Activists see deception in night arrivals at Walter Reed - Stars & Stripes

European and Pacific Stars & Stripes:

"WASHINGTON — Steeling against rain and cold night air, clutching candles and placards, a group of activists are standing nightly vigils at the entrance to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, protesting what they believe is the Pentagon’s attempt to hide the human toll of the war in Iraq."

VOA News - Afghan Court Cuts Sentences for Jailed US Mercenaries

VOA News - Afghan Court Cuts Sentences for Jailed US Mercenaries:

"A court in Afghanistan has shortened the prison sentences of three Americans jailed last year for running a private prison and torturing their Afghan captives.
..........................

Last September, the three men - all civilians - were convicted of running a rogue anti-terrorist operation in and around Kabul.
..................................

When they were arrested in July while holding eight Afghans captive in a makeshift prison in Kabul, they claimed they were operating in concert with U.S. and Afghan officials.
.....................................

It later emerged coalition forces had cooperated for a time with the group, but the U.S. military denied ever directing or condoning its activities, and said Idema and his colleagues has lied about their affiliations.

The court Thursday cut Idema and Bennett's ten-year sentences in half, and reduced Caraballo's from eight years to two.

The men will serve out their terms in Afghan prisons."

Source "Curveball" blamed in U.S. intel failure - Reuters AlertNet -

Reuters AlertNet - Source "Curveball" blamed in U.S. intel failure: "WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - In building its case for the Iraq war, the Bush administration relied on bogus intelligence from a mysterious Iraqi chemical engineer code-named 'Curveball,' whose dramatic tips about mobile germ labs made their way to top policymakers with little vetting.

In its final report issued on Thursday, the presidential commission that investigated intelligence failures in Iraq cast Curveball as the 'pivotal' source behind the intelligence community's escalating warnings about Iraq's biological weapons programs before the invasion.

Assertions that Iraq was cooking up biological agents in mobile labs to elude international inspectors and Western intelligence services -- based almost exclusively on Curveball's information -- became what the report called one of the 'most important and alarming' assessments in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate cited by President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in justifying the war."

DeLay: Those Responsible For Schiavo's Death Will Answer For It - local6.com - News -

local6.com - News - DeLay: Those Responsible For Schiavo's Death Will Answer For It:

"WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush on Thursday urged the country to honor Terri Schiavo's memory by working to 'build a culture of life' while House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said 'the men responsible for this' will be called to account.
...........................

DeLay appeared to condemn judges who at both the state and federal level declined to order that Schiavo be kept alive artificially."

Yahoo! News - UN rights expert charges US using food access as military tactic

Yahoo! News - UN rights expert charges US using food access as military tactic:

"GENEVA (AFP) - A UN human rights expert sharply condemned the invasion of Iraq and the global anti-terror drive, accusing the US-led coalition of using food deprivation as a military tactic and of sapping efforts to fight hunger in the world.

'The situation of the right to food in Iraq is of serious concern,' the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, said in a report to the UN human rights commission. The report also highlighted 'widespread concerns about the continued lack of access to clean drinking water' and allegations by British campaigners that water sources were deliberately cut off by coalition forces.

'Those are the allegations, but what is proven is that at Fallujah, denial, the blockade imposed on food and the destruction of water reservoirs was used as weapon of war,' Ziegler told journalists. He insisted that the practice was a 'clear violation' of the Geneva Conventions and delivered a firm condemnation of any attempt to deny food or water supplies."

ACLU seeks Sanchez investigation on Abu Ghraib perjury- (United Press International)

ACLU seeks Sanchez investigation - (United Press International):

"Mar. 31 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union Thursday asked U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for a perjury investigation of the former theater commander in Iraq. There was no immediate comment from the Justice Department.

The ACLU said a newly released memo sent by Lt. Gen Ricardo Sanchez flatly contradicts his sworn testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in which he denied authorizing highly coercive interrogation methods of detainees.

Although The Washington Post first disclosed its existence, the memorandum at issue was withheld from public release by the Defense Department under national security grounds, the ACLU said. The ACLU obtained a physical copy of the memo under an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit and released a copy Tuesday."

Malaysia's Mahathir predicts dollar's fall - Business Week

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8950VCG0.htm?campaign_id=apn_home_down

MAR. 29 9:32 P.M. ET Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose economic management during the 1997-98 financial crisis won worldwide accolades, says the U.S. dollar is heading for a collapse, and urged international businesses to trade in euro, news reports said Wednesday.

In a dialogue session with international CEOs on Tuesday, Mahathir said only the fear of a global economic catastrophe in the event of a dollar collapse is helping the greenback retain its value, the Star and the New Straits Times newspapers reported.
...............

"The catastrophe will come one day because even the most powerful country in the world cannot repay loans amounting to US$ 7 trillion (euro5.3 trillion)," he was quoted as saying during the dialogue, held in Sabah state on Borneo island.
...............

He blamed Washington's massive deficit on President George W. Bush's economic policies.

38 GTMO prisoners not 'enemy combatants' - (United Press International)

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050329-060048-6884r.htm


Mar. 29 (UPI) -- Thirty-eight of 558 prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base are not "enemy combatants" and will go free, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

Five of the 38 have already been released. The U.S. State Department is negotiating the return of 33 more prisoners with their home governments, said Navy Secretary Gordon England at a Pentagon press conference.

General Sanchez laid out interrogation techniques in Iraq

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8029639

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. commander in Iraq authorized prisoner interrogation tactics more harsh than accepted Army practice, including using guard dogs to exploit "Arab fear of dogs," a memo made public on Tuesday showed.

The Sept. 14, 2003, memo by Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, then the senior commander in Iraq, was released by the American Civil Liberties Union, which obtained it from the government under court order through the Freedom of Information Act.

"The memo clearly establishes that Gen. Sanchez authorized unlawful interrogation techniques for use in Iraq, and in particular these techniques violate the Geneva Conventions and the Army's own field manual governing interrogations," ACLU lawyer Amrit Singh said in an interview.

The Abu Ghraib scandal, in which U.S. forces physically abused and sexually humiliated Iraqi prisoners at a jail on the outskirts of Baghdad, occurred on Sanchez's watch. Gen. George Casey replaced him as top commander in Iraq nine months ago.

Take a Look in the Mirror - MSNBC -

MSNBC - Take a Look in the Mirror:

"April 4 issue - When he was governor of Texas, George W. Bush presided over 152 executions, more than took place in the rest of the country combined. In at least a few of these cases, reasonable doubts about the guilt of the condemned were raised. But Bush cut his personal review time for each case from a half hour to a mere 15 minutes (most other governors spend many hours reviewing each capital case to assure themselves that there's no doubt of guilt). His explanation was that he trusted the courts to sort through the life-and-death complexities. That's right: the courts.

I bring up that story because it's just one of several ironies that have arisen in connection with the Terri Schiavo saga, in which the president said that the government 'ought to err on the side of life.' Fine, but whose life? The inmate who might not be guilty? The poor people across the country denied organ transplants (and thus life) because Medicaid—increasingly under the Bush budget knife—won't cover them? The poor people across the world starving to death because we won't go along with Tony Blair when it comes to addressing global poverty?

