewhere in the city on Monday night.

Nobody was hurt in the incident in the early hours of Tuesday morning, near the Kennedy centre in Andersonstown.

Police were responding to reports of a stolen vehicle when they came under attack. The area was closed off and bomb disposal experts went to the scene.

Earlier, there were clashes in east Belfast, with petrol bombs thrown and homes damaged.

Sinn Féin blamed scores of masked men, who a party representative said were wearing camouflage clothing and surgical gloves, for launching co-ordinated attacks on the nationalist Short Strand area. Ulster Unionist Michael Copeland said he believed the violence followed attacks on Protestant-owned homes.

The Belfast mayor, Niall Ó Donnghaile, a councillor based in the Short Strand area, said a number of Catholic residents had been injured, including one man knocked unconscious when he was hit with a brick. Police were also attacked during the disturbances and advised motorists to avoid the area.

Ó Donnghaile said: "There is no doubt that this was unprovoked and was a carefully orchestrated and planned attack on the area. Homes have been attacked with petrol bombs and paint bombs, bricks, golf balls. I saw what happened."

But Copeland said homes on the mainly Unionist Newtownards Road had been targeted. "I would say it was several hundred involved in very serious, almost hand-to-hand fighting," he said.(1)

More proof of the sham that the Good Friday Agreement was. And since Blair released several IRA prisoners from cells with amnesty it's possible they might return to the 'armed struggle'.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/21/police-attacked-belfast-sectarian-clashes

Fury as gay sauna opens in Northern Ireland

2011-06-23T01:26:00.001+10:00

Fury as gay sauna opens in Northern Ireland

A gay and bisexual sauna which has opened for business in Londonderry is at the centre of a storm of protest from fundamentalist Protestant ministers.

Mr Bradford said: “I know from 15 years in ministry with the Bethnal Baptist Church and 20 as a Christian that the kind of debauched behaviour that goes on in these so-called sling rooms is detrimental to everyone who follows this kind of lifestyle.

“This is killer behaviour and is not how the city of Derry needs to be portrayed in the run up to the City of Culture title year.”

He added: “Make no mistake, we will oppose this sordid, sinful carbuncle on the face of Derry in every way we can.”(1)

More sick trash from religous and other bigots. You'd think people had better things to do.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.justusboys.com/forum/showthread.php?t=335605

Lansley Capitulates?

2011-06-03T00:09:00.003+10:00

So, allegedly this political hack is going to backtrack on introducing up-front charges to the NHS(1)? I hope so. No one should underestimate he Tories given what they've done already.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jun/02/lansley-ready-accept-changes-nhs-reforms

Creationism banned from "free schools" in Britain

2011-05-30T20:44:00.001+10:00

"Free school bids from groups advocating creationism and intelligent design as scientific theories will not be approved, according to the first government guidance on the issue," reports the Times Education Supplement (May 20, 2011). The guidelines by which applications to establish free schools are assessed provide, "Creationism, intelligent design and similar ideas must not be taught as valid scientific theories," and a spokesperson for the Department for Children, Education, and Schools told The Telegraph (May 20, 2011) that the Secretary of Education, Michael Gove, "will not accept any academy or free school proposal which plans to teach creationism in the science curriculum or as an alternative to accepted scientific theories."

Like charter schools in the United States, "free schools" are established by local groups of parents, teachers, businesses, colleges and universities, and/or non-profit organizations, but funded directly by the government. Allowing free schools was a key point of the Conservative Party's education platform in the 2010 British election. After the present coalition government took office, free schools "were given approval in the Academies Act 2010, which paved the way for existing state primary and secondary schools to become academies," according to the BBC (May 23, 2011). As of May 2011, the Department for Children, Education, and Schools had received 323 proposals from groups wanting to establish a free school; between ten and twenty are expected to open by September 2011.

The guidelines were issued just a week after a new campaign — Creationism In Schools Isn't Science, or CrISIS — petitioned the government to enforce its stated position on the teaching of creationism. "Creationism is known, and officially acknowledged, to be contrary to scientific fact," the petition argued. "We therefore demand that creationism should not be presented as a valid scientific position, nor creationist websites and resources be promoted, in publicly funded schools or in any youth activities run on publicly funded school premises." Endorsed by the National Secular Society, the religious thinktank Ekklesia, and the British Centre for Science Education, CrISIS was started by a concerned parent, Laura Horner, after a young-earth creationist was invited to speak at her son's school in Exeter.

"The guidance is wonderful news and shows the Government taking a step in the right direction," Horner told the Times Education Supplement. "We now expect the ban to be extended to apply to any activity taking place in school." (The new guidelines concern only free schools; in the Exeter case, the creationist speaker was allowed to present his views as scientifically credible in a religious education class in a state school. Since creationism is often discussed in religious education, such classes offer a possible venue for creationism to be improperly presented as scientifically credible.) Roger Stanyard of the British Centre for Science Education told The Telegraph (May 20, 2011) that his organization was "largely happy" with the guidelines, but warned, "It depends how it is implemented. People will always find ways around the rules."(1)

Progress in British education at last. Keep the superstition out of the classroom!

Footnote:
(1) http://ncse.com/news/2011/05/creationism-banned-from-free-schools-britain-006683

Chinese General Wants Attack on Somalia

2011-05-23T23:56:00.002+10:00

The international community needs to attack pirate leaders on land and not just their ships, a top Chinese general said on Wednesday, in the latest call for a bolder response to hijackings at sea.

"For counter-piracy campaigns to be effective, we should probably move beyond the ocean and crash their bases on the land," said General Chen Bingde, the chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army.

China is among the countries fighting increasingly aggressive Somali pirates, who are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms from seizing merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden and increasingly in the Indian Ocean.

Earlier this year, a U.S. Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Mark Fox, said he believed some of the pre-emptive techniques used to battle terrorism should be used to combat pirates, particularly the aggressive approach to tracking terrorist financing.

Chen appeared to be favoring an even more aggressive approach.

"It is important that we target not only the operators, those on the small ships or crafts conducting the hijacking activities, but also the figureheads," Chen said.

"The ransoms, the captured materials and money flow somewhere else. The pirates (on ships) ... get only a small part of that."

Chen made the comments on a visit to the United States, where he and U.S. military leaders agreed to conduct joint maritime exercises, including in the Gulf of Aden.(1)

once again another General in another privileged state calls for casual use of armed force in a foreign land. How the Somali pirates are to be dealt with in Somalia should be determined by their provisional government.

UK Govt. Plans to Introduce Charges to NHS

2011-05-15T15:48:00.002+10:00

The proof is now available. In New York the UK government has said to health 'experts' it intends to apply charges in the NHS(1)

This is disgusting and must be stopped. Once again the Tories shown for being the liars they are.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/may/14/david-cameron-adviser-health-reform

Bin Laden Dead

2011-05-09T20:22:00.003+10:00

He is dead, but it's very late for his death to be brought about(1). Beter time would have been when Bill Clinton was President. Of course he had other plans....

Footnote:
(1) http://non-intervention.com/908/bin-laden-dead-the-usg-in-disarray-and-empty-congressional-threats-toward-pakistan/

France Considers Recognizing Palestinian State

2011-04-22T22:43:00.001+10:00

France Considers Recognizing Palestinian State

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has met in Paris with French President Nicolas Sarkozy for talks aimed at securing French support for an independent Palestinian state.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting Thursday, Mr. Abbas said international support for a Palestinian state is mounting.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said earlier this week that formally recognizing an independent Palestinian state is one of the options France is considering.

The French news agency reports that after the talks between Mr. Sarkozy and Mr. Abbas, the French ambassador to the United Nations, Gerard Araud, told the U.N. Security Council that France and its European partners are considering giving formal recognition to a Palestinian state in hopes of encouraging the resumption of peace talks.

Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in late September after an Israeli moratorium on settlement construction expired. Palestinians have said they will not negotiate while Israeli building continues in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas they want as part of a future state.

Palestinian leaders have appealed to world powers to recognize an independent Palestinian state, based on borders that were in place before the 1967 Middle East war. Several Latin American nations (Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador) have said they will grant the request.(1)

Progress to justice for Palestinians. All the best to them for it.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/France-Considers-Recognizing-Palestinian-State----120411204.html

Secret memos expose link between oil firms and Iraq invasion

2011-04-21T02:17:00.001+10:00

Plans to exploit Iraq's oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the world's largest oil companies the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show.

Graphic: Iraq's burgeoning oil industry

The papers, revealed here for the first time, raise new questions over Britain's involvement in the war, which had divided Tony Blair's cabinet and was voted through only after his claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

The minutes of a series of meetings between ministers and senior oil executives are at odds with the public denials of self-interest from oil companies and Western governments at the time.

The documents were not offered as evidence in the ongoing Chilcot Inquiry into the UK's involvement in the Iraq war. In March 2003, just before Britain went to war, Shell denounced reports that it had held talks with Downing Street about Iraqi oil as "highly inaccurate". BP denied that it had any "strategic interest" in Iraq, while Tony Blair described "the oil conspiracy theory" as "the most absurd".

But documents from October and November the previous year paint a very different picture.

Five months before the March 2003 invasion, Baroness Symons, then the Trade Minister, told BP that the Government believed British energy firms should be given a share of Iraq's enormous oil and gas reserves as a reward for Tony Blair's military commitment to US plans for regime change.

The papers show that Lady Symons agreed to lobby the Bush administration on BP's behalf because the oil giant feared it was being "locked out" of deals that Washington was quietly striking with US, French and Russian governments and their energy firms.

Minutes of a meeting with BP, Shell and BG (formerly British Gas) on 31 October 2002 read: "Baroness Symons agreed that it would be difficult to justify British companies losing out in Iraq in that way if the UK had itself been a conspicuous supporter of the US government throughout the crisis."

The minister then promised to "report back to the companies before Christmas" on her lobbying efforts.

The Foreign Office invited BP in on 6 November 2002 to talk about opportunities in Iraq "post regime change". Its minutes state: "Iraq is the big oil prospect. BP is desperate to get in there and anxious that political deals should not deny them the opportunity."

After another meeting, this one in October 2002, the Foreign Office's Middle East director at the time, Edward Chaplin, noted: "Shell and BP could not afford not to have a stake in [Iraq] for the sake of their long-term future... We were determined to get a fair slice of the action for UK companies in a post-Saddam Iraq."

Whereas BP was insisting in public that it had "no strategic interest" in Iraq, in private it told the Foreign Office that Iraq was "more important than anything we've seen for a long time".

BP was concerned that if Washington allowed TotalFinaElf's existing contact with Saddam Hussein to stand after the invasion it would make the French conglomerate the world's leading oil company. BP told the Government it was willing to take "big risks" to get a share of the Iraqi reserves, the second largest in the world.

Over 1,000 documents were obtained under Freedom of Information over five years by the oil campaigner Greg Muttitt. They reveal that at least five meetings were held between civil servants, ministers and BP and Shell in late 2002.

The 20-year contracts signed in the wake of the invasion were the largest in the history of the oil industry. They covered half of Iraq's reserves – 60 billion barrels of oil, bought up by companies such as BP and CNPC (China National Petroleum Company), whose joint consortium alone stands to make £403m ($658m) profit per year from the Rumaila field in southern Iraq.

Last week, Iraq raised its oil output to the highest level for almost decade, 2.7 million barrels a day – seen as especially important at the moment given the regional volatility and loss of Libyan output. Many opponents of the war suspected that one of Washington's main ambitions in invading Iraq was to secure a cheap and plentiful source of oil.

Mr Muttitt, whose book Fuel on the Fire is published next week, said: "Before the war, the Government went to great lengths to insist it had no interest in Iraq's oil. These documents provide the evidence that give the lie to those claims.

"We see that oil was in fact one of the Government's most important strategic considerations, and it secretly colluded with oil companies to give them access to that huge prize."

Lady Symons, 59, later took up an advisory post with a UK merchant bank that cashed in on post-war Iraq reconstruction contracts. Last month she severed links as an unpaid adviser to Libya's National Economic Development Board after Colonel Gaddafi started firing on protesters. Last night, BP and Shell declined to comment.

www.fuelonthefire.com

Not about oil? what they said before the invasion

* Foreign Office memorandum, 13 November 2002, following meeting with BP: "Iraq is the big oil prospect. BP are desperate to get in there and anxious that political deals should not deny them the opportunity to compete. The long-term potential is enormous..."

* Tony Blair, 6 February 2003: "Let me just deal with the oil thing because... the oil conspiracy theory is honestly one of the most absurd when you analyse it. The fact is that, if the oil that Iraq has were our concern, I mean we could probably cut a deal with Saddam tomorrow in relation to the oil. It's not the oil that is the issue, it is the weapons..."

* BP, 12 March 2003: "We have no strategic interest in Iraq. If whoever comes to power wants Western involvement post the war, if there is a war, all we have ever said is that it should be on a level playing field. We are certainly not pushing for involvement."

* Lord Browne, the then-BP chief executive, 12 March 2003: "It is not in my or BP's opinion, a war about oil. Iraq is an important producer, but it must decide what to do with its patrimony and oil."

* Shell, 12 March 2003, said reports that it had discussed oil opportunities with Downing Street were 'highly inaccurate', adding: "We have neither sought nor attended meetings with officials in the UK Government on the subject of Iraq. The subject has only come up during conversations during normal meetings we attend from time to time with officials... We have never asked for 'contracts'."(1)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/secret-memos-expose-link-between-oil-firms-and-invasion-of-iraq-2269610.html

NATO Divisions Over Lybia

2011-04-14T23:28:00.002+10:00

There are divisions, contrary to what Mrs. Clinton claims(1).

The UN SG has accepted a Arab League 'peace plan' that Qaddafi has signed. Hmmm. I'm sure it will continue to be ignored.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/world/africa/15nato.html?_r=1&hp

NoW Phone Hacking Compensation

2011-04-09T15:53:00.001+10:00

Rupert Murdoch's News International has issued a public apology to eight victims of phone hacking, including the actor Sienna Miller and former culture secretary Tessa Jowell, and admitted for the first time that the practice was rife at the News of the World.

In a move likely to cost the company many millions of pounds, it said it would offer compensation to some of the 24 high-profile figures who have started legal proceedings against the paper in the high court for breach of privacy. It also admitted its previous investigations into hacking had not been "sufficiently robust".

The unprecedented statement of contrition is a remarkable volte face for the country's most powerful news organisation that was claiming until the start of this year, in the face of growing evidence to the contrary, that hacking was the work of a single reporter.

It comes as a Scotland Yard investigation into phone hacking gathers pace. The News of the World's chief reporter, Neville Thurlbeck, was questioned by police on Tuesday, as was Ian Edmondson, who was sacked as associate editor (news) in January. The company said it had decided to offer an "unreserved apology" in certain cases but it would continue to fight others, including claims brought by Steve Coogan and the jockey Kieren Fallon.

"Past behaviour at the News of the World in relation to voicemail interception is a matter of genuine regret," it said. "It is now apparent that our previous inquiries failed to uncover important evidence and we acknowledge our actions then were not sufficiently robust."

At least one of the victims indicated privately that she was unlikely to accept News International's offer, although others – including Miller – are believed to be considering the proposal.

Lord Prescott, who is suing the Metropolitan police over its handling of the original 2006 phone-hacking inquiry, said: "The NoW has now admitted mass criminality." He repeated his call for Murdoch's bid for BSkyB to be blocked until the hacking allegations have been investigated fully.

The eight people to be offered compensation, likely to be an estimated £100,000 each, include Joan Hammell, one of Prescott's former advisers, and Jowell's estranged husband, David Mills. Jowell was the minister responsible for media policy at the time of the alleged hackings.(1)

For once justice prevailed in courts. Privacy once again firmly protected by the law and British jurisprudence.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/apr/08/phone-hacking-victims-apology-news

US Options in Lybia Action Limited

2011-03-29T19:11:00.003+11:00

Helen Cooper has claimed Obama's limited the US role in the No-Fly Zone above Libya(1).

True no doubt, but that doesn't mean it's a permanent arrangement. There is such a thing as 'mission creep'.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/world/africa/29prexy.html?_r=1&hp

Libya: Nato to control no-fly zone

2011-03-25T21:40:00.001+11:00

Libya: Nato to control no-fly zone

The campaign against Qaddafi's forces continues. Now that there's a divide in the coalition NATO command will soon control the operation.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/24/france-turkey-nato-libya

oastal California Nuclear Plant Has No Emergency Plan for Earthquakes

2011-03-17T12:08:00.002+11:00

Huffington Post

As the world's attention remains focused on the nuclear calamity unfolding in Japan, American nuclear regulators and industry lobbyists have been offering assurances that plants in the United States are designed to withstand major earthquakes.