Or how about Sun Hudson? On March 14, Sun, a 6-month-old baby with a fatal form of dwarfism, was allowed to die in a Texas hospital over his mother Wanda's objections. Under a 1999 law signed by Bush, who was then governor, cost-conscious hospitals are empowered to decide when care is 'futile.' The Hudson case is the first time ever that a court has allowed bean counters to override the wishes of parents. 'They gave up in six months,' Wanda Hudson told the Houston Chronicle. 'They made a terrible mistake.' Wanda apparently was not 'cable ready,' as they say in the television world, and she failed to get Randall Terry and the radical anti-abortionists on her side. Tom DeLay never called."

Rice Alarms Reformist Arabs with Stability Remarks - Politics News Article | Reuters.com

Politics News Article | Reuters.com:

"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has alarmed many reformist Arabs with comments suggesting a new U.S. approach that promotes rapid political change without regard for internal stability.

Rice said in an interview with the Washington Post last week the Middle East status quo was not stable and she doubted it would be stable soon. Washington would speak out for 'freedom' without offering a model or knowing what the outcome would be.

'This a very dangerous scheme. Anarchy will be out of control,' said Hassan Nafaa, a professor of political science at Cairo University and an advocate of gradual change.

A liberal Arab diplomat, who asked not to be named, said: 'They seem to be supporting chaos and instability as a pretext for bringing democracy. But people would rather live under undemocratic rule than in the chaotic atmosphere of Iraq, for example, which the Americans tout as a model.'"

Aussies rank US behind China (29-03-2005) - NEWS.com.au |

NEWS.com.au | Aussies rank US behind China (29-03-2005):

"WHILE John Howard staunchly followed his close friend George W. Bush to war, Australians don't hold the same affection for our key ally, with the US ranking below China, France and Japan in the public's estimation.
Only 58 per cent of Australians have 'positive feelings' towards the world's superpower, with more than two-thirds complaining that the US holds too much sway over Australian foreign policy.

According to the first annual Lowy Institute poll, released yesterday, Australians rated the US above only our northern neighbour Indonesia and the so-called axis of evil member Iran and its war-torn neighbour Iraq."

Iraq Officials Shoot, Discourage Demonstrations - The New York Times > AP > International >

The New York Times > AP > International > Iraq Official Discourages Demonstrations:

"Iraq's interior minister warned citizens Monday not to hold protests, saying the gatherings were an invitation for a large-scale terrorist attack. His comments came a day after government bodyguards opened fire on a group of employees demanding higher wages, killing one person.

Interim Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib, likely to be out of job once the new government takes over, said the protest was among ``attempts to destabilize the situation'' in Iraq. He accused the protesters of trying to enter the office of Science and Technology Minister Rashad Mandan Omar and said the bodyguards where just doing their job by protecting the official.

Haithem Jassim, one of three people injured in the melee, said the demonstrators were unarmed."

Pharmacists' Rights at Front Of New Debate (washingtonpost.com)

Pharmacists' Rights at Front Of New Debate (washingtonpost.com):

"'There are pharmacists who will only give birth control pills to a woman if she's married. There are pharmacists who mistakenly believe contraception is a form of abortion and refuse to prescribe it to anyone,' said Adam Sonfield of the Alan Guttmacher Institute in New York, which tracks reproductive issues. 'There are even cases of pharmacists holding prescriptions hostage, where they won't even transfer it to another pharmacy when time is of the essence.'

That is what happened to Kathleen Pulz and her husband, who panicked when the condom they were using broke. Their fear really spiked when the Walgreens pharmacy down the street from their home in Milwaukee refused to fill an emergency prescription for the morning-after pill.

'I couldn't believe it,' said Pulz, 44, who with her husband had long ago decided they could not afford a fifth child. 'How can they make that decision for us? I was outraged. At the same time, I was sad that we had to do this. But I was scared. I didn't know what we were going to do.'"

Some Creditors Make Illegal Demands on Active-Duty Soldiers - The New York Times > National >

The New York Times > National > Some Creditors Make Illegal Demands on Active-Duty Soldiers:

"Sgt. John J. Savage III, an Army reservist, was about to climb onto a troop transport plane for a flight to Iraq from Fayetteville, N.C., when his wife called with alarming news: 'They're foreclosing on our house.'

Sergeant Savage recalled, 'There was not a thing I could do; I had to jump on the plane and boil for 22 hours.'

He had reason to be angry. A longstanding federal law strictly limits the ability of his mortgage company and other lenders to foreclose against active-duty service members."

Troops 'face uranium danger' [March 28, 2005] The Australian:

The Australian: Troops 'face uranium danger' [March 28, 2005]: "March 28, 2005

AUSTRALIAN troops being sent to Iraq in May could be at risk of contracting cancer or conceiving deformed children, doctors said today.
..........................................

'United Nations statistics for southern Iraq where depleted uranium was used heavily in 1991 reveal a seven-fold increase in cancer rates between 1989 and 1994,' he said.

'Congenital deformities of types virtually never seen in other circumstances are occurring in newborns in Iraq in areas where depleted uranium is present.'"

New Details on F.B.I. Aid for Saudis After 9/11 - The New York Times > Washington >

The New York Times > Washington > New Details on F.B.I. Aid for Saudis After 9/11:

"March 26 - The episode has been retold so many times in the last three and a half years that it has become the stuff of political legend: in the frenzied days after Sept. 11, 2001, when some flights were still grounded, dozens of well-connected Saudis, including relatives of Osama bin Laden, managed to leave the United States on specially chartered flights.

Now, newly released government records show previously undisclosed flights from Las Vegas and elsewhere and point to a more active role by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in aiding some of the Saudis in their departure.

The F.B.I. gave personal airport escorts to two prominent Saudi families who fled the United States, and several other Saudis were allowed to leave the country without first being interviewed, the documents show."

The New York Times > Washington > Years Ago, DeLay's Father Was Taken Off Life Support

The New York Times > Washington > Years Ago, DeLay's Father Was Taken Off Life Support:

"March 27 - Representative Tom DeLay, the House majority leader and leader of the Congressional effort to spare Terri Schiavo's life, was confronted more than 16 years ago with his own agonizing end-of-life dilemma and agreed to withdraw life support from the patient, his father, according to a report Sunday in The Los Angeles Times."

Army enlistment rate low due to war on terrorism

Army enlistment rate low due to war on terrorism:

After missing monthly recruiting goals for the first time in five years in February, the Army expects to miss goals again this month and the next as well.
.................................

'The current difficulty is primarily a factor of the ongoing war on terrorism,' said Douglas Smith, spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Ky. 'Young people and their parents are just reluctant to consider enlistment at this time.'

The National Guard numbers are the worst. In February the Guard met only 75 percent of its year-to-date target. The Reserve had met 90 percent of its goal, and the active-duty Army hit 94 percent of its goal."

Friend: Minn. Gunman Took Antidepressants - Yahoo! News -

Yahoo! News - Friend: Minn. Gunman Took Antidepressants:

"The teenager who went on a shooting rampage at his high school was put on the antidepressant Prozac after a suicide scare last summer, a longtime friend says."

Man Sells Device That Blocks Fox News - Rapid City Journal:

Rapid City Journal: Man Sells Device That Blocks Fox News:

"It's not that Sam Kimery objects to the views expressed on Fox News. The creator of the 'Fox Blocker' contends the channel is not news at all. Kimery figures he's sold about 100 of the little silver bits of metal that screw into the back of most televisions, allowing people to filter Fox News from their sets, since its August debut.

The Tulsa, Okla., resident also has received thousands of e-mails, both angry and complimentary _ as well as a few death threats.

'Apparently the making of terroristic threats against those who don't share your views is a high art form among a certain core audience,' said Kimery, 45.

Formerly a registered Republican, even a precinct captain, Kimery became an independent in the 1990s when he said the state party stopped taking input from its everyday members."

Pentagon Will Not Try 17 G.I.'s Implicated in Prisoners' Deaths - The New York Times > Washington >

The New York Times > Washington > Pentagon Will Not Try 17 G.I.'s Implicated in Prisoners' Deaths:

"March 25 - Despite recommendations by Army investigators, commanders have decided not to prosecute 17 American soldiers implicated in the deaths of three prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003 and 2004, according to a new accounting released Friday by the Army.

Investigators had recommended that all 17 soldiers be charged in the cases, according to the accounting by the Army Criminal Investigation Command. The charges included murder, conspiracy and negligent homicide. While none of the 17 will face any prosecution, one received a letter of reprimand and another was discharged after the investigations.

To date, the military has taken steps toward prosecuting some three dozen soldiers in connection with a total of 28 confirmed or suspected homicides of detainees. The total number of such deaths is believed to be between 28 and 31."

Assassination, Attacks Overshadow Iraq Political Talks - Yahoo! News -

Yahoo! News - Assassination, Attacks Overshadow Iraq Political Talks:

"BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Insurgents assassinated a senior Iraqi army commander Friday and staged two suicide car bombings, killing 15 people, in violence that politicians fear may deepen if a new government is not formed soon."

Bush Agrees to Sell F-16s to Pakistan, India Reacts - Wired News

Wired News:

"CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush agreed on Friday to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in a major policy shift rewarding a key ally in the war on terrorism and angering neighboring India.

Bush, on vacation at his Crawford, Texas, ranch, called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and explained his decision to move forward on the sale, which has been blocked for 15 years to punish Pakistan for its nuclear weapons program."

Probe Reveals Pakistan Bought U.S. Nuclear Technology

Probe Reveals Pakistan Bought U.S. Nuclear Technology:

"WASHINGTON — A federal criminal investigation has uncovered evidence that the government of Pakistan has made clandestine purchases of U.S. high-technology components for use in its nuclear weapons program in defiance of American law."

Iraq's Jaafari aims for Sharia rule [20mar05] Herald Sun:

Herald Sun: Iraq's Jaafari aims for Sharia rule [20mar05]:

"IRAQ'S frontrunning Shiite candidate for prime minister, Ibrahim Jaafari, said in an interview he aimed to introduce sharia Islamic law and federalism and confirmed Saddam Hussein would be judged by the end of the year."

Women in Iraq have increasingly become a target for extremists

Navhind Times on the Web: World:

"Reuters Baghdad March 24: Aamal, a ministry consultant, shot dead. Wijdan, a women’s rights activist and election candidate, murdered. Zeena, a businesswoman, kidnapped, shot and dumped on a highway in a headscarf she never wore.

Their crime? Wearing western clothes, having jobs or speaking out to make women’s voices heard in efforts to rebuild Iraq, plagued by relentless violence, spiraling crime and creeping religious fundamentalism. Women in Iraq have increasingly become a target for extremists, criminals or insurgents bent on thwarting efforts to form a new government and forcing out United States troops."

Iraqi militias take Islamic law into their own hands [March 24, 2005] The Australian:

The Australian: Iraqi militias take Islamic law into their own hands [March 24, 2005]:

"THE students had begun to lay out their picnic in the spring sunshine when the men attacked.

'There were dozens of them, armed with guns, and they poured into the park,' said Ali al-Azawi, 21, the engineering student who had organised the gathering in Basra.

'They started shouting at us that we were immoral, that we were meeting boys and girls together and playing music, and that this was against Islam.

'They began shooting in the air and people screamed. Then, with one order, they began beating us with their sticks and rifle butts.'

Two students are said to have been killed.
..................................

Students say there was nothing spontaneous about the attack on the picnickers. Police were guarding the picnic in the park, as is customary at any large public gathering, but allowed the armed men in without any resistance.

Army Investigation on Abuse, Possible Torture at Jail Near Mosul - from TBO.com

Army Investigation Reported Abuse, Possible Torture at Jail Near Mosul - from TBO.com:

"WASHINGTON (AP) - An Army investigation found systematic abuse and possible torture of Iraqi prisoners at a base near Mosul just as top military officials became aware of abuse allegations at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, documents released Friday showed.

Records previously released by the Army have detailed abuses at Abu Ghraib and other sites in Iraq as well as at sites in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The documents released Friday were the first to reveal abuses at the jail in Mosul and are among the few to allege torture directly.

An officer found that detainees 'were being systematically and intentionally mistreated' at the holding facility near Mosul in December 1993. The 311th Military Intelligence Battalion of the Army's 101st Airborne Division ran the lockup.

'There is evidence that suggests the 311th MI personnel and/or translators engaged in physical torture of the detainees,' a memo from the investigator said. The January 2004 report said the prisoners' rights under the Geneva Conventions were violated."

Bush signed Texas law favoring spouses | ajc.com

Bush signed Texas law favoring spouses | ajc.com:

"WASHINGTON — President Bush, now championing the right of Terri Schiavo's parents to decide whether her feeding tube should be reinserted, signed a Texas law in 1999 giving spouses top priority in making such decisions.
...........................

But in siding with Schiavo's parents over her husband, who waged a 15-year legal battle to have her feeding tube removed, Bush ran counter to a measure he signed into law in Texas in 1999.

The state law says that in cases in which a patient has not signed a directive about life-prolonging care, the patient's spouse makes the call unless there is a court-appointed guardian. An adult patient's parents are listed third, behind 'reasonably available adult children' and ahead of the 'the patient's nearest living relative.'

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said the Texas law also allows caregivers to withhold treatment 'at the point that futility has been reached and there is no longer any hope of survival or of additional health care measures being used to sustain life.' She said Bush's signing of the Texas law 'seems to conflict with his position today.'"

Bush Criticized for End-of-Life Laws - FOXNews.com - Politics -

FOXNews.com - Politics - Bush Criticized for End-of-Life Laws:

"NEW YORK — While Americans were riveted by dramatic events unfolding in Pinellas Park, Fla., a five-month-old Houston baby took his last breath after a hospital let him die despite his mother's objections.
...............................

Hudson's mother, Wanda, put up a fight when doctors advised removing Sun from a respirator. She said she did not believe in sickness or death.

But on March 15, a Texas law signed by then-Gov. George W. Bush (search) in 1999 allowed the hospital to go ahead and take Sun off the respirator in defiance of Wanda Hudson's wishes."