But the emergency plan for the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant on the California coast, which sits less than a mile from an offshore fault line, does not include a ready response for an accident triggered by an earthquake. Though experts warned from the beginning that the plant would be vulnerable to an earthquake, asserting 25 years ago that it required an emergency plan as a condition of its license, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission fought against making such a provision mandatory as it allowed the facility to be built.

As Americans absorb the spectacle of a potential nuclear meltdown in Japan -- one of the world's most proficient engineering powers -- the regulatory review that ultimately enabled Diablo Canyon to be built without an earthquake response plan amplifies a gnawing question: Could the tragedy in Japan happen at home?

Experts who recall how the California plant came to be erected offer a disconcerting answer: Yes. And some are calling for more urgent government action to review safety at nuclear plants across the country.

"What they're displaying now is exactly what was wrong in the past with the nuclear establishment, which is that they didn't have their priorities right," said Victor Gilinsky, who served on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission during the Diablo Canyon debate and agreed with the call for greater attention to earthquakes in emergency plans. "They're more concerned about the protection of the plants, and installation of further plants, than they are about public safety. The president should be saying, 'I want every single plant reviewed.'"

Back when the California plant was being finalized in the mid-1980s, local activists and environmental lawyers sued the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in an effort to slow the project, arguing that the clear risks from earthquakes nearby required additional planning.

The case made its way to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., where a 5-4 majority -- including current Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and former Clinton independent counsel Kenneth Starr -- ruled that earthquakes did not have to be included in the plant's emergency response plans.(1)

Both typical and disgusting. Just goes to show you how lazy Arnold Schwarzanegger has been as Governor there and the rest of the Californian body politic.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/16/california-nuclear-emergency-response_n_836751.html?utm_campaign=031611&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alert-business&utm_content=FullStory

Japanese Nuclear Staff Evacuated

2011-03-16T17:22:00.003+11:00

Workers battling to prevent nuclear meltdown at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant were temporarily evacuated on Wednesday morning after radiation levels became too dangerous for them to remain.

The withdrawal hampered efforts to secure the safety at the atomic power plant and avert a major radiation leak.

Its operator, Tokyo Electric Power [Tepco] said it was considering using helicopters to spray the crippled No. 4 reactor with water and boric acid – a fire retardant – in an attempt to prevent more radiation leaks.

The 50 or so engineers, working around the clock in harsh conditions, spent the morning trying to put out a fire at one reactor and to cool others at risk of overheating and reaching criticality.

The government's chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, said Japan was considering seeking help from the US military.

All six of the plants reactors are experiencing problems following last Friday's earthquake and tsunami, in which an estimated 10,000 people have died.

The workers were ordered to leave the facility after the level of radiation at the plant soared to 10 millisievert per hour - above the level considered harmful to human health – possibly as a result of radioactive substances being emitted from the No. 2 reactor. The reading later fell to around 6 millisievert per hour, reports said.(1)

Japan's had possibly its worst ever seismic disaster. Coupled with trouble at one of its nuclear facilities.

I wont even link them but the sickest comments have been posted online. Claiming it's punishment for the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, by American posters.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/16/fukushima-workers-evacuate-radiation-spikes

Syria supplies Qaddafi with arms. Exodus begins from Benghazi

2011-03-14T14:10:00.001+11:00

As Washington commended the Arab League for approving a proposed no-fly zone over Libya and European powers drew up plans for saving the anti-Qaddafi movement from defeat, Syria began sending Muammar Qaddafi supplies of arms, ammunition and weapons spare parts to sustain his effort to crush the uprising. debkafile's military and intelligence sources report exclusively that over the weekend a Libyan army general arrived at the Syrian Naval command at Tartous to establish a liaison office for organizing military hardware supplies from Damascus to the Libyan army and arrange shipping schedules.

Our sources report that another Libyan official was in Damascus early last week to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar Assad the types of weaponry required, prices and transport arrangements. After he left, Assad ordered Syrian emergency military stores to be opened and civilian freighters chartered to carry the consignments they had decided on across the Mediterranean to Libya.

The Syrian and Libyan arsenals are fairly compatible: both are dominated by Russian military products, Mig and Sukhoi fighters and bombers, T-72 tanks, BM-21 rocket launchers, the same armored personnel carriers and anti-air and anti-tank missiles.
The Libyan-Syrian arms transaction is a landmark in the sense that it is the first time since the Arab revolts erupted in January that one Arab regime has stepped in to help another suppress an uprising.

Damascus is also in violation of last month's Security Council Resolution 1970 whichincluded an arms embargo against the Qaddafi regime and by supplying Libya weapons by sea Assad undermines the Western-Arab effort to introduce a no fly zone to curtail Qaddafi's aerial might.

By this action, Bashar Assad shows contempt for the US President Barack Obama's policy in support of the popular unrest against authoritarian Arab regimes and scorns the indulgence shown him by the US president.

In the last six months, Washington has gone to extreme lengths to establish friendly relations with Damascus – not only restoring the US ambassador after five years, but quietly accepting fresh Syrian meddling in Lebanon.

The Obama administration had hoped that Assad would respond by being helpful on the Palestinian issue and start distancing himself from Tehran. Instead, he has strengthened his military ties with Tehran, granting Iran its first permanent base on the Mediterranean at Tartous.

Now, by replenishing the regime's stocks of arms and ordnance, the Syrian ruler has gone directly against US policy of support for the Libyan opposition and spurred Qaddafi on for his final major offensive to crush the uprising without having to stop and wait for fresh supplies of war materiel.

In the last 24 hours, rebel militias were pushed out of the two key oil towns of Ras Lanuf and Brega in eastern Libya after losing their footholds in Tripolitania to the west. Pro-Qaddafi forces were landed for the first time by sea Saturday, March 12, at Agilah, 60 kilometers east of Ras Lanuf, indicating that Qaddafi intends to drop more troops on the coast of Cyrenaica to pursue his thrust into the rebel-held region.

Our military sources report that no obstacles now stand in the path of Qaddafi loyalist troops heading for the rebel centre of Benghazi, 200 kilometers from Brega. The rebels have nowhere near the manpower they need to hold Libya's second largest city against a government offensive. There are first signs of an exodus beginning from the city.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has scheduled visits to Tunis and Cairo this week and a possible rendezvous with Libyan opposition National Transitional Council leaders in Cairo Tuesday, March 15. That timetable is prone to last-minute changes.(1)

Whaoh! Clearly the Jordan dictatorship wants to avoid troubles internally there too. Demonstrations are just the beginning. Question is what will be done to block this bailout effort?

Footnote:
(1) http://www.debka.com/article/20761/

Jacques Chirac Faces Trial

2011-03-07T22:38:00.002+11:00

The former French President faces trial for corrupt charges when he was Mayor of Paris in the 1990s. Good, like Bellusconi, his trial(s) has been long delayed.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/06/jacques-chirac-court-corruption-claims

UN SG Warns Qadaffi

2011-03-07T22:35:00.002+11:00

Ban Ki-moon's talking down on "indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Libya and warned of "carnage" in the days ahead."(1), and sent a "team" to Libya. Well we'll see what happens, but let's not pretend as if the downfall of the Libyan regime will mean instant liberal democracy.All societies develop their own way and their own pace.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/07/libya-must-stop-indiscriminate-attacks

Libya is close to civil war

2011-03-04T01:36:00.002+11:00

To the rebels of eastern Libya, it was always a matter of when. On Wednesday morning, sooner than many had expected, Gaddafi's men came for them.

A thundering burst of machine-gun fire just before 6.30am heralded the attack on the outskirts of Brega, a sand-strewn service town about 150 miles south of Benghazi. The loyalist forces had crept in during the night, patiently set up in an industrial area on the city limits, and dug in.

"They arrived in 60-70 Toyota trucks," said Wais Werfali, 40, who works in a nearby ammonia production plant. "They have set up a perimeter and are using families from the area as human shields."

By sunset, the battle had been joined by rebels streaming down from the city of Ajdabiya. A decisive phase in this war for control of eastern Libya had begun.

At least six people were killed in skirmishes that appeared to intensify throughout the afternoon and dozens more were wounded.

Most were rushed to an ill-equipped medical clinic at the centre of this low-set concrete town, where overwrought staff did the best they could to tend to battle wounds that were clearly not in the family medicine handbook.

"Bring blood, bring blood," a nurse screamed as she stood near a middle-aged man bleeding from a bullet wound in the groin. An Indian doctor joined in: "The people from the town have come here all morning to donate blood," he said. "We have some, it's over there."

But it wasn't. Nurses could insert only fluids into gravely wounded men, then wait for ambulances to take them to Ajdabiya, 60 miles up the highway. For some, they didn't need to bother.(1)

Interesting so far. Question is of course, will the tyrant and his chms be booted out or is this just a setback forhim?

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/02/libya-civil-war-bregga

SAS Rescue 150+ From Libya

2011-02-27T08:47:00.002+11:00

Saturday 26 February 2011
The Guardian

More than 150 workers were dramatically rescued from the Libyan desert as two RAF Hercules aircraft – backed by the SAS – pulled off a high-risk evacuation of British and other citizens.

As world leaders united to demand that Muammar Gaddafi face the full consequences of what Barack Obama called the "brutalisation" of his people, the defence secretary, Liam Fox, confirmed that the rescue had been a success, so far.

It is believed that units of British special forces secured runways to allow the Hercules aircraft to land safely.

A statement from the Foreign Office said that the rescued workers had been met by consular officials and Red Cross staff when they landed in the Maltese capital, Valletta. "Once disembarked, the passengers will be given food and water and offered full consular assistance," a Foreign Office spokesman said. "This includes immigration processing and a medical. They will then be bussed to hotels, where they will stay overnight."

Alan Burnett, a surveyor who was rescued by HMS Cumberland from the port of Benghazi, gave a vivid account of the danger that the stranded oil workers were facing. "We went through a horrific time," he said: "Our camp was raided by a marauding gang. If it wasn't nailed down they were taking it, laptops, whatever.

"You couldn't argue with five or six people with machetes. I'm not going to criticise the government, they may have been late but the response when it happened was excellent."

Last night, after the initial evacuation, the Foreign Office said that up to 500 Britons remained in desert camps. "Nothing is complete yet," said a spokesman. Meanwhile HMS Cumberland was on her way back to Benghazi to evacuate the last Britons from the rebel-held city.(1)

Hmmm, at least there's some dedication for UK citizens to an extent in emergencies like this. Still more to help though. And there's broader issues to think about as well; like what will Britain's foreign policy be towards a more democratic Libya?

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/26/britons-rescued-libya-desert-raf

Military Defy Gaddafi

2011-02-24T01:50:00.001+11:00

Libya's second city, Benghazi, appears to have fallen irretrievably beyond the control of Muammar Gaddafi, with the local military openly defying his regime and monarchy-era flags flying from government buildings.

As the first foreign news organisation to report from the so-called Free Benghazi, the Guardian witnessed defecting troops pouring into the courtyard of a ransacked police station carrying tonnes of weaponry and ammunition looted from a military armoury to stop it being seized by forces loyal to the Libyan dictator.

Soldiers brought rockets and heavy weapons which had been used in an assault on citizens in central Benghazi on Saturday as Gaddafi tried to keep control of the city. Doctors in Benghazi said that at least 230 people were killed, with a further 30 critically injured.

There was also the clearest confirmation yet that Gaddafi's regime used outside mercenaries to try to suppress the rebellion. Adjoining the police station a large crowd gathered in another courtyard. Upstairs, the Guardian saw a number of mercenaries, allegedly flown in the previous week, being interrogated by lawyers and army officials.

An air force officer, Major Rajib Faytouni, said he personally witnessed up to 4,000 mercenaries arrive on Libyan transport planes, each of them carrying 300 armed men, over a period of three days starting from 14 February. He said: "That's why we turned against the government. That and the fact there was an order to use planes to attack the people."

Numerous witnesses in Benghazi have said that while artillery was used against citizens, air force planes did not fire on them here. They did, however, according to Faytouni, drop two bombs inside the Rajma military base to stop weapons falling into the hands of anti-government forces.

"The two colonels who defected in MiGs had refused orders to bomb the people," he said, referring to a pair of air force officers who fled to Malta in their jets on Monday. He added: "There were also two helicopters that flew to Tunis."(1)

Quite interesting to see how things are developing in Libya. I'll keep an eye to see how this will unfold further.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/23/libya-free-benghazi-anti-gaddafi-troops

New Zealand Earthquake 6.5; 65+ dead

2011-02-22T23:36:00.002+11:00

6.5 earthquake in Christchurch in New Zealand. Considerable damage and at least 65 confirmed dead(1). All the best for reconstruction efforts and condolences to relatives of the fallen.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/feb/22/newzealand-natural-disasters

Supected CIA Agent Arrested n Pakistan

2011-02-21T07:48:00.002+11:00

American who sparked diplomatic crisis over Lahore shooting was CIA spy

The Guardian

The American who shot dead two men on a Lahore street, triggering a diplomatic crisis between Pakistan and the United States, is a CIA agent who was on assignment at the time of the incident.

Raymond Davis has been the subject of widespread speculation since he opened fire with a semi-automatic Glock pistol on the two men who had pulled up alongside his car at a red light on 25 January.

Pakistani authorities charged him with murder, but the Obama administration has insisted he is an "administrative and technical official" attached to its Lahore consulate and is entitled to diplomatic immunity.

Based on interviews in the US and Pakistan, the Guardian can confirm that the 36-year-old former special forces soldier is employed by the CIA. "It's beyond a shadow of a doubt," said a senior Pakistani intelligence official.

The revelation may complicate American efforts to free Davis, who insists he was acting in self-defence against a pair of suspected robbers, both of whom were carrying guns.

But Pakistani prosecutors accuse the spy of using excessive force, saying he fired 10 shots and got out of his car to shoot one of the men twice in the back as he ran away. The man's body was discovered 30 feet from his motorbike.

"It went way beyond what we define as self-defence. It was not commensurate with the threat," a senior police official involved in the case told the Guardian.

The Pakistani government is aware of Davis's CIA status yet has kept quiet in the face of immense American pressure to free him under the Vienna convention. Last week President Barack Obama described Davis as "our diplomat" and dispatched his chief diplomatic troubleshooter, Senator John Kerry, to Islamabad. Kerry returned home empty-handed.(1)

Well this is disturbing. Can only hope this is resolved fairly. Though I'm sure there are many foreign agents in Pakistan.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/20/us-raymond-davis-lahore-cia

US vetoes resolution on 'illegal' Israeli settlements

2011-02-19T20:44:00.001+11:00

Washington blocks resolution condemning Israeli buildings on Palestinian land as illegal and calling for quick halt.
Last Modified: 18 Feb 2011 22:19 GM

The United States vetoed a UN resolution Friday that would have condemned Israeli settlements as "illegal" and called for an immediate halt to all settlement building.

All 14 other Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution.

British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, speaking on behalf of his country, France and Germany, condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank. "They are illegal under international law," he said.

He added that the European Union's three biggest nations hope that an independent state of Palestine will join the United Nations as a new member state by September 2011.

The Obama administration's veto is certain to anger Arab countries and Palestinian supporters around the world. An abstention would have angered the Israelis, the closest US ally in the region, as well as Democratic and Republican supporters of Israel in the American Congress.

Washington says it opposes settlements in principal, but claims that the UN Security Council is not the appropriate venue for resolving the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told council members that the veto "should not be misunderstood to mean we support settlement activity.

"While we agree with our fellow council members and indeed with the wider world about the folly and illegitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, we think it unwise for this council to attempt to resolve the core issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians," she said.

Palestinians said the veto is counterproductive to the peace process, helps Israel maintain illegal buildings.

"The American veto does not serve the peace process and encourages Israel to continue settlements, and to escape the
obligations of the peace process," said Nabil Abu Rdainah, a close aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Pressure to drop resolution

Earlier, the Obama administration has exerted pressure on the Palestinian Authority to drop the UN resolution in exchange for other measures.

Abbas has refused Washington's request to withdraw a UN Security Council resolution demanding Israel to freeze settlement expansion on occupied Palestinian land.

The decision was made unanimously by the Palestine Liberation Organisation's executive and the central committee of Abbas's Fatah movement on Friday, at a meeting to discuss US President Barack Obama's appeal to Abbas by telephone a day earlier.

"The Palestinian leadership has decided to proceed to the UN Security Council, to pressure Israel to halt settlement activities. The decision was taken despite American pressure," said Wasel Abu Yousef, a PLO executive member.

Obama, who had said Israeli settlements in territories it captured in a 1967 war are illegal and unhelpful to the peace process, says the resolution could shatter hopes of reviving the stalled talks.

In a 50-minute phone call on Thursday, he asked Abbas to drop the resolution and settle for a non-binding statement condemning settlement expansion, Palestinian officials said.(1)

Once again Obama slugs the PA. Surely people will wake up after this, that he's not really after a two-state solution. Rather, an Israeli-first settlement.