Cook County News-Herald - Grand Marais, Minnesota

Cook County News-Herald - Grand Marais, Minnesota:

"Earlier this month a hospital in a Southern state withdrew the feeding tube from one of its patients.
This was done despite the objections of the patient’s mother.
This matter was taken to a local judge where the hospital’s right to withdraw the feeding tube was ultimately upheld by the courts.
The patient was conscious when the feeding tube was pulled and died.
The Southern state where this drama took place was not Florida, but Texas.
The patient was not Terry Schiavo, but a six-month-old boy named Sun Hudson.
The state statute that allowed the hospital to pull this boy’s feeding tube is called the “Texas Futile Care Law.”
It allows hospitals to withdraw all means of life support from a patient where such efforts are deemed to be futile and where the patient does not have any visible financial support to pay for such medical services.
The determinations with regard to “futility of care and financial means of support” are allowed to be made by the hospitals involved — not the patients or the patients’ families. This “Texas Futile Care” legislation was signed into law in 1999 by then Texas governor, George W. Bush."

Futile Care Law Bush signed prompts cries of hypocrisy

KRT Wire | 03/21/2005 | Law Bush signed prompts cries of hypocrisy: "While Congress and the White House were considering legislation recently in the Schiavo case, Bush's Texas law faced its first high-profile test. With the permission of a judge, a Houston hospital disconnected a critically ill infant from his breathing tube last week against his mother's wishes after doctors determined that continuing life support would be futile.

'The mother down in Texas must be reading the Schiavo case and scratching her head,' said Dr. Howard Brody, the director of Michigan State University's Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences. 'This does appear to be a contradiction.'"

Radical Islam on the march in the "new" Iraq

No one seems to have reported the latest events in Basrah. Not any of the news services or the blogs.

Students of the Basrah and Shatt Al-Arab universities in Basrah city have been on strike for the last three days as a reaction to the attack last week by Sadrists and Mahdi Army militiamen on tens of students organising a field trip or a picnic at Al-Andalus park, downtown Basrah.

Hooded men assaulted the students with rubber cables and truncheons which resulted in the death of a Christian girl, Zahra Ashour, and another student who came to her rescue after militiamen had tore off her clothes and were beating her to death. He was shot in the head.
........................

Students also say the police and British soldiers were nearby but did not intervene.

A Sheikh As'ad Al-Basri, one of Sadr's aides in Basrah, stated that the 'believers' of the Mahdi Army did what they did in an act of 'divine intervention' in order to punish the students for their 'immoral and outrageous behaviour' during the 'holy month of Muharram, while the blood of Imam Hussein is yet to dry.' He added that he had sent the 'group of believers' to observe and photograph the students, and on witnessing them playing loud music, 'the kind they play in bars and discos', and openly talking to female students, the 'believers had to straighten things out'.

No reaction yet from the Governorate council, the police, or the British forces in Basrah. Thousands of students have been demonstrating in front of the Basrah Governorate building in Asharr for the last three days, shouting 'No to political Islam', 'No to the new tyranny' and 'No to Sadr'. The police (which is loyal to Da'wa in Basrah) reportedly attacked the students in order to disperse the demonstrations.

All this while some people are campaigning for Sistani to receive the Nobel peace prize. One can't help but wonder if these kinds of events are what the Islamists have in store for us when they insist on 'respecting the Islamic identity of Iraq'.

They can blame Jordan, Syria, the Ba'ath, Salifis, Wahhabis as much as they want, but they cannot utter a single word about the old new medieval Inquisition we have to deal with every day, under the sanctity of Sistani and his ilk. The new Taliban.

NJ.com: NewsFlash - UK panel faults gov't position on torture - NJ.com: NewsFlash -

NJ.com: NewsFlash - UK panel faults gov't position on torture:

"LONDON (AP) — A House of Commons committee faulted Prime Minister Tony Blair's government Friday for not saying whether it uses information extracted through torture in other countries.

The Foreign Affairs panel also urged the government to make 'strong representations' to the United States about the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

British citizens who have been released from the Cuban base or who were detained in Afghanistan have alleged that they were tortured.

'We find it surprising and unsettling that the government has twice failed to answer our specific question on whether or not the U.K. receives or acts upon information extracted under torture by a third country,' the committee said in its annual report."

accounting firms, law firms, investment banks and brokerages busted for illegal tax shelters - Latest News and Financial Information | Reuters.com

Latest News and Financial Information | Reuters.com:

"WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has recovered $3.2 billion in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties from users of the illegal 'Son of Boss' tax shelter, the agency said on Thursday.

The IRS deemed Son of Boss abusive in 2000 and has said it resulted in more than $6 billion in estimated understatements of taxes due from some 1,800 taxpayers. These were mostly wealthy individuals such as corporate executives seeking to shelter huge gains from business or stock sales during the late 1990s market boom.

'Son of Boss was not something people cooked up in a how-to book in their back yard,' IRS Commissioner Mark Everson told a news conference. 'This was something that was done by very sophisticated promoters' which included accounting firms, law firms, investment banks and brokerages.

Everson said the amount collected would reach $3.5 billion when all of the settlements are processed in a few months.

Son of Boss was a variant of another illegal tax shelter called the Bond and Options Sales Strategy. It used financial products, such as currency options and government securities, to create what the IRS called artificial tax losses that were used to offset big profits from asset sales."

Death threats rattling pols - New York Daily News - World & National Report -

New York Daily News - World & National Report - Death threats rattling pols:

"Some activists are making ugly threats, making up 'Wanted' posters for lawmakers and handing out the home addresses of judges who rejected legal appeals to keep Schiavo alive.

'I am afraid,' said state Sen. Frederica Wilson (D-Miami), who has received numerous death threats by phone and mail because she voted against a measure to reinsert Schiavo's feeding tube. 'We're talking about the sanctity of life, and [they're] threatening my life.'"

Native Americans Criticize Bush's Silence (washingtonpost.com)

Native Americans Criticize Bush's Silence (washingtonpost.com):

"MINNEAPOLIS, March 24 -- Native Americans across the country -- including tribal leaders, academics and rank-and-file tribe members -- voiced anger and frustration Thursday that President Bush has not responded to the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history with silence."

Will a British divorcee cost 'Wolfie' his job? - the Mail online | Mail - news, sport, showbiz, health and more |

the Mail online | Mail - news, sport, showbiz, health and more | Will a British divorcee cost 'Wolfie' his job?:

"The appointment of George Bush's leading hawk as head of the World Bank was heading for a crisis over his relationship with a senior British employee.

Influential members of staff at the international organisation have complained to its board that Paul Wolfowitz, a married father of three, is so besotted with Oxford-educated Shaha Riza he cannot be impartial.

Extraordinarily, they claim she played a key role in pushing the 61-year-old Pentagon official into the Iraq War. And the row comes amid claims that Wolfowitz's wife Clare once warned George Bush of the threat to national security any infidelity by her husband could cause."

DeLay defense fund takes in $250,000 - Kansas City Star | 03/13/2005 |

Kansas City Star | 03/13/2005 | DeLay defense fund takes in $250,000:

"WASHINGTON — A legal defense fund established by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, has dramatically expanded its fund-raising effort in recent months.
......................................

The list of recent donors includes dozens of DeLay's House Republican colleagues, including two lawmakers who were placed on the House Ethics Committee this year, and several of the nation's largest corporations and their executives.

Among the corporate donors to the defense fund is Bacardi USA, the Florida-based rum maker, which also has been indicted in the Texas investigation, and Reliant Energy, another major contributor to a Texas political action committee formed by DeLay that is the focus of the criminal inquiry."

Teresa Kerry rips GOP’s dirty tricksBoston - Herald.com - National Politics:

BostonHerald.com - National Politics: Teresa rips GOP’s dirty tricks:

"The outspoken wife of Sen. John F. Kerry [related, bio] last weekend openly questioned the legitimacy of electronic vote counts, cited GOP dirty tricks and scolded the Catholic Church for assailing her husband's pro-choice views.

During a fund-raising event in Seattle, she charged it would be ``very easy to hack into the mother machines'' and steal an election.
...................................

Reprising a familiar Democratic complaint, she alleged that ``two brothers'' who are ``hard right'' conservative Republicans ``own 80 percent of the machines used in the United States.''.
....................................

Said Kerry aide Katharine Lister, ``2006 marks the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and, in the spirit of this landmark law, she hopes Republicans and Democrats will work together at every level of government to ensure the passage of electoral reform and the preservation and protection of our voting rights.''"

Iraq action 'crime of aggression' - BBC NEWS | UK | Politics |

BBC NEWS | UK | Politics | Iraq action 'crime of aggression':

"The Iraq war amounted to a 'crime of aggression', the former deputy legal adviser to the Foreign Office has said.
........................................

Ms Wilmshurst resigned from her post on the eve of war because she did not believe military action in Iraq was legal.

In her resignation letter, Ms Wilmshurst says military action in Iraq was 'an unlawful use of force' which 'amounts to the crime of aggression.'

'Nor can I agree with such action in circumstances which are so detrimental to the international order and the rule of law,' she says.
..........................

Another significant point that emerges from the released section is that Ms Wilmshurst specifically rejects the grounds on which Lord Goldsmith said that the war was legal.

He had argued that Iraq's failure to comply with UN demands had 'reactivated' the original 1991 Gulf War ceasefire resolution 678, thereby allowing a resumption of hostilities against Iraq.

She states quite clearly that she believes a second resolution is required following the final warning to Iraq issued by the Security Council in resolution 14412 in November 2002."

Navy Seals Sue AP, Reporter Over Iraq Photos - Yahoo! News -

Yahoo! News - Navy Seals Sue AP, Reporter Over Iraq Photos:

"Five U.S. Navy (news - web sites) SEALs and the wife of one of the men have sued the Associated Press and a San Diego-based reporter, claiming the news organization endangered their lives and invaded their privacy by publishing photos of the elite unit apparently abusing Iraqi prisoners.
..................

The photos depict SEALs posing with bloodied and bound prisoners apparently taken during raids on civilian homes."

GOP adviser died of Oxycontin/Cocaine overdose - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - March 23, 2005

GOP adviser died of overdose - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - March 23, 2005:

"Republican media adviser R. Gregory Stevens, who was found dead in the Beverly Hills, Calif., home of actress Carrie Fisher on Feb. 26, died of an overdose of cocaine and the painkiller OxyContin, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
...............................

Mr. Stevens, with strong ties to the Hollywood entertainment community, served as the head of the Bush-Cheney Entertainment Task Force for President Bush's recent inaugural."

NEWS.com.au | Insurgents control raided Iraq camp (24-03-2005) - NEWS.com.au |

NEWS.com.au | Insurgents control raided Iraq camp (24-03-2005):

"UP to 40 fighters were seen today at a Iraq lakeside training camp attacked by US and Iraqi forces a day before and said they had never left, an AFP correspondent who visited the site said."

CNN, Fox featured ex-Schiavo nurse whose affida ... [Media Matters for America]

CNN, Fox featured ex-Schiavo nurse whose affida ... [Media Matters for America]:

"On March 22, both CNN's Live From... and Fox News' Fox and Friends aired interviews with Carla Sauer Iyer -- a former nurse for Terri Schiavo who in 2003 submitted an affidavit with inflammatory accusations against Terri's husband, Michael Schiavo -- but failed to report questions about Iyer's credibility. Judge George W. Greer, the Florida circuit judge who has presided over several aspects of the Schiavo case, dismissed Iyer's allegations as 'incredible' and noted in a September 17, 2003, order that not even Terri Schiavo's parents sought her testimony in the case.
..................................................

Greer dismissed Iyer's charges, noting that they -- along with a similar affidavit given by Heidi Law, another nurse who formerly took care of Terri Schiavo -- were 'incredible to say the least' and that '[n]either in the testimony nor in the medical records is there support for these affidavits as they purport to detail activities and responses of Terri Schiavo.' From Greer's decision:

The remaining affidavits deal exclusively with events which allegedly occurred in the 1995-1997 time frame. The court feels constrained to discuss them. They are incredible to say the least. Ms. Iyer details what amounts to a 15-month cover-up which would include the staff of Palm Garden of Lago Convalescent Center, the Guardian of the Person, the Guardian ad Litem, the medical professionals, the police and, believe it or not, Mr. and Mrs. Schindler. Her affidavit clearly states that she would 'call them (Mr. and Mrs. Schindler) anyway because I thought they should know about their daughter.' The affidavit of Ms. Law speaks of Terri responding on a constant basis. Neither in the testimony nor in the medical records is there support for these affidavits as they purport to detail activities and responses of Terri Schiavo. It is impossible to believe that Mr. and Mrs. Schindler would not have subpoenaed Ms. Iyer for the January 2000 evidentiary hearing had she contacted them as her affidavit alleges."

78 journalists killed in 2004 [March 23, 2005] The Australian:

The Australian: 78 journalists killed in 2004 [March 23, 2005]:

"SEVENTY-EIGHT journalists were killed in 2004, including 23 in Iraq, in one of the worst tolls since the International Press Institute began keeping records, the IPI said in a report today.

'The ongoing Iraqi insurgency killed 23 journalists, and it remains the deadliest place in the world to practice journalism,' said the Vienna-based institute, which monitors 191 countries on issues concerning freedom of the press."

Damning verdict on GM crop ข Guardian Unlimited | Life |

Guardian Unlimited | Life | Damning verdict on GM crop:

"Final report on world's most comprehensive field trials says oil seed rape varieties would harm wildlife and environment

The long-awaited final results of the GM trials for Britain's biggest crop, winter oil seed rape, show that wildlife and the environment would suffer if the crop was grown in the UK, in effect ending the biotech industry's hopes of introducing GM varieties in the foreseeable future.

The government, which has been keen to introduce GM crops, now has the results of the world's most comprehensive crop study, demonstrating that the GM varieties currently on offer would be detrimental to the countryside. Bayer CropScience, the company that owns the patent on the GM oil seed rape being tested, said afterwards that it was not going ahead with its application to grow the crop in Europe."

Most call centre outsourcing deals fail to achieve target, says Gartner

Most call centre outsourcing deals fail to achieve target, says Gartner:

"Many customer service call centres that have been outsourced to third-party suppliers are under-performing, according to a report by analyst firm Gartner.

Of the organisations that outsource their customer service and call centres - including the IT systems - 80% will fail to achieve their targets for costs savings, according to a Gartner report.