Footnote:
(1) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/2011218201653970232.html

Cameon Turns on LDs on AV

2011-02-19T11:11:00.002+11:00

David Cameron has raised the stakes in the battle over the alternative vote, calling it a referendum that will determine Britain's future and saying a Yes vote would be bad for democracy, politics and accountability.

He repeatedly disputed arguments made by his deputy, Nick Clegg, earlier, describing them as untrue.

Cameron also accused the Liberal Democrat leader of advocating AV when he really wanted a more proportional voting system, reminding his audience in London that Clegg had once described AV as a "miserable little compromise".

But he insisted that although he did "not agree with Nick" on this issue, their differences would not damage the coalition and, whatever the result, they would continue to govern in the national interest.

Cameron is facing a delicate balancing act – his party members demanded that he attack Clegg personally by saying AV would lead to more coalitions, while he has a strong interest in keeping the spirit of the coalition alive.

He also faces a challenge to explain why a Yes vote is so potentially damaging after he agreed to stage a referendum as the price for forming a government with the Liberal Democrats in May.

Cameron faces a fraught two months as he strives to ensure the rhetoric on the issue does not boil over, and that voters do not feel that any animus between the two parties is polluting their wider relationship.

The prime minister sought to sidestep the issue of the Lib Dems being the chief beneficiaries of AV, saying: "The simple fact is, AV could exaggerate the inherent biases in the current system, giving Labour an even bigger advantage than they already have at general elections."

Most No campaigners claim AV will put the Liberal Democrats in permanent power.

Cameron also repudiated Clegg's suggestion that AV would end the culture of safe seats, pointing out that at the last election, 225 MPs – one in three – were elected with more than 50% of the vote in their constituency.(1)

I wouldn't say AV is dramatically better than FPTP. It is still a single-member constituency, non-proportional voting system. I wouldn't say its adoption would be a huge gain for the UK electorate. It'd still mean there'd be 'safe seats' and wasted votes.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/feb/18/av-reform-david-cameron

Mubarak ordered army to maccacre demonstrators

2011-02-17T20:30:00.000+11:00

Mubarak ordered Tiananmen-style massacre of demonstrators but the Army refused(1).

..... the critical moment came on the evening of 30 January when, it is now clear, Mubarak ordered the Egyptian Third Army to crush the demonstrators in Tahrir Square with their tanks after flying F-16 fighter bombers at low level over the protesters.

Many of the senior tank commanders could be seen tearing off their headsets – over which they had received the fatal orders – to use their mobile phones. They were, it now transpires, calling their own military families for advice. Fathers who had spent their lives serving the Egyptian army told their sons to disobey, that they must never kill their own people.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.americablog.com/2011/02/mubarak-ordered-tiananmen-style.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Americablog+(AMERICAblog

Defector admits to WMD lies that triggered Iraq war

2011-02-16T09:32:00.001+11:00

Defector admits to WMD lies that triggered Iraq war

• Man codenamed Curveball 'invented' tales of bioweapons
• Iraqi told lies to try to bring down Saddam Hussein regime
• Fabrications used by US as justification for invasion
Live Q&A with our reporter Martin Chulov

The defector who convinced the White House that Iraq had a secret biological weapons programme has admitted for the first time that he lied about his story, then watched in shock as it was used to justify the war.

Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, codenamed Curveball by German and American intelligence officials who dealt with his claims, has told the Guardian that he fabricated tales of mobile bioweapons trucks and clandestine factories in an attempt to bring down the Saddam Hussein regime, from which he had fled in 1995.

"Maybe I was right, maybe I was not right," he said. "They gave me this chance. I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime. I and my sons are proud of that and we are proud that we were the reason to give Iraq the margin of democracy."

The admission comes just after the eighth anniversary of Colin Powell's speech to the United Nations in which the then-US secretary of state relied heavily on lies that Janabi had told the German secret service, the BND. It also follows the release of former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld's memoirs, in which he admitted Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction programme.

The careers of both men were seriously damaged by their use of Janabi's claims, which he now says could have been – and were – discredited well before Powell's landmark speech to the UN on 5 February 2003.

The former CIA chief in Europe Tyler Drumheller describes Janabi's admission as "fascinating", and said the emergence of the truth "makes me feel better". "I think there are still a number of people who still thought there was something in that. Even now," said Drumheller.

In the only other at length interview Janabi has given he denied all knowledge of his supposed role in helping the US build a case for invading Saddam's Iraq.

In a series of meetings with the Guardian in Germany where he has been granted asylum, he said he had told a German official, who he identified as Dr Paul, about mobile bioweapons trucks throughout 2000. He said the BND had identified him as a Baghdad-trained chemical engineer and approached him shortly after 13 March of that year, looking for inside information about Saddam's Iraq.

"I had a problem with the Saddam regime," he said. "I wanted to get rid of him and now I had this chance."

He portrays the BND as gullible and so eager to tease details from him that they gave him a Perry's Chemical Engineering Handbook to help communicate. He still has the book in his small, rented flat in Karlsruhe, south-west Germany.

"They were asking me about pumps for filtration, how to make detergent after the reaction," he said. "Any engineer who studied in this field can explain or answer any question they asked."

Janabi claimed he was first exposed as a liar as early as mid-2000, when the BND travelled to a Gulf city, believed to be Dubai, to speak with his former boss at the Military Industries Commission in Iraq, Dr Bassil Latif.

The Guardian has learned separately that British intelligence officials were at that meeting, investigating a claim made by Janabi that Latif's son, who was studying in Britain, was procuring weapons for Saddam.

That claim was proven false, and Latif strongly denied Janabi's claim of mobile bioweapons trucks and another allegation that 12 people had died during an accident at a secret bioweapons facility in south-east Baghdad.

The German officials returned to confront him with Latif's version. "He says, 'There are no trucks,' and I say, 'OK, when [Latif says] there no trucks then [there are none],'" Janabi recalled.

He said the BND did not contact him again until the end of May 2002. But he said it soon became clear that he was still being taken seriously.

He claimed the officials gave him an incentive to speak by implying that his then pregnant Moroccan-born wife may not be able to travel from Spain to join him in Germany if he did not co-operate with them. "He says, you work with us or your wife and child go to Morocco."

The meetings continued throughout 2002 and it became apparent to Janabi that a case for war was being constructed. He said he was not asked again about the bioweapons trucks until a month before Powell's speech.

After the speech, Janabi said he called his handler at the BND and accused the secret service of breaking an agreement that they would not share anything he had told them with another country. He said he was told not to speak and placed in confinement for around 90 days.

With the US now leaving Iraq, Janabi said he was comfortable with what he did, despite the chaos of the past eight years and the civilian death toll in Iraq, which stands at more than 100,000.

"I tell you something when I hear anybody – not just in Iraq but in any war – [is] killed, I am very sad. But give me another solution. Can you give me another solution?

"Believe me, there was no other way to bring about freedom to Iraq. There were no other possibilities."(1)

More proof about lies told about WMDs. Ho ho! This is outrageous and the fools like Tony Blair should be sent to jail cells.

Footnotes:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/15/defector-admits-wmd-lies-iraq-war

Silvio Berlusconi to face trial in underage sex case

2011-02-15T23:07:00.002+11:00

Silvio Berlusconi to face trial in underage sex case

Silvio Berlusconi is to go on trial on charged with paying for sex with an underage prostitute and then trying to cover up the alleged offence by abusing his position as Italy's prime minister. All three judges named for the trial are women.

A Milan judge, Cristina di Censo, agreed in full to the request lodged last week by prosecutors who have been investigating Berlusconi. She ruled that he should be sent straight to trial without committal proceedings, accepting the prosecutors' view that the usual procedures should be waived because of the "obviousness of the evidence" against him. The trial will begin on 6 April.

Berlusconi risks up to three years in prison on the juvenile prostitution charge and up to 12 years on the charge of abusing his official authority, which is a crime in Italy.Di Censo's decision represents a new and crushing blow for Italy's billionaire leader, whose government is already struggling with the problems created by a wafer-thin majority in the lower house of parliament. On Sunday, some half a million women protested over Berlusconi and the entrenched sexism they accuse him of representing in one of the biggest demonstrations seen in Italy in recent years.

Under Italian legal procedure, the victims of an alleged offence are identified at the start of the proceedings. In this case, they are Moroccan Karima el-Mahroug, a former runaway, who was a guest at parties in Berlusconi's villa outside Milan, and the ministry of the interior.

Prosecutors maintain that the prime minister, who denies any wrongdoing, paid Mahroug, who adopted the nickname "Ruby Heartstealer", for sexual services while she was still 17 years old. Berlusconi's lawyers are expected to argue she is older than indicated on official documents.

Last May, Mahroug was taken to a Milan police station accused of theft. But instead of being returned to care, she was released to a regional parliamentarian from Berlusconi's party who has since been placed under investigation, suspected of aiding and abetting prostitution. The Moroccan was handed over after the police, who are answerable to the ministry of interior, took a call from Berlusconi in which he claimed that she was the granddaughter of the then Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak.

Berlusconi's lawyers have insisted that he believed this to be true and that he stepped in to avoid a diplomatic incident. They also contend that the Milan prosecutors do not have jurisdiction to investigate the case, but that argument was rejected by the judge.

Piero Longo, one of the prime minister's lawyers and a member of his party in parliament, said on hearing the news from Milan: "We did not expect anything else."(1)

Good to see him on trial. Though the corruption charges would be more urgent in my view.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/15/silvio-berlusconi-trail-underage-sex-case

Andrew Rawnsley; UK Coalition Govt. Crumbling

2011-02-13T23:26:00.001+11:00

The spotlight begins to shine on the coalition's flaws and faultlines

The Observer, Sunday 13 February 2011

It is not just buses that come in threes. The government has suffered a trio of reversals in recent days. First, the big revolt by Tory MPs against their ministers' attempts to accommodate the European court's ruling that prisoners should have the vote. Then, the education secretary was told to sit on the naughty step by the British high court which declared that Michael Gove was guilty of an "abuse of power" when he scrapped the school building programme without consultation. Third, the government beat a retreat over the privatisation of woodlands managed by the Forestry Commission. That ill-conceived wheeze has been stalled while ministers "re-examine the criteria". A monster backbench rebellion, a stinging rebuke from a senior judge and a messy U-turn – all in the space of just one week.

None of these events is anywhere near life-threatening for the government, but they do put a useful spotlight on some of its flaws.

Weakness number one is a cumulative amateurishness. Some of this can be put down to sheer inexperience. Thanks to the novelty of coalition and the intensity of its activity, commentators have tended to be distracted from the simple but important fact that we have a government of novices. This was an inevitable result of a coalition between one party that had been out of power for 13 years and another party that had not held a red box in more than 60 years. Before May, none of the Lib Dem members of the cabinet had been so much as parliamentary under-secretary for paperclips. Of the Tories around the top table, only Ken Clarke, William Hague and Sir George Young had sat there before.

This inexperience was largely masked for a while, not least because David Cameron is highly accomplished at the frontman aspect of being prime minister. I believe he went to a special academy near Slough where they train their students to look as if they were born to rule. But that inexperience is now becoming manifest in policy blunders. Third-order initiatives, such as the plan to sell-off the Forestry Commission, are launched into the public domain in an ill-thought-out way, come under attack from all sides when this government is doing quite enough that is unpopular to be going on with, and then have to be ditched. "Bloody silly idea from the off," is how one Tory minister characterises flogging off ancient woodlands.

Around the prime minister, there is angst and debate about how to strengthen the Number 10 operation in order to prevent ministers from blundering into avoidable traps and scoring own goals. It is argued that David Cameron needs to improve his early-warning radar to spot and defuse incoming trouble before there is a public debacle. Some suggest that the prime minister needs to beef up his policy unit and make it more aggressive about intervening to stop departments lurching into calamity. Others contend that the last thing they need in Number 10 or at the Cabinet Office is to recruit any more pointy heads. One senior Conservative complains that the real problem is that: "We have a government of old Etonian intellectuals and policy wonks. They think of the policy, not the politics."

Inexperience is magnified as a handicap when it is compounded with two further weaknesses: impetuosity and ideology untempered by common sense. Before the formation of this government, it was often said, especially by David Cameron, that coalition would be a disastrous form of government because it would be feeble and indecisive. As it turns out, that is one criticism that cannot be fairly directed at them. For good or ill, across a wide range of areas, from welfare to the constitution, the coalition is shaking things up. David Cameron has been so determined, as has Nick Clegg, to prove how bold and radical they can be that they have gone to the other extreme.

I can still find no one at senior levels of government who is truly and wholly convinced that it is a sensible idea to add a massive upheaval of the National Health Service to their groaning table of challenges. Not, at the very least, without first piloting the Lansley plan to hand over £80bn of spending power to GPs. If you could administer a truth serum to Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg, I bet both would confess that they are not fully confident that it will work out. The Lib Dem leader has been heard to say to colleagues that, if this goes wrong, the Lansley plan all by itself could lose them the next election. I strongly suspect that Mr Cameron signed off on it not because he is totally convinced that it will work, but because he feared he would look wussy if he put on the brakes.

Michael Gove took power at education determined to make a reforming splash from the start and convinced that Labour's school rebuilding programme was wasteful and badly managed. He was not all wrong about that. His error – the mistake which exposed him to legal challenge – was to swing his axe without discrimination or consultation rather than examine each project on its merits.

I expect the education secretary will have plenty of company in the dock in the months ahead. There will be lots more examples of ministers landing themselves in the merde because they have been too eager to prove their machismo as cutters and too splapdash about implementing the spending squeeze. These are flaws that can be addressed. Experience of governing ought to come from, well, experience of governing. That should also temper reckless urges to act first and ask questions later. Ministers who don't learn to do better can always be sacked.

That leaves the more structural weaknesses of the coalition. One is that it remains very much a top-down project. David Cameron and Nick Clegg have sustained a decent relationship. It has its ups and downs, but it is a more civil and trusting partnership than either probably thought possible when they first got hitched. Most Tory and Lib Dem ministers are still rubbing along with each other all right, but that amity has not extended more deeply down into the ranks. This is a coalition joined at the head, but not at the hip. Resentment and suspicion that too much is being conceded to the other side are to be found among both Tories and Lib Dems. Many of the latter think the Conservatives have let off their banking friends. The tension erupted on the Tory side when Conservative backbenchers revolted in great numbers over votes for prisoners. Tory MPs were never going to be happy about that and even less so when the demand comes from the European Court of Human Rights.

This problem for David Cameron is not a result of coalition. The same dilemma would face a purely Conservative government. But the vehemence of Tory feeling on this issue has been swollen by their disgruntlement about the compromises of coalition; there was a strong impression during the Commons debate that Conservative MPs were letting off steam. After the vote, I caught up with one senior Tory who was in a state of some euphoria. He said joyously: "At last we could vote for something we really believed in."

In David Cameron and Nick Clegg, the coalition has leading men who made their names and won their positions because they are extremely fluent performers. And yet the coalition has a big problem communicating with both their own parties and the public. This week, beginning with his article in today's Observer, David Cameron will be attempting to rescue the "big society", an operation he would not be mounting if it were not at serious risk from terminal ridicule. Nick Clegg has had some success lately overcoming the recalcitrance of the Home Office and getting the government committed to repealing much of New Labour's authoritarianism. But the Lib Dem leader still struggles to make his "freedom agenda" sing with the voters.(1)

There's more, but I'll leave it there. I think this may well be a 1 term government. And victory for Labour will rely on spitting the center-right vote between the Tories and LDs. Though whom will get the swinging centrist votes in Middle-England marginals? They provide victory usually.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/13/andrew-rawnsley-coalition-flaws-showing

Taliban Directed Attacks From Prison

2011-02-11T06:32:00.001+11:00

Taliban Directed Attacks From Prison

By ROD NORDLAND and SHARIFULLAH SAHAK
New York Times, Published: February 10, 2011

KABUL, Afghanistan — A cell of suicide bombers active in Kabul was run for three years by a Taliban commander operating from inside the city’s main prison, Afghan officials said Thursday.

Another suicide bomber cell recruited young men from religious schools, and got them high on a drug that made them enraptured by the handlers who were trying to persuade them to commit mayhem.

Those were among the highlights of an extraordinary news conference held on Thursday by Afghanistan’s intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security. It was meant to expose the workings of the two cells, but raised nearly as many questions as it answered.

Not least of these was how Talib Jan, the jailed Taliban commander, was able to run his network from Pul-e-Charkhi, a maximum security prison in Kabul, which is staffed by Afghan police and military officials with American trainers and advisers.

“From inside the Pul-e-Charkhi prison he was appointing people and giving them targets and instructions: do this, and do that,” said a National Directorate of Security spokesman, Lutfullah Mashal.

“Most of the terrorist and suicide attacks in Kabul were planned from inside this prison by this man,” Mr. Mashal asserted.

Mr. Mashal played a videotaped confession of Mr. Jan admitting as much, and saying that he had organized the suicide bombing of the Finest Supermarket in Kabul on Jan. 28, which killed 14 people. His confederate, Mohammed Khan, who was said to have visited Mr. Jan in prison to take his orders, confessed in person at the news conference to his part in the bombing.

There was no way to independently verify the authenticity of the confessions. Confessions obtained by coercion or torture are common in Afghanistan. A request to interview the would-be suicide bombers was turned down.

The authorities’ investigation of that case led them to a second suicide bomb cell, this one with eight bombers being readied to attack American bases in Kabul and Logar Provinces. Five of its members, including a safe house operator, a transporter and two youthful would-be bombers, confessed to their roles at the news conference.

Both cells, the authorities said, were part of the Haqqani network, a Taliban-allied group based in Pakistan.

The two would-be bombers, both Afghans, one 20 and the other 17, said they had been recruited from madrasas, religious schools where their families had sent them to study in Pakistan’s tribal areas, where extremists are active.

“Our people go to Pakistan for religious instruction, and they send them back to us as suicide bombers,” Mr. Mashal said.(1)

This is disturbing. More proof of the dysfunctionality of the people in the region and greater proof of why no Western forces should be there at all.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/world/asia/11afghan.html?_r=1&ref=world

Egypt's army 'involved in detentions and torture'

2011-02-10T10:37:00.002+11:00

Egypt's army 'involved in detentions and torture'

The Egyptian military has secretly detained hundreds and possibly thousands of suspected government opponents since mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak began, and at least some of these detainees have been tortured, according to testimony gathered by the Guardian.

The military has claimed to be neutral, merely keeping anti-Mubarak protesters and loyalists apart. But human rights campaigners say this is clearly no longer the case, accusing the army of involvement in both disappearances and torture – abuses Egyptians have for years associated with the notorious state security intelligence (SSI) but not the army.

The Guardian has spoken to detainees who say they have suffered extensive beatings and other abuses at the hands of the military in what appears to be an organised campaign of intimidation. Human rights groups have documented the use of electric shocks on some of those held by the army.(1)

This is a Third World country & dictatorship, so this isn't too surprising. To overcome these tactics is to remove the regime itself. The current dictator resigning doesn't change things tremendously.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/09/egypt-army-detentions-torture-accused

Egyptian opposition says no deal

2011-02-08T18:19:00.003+11:00

Egyptian opposition says no deal

Leading opposition groups in Egypt, including the Muslim Brotherhood, are standing by a demand that President Hosni Mubarak resign before there can be a political agreement to end two weeks of mass protests against his regime.

Pro-democracy campaigners called another mass demonstration for Tuesday to keep up the pressure on Mubarak to quit in the face of the government's attempts to marginalise the street protests as no longer relevant because political talks are under way.

In Washington, Barack Obama expressed optimism about developments in Egypt. "Obviously Egypt has to negotiate a path, and I think they're making progress," he said.

But there remains considerable suspicion within the opposition about the intentions of Mubarak's vice-president, Omar Suleiman, who is overseeing the political transition and leading the negotiations, particularly after the continued arrest of opposition activists and fresh harassment of the press.

Mubarak's new cabinet, installed after he sacked the previous one in an attempt to placate protesters, held its first meeting today and promptly announced a 15% pay rise for government employees in an apparent attempt to buy support among workers hit by sharply rising food prices.

The government also promised investigations into official corruption and widespread fraud that delivered the ruling party its large victory in last year's parliamentary election. The curfew was relaxed by an hour.

But the government's attempts to return Egypt to normality with a call for a return to work and an end to the demonstrations met with only partial success. Banks opened for a second day but the stock exchange, which the government hoped would be trading, remained closed, as did schools and many businesses. The value of the Egyptian pound fell sharply.(1)

It's not just Mubarak though. His chums have to leave power too. Otherwise more of the same is likely.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/07/egypt-opposition-no-deal-mubarak

Rape Victim, 14, Dies After Public Flogging

2011-02-06T15:27:00.000+11:00

A 14-year-old Bangladeshi girl allegedly raped by a much older cousin has died after being publicly flogged for adultery, media reports said.

Hena Begum was sentenced to receive 100 lashes by a village council made up of elders and Muslim clerics in the district of Shariatpur, about 35 miles from the capital, Dhaka, the BBC said today.

She endured about 80 lashes before collapsing Monday, according to The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper. Her family took her to a hospital, where she died.

"What sort of justice is this? My daughter has been beaten to death in the name of justice. If it had been a proper court then my daughter would not have died," Dorbesh Khan, the girl's father, told the BBC.(1)

Disgusting. Where's the international help for her and family?

Footnote:
(1) http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/03/bangladeshi-girl-dies-after-public-flogging/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-w%7Cdl2%7Csec3_lnk2%7C199283

Cairo's biggest protest yet demands Mubarak's immediate departure

2011-02-05T14:36:00.003+11:00

Cairo's biggest protest yet demands Mubarak's immediate departure

Cairo has its biggest demo yet(1). We'll see what happens though. I'm betting Mubarak and co. will continue to try to stay in power, maybe even past August.

The best thing the rest of us can do is let the Egyptians determine their own fate.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/04/day-of-departure-hosni-mubarak

Hosni Mubarak vows to stand down at next election

2011-02-02T19:31:00.001+11:00

It's a cop out, but Mubarak has claimed he won't run for election next time(1). Not bad, I guess.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/01/hosni-mubarak-egypt-president

Million March Against Mubarak

2011-02-01T23:13:00.003+11:00

One possibility would be his generals telling him the situation is uncontrollable. Another is Mubarak having a health crisis (real or pretended). But he's very stubborn I'm leaning more towards the idea that a financial emergency could trigger his departure. The banks are closed and people are running short of cash and food; that can't continue for very long.(1)

The Egyptians are keeping up the pressure on the thug in Cairo. Don't stop, his cabinet replacement tactic is just a ploy to dampen efforts to force him out!

Footnote:
(1) Brian Whitaker, Egypt protests - live updates, http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2011/feb/01/egypt-protests-live-updates

Woman sets fire to house trying to reanimate dead sister...

2011-01-31T14:25:00.001+11:00

Mummy fried - woman sets fire to house while trying to reanimate long-dead sister

A night fire in an apartment block has been caused by a woman who tried to reanimate her long-dead elder sister with electricity.
The horrific story happened in Ekaterinburg, the biggest city in the Urals.

The suspected arsonist, 69, apparently was not completely of sound mind, judging by her mental health record.

A year ago, her 73-year-old sister died from natural causes, prosecutors told Noviy Region news agency. However, instead of reporting the death, the woman preserved the body with gasoline and had been trying the reanimate it ever since.

Her last macabre experiment on Tuesday night involved “jump starting” the mummified corpse with two wires connecting the body’s hand and neck to the mains.

Despite what Frankenstein movies suggest, the electric current did not revive the body, instead setting it on fire.

The surviving sister is now in hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.(1)

Whoah, blood might be thicker than water but this is unsettling to say the least ;)

Footnote:
(1) http://rt.com/news/fire-sister-revive-mummy/

Egypt Demonstrations

2011-01-30T22:26:00.002+11:00

Egypt is going the same way, as Tunisia, in terms of public uprising against the dictatorship there(1)

Not too bad. Question is of course what kind of Egypt will be the result.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2011/jan/30/egypt-protests-live-updates

Police arrest five over Anonymous WikiLeaks attacks

2011-01-28T08:24:00.000+11:00

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 27 January 2011 13.55 GMT

Five people from across the UK were arrested early today in connection with a spate of online attacks last month in support of the whistleblowers' site WikiLeaks.

Police said the five males, aged between 15 and 26, are being held after a series of arrests in the West Midlands, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey and London.

Three teenagers, aged 15, 16 and 19, were arrested in a series of coordinated raids at 7am along with two men aged 20 and 26. All five are being held in custody at local police stations.

The five were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the loose-knit group of "hacktivists" known as Anonymous, who temporarily crippled the websites of MasterCard, Visa and PayPal after those companies cut off financial services to WikiLeaks. The attacks followed WikiLeaks' release of US diplomatic cables from late November.

Today's arrests were coordinated by the Metropolitan police working in conjunction with other UK forces and international agencies.

"They are part of an ongoing [Metropolitan police] investigation into Anonymous which began last year following criminal allegations of DDoS [distributed denial of service] attacks by the group against several companies," Scotland Yard said.

"This investigation is being carried out in conjunction with international law enforcement agencies in Europe and the US."

The so-called DDoS attacks, which bring down sites by bombarding them with repeated requests to load web pages, are illegal in the UK under the Computer Misuse Act and carry a maximum fine of £5,000.

Anonymous leapt to the support of WikiLeaks after Amazon and other companies terminated business links with the site. The 1,000-strong group of activists launched what they called Operation Payback, vowing to give perceived anti-WikiLeaks firms a "black eye".

More recently, the group has turned its attention to supporting the political uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, temporarily disabling access to 10 Tunisian government websites and four Egyptian government sites.(1)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/27/anonymous-hacking

PA Helped Israel Kill Palestinians

2011-01-26T11:59:00.002+11:00

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has shown operational willingness to co-operate with Israel to kill its own people, the Palestine Papers indicate.

Among the documents are notes, handwfritten in Arabic, revealing an exchange in 2005 between the PA and Israel on a plan to kill a Palestinian fighter named Hassan al-Madhoun, who lived in the Gaza strip.

Al-Madhoun (born 1973) was a leading figure within the Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade, a movement aligned to Fatah, which at that stage still held power in Gaza. Al-Madhoun had been accused by Israel of planning deadly bombings at Israel’s Ashdod port and the Qarni crossing between Gaza and Israel.

In a joint committee meeting on fugitives in mid-2005 in Tel Aviv between Shaul Mofaz, the then-Israeli defence minister, and Nasser Youssef, the PA minister of interior, the PA was asked to kill al-Madhoun.

Mofaz: “[…] Hassan Madhoun, we know his address and Rasheed Abu Shabak [chief of the Preventative Security Organisation in Gaza] knows that. Why don't you kill him? Hamas fired [Qassam rockets] because of the elections and this is a challenge to you and a warning to Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas, the PA president].”

Youssef: “We gave instructions to Rasheed [Abu Shabak] and will see.”

Mofaz: “Since we spoke, he has been planning an operation, and that's four weeks ago, and we know that he wants to strike Qarni or Erez [another border crossing between Gaza and Israel]. He is not Hamas and you can kill him.”

Youssef: “We work, the country is not easy, our capabilities are limited, and you haven't offered anything.”

Mofaz: “I understand that nothing has been accomplished in the [Gaza] Strip.”

Less then a month after this meeting, on November 1, 2005, al-Madhoun was killed in his car by a missile fired from an Israeli Apache helicopter over the skies of Gaza. The attack also killed a wanted Hamas activist and wounded three other people.

The very next day, Mofaz, who by that time was in Washington, pledged to ease the lives of Palestinians and to pursue peacemaking with President Abbas.

"We want to deal with President Abbas," Mofaz said after meeting with Condoleezza Rice, the then-US Secretary of State, before going to the White House to confer with Stephen Hadley, the then-national security adviser.

"We are waiting to see how the Palestinian Authority will deal with terrorist groups," the Israeli minister said.

The Palestine Papers appear to reveal two primary motives for the Palestinian Authority’s collaboration with Israel and their crackdown on dissent.

Firstly, it serves to maintain the movement’s political supremacy at a time when it is being questioned. Secondly, it is an attempt to signal to the US that it wants to remain a trusted partner in peace talks, regardless the costs.

Saeb Erekat, the PA’s chief negotiator acknowledged the cost of gaining US approval and Israeli trust, in a meeting on September 17, 2009 with David Hale, the deputy US Middle East envoy.

Erekat: We have had to kill Palestinians to establish one authority, one gun and the rule of law. We continue to perform our obligations. We have invested time and effort and killed our own people to maintain order and the rule of law.

It is not clear as to which killings Erekat is referring to but the discussion about the plan to kill al-Madhoun is just one example of how, since the death of Yasser Arafat, Fatah’s policy of resistance to Israel has become one of collaboration.

The Palestine Papers show how the Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade, once the spearhead of action against the Israeli occupation, has been transformed into a body that helps maintaining it.

During the Annapolis talks in 2008, Ahmed Qurei, the former Palestinian prime minister also known as Abu Ala, and his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni, discussed collaboration between the brigade and the Israeli security forces.(1)

This is all very interesting. Shows massive cooporation with Israel. The Palestinian Papers scandal is evolving into a considerable matter and I'll keep an eye on it.

Footnote:
(1) http://english.aljazeera.net/palestinepapers/2011/01/201112512109241314.html

Iraq bomb blasts kill eight

2011-01-23T22:32:00.002+11:00

Iraq bomb blasts kill eight

The carnage continues in Iraq(1). And it's logical it'll return to 2006-07 levels after a real withdrawal of foreign forces. Shouldn't surprise anyone. Not our problem either, it's their society.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/iraq-bombs-deaths

Tuniusians Demand Ruling Party End

2011-01-22T23:38:00.001+11:00

The Tusinians are calling for the ruling party to dissolve(1). Well, all the best to them. Question is since they've committed to multi-party elections, it's hardly democratic to force one party to run and allow the others to run. Just let them stay and vote them down on election day. Easy.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/world/africa/22tunis.html?_r=1&hpw

Andy Coulson resigns as phone-hacking scandal rocks Downing Street

2011-01-22T09:51:00.001+11:00

Andy Coulson resigns as phone-hacking scandal rocks Downing Street

guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011 19.38 GMT

Andy Coulson, one of the key members of David Cameron's inner circle, today resigned as Downing Street's director of communications, saying the wave of allegations that he was involved in illegal phone hacking when editor of the News of the World made it impossible for him to continue.

"When the spokesman needs a spokesman, it is time to move on," Coulson said in a carefully crafted statement which had been in preparation for 48 hours.

Downing Street insisted his departure was not precipitated by any fresh piece of damning evidence that would undercut Coulson's claim he was unaware that phone hacking was prevalent at the News of the World under his editorship.

Officials said the steady drip of allegations, and the likelihood that they would continue through civil court cases and possible police inquiries, was taking a toll on Coulson's family and making it harder for him to focus.

There was also a suspicion that Rupert Murdoch's News International was losing the will to fend off, or pay off, civil litigants such as the actor Sienna Miller, demanding to know the identity of News of the World executives responsible for authorising hacking of their phones.

If News International continues to fight the civil cases it may appear as if current top executives are involved in a costly cover-up that could damage their professional reputations.

Coulson, who will remain in Downing Street for a fortnight, said: "Unfortunately continued coverage of events connected to my old job at the News of the World has made it difficult for me to give the 110% needed in this role. I stand by what I've said about those events but when the spokesman needs a spokesman it's time to move on."

Coulson is one of the most trusted members of Cameron's inner circle, with an apparent direct line to swing voters and News International. He has been a counterweight to Steve Hilton, Cameron's more visionary director of strategy, and architect of the "big society".

Coulson's departure weakens Cameron and his chancellor, George Osborne, who jointly appointed Coulson and have staunchly, sometimes testily, defended him in public and private. Osborne described Coulson as "an incredibly talented, dedicated and patriotic servant of this country".

Cameron said he was saddened by the departure, feeling his communications director was "being punished twice for the same offence. This is all about the past. It has gone on and on and I can understand why he feels the pressure of that.(1)

Glad this wasn't suppressed. I thought it wouldn't come out fully.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/21/andy-coulson-resigns-david-cameron

Soldier who accidentally shot Palestinian in his bed to be discharged

2011-01-20T11:47:00.001+11:00

Soldier who accidentally shot Palestinian in his bed to be discharged

Southern Command Chief adopts findings of probe into accidental shooting death of 65-year-old Hebron man during operation to detain wanted Hamas terrorists; says soldier responsible acted 'unprofessionally'

Hanan Greenberg
Published: 01.19.11, 23:54 / Israel News

IDF Southern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi has decided not to extend the service of a career soldier who shot 65-year-old Palestinian Amr Qawasme to death in his bedroom during a recent detention operation in the West Bank city of Hebron.

During the operation the soldier spotted a regular army soldier opening fire and decided to open fire as well.

Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi determined that while the shooting was carried out because soldier felt his life was at risk, it was carried out in an "unprofessional manner."

The initial shooting was carried out when the Palestinian moved in a suspicious manner and caused the career soldier to believe his life was being threatened, particularly in light of the information the soldiers had on Hamas terrorist Wael Mahmoud Said Bitar, who was in the building during the accidental shooting.

Bitar was eventually arrested.