In addition, 60% of organisations that outsource parts of their customer-facing processes over the next three years will see customers switch to rivals and find hidden costs that outweigh any potential savings they derive from outsourcing."

Army Ups Enlistment Age to 39 - FOXNews.com -

FOXNews.com - Army Ups Enlistment Age to 39:

"WASHINGTON — The maximum age for new recruits joining the Army Reserve (search) and National Guard (search) has been raised by five years to 39.
........................

The Army National Guard missed its recruiting goal for the 2004 fiscal year and is "short across the board right now" in recruiting soldiers for active duty, Reserves and Guardsman, Robbins said."

COMPLAINT FILED IN BUSH PRE-PACKAGED PROPAGANDA BATTLE - Broadcasting & Cable: The Business of Television

Broadcasting & Cable: The Business of Television:

"Two media activist groups Monday filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to investigate broadcasters that air government-produced news reports without identifying their source.

The complaint was filed amid ongoing controversy over the Bush administration's use of prepackaged video-news releases to promote the White House's public-policy agenda.

The releases sometimes feature government spokespeople posing as TV reporters that stations can use as canned footage for their news reports. Critics say the practice misleads viewers because they are under the impression the information is being delivered by an objective reporter rather than a paid government official."

U.S. Using Anti-Terror War to Gain World Oil Reserves — Soviet Intelligence Chief - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM

U.S. Using Anti-Terror War to Gain World Oil Reserves — Soviet Intelligence Chief - NEWS - MOSNEWS.COM:

"On the pretext of fighting international terrorism the United States is trying to establish control over the world’s richest oil reserves, Leonid Shebarshin, ex-chief of the Soviet Foreign Intelligence Service, who heads the Russian National Economic Security Service consulting company, said in an interview for the Vremya Novostei newspaper.

Using the anti-terrorist cause as a cover the United States has occupied Afghanistan, Iraq and will soon move to impose their “democratic order” on the Greater Middle East, Shebarshin said. “The U.S. has usurped the right to attack any part of the globe on the pretext of fighting the terrorist threat,” Shebarshin said.

Referring to his meeting with an unnamed al-Qaeda expert at the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit research organization in the U.S., Shebarshin said: “We have agreed that [al-Qaeda] is not a group but a notion.”"

Survey: Deficits a bigger threat than terrorism - Mar. 21, 2005

Survey: Deficits a bigger threat than terrorism - Mar. 21, 2005:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The budget deficit has overtaken terrorism as the greatest short-term risk to the U.S. economy, and concern about the current account gap is rising, a survey of American businesses released Monday showed."

Hundreds of injured veterans are facing the sack - The Herald

Hundreds of injured veterans are facing the sack - The Herald:

"HUNDREDS of British soldiers are expected to be sacked because wounds or injuries suffered in Iraq have left them unfit for frontline service, The Herald can reveal."

Catholic Bishops Plan Drive Against Death Penalty (washingtonpost.com)

Catholic Bishops Plan Drive Against Death Penalty (washingtonpost.com):

"In the week before Easter, as Christians reflect on the execution of Jesus, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is launching a campaign to end the use of the death penalty in the United States."

Back China plans to outlaw Taiwan independence, leaders tell Rice - World - Times Online

Back China plans to outlaw Taiwan independence, leaders tell Rice - World - Times Online:

"President Hu Jintao told Dr Rice that he hoped that the United States would “see clearly the nature and harms of Taiwan independence secessionist forces”. Mr Hu said that he hoped that the US would “understand and support all the efforts to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and realise a peaceful reunification.”

Despite continuing disagreements over intellectual property, relations between Washington and Beijing have become increasingly warm, particularly on matters of trade and on China’s efforts to broker a deal in the North Korean nuclear stand-off.

China has freed one of its highest-profile political prisoners and Washington decided not to seek a United Nations rebuke of Beijing’s human rights record, as it had done last year."

Guantanamo Bay abuse 'videotaped' - Breaking News - http://www.smh.com.au

Guantanamo Bay abuse 'videotaped' - Breaking News - http://www.smh.com.au:

"Video footage of the treatment of prisoners by the US military at Guantanamo Bay would reveal many cases of substantial abuse as 'explosive as anything from Abu Ghraib', a lawyer says.
....................................

Mr Kenny said the full story of abuse at Guantanamo Bay would not be told until the tapes were released, but they could be as damaging as the images of Iraqi prisoners being abused by US soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison.
...........................................

He said evidence of the violence used by the IRF came to light when a member of the US military, whom he identified as Specialist Baker, applied for a medical discharge after being involved in a training session.

'What happened to him only came to light in Specialist Baker's later hearing for a medical discharge from the military for the brain damage he suffered in the beating he received at the hands of that trainee squad.'"

Secret US plans for Iraq's oil - BBC NEWS

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Newsnight | Secret US plans for Iraq's oil:

"The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq's oil before the 9/11 attacks, sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC's Newsnight has revealed.
...............................

New plans, obtained from the State Department by Newsnight and Harper's Magazine under the US Freedom of Information Act, called for creation of a state-owned oil company favoured by the US oil industry. It was completed in January 2004 under the guidance of Amy Jaffe of the James Baker Institute in Texas.

Formerly US Secretary of State, Baker is now an attorney representing Exxon-Mobil and the Saudi Arabian government.
...............................

Ms Jaffe says US oil companies are not warm to any plan that would undermine Opec and the current high oil price: 'I'm not sure that if I'm the chair of an American company, and you put me on a lie detector test, I would say high oil prices are bad for me or my company.'"

Virginity pledges don't reduce rates of STDs, study finds - The Globe and Mail:

The Globe and Mail: Virginity pledges don't reduce rates of STDs, study finds:

"Young adults who take 'virginity pledges' have similar rates of sexually transmitted diseases as their peers, according to a new study that debunks the effectiveness of a major element of the abstinence movement.

The research also found that virginity pledges -- usually public, signed statements linked with schools, community groups or churches in which adolescents promise to delay having sex until marriage -- may even encourage high-risk sexual behaviour, as those who make the pledge are less likely to use condoms and seek treatment for STDs."

EU fury grows at Wolfowitz appointment - The New Zealand Herald

The New Zealand Herald:

"The US deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz has been summoned to Brussels to explain to an angry Europe how he would run the World Bank, in an escalation of the international row over his nomination to head the world's most important development body.

European countries are furious both at President George Bush's naming of an enemy of multilateralism and by the unilateral way it was done, and are considering whether to block it."

Blair was told US 'fixed' case for war - World - www.smh.com.au

Blair was told US 'fixed' case for war - World - www.smh.com.au:

"Richard Dearlove, head of MI6, briefed Blair and a group of ministers on the United States' determination to launch the invasion nine months before hostilities began in March 2003, the Sunday Times reported, citing the BBC program, which is due to be aired later in the day.

After attending a briefing in Washington, he told the meeting that war was 'inevitable', according to the newspaper.

'The facts and intelligence' were being 'fixed round the policy' by US President George Bush's administration, Dearlove said."