A senior IDF official told Ynet, "Obviously we would have prevented the tragic outcome if we could have, but this was an operation to detain wanted (terrorists), where everything happens very quickly and everyone is very alert.

"The first soldier felt he was in immediate danger, and understandably so. His comrade could have avoided the shooting. Even if the final outcome was unavoidable, he still acted unprofessionally," the official said.

On the day of the incident Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon said the force opened fire after spotting a suspicious movement from Qawasme's direction while entering an apartment in the area.

"You must see it from the perspective of the force, which arrived to arrest terror activists, after a quick standing operation procedure. Such an incident, as tragic as it may be, can happen among dozens and hundreds of arrest which end without any casualties," he said.

Qawasme's wife described the events that occurred in her house in Hebron. "They broke into our house, about 60 armed soldiers. When they broke in I was praying but I immediately stopped to see what they wanted.

"One of the soldiers forcibly closed my mouth with his hand while another went into my old and ill husband's room and shot him in the head until he was dead," she said in tears. "Everything that happened was simply an act of vengeance on Palestinian families."

"My crippled son was in the house during the incident, he is in a very rough mental state. I myself have yet to digest the events, how and why it happened. Everything the soldiers said about my husband trying to attack them or interrupt them was a lie – he was killed while he was sleeping. I can barely stand on my own two feet, our economic situation is very bad and I don't know how I will deal with life after this disaster which has fallen on our heads."

She added that "we will not stand by and allow this disaster to be forgotten. We will make every effort to reach the people who shot my husband and caused his death. We will ask the responsible elements to punish those responsible for the mental, social and financial anguish they have caused us."(1)

So, we know it was a mistake now. Good to know, as opposed to the matter being slipped under the carpet.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4016357,00.html

UK Inflation 3.7% Now

2011-01-18T22:06:00.001+11:00

UK inflation has surged to its highest level since April 2010 as the rising cost of food and oil continued to hit consumers and businesses.

December's unexpectedly high inflation rate put the Bank of England under even more pressure to raise interest rates, although City economists disagree about how soon borrowing costs will rise.

The consumer prices index rose to 3.7% in December, the Office for National Statistics reported. On a month-on-month basis, prices rose by 1% – the biggest increase on record.

The retail prices index, the wider inflationary measure used in pay negotiations, jumped to 4.8%, its highest rate since last July.

The pound gained half a cent against the dollar after the data was released, hitting an eight-week high of $1.6056. Alan Clarke, economist at BNP Paribas, predicted that the persistently strong inflation may push the Bank of England into raising rates earlier than previously thought.

Analysts had expected CPI to rise to 3.4%, from 3.3% in November, further away from the Bank's official target of 2%.

Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight, said December's data was "horrible".

No doubt partly due to the nation's budget deficit. Well, cuts are okay with me as long as state services and the working class don't suffer. Tax hikes on the rich would be fair too, they pay so little nowadays.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jan/18/inflation-december-2010-record-monthly-increase

Uprising in Tunisia; Dictator Forced out

2011-01-16T14:03:00.002+11:00

The populace of Tunisia has forced out their dictator(1). This does not necessarily mean the country is going to become democratic. I'm sure the regime is going to continue to try to rule the north African nation by tyrannical means. I have read there was a 'revolution' which is quite an exaggeration. The dictator was forced out by demonstrations and riots. There hasn't been a popular coup, or what have you.

We'll see how long the regime will last. Obviously something more democratic might be vulnerable to Islamist takeover, or electoral successes. The country has long been gutted, resources siphoned out by the government for the benefit of its friends. So there's a list of public grievances any ambitious political players to exploit.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/uprising-brings-joy-to-tunisia-ndash-and-fear-to-the-regions-autocrats-2185820.html

All of London’s firefighters will be sacked

2011-01-12T15:08:00.001+11:00

All of London’s firefighters will be sacked

Ross Lydall
11 Jan 2011

Fire brigade chiefs are preparing to sack all 5,500 London firefighters despite their decision to end industrial action.

The Tory-controlled London Fire Authority is expected to vote at an emergency meeting on Thursday to force all frontline staff onto new contracts with changed shift patterns.

The Standard understands that the authority, led by Brian Coleman, has run out of patience with the Fire Brigades Union after almost six years of talks and will press ahead with its “fallback option” of re-employing staff under new terms and conditions.

This is despite firefighters abandoning action — which almost led to a Bonfire Night strike — and 84 per cent of union members voting to accept the recommendations of an independent panel to change their working hours.

The authority is expected to accept a recommendation to “impose” new terms unless an 11th-hour compromise is struck on related working practices, with an official document to be considered on Thursday stating: “The authority would have no option but to consider termination and re-engagement.”

The dispute has gone unresolved since 2005, with the FBU resisting brigade demands for firefighters to work longer day shifts. Staff are expected to have the day shift extended by 90 minutes. Mr Coleman is apparently attempting to change the fire authority's internal rules to prevent political rivals questioning him in public. This comes after Darren Johnson, a Green member of the London Assembly, demanded answers to injuries suffered by firefighters on picket lines.(1)

Very disturbing the Coalition government is taking on the firefighters, after New Labour did. This nonsense must stop.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23912956-all-of-londons-firefighters-will-be-sacked.do

Muslims back Jack Straw on Pakistani rape gangs

2011-01-12T13:25:00.004+11:00

By Tim Edwards
LAST UPDATED 7:32 AM, JANUARY 11, 2011
The First Post

Jack Straw is not looking quite as lonely as he was last Friday when he made the controversial statement that there was a "specific problem" involving British men of Pakistani descent grooming young white girls for sex because they think they are "easy meat".

An initial burst of outrage, led by fellow Labour MP Keith Vaz, has been followed by more sympathetic statements from Muslim commentators and women's rights campaigners.

Straw, the MP for Blackburn, made his comments after the jailing of two men of Pakistani heritage, Mohammed Liaqat and Abid Saddique, for abusing girls between the ages of 12-18
whom they had plucked off the streets of Derby.

Leicester Crown Court had heard how the two men, both married fathers, were part of a gang of "sexual predators" who cruised the streets, approaching white women as young as 12, who they then plied with drink and drugs before grooming them for sex.

Straw told the BBC: "These young men... act like any other young men, they're fizzing and popping with testosterone, they want some outlet for that, but Pakistani heritage girls are off-limits and they are expected to marry a Pakistani girl from Pakistan, typically.

"So they then seek other avenues and they see these young women, white girls who are vulnerable, some of them in care... who they think are easy meat."

Straw's remarks were criticised as "pretty dangerous" by Keith Vaz, while others went further, accusing him of acting as a recruitment
officer for far-right groups.

Martin Narey, chief executive of Barnardos, said: "I certainly
don't think it's just a Pakistani thing. My staff would say there is
an over-representation of people from ethnic minority groups among perpetrators - Afghans, people from Arabic nations, Pakistanis. But it's not just one nation."

But Straw is now receiving support, not least from members of the
Asian community.

Mohammed Shafiq, director of the Muslim Ramadhan Foundation youth group, said: "These young men do not see white
girls as equal, as valuable, of high moral standing as they see their
own daughters, and their own sisters, and I think that's wrong. It's a form of racism that's abhorrent in a civilised society."

"I first raised this two or three years ago and I got a lot of stick
within the community from people who said I was doing the work of the BNP and stigmatising them."

The feminist Muslim journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown has also backed
Straw. Writing in the Independent about the Derby gang she says: "The criminals feel they did no wrong. These girls to them are trash, asking to be wasted – unlike their own women, who must be kept from the disorderly world out there."

She calls on Asians to examine "what lies beneath these crimes".

Earlier, Ann Cryer, former Labour MP for Keighley, West Yorkshire, who campaigns for women's rights, said Straw should be commended for bringing up a problem which, she claimed, Muslim MPs were not prepared to confront.

Said Cryer: "The vast majority of young Asian men are fine, but there's a minority who do not behave properly towards white women and sweeping it under the carpet will only make matters worse. If these Asian men behaved in the same way to young Muslim girls they'd end up in very hot water in their community."

Even before Straw made his provocative statement, there were calls for an inquiry into the racial basis of gangs who groom underage girls for sex on the street.(1)

Something has to be done about these 2nd generation immigrants from Muslim societies. Like in France, there's been lack of successful integration and law enforcement.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/73543,news-comment,news-politics,muslims-back-jack-straw-on-pakistani-rape-gangs#ixzz1AmfZlcHc

19+ killed in riots in Tunisia Riots

2011-01-11T13:19:00.001+11:00

At least 19 killed in riots in Tunisia, government official says
From Rima Maktabi, CNN
January 10, 2011 -- Updated 2215 GMT (0615 HKT)

Tunis, Tunisia (CNN) -- Nineteen demonstrators protesting high unemployment and poor living conditions have been killed during the past two days in riots that broke out in two Tunisian cities near its border with Algeria, a government official said Monday.

The incidents occurred in the cities of Thala and Kasserine, said Minister of Information Samir Abidi. All of the dead were demonstrators; more than 30 police were injured, he said.

Amnesty International said at least 23 people died in protests over the weekend, and it had received reports of more deaths on Monday.

Citing "information gathered by Amnesty International," it said security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse demonstrators in the cities of Thala, Kasserine and Regueb in central Tunisia.

"The authorities must urgently ensure the safety of protesters and instruct security forces to act with restraint and not to use excessive force against them," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa deputy director.

"The authorities claim they acted in self-defense but the rising death toll and the images of demonstrations suppressed by the security forces cast serious doubt on this version of events," Hassiba said.

In Kasserine alone, 13 people were killed in two days, Amnesty International said.

The organization called for an investigation into the deaths and for those responsible to be punished.

Major cities were unaffected by the unrest.

The demonstrations included demands for the government to improve social services. Tunisia's government called the protesters violent troublemakers. Tunisia has been ruled for 23 years by President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, an ally of Western powers and a target of activist and human rights groups that accuse him of running a corrupt police state that has infringed on citizens' rights.

In his second speech since the riots erupted, he said on national radio and television that he was ordering the creation of as many as 300,000 jobs and called for greater freedoms for members of the news media.

"These violent, sometimes bloody events, which caused deaths among civilians and injuries among security officers, were perpetrated by hooded gangs that attacked, at night, public institutions and even citizens in their houses," he said. "This is an intolerable act of terrorism."

He said he would lower taxes on employers who generate new jobs.(1)

This is terrible. The Tunisian government ought to get a grip on the situation there.

Footnote:
(1) http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/10/tunis.demonstrations/index.html

Tom DeLay to serve 3 years in prison

2011-01-11T13:10:00.003+11:00

Austin, Texas (CNN) -- Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay will serve three years in prison on his November conviction on money laundering and conspiracy charges, a Texas judge ruled Monday.

Judge Pat Priest sentenced DeLay to three years on the conspiracy charge and five years on the money-laundering charge. But the judge will allow DeLay to serve 10 years probation with community service on the laundering charge in lieu of the prison sentence, and the two sentences will be served concurrently.

Priest remanded DeLay into custody and set a $10,000 bond pending appeal.

Defense attorney Dick DeGuerin left the courthouse quickly after the sentence was announced but he spoke briefly, saying, "If I told you what I thought, I would get sued. This will not stand."

Addressing the court prior to the sentencing, DeLay argued that he still doesn't believe he did anything wrong and never did anything for personal gain.

"I always intended to follow the law," he said. "I'm not stupid. Everything I did I had accountants and lawyers telling me what to do and how to follow the letter of the law, even the spirit of the law."

DeLay was found guilty in November of illegally funneling corporate money to help elect Republican candidates to the Texas legislature.

"Judge, I can't be remorseful for something I don't think I did," he said.

Earlier, prosecutor Steve Brandt urged the judge to send DeLay to prison, saying the once-powerful Republican showed too much disregard for the law to warrant community service and probation.

"He has shown no remorse, no remorse whatsoever," said prosecutor Steve Brandt in his closing arguments. "The man, according to him, does nothing wrong."

"He needs to go to prison, your honor, and he needs to go today."

"If he gets probation," Brandt said, "and those people who read the newspaper tomorrow ... will say, 'I told you. He wears a tie, he gets probation.'"

"I'm going to use a quote from Alexander Hamilton," he said. "'No one is above the law.'"

DeGuerin countered that "no purpose would be served today by sending Tom DeLay to prison ... He lost it all already."

DeGuerin stressed DeLay's lifetime of public service, detailing "his good works for his party, his state and his country," and claimed that the prosecution was "political."

"We accept the jury entered its verdict, but we do not accept it," he said. "We will challenge it ... and we have the right."

DeGuerin said the prosecution was based on the redistricting that took place by the new Texas legislature after the 2002 election -- an effort that changed district lines and cost several Democrats their congressional seats.

"I say that the redistricting that came about ... is what motivated the prosecution to go after him," the attorney said, "because for the first time in decades, the representation represented more of the voters' make-up of Texas."

At the outset of the trial, DeLay predicted he would be proclaimed innocent and called his conviction "an abuse of power" and "a miscarriage of justice."

DeLay was found guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering, after being accused of funneling $190,000 to help elect Republicans to the state House and Senate in 2002.

He faced a possible maximum prison term of 99 years on the money-laundering charge and 20 years on the conspiracy charge, but the prosecution was only seeking 10 years in prison. The defense sought only probation. Two other men facing charges in the case are awaiting trial.

DeLay, a conservative Republican, helped Newt Gingrich spearhead the GOP revival in 1994 that won control of the House and Senate in the first midterm election under Democratic President Bill Clinton.

While serving as the GOP's congressional whip, DeLay earned the nickname "The Hammer" for his strict enforcement of party discipline. In 2004, he was admonished three times by the House ethics committee, which warned him to "temper" his future actions to comply with House rules.

DeLay stepped aside as majority leader after his 2005 indictment on the money-laundering and conspiracy charges and resigned from Congress the following year. He fought the charges on procedural grounds for several years seeking unsuccessfully to have the trial held in his home county in suburban Houston instead of in the state capital, Austin, and blaming the indictment on a partisan prosecutor.

This past summer, DeLay said a separate, long-running federal criminal investigation of his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff had been closed with no charges.

Abramoff pleaded guilty in 2006 to charges of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. Two former DeLay aides who joined Abramoff's lobbying team after leaving Capitol Hill, also pleaded guilty during the wide-ranging influence peddling investigation.

The Justice Department has declined to comment on the status of the Abramoff investigation, which also resulted in prison time for Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney and for Steven Griles, the No. 2 official in the Interior Department for much of the administration of President George W. Bush.

In August, DeLay told CNN that his legal bills have topped $8 million.

Despite his legal troubles, DeLay found time last year to appear as a short-lived contestant on the television show "Dancing with the Stars." He dropped out of the demanding dance competition due to stress fractures in both feet.(1)

I feel a sense of joy that for once a US politician is held to account for misconduct. It's so rare. LOCK HIM UP!

Footnote:
(1) http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/01/10/delay.sentencing/index.html?hpt=T2

Arizona Shooting

2011-01-10T21:14:00.001+11:00

After Shooting, Fresh Look at Protecting Lawmakers
By CARL HULSE and ASHLEY PARKER
New York Times, January 9, 2011

WASHINGTON — Threats and abuse from constituents have always been part of the job when it comes to Congressional life, along with regular encounters with troubled individuals who see their local lawmaker as a convenient outlet for their grievances.

Now, in the aftermath of the Arizona shootings, lawmakers and those responsible for their safety are confronting the issue of how to gauge the risks posed by people they might have shrugged off in the past while maintaining open channels to the public.

“In each district you represent your share of unstable people,” Representative Jack Kingston, Republican of Georgia, said Sunday as he and other House members pulled for the recovery of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and struggled with how to respond to the shootings. “Now you are aware that they do show up at your town hall meetings and maybe they are not all harmless.”

While representatives of the United States Capitol Police and the office of the House sergeant-at-arms told lawmakers that the attack on Ms. Giffords was not part of a wider threat, they are urging them to review their security arrangements, make contact with local law enforcement officials and name a staff member as liaison with law enforcement.

On Wednesday, the Capitol security agencies are to join the F.B.I. in conducting a joint security briefing for Republicans and Democrats, who acknowledge new worries about their safety — and that of their families and staff members.

“It obviously shook all of us,” said Representative Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah, who said the shootings might make him more likely to carry his gun, as he is legally allowed to do in Utah. “It hits close to home.”

Lawmakers also live the most public of lives and, like Ms. Giffords, heavily promote their local events to encourage people to attend. They say that they cannot retreat behind police escorts and security barriers.

“I know that I am considered to be a bit more confrontational and outspoken,” said Representative Maxine Waters, Democrat of California, “and I’ve lived with that all of my life, that my political philosophy and my willingness to speak up and speak out kind of creates risk and some danger. I accept that as part of my job.”

Though the attack in Arizona went far beyond confrontations lawmakers had at town hall-style meetings in the summer of 2009 and other recent clashes with the public, the common perception among Congressional veterans is that the current political climate is as bad as they can recall.

“I don’t think I have seen a period of time when there was more anger and incivility manifested than in the last two years,” said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House and a veteran of more than 40 years in government.

Whether threats have measurably increased is difficult to gauge because the Capitol Police, the primary agency for protecting lawmakers, declined to answer questions about the volume of incidents.

“We do investigate threats against members of Congress and, when necessary, work with other law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels,” Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said in an e-mail to The New York Times. “The statistics that we maintain internally for threat-assessment purposes are not shared for security reasons.”

Last year, charges were filed against a man accused of threatening to kill Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, over her support of the health care law, and another man was arrested for making threatening and harassing phone calls to Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the House, over the same piece of legislation. The Tucson office of Ms. Giffords was among those vandalized during the health care fight.(1)

No offense to the Yank but you have got to get a grip on the gun laws in your states. Now a Congress member has suffered because of their weakness(es).

Footnote:
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/us/politics/10security.html?_r=1&hpw

British troops move out of Helmand

2011-01-08T22:03:00.002+11:00

British troops move out of Helmand

guardian.co.uk, Friday 7 January 2011 15.22 GMT

British troops have established a permanent presence outside Helmand province for the first time since 2006 in an effort to secure a key road that runs through one of Kandahar's most violent districts, according to US and UK officials.

Since mid-December troops from the Household Cavalry have been operating on a 12 mile stretch of Highway 1 in Maiwand district where they are overseeing patrols and checkpoints alongside soldiers from the Afghan army.

Maiwand is one of the last areas affected by the US troop surge. British troops were asked to oversee its western part so that US troops could be sent elsewhere in Kandahar province.

The UK's involvement in the province, which will continue for six months, has been kept quiet until now, in part because of sensitivities about British troops operating outside the area controlled by Task Force Helmand, the UK-led military mission in southern Afghanistan.

Substantial numbers of British pilots and support staff are based at Kandahar airfield and a portion of the UK force has acted as a roving air assault team across the south for years. But since 2006 the vast majority of UK soldiers have been concentrated in Helmand under British command.

After years of being the main international presence in what became known as Helmandshire, the UK's role has been reduced by a surge of thousands of US marines into the province and neighbouring Kandahar.

With so much UK blood and treasure spent in Helmand, British officials fought against American suggestions last year that UK forces should be entirely redeployed outside Helmand.

In the end the UK clung on to full authority over three districts: Nahr-e Saraj, Nad-e Ali and Lashkar Gah.

Under the arrangement in Maiwand, which neighbours the area under UK control, British troops fall under the authority of US-led Regional Command South.

"No boundaries have been permanently changed and RC South will still maintain all governance and development responsibilities in Maiwand," a US marine corps spokesman said.

During a visit to Afghanistan this week the British defence secretary, Liam Fox, insisted Britain was happy to operate outside Helmand and in a subordinate role.

"We want to be a good Nato partner and that's why we are on Route 1 at the moment," he said. "We don't see our bit of Helmand as being a unique British territory. We are here as part of Nato and people need to grasp that."

Maiwand is almost halfway between Helmand's regional capital of Lashkar Gah and Kandahar City. It represents the final element of a much-delayed strategy, first drawn up more than a year ago, to clear insurgents from the critical road that links southern Afghanistan's two major cities.(1)

Hopefully they'll meet less violence and return safe and sound. The withdrawal from Afghanistan can't come fast enough, I'm sure, for military families and everyone else.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/07/british-troops-afghan-district-kandahar

Retracted autism study an 'elaborate fraud,' British journal

2011-01-06T17:57:00.002+11:00

Retracted autism study an 'elaborate fraud,' British journal finds

(CNN) -- A now-retracted British study that linked autism to childhood vaccines was an "elaborate fraud" that has done long-lasting damage to public health, a leading medical publication reported Wednesday.
An investigation published by the British medical journal BMJ concludes the study's author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, misrepresented or altered the medical histories of all 12 of the patients whose cases formed the basis of the 1998 study -- and that there was "no doubt" Wakefield was responsible.
"It's one thing to have a bad study, a study full of error, and for the authors then to admit that they made errors," Fiona Godlee, BMJ's editor-in-chief, told CNN. "But in this case, we have a very different picture of what seems to be a deliberate attempt to create an impression that there was a link by falsifying the data."

....

The now-discredited paper panicked many parents and led to a sharp drop in the number of children getting the vaccine that prevents measles, mumps and rubella. Vaccination rates dropped sharply in Britain after its publication, falling as low as 80% by 2004. Measles cases have gone up sharply in the ensuing years.
In the United States, more cases of measles were reported in 2008 than in any other year since 1997, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 90% of those infected had not been vaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown, the CDC reported.(1)

Well this is disturbing. Hopefully incidents like this are suppressed more effectively in the future.

Get me Bill Clinton, says Hugo Chávez after vetoing US ambassador

2011-01-05T23:40:00.001+11:00

Get me Bill Clinton, says Hugo Chávez after vetoing US ambassador

The Guardian, Wednesday 5 January 2011 09.06 GMT
Hugo Chávez has sought to end a diplomatic stand-off with the US by suggesting Bill Clinton, the actor Sean Penn or the director Oliver Stone as America's envoy to Caracas.

Washington withdrew the visa of Venezuela's ambassador last week after Chávez rejected Barack Obama's nominated ambassador. Larry Palmer had criticised Venezuela's government, saying morale in its military was low and there were clear ties between members of the Chávez administration and leftist rebels in neighbouring Colombia.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Venezuela's president said he had come up with a solution. "I hope they name Oliver Stone. I'll suggest a candidate ... Sean Penn or [linguist and philosopher Noam] Chomsky. We have a lot of friends there. Bill Clinton."

Stone visited Caracas in May for the local premiere of his documentary South of the Border, which profiles Latin America's leftist leaders. He told reporters he admired Chávez and his record since coming to power in 1999.

Penn, who has been involved in humanitarian efforts following Haiti's earthquake, won best actor Oscars for his roles in the Clint Eastwood-directed drama Mystic River and as gay activist Harvey Milk in the movie Milk.

Chávez recounted how he briefly met Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, on the sidelines of Dilma Rousseff's inauguration ceremony as president of Brazil on Saturday.(1)

Dunno about Bill Clinton being worth it, but certainly Mr. Penn or Chomsky worth considering ;)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/05/hugo-chavez-bill-clinton-ambassador

UC executives making $250,000+ demand pension increase

2011-01-01T22:50:00.001+11:00

Highest-paid UC execs vow to sue to increase pensions
By NANETTE ASIMOV
San Francisco Chronicle
Posted: 12/29/2010 01:35:54 AM PST

SAN FRANCISCO — Three dozen of the University of California's highest-paid executives are threatening to sue unless UC agrees to spend tens of millions of dollars to dramatically increase retirement benefits for employees earning more than $245,000.
"We believe it is the University's legal, moral and ethical obligation" to increase the benefits, the executives wrote the Board of Regents in a Dec. 9 letter and position paper obtained by The Chronicle.

"Failure to do so will likely result in a costly and unsuccessful legal confrontation," they wrote, using capital letters to emphasize that they were writing "URGENTLY."

Their demand comes as UC is trying to eliminate a $21.6 billion unfunded pension obligation by reducing benefits for future employees, raising the retirement age, requiring employees to pay more into UC's pension fund and boosting tuition.

Fatter executive retirement benefits would add $5.5 million a year to the pension liability, UC has estimated, plus another $51 million to make the changes retroactive to 2007, as the executives are demanding.

The executives fashioned their demand as a direct challenge to UC President Mark Yudof, who opposes the increase.

"Forcing resolution in the courts will put 200 of the University's most senior, most visible current and former executives and faculty leaders in public contention with the President and the Board," they wrote.

Without naming Yudof, the executives claim that denying their benefit increase would breach UC's code of ethics, place Yudof in a conflict of interest and jeopardize the system's ability to recruit top employees.
The 36 executives who signed the letter include Mark Laret, chief executive officer of UCSF Medical centre; Chris Edley, dean of the UC Berkeley law school; and Marie Berggren, chief investment officer for the UC system.

They want UC to calculate retirement benefits as a percentage of their entire salaries instead of the federal limit of $245,000. The difference would be significant for the more than 200 UC employees who currently earn more than $245,000.

Under UC's formula, which currently calculates retirement benefits on only the first $245,000 of pay, an employee earning $400,000 a year who retires after 30 years would get a $183,750 annual pension.

If the cap were lifted, the pensions would increase to $300,000.

The executives say the higher pensions are overdue because the regents agreed in 1999 to grant them once the Internal Revenue Service allowed them to lift the $245,000 cap, a courtesy often granted to tax-exempt institutions like UC. The IRS approved the waiver in 2007.

Yudof wants the regents to rescind their original approval of the higher pensions, but withdrew his recommendation after receiving the letter.

He did so to allow "time for further review by the regents," his spokesman said.

The executives either did not respond to requests for comment or declined to be interviewed.

The roots of the pension dispute go back to 1999, five years after the IRS limited how much compensation could be included in retirement calculations. But even after the IRS granted UC's waiver in 2007, nothing changed.

President Robert Dynes resigned in 2007 after it was discovered that UC was awarding secret bonuses, perks and extra pay to executives. State auditors also found that UC's compensation practices were riddled with errors and policy violations.

At the same time, UC officials become aware of another big problem: UC's pension obligations were about to outstrip its ability to pay retirees. Neither UC nor its employees had paid into the fund since 1999.

It took until this year for UC to act. In September, a retirement task force offered Yudof several options for closing the $21.6 billion gap — and one to widen it: increasing executive pensions.

Dissenting members of the task force said it would be "unseemly" to expand executive pensions. Tuition had just been increased by 32 percent this fall and the regents were poised to raise it another 8 percent for fall 2011.

"I think it's pretty outrageous that this group of highly compensated administrators of a public university are challenging the president and the chair of the Board of Regents," said Daniel Simmons, chairman of UC's Academic Senate and a law professor at UC Davis.

"What outrages me the most is that these 36 people are blind to the fact that this is a public entity in dire straights," said Simmons, who also served on the retirement task force and opposed the higher pensions.

Todd Oppenheimer, a 1981 graduate from UC Berkeley, said that if UC agreed to the higher pensions, it should give them.

"It's excessive and sounds greedy to me," he said. "But, unfortunately, a deal is a deal."(1)

Disgraceful. This pension increase demand is very unreasonable in my view. Esp. considering the recent increase in tuition fees by 32 per cent!

Footnote:
(1) http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_16964115

Former Israeli President Convicted of Rape

2010-12-30T23:28:00.001+11:00

Former Israeli President Convicted of Rape

New York Times

By ISABEL KERSHNER
Published: December 30, 2010

JERUSALEM — Former President Moshe Katsav of Israel was convicted of two counts of rape by a Tel Aviv court on Thursday, capping a four-year spectacle that began with accusations of sexual misconduct against him while he was still in office.

A panel of three judges convicted Mr. Katsav of raping an employee while he was minister of tourism, a post he held from 1996 until 1999. The court also convicted Mr. Katsav of sexually abusing another complainant and of harassing a third while he was serving as president.

“This is not a happy day or an easy day,” said Ronit Amiel, the state prosecutor in the case, as she left the courtroom on Thursday. But expressing the mixed feelings of many Israelis, she said the verdict represented a “badge of honor for Israeli democracy.”

Mr. Katsav, looking shaken, made no comment as he left the court accompanied by his lawyers. His son, Boaz, said that the family would continue to stand by Mr. Katsav, that they were proud of him and that they were still convinced he was innocent.

Sentencing will take place in January. Many legal commentators said that such a harsh verdict would inevitably lead to a prison term.

Reading from a 25-page summary of the verdict, the presiding judge, George Karra, said that Mr. Katsav’s testimony was “strewn with lies,” that in one of the cases of rape his diary did not support his testimony, and that the victim had “struggled with Katsav in his office and found herself on the floor.”(1)

A sad day for Israelis as a former Israeli head of state is convicted of another crime. The country has to get a grip on its political class to prevent this nonsense,

Footnote:
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/31/world/middleeast/31israel.html?_r=1&hp

UVF plans to end paramilitary activity

2010-12-29T18:04:00.000+11:00

UVF plans to end paramilitary activity, says loyalist secret intermediary

Move follows outrage over Belfast killing in May with 'critical friend' expecting statement in new year

The Ulster Volunteer Force is to make a statement in the new year that it will no longer be a paramilitary force. A negotiator who has been asked to help the UVF dissolve has told the Guardian he expects the loyalist terror group to announce "very soon" that it is no longer an underground army.

The group is a proscribed organisation in the Republic of Ireland and a designated terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom.

This year has been a PR disaster for the UVF, with the leader of its political allies in the Progressive Unionist Party resigning. Dawn Purvis stood down from the PUP after the UVF murdered Belfast man Bobby Moffett on the Shankill Road in May.

There was public outrage over the killing and hundreds turned up at Moffett's funeral in a mass act of defiance against the UVF.

Since then the UVF leadership has contacted a number of individuals known as "critical friends" whom the organisation has sought to help them wind down the paramilitary group for good.

At the centre of this process is a Dublin-born peace activist turned non-subscribing Presbyterian minister who is also the unofficial Christian chaplain for Ulster's gay community.

The Rev Chris Hudson told the Guardian that he now believed the UVF leadership was serious about dismantling its paramilitary structures, seven months after the Moffett murder.

"I am confident that something major will happen. I would be very surprised if something tangible doesn't take place very soon. Because it can't just be said, it has to be done as proof that they are going out of existence as a military organisation."

On his role in helping the UVF disband as a terror group, Hudson said: "They want some people whom they call their 'critical friends' to help them. It may be a bizarre term but they see people like me as someone they have known since 1993 who they think has never tried to spin anything they have said.

"I have listened carefully to them and I have been honest with them. My instinct tells me that they are going to do it. I am worried, I am worried because I did stop believing them, but in my recent dealings with them I saw a cohesiveness and a determination across their ranks to get to this endgame."

Hudson said that he was taken to one meeting in Belfast recently where there were dozens of UVF members engaged in workshop-style meetings all discussing a single agenda – what they will do after the organisation is entirely disbanded.

He admitted, however, that the organisation's leaders may not be able to bring everyone with them. Many living in working class loyalist areas are sceptical about the UVF dissolving and suspect that some of its members cling on to the organisation to shore up their power in their communities.

"When you are moving forward waving a white flag for peace it would be better if everyone in your ranks were following you.

"But you have to realise there will be some who for reasons of selfish interests, or even being unable to deal with a world beyond the UVF, will not want to let go.

"Those people will simply have to be left behind and they know this; the UVF leadership know there is no logical reason why they should be still in any way active."(1)

This should have happened in 1998, not years later.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/27/uvf-paramilitary-activity-end

British Trained RBA; Degenerated To Death Squad

2010-12-23T10:58:00.002+11:00

Britain 'trained Bangladeshi government death squad'

The British government has been training an elite police force in Bangladesh accused of extra-judicial killings and human rights violations, according to the latest cables revealed by WikiLeaks.

The paramilitary force has been condemned by human rights organisations as a "government death squad"

Members of paramilitary group the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were trained by British authorities in "investigative interviewing techniques" and "rules of engagement", according to wires from US ambassador to Dhaka James Moriarty.

In a cable dating from May 2009 published by the Guardian, Mr Moriarty writes: "The US and UK representatives reviewed our ongoing training to make the RAB a more transparent, accountable and human-rights compliant paramilitary force.

"The British have been training RAB for 18 months in areas such as investigative interviewing techniques and rules of engagement. They said that the training had been widely disseminated within RAB and that they were undertaking an assessment of its effectiveness."

The latest revelations from the cache of US embassy cables also revealed British police provided training to members of the RAB to address the allegations of human rights abuses.

The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) said it had provided courses to the RAB from serving police officers. Two officers from West Mercia Police organised two crime scene management courses for the Bangladesh Police and the RAB, while an associate tutor and an officer from Humberside Police ran a two-week major investigation course for the RAB.

An NPIA spokesman told the Guardian: "The NPIA has given limited support to the Bangladeshi Police and the RAB in technical areas of policing such as forensic awareness, management of crime scenes and recovery of evidence.

"Throughout the training we have emphasised the importance of respecting the human rights of witnesses, suspects and victims." He added the courses had been approved by the Government and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Human rights organisations say RAB's human rights record has deterioriated further in the last 12 months. Human Rights Watch has repeatedly described the RAB as a government death squad.

Brad Adams, the organisation's Asia director, told the Guardian: "RAB is a Latin American-style death squad dressed up as an anti-crime force."