CNN.com - Thousands of protesters mark Iraq war anniversary - Mar 19, 2005 - CNN.com -

CNN.com - Thousands of protesters mark Iraq war anniversary - Mar 19, 2005:

"NEW YORK (AP) -- Anti-war activists marched in the streets of U.S. cities large and small Saturday, stopping traffic and lying down alongside flag-draped cardboard coffins to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.

Some of the demonstrators were arrested in New York as they demanded that U.S. troops be brought home.
...................................................

Across Europe, tens of thousands of protesters also packed streets and public parks to protest the war. In England, 45,000 people marched from London's Hyde Park past the U.S. Embassy to Trafalgar Square. An estimated 15,000 people -- some carrying signs reading, 'Murderer Bush, get out' -- marched in Turkey. (Full story)"

U.S. Misled Allies About Nuclear Export (washingtonpost.com)

U.S. Misled Allies About Nuclear Export (washingtonpost.com):

"In an effort to increase pressure on North Korea, the Bush administration told its Asian allies in briefings earlier this year that Pyongyang had exported nuclear material to Libya. That was a significant new charge, the first allegation that North Korea was helping to create a new nuclear weapons state.

But that is not what U.S. intelligence reported, according to two officials with detailed knowledge of the transaction. North Korea, according to the intelligence, had supplied uranium hexafluoride -- which can be enriched to weapons-grade uranium -- to Pakistan. It was Pakistan, a key U.S. ally with its own nuclear arsenal, that sold the material to Libya. The U.S. government had no evidence, the officials said, that North Korea knew of the second transaction."

Insurgency in Iraq has worsened, not lessened: DIA -

Insurgency in Iraq has worsened, not lessened: DIA: "Washington, Mar 19 :

Though US President George W Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been giving the impression that the insurgency situation in Iraq is improving, the American Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), which monitors the situation daily, says it has worsened.

'The insurgency in Iraq has grown in size and complexity over the past year.
..............

Since the January 30 election, attacks have averaged around 60 per day and in the 1st two weeks dropped to approximately 50 per day," Jacoby said.
..................

Attacks numbered approximately 25 per day one year ago,' DIA Director Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby told the Senate Armed Services Committee here yesterday.
..................................

The Vice Admiral also pointed out that multiple polls show favourable ratings for the US in the Muslim world 'at all-time lows.' 'A large majority of Jordanians oppose the War on Terrorism and believe that Iraqis will be 'worse off' in the long term.' In Pakistan, he noted, a majority of the population holds a 'favourable' view of Osama bin Ladin. 'Across the Middle East, surveys report suspicion over US motivation for the War on Terrorism. Overwhelming majorities in Morocco, Jordan and Saudi Arabia believe the US has a negative policy toward the Arab world.' PTI"

The Army’s vice chief of staff says he’s been losing sleep lately over the future of the all-volunteer force - Stars & Stripes

European and Pacific Stars & Stripes:

"WASHINGTON — The Army’s vice chief of staff says he’s been losing sleep lately over the future of the all-volunteer force.

“What keeps me awake at night is what this all-volunteer force will look like in 2007,” Gen. Richard Cody told lawmakers recently on Capital Hill.

It’s a concern others should share, he says.

“I think it ought to keep all of you awake,” he told a gathering of reporters Wednesday."

For Bush, Huge Federal Deficits May Be One of His Legacies An AP News Analysis - from TBO.com

For Bush, Huge Federal Deficits May Be One of His Legacies An AP News Analysis - from TBO.com:

"WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush frequently says he wants to solve big problems like Social Security's finances, not pass them on to future generations. It appears unavoidable, however, that Bush will leave a painful legacy of staggering government debt.

What was once expected to be a $5.6 trillion surplus over 10 years is now projected to be at least a $4 trillion deficit by 2015, if Bush's tax cuts are made permanent and his Social Security suggestions adopted.

Analysts suggest one-party dominance of the government is working against serious efforts to address the red ink, providing little incentive for bipartisan compromises on difficult choices to narrow the deficit.

'Everybody recognizes that deficits are unsustainable. And I don't think anybody takes the current deficit-reduction effort serious,' said Robert Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a bipartisan group that advocates eliminating federal deficits.

Bixby said it might take some major outside force - a financial market collapse, foreign investors deciding to flee U.S. government securities - to force action."

Two Years Later, Iraq War Drains Military (washingtonpost.com)

Two Years Later, Iraq War Drains Military (washingtonpost.com):

"Unexpectedly heavy demands of sustained ground combat are depleting military manpower and gear faster than they can be fully replenished. Shortfalls in recruiting and backlogs in needed equipment are taking a toll, and growing numbers of units have been broken apart or taxed by repeated deployments, particularly in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

'What keeps me awake at night is, what will this all-volunteer force look like in 2007?' Gen. Richard A. Cody, Army vice chief of staff, said at a Senate hearing this week.

The Iraq war has also led to a drop in the overall readiness of U.S. ground forces to handle threats at home and abroad, forcing the Pentagon to accept new risks -- even as military planners prepare for a global anti-terrorism campaign that administration officials say could last for a generation."

Gas-guzzler sales may be at risk from China rules - Reuters

Reuters AlertNet - Gas-guzzler sales may be at risk from China rules:

"HELSINKI, March 18 (Reuters) - Most American cars and half of European models do not meet new fuel consumption standards that China will introduce at mid-year, a European Commission official said on Friday.

But car industry officials played down any concerns that their sales in a crucial market might be at risk. 'China plans to introduce next summer tough environmental norms. Eighty percent of U.S.-made cars would not fulfil these and 50 percent of European cars,' Timo Makela, director of sustainable development and integration at the European Commission, told a seminar in Helsinki."

Native Americans decry Alaska exploration ruling. 18/03/2005. ABC News Online

Native Americans decry Alaska exploration ruling. 18/03/2005. ABC News Online:

"There has been an angry reaction from native Americans in Alaska to the decision by the United States Senate to open up a remote wildlife refuge to oil drilling."

Bush Administration Blacks Out Clinton Docs - FOXNews.com - Politics -

FOXNews.com - Politics - Bush Administration Blacks Out Clinton Docs:

"WASHINGTON — The Bush administration blacked out almost all the information in hundreds of documents before releasing them to a conservative organization looking into President Clinton's controversial pardons four years ago on his last day in office.

The only items not deleted from the material are the names of the person who wrote the document and the person it was sent to.
..............................

The Bush White House (search) has argued that releasing pardon-related documents would have a chilling effect on internal discussions leading up to presidential action on such requests.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton (search) called it an instance of the Bush administration covering up a Clinton administration scandal."

UN Says Laws Against Torture Eroding - Mar 18, 2005 Geneva

PolitInfo.com - UN Says Laws Against Torture Eroding - Mar 18, 2005 Geneva:

"In her report, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, expresses her dismay over what she says is the erosion of some of the clearest and most well-established human rights norms. In particular, she singles out the long-established prohibition on the use of torture, a norm so widely accepted that it has become a matter of customary international law.

But, Ms. Arbour says this absolute prohibition against torture appears to be slipping away. She says an increasing number of countries are questioning the very existence of this ban.

To counter this growing danger, she says the human rights community must insist that states implement their international legal obligation not to torture and to prevent others from torturing. She also urges countries to ratify the Optional Protocol against Torture. This protocol would allow independent experts to regularly visit places where people are in danger of being tortured."