US authorities were legally restricted in the training they could provide because of the RAB's past record, which included "reports of abuses and a pattern of misrepresentation by the RAB regarding so-called 'encounter/crossfire killings'", the US cables said.

The Foreign Office said: "We do not discuss the detail of operational counter-terrorism co-operation. Counter-terrorism assistance is fully in line with our laws and values."

Wow, if true the UK has to revise whom it trains and where possible more effectively prevent those whom it trains to uphold the law, not break it.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/britain-trained-bangladeshi-death-squad-15036506.html

Iraq approves new government with Maliki as prime minister

2010-12-22T18:38:00.001+11:00

Iraq approves new government with Maliki as prime minister

BAGHDAD - Iraq’s parliament approved Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his new government on Tuesday, nine months after an inconclusive election left politics in limbo and delayed investments to rebuild the country after years of war.

Lawmakers voted Maliki and a new multi-party slate of ministers into office, elevating Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani to deputy prime minister for energy, and leaving in place Kurdish veteran Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari.

Highlighting the ethnic and sectarian divides that pervade the war-ravaged country, parliament had to postpone the vote on Monday after last-minute factional disputes and political horse-trading over posts delayed the government’s formation.

As Maliki read out the chosen ministers’ names one by one, parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi scanned the chamber for raised hands and said “approved by the majority” each time. The speaker did not ask for a show of hands from those opposing the candidate or abstaining from the vote.

In separate votes, parliament approved three deputy prime ministers as well as other cabinet ministers and the government’s programme. The government was then declared formed with Maliki as the prime minister.

Maliki acknowledged his ministerial list was not perfect.

“I do not say that this government, with all its formations, satisfies its citizens’ aspirations, nor the political blocs’, nor my ambition, nor any other person’s ambition, because it is formed ... in extraordinary circumstances,” he told lawmakers.

“This is what we have, and what we have could be better than what we had if we stand by our decisions,” Maliki said.

Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who failed to gain enough support for a majority after his cross-sectarian Iraqiya bloc won the most seats, told the assembly his Sunni-backed coalition would participate fully in the government.

Allawi, a secular Shi’ite, has said he will join the government as head of a new national strategic policy council.

Two female lawmakers protested at Tuesday’s assembly against the absence of women in the new cabinet.

U.S. President Barack Obama, whose predecessor George W. Bush led a military invasion of Iraq in 2003 that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein, praised the formation of the new cabinet.

“Their decision to form an inclusive partnership government is a clear rejection of the efforts by extremists to spur sectarian division,” he said.

The United States formally ended combat operations in Iraq at the end of August, and there are just under 50,000 troops left in the country. The remaining soldiers are expected to withdraw by the end of 2011.(1)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/December/middleeast_December358.xml§ion=middleeast

Soldier Takes Bullet to Save Afghan Child’s Life

2010-12-19T23:10:00.003+11:00

December 19, 2010
tags: 2 RTR, Helmand, Warthog
by ukforcesafghanistan

The actions of a Devon soldier, who took a bullet himself to save the life of a small child, have shown the difference between British courage and Taliban evil.

Lance Corporal Craig Murfitt, a rifleman and medic serving in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, demonstrated nerves of steel and the coolest of clear heads in a startling sequence of events, after being called to assist other soldiers during a recent patrol

The 25-year-old, serving with the Tidworth-based 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, was amongst a crew of soldiers patrolling in one of the Army’s new Warthog armoured vehicles. They were out on a routine security patrol, providing reassurance to local communities, when suddenly they were re-tasked to reinforce infantry colleagues who been pinned down by fire from hidden insurgents and needed urgent back-up.

Lance Corporal Murfitt – from Barnstaple in Devon and known to Army mates as ‘Murf’ – picks up the story:

“It had been a pretty standard patrol but, when the call came in and we were re-tasked, we were told to get in there fast and provide support. I was in the rear half of my Troop Sergeant’s vehicle ready to give precision fire with my rifle, and the driver stepped on it to get there as quickly as possible.

“Our arrival, with our heavy firepower, seemed to bring the fight to an end fairly quickly, but we stayed alert. Everything was quiet, but then I spotted three men with a child on a compound roof, about 300 yards to the front of the vehicles.

“Suddenly two of the men moved off, leaving one man with the child – it was a girl, no more than 10-years-old. At this point I realised something was wrong – the man picked up a rifle and moved behind the child, taking aim at me.”

LCpl Murfitt immediately told his commander that he could identify a possible insurgent who was using a child as a shield and taking aiming at his vehicle. He was faced by a dilemma: he could protect himself and engage the insurgent but, if he did that, he could not guarantee that the child would be unhurt. Making a split-second call, ‘Murf’ took the decision to wait.

LCpl Murfitt continued:

“I knew I could take him down but, being a dad myself, I didn’t want to run the risk of killing a kid and undoing all the good work we’ve achieved. So I waited, hoping that the child would drop down and give me a clear shot.”

But then, as he was waiting for the moment to strike without putting the girl’s life at risk, the insurgent fired a single shot – it struck LCpl Murfitt on the left hand side of his helmet knocking him to the floor. His state-of-the-art Mark 7 Combat Helmet, which has saved so many lives before in Helmand, took the force of the bullet. ‘Murf’ was uninjured, but left on his back, on the floor of the vehicle, dazed and seeing stars.

He explained:

“I felt the dent in my helmet and said to the others, ‘I’ve been shot in the head but I’m fine’. I tried to stand up but I had disco legs and just had to sit down again for a bit!”

Despite being shaken, LCpl Murfitt kept his cool and managed to signal to the vehicle gunners where the shooter was. The child had run off as soon as the shot was fired, giving the quick-thinking troops the chance to strike without endangering the girl.

LCpl Murfitt added:

“As I sat back, and started to take in what had happened, I heard automatic fire as the Warthogs engaged the insurgent.”

Following the incident, ‘Murf’ was straight back out on patrol with his colleagues, showing his dedication to making life better for the Afghan people. Like all soldiers serving in Afghanistan, he knows that the key to success is convincing the population to trust the Afghan government and the Afghan National Security Forces they are in the process of training.

As a medic as well as a rifleman, ‘Murf’ enjoys helping locals by providing first aid to them, as well as playing his part in bringing about improved security in their communities.(1)

A hero in the truest sense. All praise for this rare jewel of British professionalism!

Footnote:
(1) http://ukforcesafghanistan.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/soldier-takes-bullet-to-save-afghan-childs-life/

US Congress Approves Repeal of DADT

2010-12-19T12:46:00.001+11:00

The US Senate has approved landmark legislation allowing openly gay people to serve in the military.

Senators voted 65-31 to overturn the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law, which bars gay people in the military from revealing their sexual orientation.

The House of Representatives had already approved the repeal bill. President Barack Obama says he is looking forward to signing it into law.

Opponents argue that the change will damage troop morale at a time of war.

More than 13,000 service members have been dismissed under "don't ask, don't tell", enacted under President Bill Clinton.

Saturday's vote was along broad party lines, with a few moderate Republicans joining the Democratic majority in favour of lifting the ban.(1)

This may be it at last, the final abolition of Don't Ask Don't Tel. in the US. All haste for Obama to sign the bill into law!

Footnote:
(1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12028657

US Kills 2 Britons in Drone Attack

2010-12-17T00:43:00.001+11:00

Two white British al-Qaeda members have died in a suspected US drone raid in Pakistan.

The Muslim converts were killed in a missile attack near the town of Datta Khel five days ago, local officials confirmed.

The men, said to be aged 48 and 25, were apparently in a vehicle with two other militants at the time.

The Foreign Office said the British High Commission in Pakistan was seeking further information.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the pair were using the pseudonyms Abu Bakr and Mansoor Ahmed.

In September, a British terror suspect was killed in a drone attack in north-west Pakistan.

The BBC was told Abdul Jabbar was being groomed to head an al-Qaeda splinter group in the UK.

According to BBC Newsnight, Jabbar was tasked with preparing Mumbai-style commando attacks against targets in Britain, France and Germany.

The US military does not routinely confirm drone operations, but analysts say they are the only force capable of deploying such unmanned, remotely-piloted aircraft in the region.

Pakistan publicly objects to the strikes, but analysts believe such raids have the private backing of officials.(1)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12006061

UK Unemployment Hits 2.5 Million

2010-12-15T22:52:00.003+11:00

The Guardian, Wednesday 15 December 2010 11.34 GMT

UK unemployment has risen back over the 2.5 million mark, fanning fears that Britain is suffering a "jobless recovery".

The number of people out of work in Britain rose by 35,000 in the three months to October, pushing the unemployment total up to 2,502,000. This raised the UK's unemployment rate to 7.9%, from 7.8% in the previous quarter, the highest rate in six months.

City economists had expected a 15,000 drop in the number of people out of work, which would have lowered the unemployment rate to 7.7%.

The rise was mainly due to a drop in public sector employment, where 33,000 jobs were lost over the period. Regionally, the north-east saw the biggest fall in public sector jobs, followed by the south-west and east of England.

Chris Grayling, the employment minister, said the figures showed the importance of keeping the UK economy growing.

"It's essential to create a stable environment where businesses can flourish and create jobs – with those on benefits at the front of the queue to take them up," Grayling said.

The government has predicted 330,000 losses will be lost in the public sector over the next four years, but has insisted that this will be compensated by arise in private sector jobs.

Today's data, though, showed that private sector employment has flat-lined – raising concerns for ministers.

David Birne, an insolvency practitioner at HW Fisher chartered accountants, warned that many companies are facing a "bleak" time, making it impossible for them to increase their workforce.

"Anyone who thinks the private sector can take up the slack from the public sector is out of touch with what's happening on the ground," Birne said.

James Knightley, economist at ING, said the UK labour report was "fairly disappointing coming after a recent run of very good figures". Last month, the unemployment total dropped by 9,000 in the three months to September, to 2.45m. But Knightley was also encouraged that the number of job vacancies rose by 11,000.

Unemployment to rise in 2011

The Office for National Statistics also reported a small fall in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits. The claimant count dropped by 1,200 in November, to 1.4627m, compared with analyst forecasts of a 3,000 decline.

With UK economic growth expected to slow next year, analysts believe that ongoing public sector job cuts and weak job creation in the private sector will lead to more unemployment in 2011.

"The labour market recovery seen earlier in 2010 has lost some momentum, in line with an easing in the pace of economic growth," warned Charles Davis, managing economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

"In many cases, businesses are still too cautious about future prospects to aggressively expand headcount, especially ahead of a year in which the VAT rise and the effect of soaring commodity prices will squeeze households," Davis added.

Morgan Stanley predicted that the jobless rate would peak at 8.6% next year.

The ONS also reported that average earnings including bonuses rose by 2.2% over the year to October, up from 2.1% in September but below the inflation rate.(1)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/15/unemployment-rises-unexpectedly

War dead parades are axed

2010-12-14T22:16:00.002+11:00

War dead parades are axed

Dec 12 2010 by Russell Myers, The People

THE world-famous parades organised by the people of Wootton Bassett to honour our war dead are to be axed by Ministry of Defence chiefs sparking fury among grieving relatives, locals and soldiers.

Huge crowds line the Wiltshire towns high street every time our fallen heroes are brought home from the front line.

And images of the poignant public outpouring of grief have been flashed to millions of TV viewers across the globe.

But the MoD believes the parades are a public relations disaster because they spotlight the unpopular conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and underscore White-halls failure to organise an official tribute to the dead on their final journeys.

Now mandarins are drawing up plans for a new route that would avoid Wootton Bassett altogether outraging the 11,000 residents of the town dubbed the most patriotic in Britain.

Since April 2007, the bodies of men and women killed in Afghanistan and Iraq have been flown to RAF Lyneham.

They are then driven the five miles to Wootton Bassett so locals and relatives of the victims can pay their respects and throw flowers on to the hearses.

One of the corteges carried Staff/Sgt Olaf Schmid, 30, from Hampshire, who last year won a posthumous George Cross after he died trying to defuse a Taliban bomb and whose widow Christina, 34, won the hearts of the nation with her quiet courage in the wake of the tragedy.

After passing slowly through the main street, the hearses travel 50 miles to Oxford for post-mortems at the Armed Forces Department of Pathology.

But Lyneham will close in 2012 and MoD chiefs plan to switch flights to RAF Brize Norton, 19 miles from Oxford.

The hearses could then go straight to the city along a discreet route probably the A40 which would deny the dead their final tribute in Wootton Bassett.

Government officials have never organised any public ceremony to mark the return home of the fallen.

But when the first bodies were driven through Wootton Bassett in 2007, a handful of local Royal British Legion members stood on a street corner and bowed their heads as the cortege passed.(1)

Outrageous, all because the public has turned against the occupation war in Afghanistan. Shame on these people for exploiting the fallen dead men and women in uniform

Footnote:
(1) http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2010/12/12/war-dead-parades-are-axed-102039-22777889/

Student protests video allegedly shows police pulling man out of wheelchair

2010-12-14T19:53:00.002+11:00

Student protests video allegedly shows police pulling man out of wheelchair

Matthew Taylor
The Guardian, Tuesday 14 December 2010

Police launched an internal investigation last night after footage emerged of a man allegedly being pulled out of his wheelchair and dragged across the road by an officer during Thursday's demonstration.

The grainy video, which was posted on YouTube, does not show the moment Jody McIntyre leaves his wheelchair but appears to show the 21-year-old being dragged to the side of the road by an officer as onlookers voice their concerns.

McIntyre said it was the second time police had pulled him from his wheelchair during the protest. He said in the first incident several officers lifted him from his chair and carried him 100 yards "for his own safety".

"This time I was in the middle of the street and I saw an officer from the earlier incident coming running over and tip the chair over and drag me from the middle of the road to the side of the road before he was restrained by colleagues," he said.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan police service said that although no complaint had been received it had launched an investigation: "As a result of media coverage, the MPS [Metropolitan police service] directorate of professional standards is investigating the circumstances surrounding this matter."

McIntyre said he was talking to his solicitor and expected to lodge a formal complaint this week.(1)

This is disgusting and justice should prevail. True, being in a wheelchair doesn't absolve yo from breaking the law. Nor does enforcing the law entitle a police officer to pull a disabled person out of their chair.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/dec/14/student-protests-video-protester-wheelchair

Explosions in Central Stockholm

2010-12-12T12:28:00.002+11:00

Two explosions have rocked central Stockholm, the Swedish capital, killing one person and injuring two, rescue officials say.

A car exploded near Drottninggatan, a busy shopping street in the centre of the city, Ulf Goranzen, a spokesman for the Swedish police, told Al Jazeera on Saturday.

Shortly afterward, a second explosion was heard higher up on the same street, and a man was found injured on the ground. Goranzen said that it was still unclear what caused the blasts.

"There was series of minor explosions, causing a fire in one of the cars in the street. Some minutes later, we found a man seriously injured 300 metres away from the scene of the first explosion. This man died."

Bengt Norberg, a rescue services spokesman, said two people had been taken to hospital with lighter injuries.

Roger Sverndal, another rescue services spokesman, said the car that exploded contained gas canisters.

Gabriel Gabiro, a former Associated Press journalist, was inside a watch store on the opposite side of the street from the second explosion and saw people running from the site.

"I saw some people crying, perhaps from the shock," he said. "There was a man lying on the ground with blood coming out in the area of his belly, and with his personal belongings scattered around him."

Gabiro said the blast was "quite loud" and said he saw smoke coming from the area where the man was lying.(1)(2)

Wow, trouble affot in the Swedish capital. All the best in determining what.

Footnote:
(1) http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/12/20101211182932945423.html
(2) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/12/stockholm-sweden-bombs-explosions

Julian Assange's lawyers 'preparing for possible US charges'

2010-12-11T23:15:00.001+11:00

Julian Assange's lawyers 'preparing for possible US charges'

guardian.co.uk, Friday 10 December 2010 17.36 GMT

Lawyers acting for Julian Assange, the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, said today they are preparing for a possible indictment by the US authorities.

Jennifer Robinson said her team had heard from "several different US lawyers rumours that an indictment was on its way or had happened already, but we don't know".

According to some reports, Washington is seeking to prosecute Assange under the 1917 act, which was used unsuccessfully to try to gag the New York Times when it published the Pentagon Papers in the 1970s. However, despite escalating rhetoric over the last fortnight, no charges have yet been lodged, and government sources say they are unaware any such move is being prepared.

Robinson said Assange's team did not believe the US had grounds to prosecute him but understood that Washington was "looking closely at other charges, such as computer charges, so we have one eye on it".

Assange is in Wandsworth prison in south London after being refused bail on Tuesday. Sweden is seeking his extradition over allegations of sexual assault.

Speaking to ABC News, Robinson said she did not believe the Espionage Act applied to Assange, adding: "In any event he's entitled to first amendment protection as publisher of WikiLeaks and any prosecution under the Espionage Act would in my view be unconstitutional and puts at risk all media organisations in the US."

Robinson said Assange was being held in solitary confinement in London with restricted access to a phone and his lawyers.

"This means he is under significant surveillance but also means he has more restrictive conditions than other prisoners. Considering the circumstances he was incredibly positive and upbeat."

Earlier this week, the US attorney general, Eric Holder, said the United States had been put at risk by the flood of confidential diplomatic documents released by WikiLeaks and he authorised a criminal investigation.

Holder said: "The lives of people who work for the American people has been put at risk; the American people themselves have been put at risk by these actions that are, I believe, arrogant, misguided and ultimately not helpful in any way. We are doing everything that we can.

"We have a very serious, active, ongoing investigation that is criminal in nature. I authorised just last week a number of things to be done so that we can hopefully get to the bottom of this and hold people accountable, as they should be."

In a letter to the Guardian today, prominent supporters including John Pilger, Terry Jones, Miriam Margolyes and AL Kennedy called for Assange's release. "We protest at the attacks on WikiLeaks and, in particular, on Julian Assange ," they wrote, adding that the leaks have "assisted democracy in revealing the real views of our governments over a range of issues".(1)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/10/julian-assange-lawyers-us-charges

Why are wars not being reported honestly?

2010-12-10T21:06:00.000+11:00

Why are wars not being reported honestly?
John Pilger

In the US Army manual on counterinsurgency, the American commander General David Petraeus describes Afghanistan as a "war of perception . . . conducted continuously using the news media". What really matters is not so much the day-to-day battles against the Taliban as the way the adventure is sold in America where "the media directly influence the attitude of key audiences". Reading this, I was reminded of the Venezuelan general who led a coup against the democratic government in 2002. "We had a secret weapon," he boasted. "We had the media, especially TV. You got to have the media."

Never has so much official energy been expended in ensuring journalists collude with the makers of rapacious wars which, say the media-friendly generals, are now "perpetual". In echoing the west's more verbose warlords, such as the waterboarding former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who predicated "50 years of war", they plan a state of permanent conflict wholly dependent on keeping at bay an enemy whose name they dare not speak: the public.

At Chicksands in Bedfordshire, the Ministry of Defence's psychological warfare (Psyops) establishment, media trainers devote themselves to the task, immersed in a jargon world of "information dominance", "asymmetric threats" and "cyberthreats". They share premises with those who teach the interrogation methods that have led to a public inquiry into British military torture in Iraq. Disinformation and the barbarity of colonial war have much in common.

Of course, only the jargon is new. In the opening sequence of my film, The War You Don't See, there is reference to a pre-WikiLeaks private conversation in December 1917 between David Lloyd George, Britain's prime minister during much of the first world war, and CP Scott, editor of the Manchester Guardian. "If people really knew the truth," the prime minister said, "the war would be stopped tomorrow. But of course they don't know, and can't know."

In the wake of this "war to end all wars", Edward Bernays, a confidante of President Woodrow Wilson, coined the term "public relations" as a euphemism for propaganda "which was given a bad name in the war". In his book, Propaganda (1928), Bernays described PR as "an invisible government which is the true ruling power in our country" thanks to "the intelligent manipulation of the masses". This was achieved by "false realities" and their adoption by the media. (One of Bernays's early successes was persuading women to smoke in public. By associating smoking with women's liberation, he achieved headlines that lauded cigarettes as "torches of freedom".)

I began to understand this as a young reporter during the American war in Vietnam. During my first assignment, I saw the results of the bombing of two villages and the use of Napalm B, which continues to burn beneath the skin; many of the victims were children; trees were festooned with body parts. The lament that "these unavoidable tragedies happen in wars" did not explain why virtually the entire population of South Vietnam was at grave risk from the forces of their declared "ally", the United States. PR terms like "pacification" and "collateral damage" became our currency. Almost no reporter used the word "invasion". "Involvement" and later "quagmire" became staples of a news vocabulary that recognised the killing of civilians merely as tragic mistakes and seldom questioned the good intentions of the invaders.

On the walls of the Saigon bureaus of major American news organisations were often displayed horrific photographs that were never published and rarely sent because it was said they were would "sensationalise" the war by upsetting readers and viewers and therefore were not "objective". The My Lai massacre in 1968 was not reported from Vietnam, even though a number of reporters knew about it (and other atrocities like it), but by a freelance in the US, Seymour Hersh. The cover of Newsweek magazine called it an "American tragedy", implying that the invaders were the victims: a purging theme enthusiastically taken up by Hollywood in movies such as The Deer Hunter and Platoon. The war was flawed and tragic, but the cause was essentially noble. Moreover, it was "lost" thanks to the irresponsibility of a hostile, uncensored media.

Although the opposite of the truth, such false realties became the "lessons" learned by the makers of present-day wars and by much of the media. Following Vietnam, "embedding" journalists became central to war policy on both sides of the Atlantic. With honourable exceptions, this succeeded, especially in the US. In March 2003, some 700 embedded reporters and camera crews accompanied the invading American forces in Iraq. Watch their excited reports, and it is the liberation of Europe all over again. The Iraqi people are distant, fleeting bit players; John Wayne had risen again.(1)

Well said, John.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/10/war-media-propaganda-iraq-lies

Iran nuclear talks under way in Geneva

2010-12-06T23:50:00.000+11:00

Iran nuclear talks under way in Geneva

The Guardian, Monday 6 December 2010 11.51 GMT

International talks on Iran's nuclear programme got under way this morning amid tension over Tehran's claim of a breakthrough in uranium production and attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists.

Diplomats from six major powers have come to Geneva to meet Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, in the first such talks for more than a year. The discussions kicked off around a long oval table in a nondescript conference centre, amid low expectations.

Iran took a step towards nuclear self-sufficiency yesterday, using locally mined uranium for the first time in an act of defiance on the eve of resumption of talks with major powers over its atomic programme.

The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran announced it had used domestically produced uranium yellowcake (refined ore) at its conversion plant in Isfahan. The mining and milling of uranium ore is not banned by UN resolutions (which focus on uranium enrichment), but one of the ways the international community has sought to terminate Iran's nuclear programme is to stop it importing yellowcake.

Yesterday's announcement appeared to signal that such measures would not stop Iran pursuing its nuclear ambitions. For the time being, however, it is little more than a symbolic step as Iran's ore deposits are mostly low grade and its capacity to produce yellowcake is limited.

The timing of the announcement is unlikely to be accidental, observers said, coming the day before Jalili is due to meet diplomats to resume a dialogue over Iran's ambitions after a break of 14 months.

Rhetoric from the Iranian leadership has repeatedly played down the talks, and turned hostile after the assassination of a nuclear scientist and the wounding of another in attacks in Tehran.

Jalili is expected to repeat allegations made by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the nuclear scientist killed last Monday, Majid Shahriari, and his wounded colleague, Fereidoun Abbasi, were victims of attacks by the west and Israel.

Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, linked the attacks to UN security council resolutions against Iran. "By adopting the UN resolutions against our country's nuclear scientists, in fact terrorist groups were given the mission to carry out these assassinations in Iran under the direction of spy services," he said at a conference in Bahrain on Saturday.

Abbasi was named in a 2007 UN resolution as involved in banned nuclear activities.

The intelligence minister, Heidar Moslehi, announced that several people had been arrested in connection with the attacks and claimed they had links with western intelligence agencies and the Mossad.

The Tehran regime has shown no sign of making concessions over the central issue – UN demands for Iran to suspend its enrichment of uranium. Tehran insists the programme is for peaceful means, and portrays the UN sanctions against it as an attempt to deny its sovereign rights.(1)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/06/iran-nuclear-talks-geneva

Lebanese Newspaper Publishes U.S. Cables Not Found on WikiLeaks

2010-12-05T11:18:00.002+11:00

Lebanese Newspaper Publishes U.S. Cables Not Found on WikiLeaks

Nearly 200 previously unreported U.S. diplomatic cables were posted on Thursday to the website of Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar. The cables, from eight U.S. embassies across the Middle East and North Africa, have not appeared on Wikileaks' official website or in the Western media outlets working with Wikileaks. Al Akhbar, which defines itself as an "opposition" newspaper, is published in Arabic. It has posted all 183 cables in their original English but promises readers a forthcoming Arabic translation.(1)

If Al Akhbar did not receive the cables from Wikileaks, it's unclear whether the newspaper got them from a leak within Wikileaks or perhaps from a third-party source who wanted to beat Wikileaks' planned release. But it appears that this is not the only such case of loose documents. Less than a week into Wikileaks' gradual release of State Department cables, a process it is less than 0.25 percent through, the shadowy radical-transparency group seems to have lost control of its cables. Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin reported on Wednesday:

One Washington lobbyist who represents countries in the Middle East said that local press in several countries he works on is reporting on cables that haven't yet been reported on by the media outlets who had advance access to the documents. The lobbyist speculated that foreign governments may also be selectively leaking cables they've come across in order to spin them in their own favor before WikiLeaks or local media has a chance to weigh in.

"New leaked cables are coming from weird sources, think tanks, the countries involved. There's a lot of stuff being quoted in local press from cables that haven't been released yet and I have no idea where they are coming from," this lobbyist said.(1)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/10/12/lebanese-newspaper-publishes-us-cables-not-found-on-wikileaks/67430/

Former Labour MP pleads guilty over expenses

2010-12-04T00:18:00.001+11:00

Former Labour MP pleads guilty over expenses

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Former Bury North MP David Chaytor has pleaded guilty to three charges relating to his expenses claims, after changing his plea ahead of the trial.

Chaytor was charged with claiming £12,925 for renting a property in London which he owned, of dishonestly claiming £1,950 for IT services and of dishonestly claiming £5,425 for renting a property in Bury from his mother.

The charge for IT services said that he supplied two invoices "when in fact the services had not been provided or charged for".

Chaytor left the court without making a statement, and will be sentenced on January 7th.(1)

Footnote:
(1) http://www.labourlist.org/former-labour-mp-pleads-guilty-over-expenses

NYT Wisdom on Progression of Wikileaks

2010-12-02T20:07:00.004+11:00

From the New York Times, my emphasis in bold;

On The New Yorker's Web site, Raffi Khatchadourian, who published a profile of Julian Assange in June, writes about the rapid evolution of WikiLeaks into something more and more like a media outlet this year. Mr. Khatchadourian explains:

This week's leak, unprecedented in its size, has prompted a Republican legislator to try to bully the Obama Administration into declaring WikiLeaks a terrorist organization. This is an extreme and wrongheaded idea - Assange does not use violence to further a political aim - and in many ways ironic because WikiLeaks appears to be acting more like a conventional media organization with each successive project. I met with Assange this spring in Iceland and spent time with WikiLeaks volunteers who were working on a video called "Collateral Murder," and Assange stridently did not want to contact the American military before the video's release. In a subsequent leak, the so-called Afghan War Logs, news organizations that were given early access to the thousands of military field reports that Assange had obtained were able to reach out to government officials before the WikiLeaks embargo date, and Assange made an effort-a regrettably imperfect one-to withhold documents that identified military informants who might face violent reprisals. In the Iraq War Logs, published this October, WikiLeaks protected people's identities in a way that was more thoughtful and thorough. WikiLeaks began to redact documents before posting them.

With the American embassy cables, Assange contacted the State Department personally to ask for the government's input. On November 26th, he wrote to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and said, "WikiLeaks would be grateful for the United States Government to privately nominate any specific instances (record numbers or names) where it considers the publication of information would put individual persons at significant risk of harm that has not already been addressed." Assange even noted-without irony, it seems-that "WikiLeaks will respect the confidentiality of advice provided by the United States Government and is prepared to consider any such submissions made without delay." Needless to say, the Obama administration declined his offer and demanded that he return all of the cables. "We will not engage in a negotiation regarding the further release or dissemination of illegally obtained U.S. Government classified materials," a State Department lawyer responded, even as the government appears to have engaged in similar negotiations with the New York Times, for the newspaper's packaging of a subset of the same cables.

He concludes:

The database leak, while intended to reveal the ecosystem of behavior within a particular institution, also creates a certain blinding or distorting effect by suddenly making so much information available simultaneously. Suppose Assange had decided to break apart the database of State Department cables and release them in tiny increments-without branding them together, under the name "Cablegate," and grandly announcing that they amounted to a single trove of 251,287 documents, but with the total number obscured, and the most embarrassing bits culled and revealed in a multipart series over, say, a twenty-month period. Suppose that on December 22nd, there was a small news item in the Times about a few cables from Turkey, and on March 12, 2011, there was an item in the paper about several cables from Saudi Arabia. Would that look like the work of an anarchist-as one columnist recently called Assange-or an act of espionage or terrorism, or would it simply look like news?(1)

This demonstrates pathetic lying by the Obama Administration. They claim they won't negotiate for the documents, they do with the New York Times. And with their complaints the leaks endanger people, here we see evidence they refuse an opportunity to prevent such possibilities.

Footnote:
(1) http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/latest-updates-on-leak-of-u-s-cables-day-4/?hp

Wikileaks Winning

2010-12-01T09:52:00.002+11:00

When I say Wikileaks is winning I don't just mean successfully leaking. But that the very purpose of Wikileaks isn't being noticed it seems, by the mainstream media and governments.

I suggest readers consider the fascinating article by the poster zunguzungu about Wikileaks and ignorance abut it that I think is well worth a read(1) called Julian Assange and the Computer Conspiracy; “To destroy this invisible government”

Footnote:
(1) http://zunguzungu.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/julian-assange-and-the-computer-conspiracy-%E2%80%9Cto-destroy-this-invisible-government%E2%80%9D/#

100,000 Irish Demonstrate Against Austerity

2010-11-28T23:14:00.002+11:00

Henry McDonald in Dublin and Andrew Clark
The Guardian, Saturday 27 November 2010 20.07 GMT

"One of the largest demonstrations in the Irish Republic's history brought more than 100,000 people on to Dublin's streets in protest over the international bailout and four years of austerity ahead.

As European officials thrashed out the finer details of an €85bn rescue package, huge crowds braved freezing temperatures to demonstrate against the cuts, aimed at driving down Ireland's colossal national debt.

The main march to O'Connell Street passed off peacefully but there was an uneasy standoff outside the Irish parliament as two lines of Garda Siochána officers hemmed in around 100 leftwing demonstrators who had broken away from the union-organised protest. Fireworks were thrown at gardai outside the gates of the Dail as protesters shouted: "Burn it down, burn it down." Extra police were rushed to the scene to surround the ad hoc demonstration by leftwing and anarchist groups, who also set fire to a picture of the taoiseach, Brian Cowen.

Among those on the main march there was deep anger that most of the €80bn-plus from the EU and IMF will be used to shore up Ireland's ailing banks.

Mick Wallace, who has had to lay off 100 of his workers due to the crash in the construction industry, said it was time the Irish became more militant: "We are far too quiet. We should be more like the French and get on to the streets more often. Because our politicians go over to Europe and tell the EU that our people do not demonstrate, they don't take to the streets. It's time we changed that and openly opposed what is going on."

Jimmy Purdy, 77, was at the demonstration outside Dublin's General Post Office – the scene of the 1916 Easter Rising. "I have lived through three recessions and I think this could be the worst one yet," he said. "I'm here because I'm angry that the EU are telling us to cut euros off the minimum wage and boss Irish workers around while the people that caused this crisis get off scot-free."

As the protesters took to the streets, sources said negotiators were keen to announce a rescue deal in time for the opening of financial markets on Monday.

Britain's share of the bailout is likely to be close to £10bn, although Whitehall insiders say the money will not add to the Treasury's budget deficit; instead a bilateral loan to Ireland will be treated as a "financial transaction".

Finance ministers from across Europe will converge on Brussels on Sunday for an emergency gathering of European finance ministers to agree the final terms of Ireland's bailout, which is expected to amount to around €85bn. An announcement could be made as early as Sunday night, before the markets open on Monday.

George Osborne will join representatives from the 16 eurozone nations plus those from the three countries that have agreed to provide bilateral loans as part of the rescue plan – Britain, Sweden and Denmark. This will be followed by a larger conference of ministers from all 27 EU countries."(1)

Good on the Irish, this nonsense has to be stopped. More decisions made without consent of the working people.

Footnote:
(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/27/ireland-bailout-dublin-protest

Sarah Palin: “We Gotta Stand With Our North Korean Allies”

2010-11-26T09:54:00.003+11:00

Wow, another bummer gaffe from Sarah Palin. You'd think she'd spend 2008-10, 2 years!, to do some research about the world(1)(2).

Links:

(1)Audio: http://www.oliverwillis.com/2010/11/24/audio-sarah-palin-we-gotta-stand-north-korean-allies/
(2) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/nov/24/sarah-palin-north-korea-allies