Afghanistan now 'One huge US jail' - 'Guardian Unlimited | Special reports |

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | 'One huge US jail':

"There we met Dr Rafiullah Bidar, regional director of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, established in 2003 with funding from the US Congress to investigate abuses committed by local warlords and to ensure that women's and children's rights were protected. He was delighted to see foreigners in town. At his office in central Gardez, Bidar showed us a wall of files. 'All I do nowadays is chart complaints against the US military,' he said. 'Many thousands of people have been rounded up and detained by them. Those who have been freed say that they were held alongside foreign detainees who've been brought to this country to be processed. No one is charged. No one is identified. No international monitors are allowed into the US jails.' He pulled out a handful of files: 'People who have been arrested say they've been brutalised - the tactics used are beyond belief.' The jails are closed to outside observers, making it impossible to test the truth of the claims.
...............................

Since September 11 2001, one of the US's chief strategies in its "war on terror" has been to imprison anyone considered a suspect on whatever grounds. To that end it commandeered foreign jails, built cellblocks at US military bases and established covert CIA facilities that can be located almost anywhere, from an apartment block to a shipping container. The network has no visible infrastructure - no prison rolls, visitor rosters, staff lists or complaints procedures. Terror suspects are being processed in Afghanistan and in dozens of facilities in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the British island of Diego Garcia in the southern Indian Ocean. Those detained are held incommunicado, without charge or trial, and frequently shuttled between jails in covert air transports, giving rise to the recently coined US military expression "ghost detainees".....

The floating population of "ghost detainees", according to US and UK military officials, now exceeds 10,000."

Filibuster Precedent? Democrats Point to '68 and Fortas (washingtonpost.com)

Filibuster Precedent? Democrats Point to '68 and Fortas (washingtonpost.com):

"The GOP claim, asserted in speeches, articles and interviews, is that filibusters against judicial nominees are unprecedented.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) told his panel this month that the judicial battles have escalated, 'with the filibuster being employed for the first time in the history of the Republic.' Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) said in a Senate speech last week, 'The crisis created by the unprecedented use of filibusters to defeat judicial nominations must be solved.'

Such claims, however, are at odds with the record of the successful 1968 GOP-led filibuster against President Lyndon B. Johnson's nomination of Abe Fortas to be chief justice of the United States. 'Fortas Debate Opens with a Filibuster,' a Page One Washington Post story declared on Sept. 26, 1968. It said, 'A full-dress Republican-led filibuster broke out in the Senate yesterday against a motion to call up the nomination of Justice Abe Fortas for Chief Justice.'"

Questions Left by C.I.A. Chief on Torture Use - The New York Times > Washington >

The New York Times > Washington > Questions Left by C.I.A. Chief on Torture Use:

"March 17 - Porter J. Goss, the director of central intelligence, said Thursday that he could not assure Congress that the Central Intelligence Agency's methods of interrogating terrorism suspects since Sept. 11, 2001, had been permissible under federal laws prohibiting torture."

Un-Volunteering: Troops Improvise to Find Way Out - The New York Times > National >

The New York Times > National > Un-Volunteering: Troops Improvise to Find Way Out:

"Specialist Marquise J. Roberts is accused of asking a relative in Philadelphia to shoot him in the leg so he would not have to return to war.

A bullet to the leg, Specialist Roberts, of Hinesville, Ga., told the police, seemed his best chance. 'I was scared,' he said, according to a police report on the December shooting. 'I didn't want to go back to Iraq and leave my family. I felt that my chain of command didn't care about the safety of the troops. I just know that I wasn't going to make it back.'
....................................

A group of former soldiers who succeeded in achieving conscientious-objector status has created a Web site, www.peace-out.com, showing people how to apply. The site reported 3,000 hits the first day."

The New York Times > Washington > Questions Left by C.I.A. Chief on Torture Use

The New York Times > Washington > Questions Left by C.I.A. Chief on Torture Use

WASHINGTON, March 17 - Porter J. Goss, the director of central intelligence, said Thursday that he could not assure Congress that the Central Intelligence Agency's methods of interrogating terrorism suspects since Sept. 11, 2001, had been permissible under federal laws prohibiting torture.

Fake Cable Labeled Writer a Spy for Iraq (washingtonpost.com)

Fake Cable Labeled Writer a Spy for Iraq (washingtonpost.com):

Friday, March 18, 2005; Page C01

Someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to produce a document accusing journalist and activist William Arkin of serving as a spy for Saddam Hussein.

The Pentagon says the supposed Defense Intelligence Agency cable is a forgery. Arkin says it's 'chilling' and is demanding an investigation. The NBC News military analyst says he became aware of the bogus document when a Washington Times reporter called about the spying allegation and sent him a copy.

'There are a lot of reasons, I guess, why people would want to do me harm,' Arkin said yesterday. One, he said, is the recent publication of his book 'Code Names: Deciphering U.S. Military Plans, Programs and Operations in the 9/11 World.' Another, he noted, is a series of past scoops that embarrassed the Bush administration."

Soldiers' families to hold anti-war rally at Ft. Bragg - USATODAY.com -

USATODAY.com - Soldiers' families to hold anti-war rally at Ft. Bragg:

By Charisse Jones, USA TODAY

Military families and veterans are helping organize a major anti-war rally outside Fort Bragg in North Carolina that could draw several thousand people Saturday, the second anniversary of the Iraq war.

Groups such as Iraq Veterans Against The War and Gold Star Families for Peace, whose members have lost relatives in Iraq, will play a prominent role."

Dutchman in Iraq genocide trial

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4360137.stm
By Geraldine Coughlan
BBC News, Rotterdam

Victims of the 1988 Halabja chemical gas attack
Bush and Blair cited Halabja as an example of Saddam's brutality
The trial of a Dutch businessman accused of selling chemicals to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to make poison gas is due to open in Rotterdam.

Frans van Anraat is accused of war crimes and genocide, the first time a Dutchman has faced that charge.

Mr van Anraat is accused of selling chemicals from the US and Japan to Iraq to make nerve gases and mustard gas.

The gases are said to have been used in the 1988 attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja, where more than 5,000 died.

Kerry: Bush $2.6T Budget Plan Dishonest - Guardian Unlimited | World Latest |

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Kerry: Bush $2.6T Budget Plan Dishonest:

"WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush's $2.6 trillion budget plan working its way through Congress is dishonest, irresponsible and violates the core values of average Americans, said Bush's former rival for the presidency, Sen. John Kerry.

``This budget is like an Enron budget: smoke the numbers, cook the books, hide the truth and hope no one finds out,'' Kerry, who was last year's Democratic presidential nominee, said in prepared remarks for a speech Thursday.

Kerry criticized the Republican leadership's priorities in a budget that includes proposed cuts in health care and education and up to $106 billion in tax cuts over the next five years.

And he said the budget fails to acknowledge ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan that could cost up to $400 billion over the next 10 years, as well as the cost of Bush's key priority - Social Security reform.

The Massachusetts senator said the budget will pile up almost $6 trillion in new debt, while giving tax cuts to the rich."

The Sun Herald | 03/17/2005 | Probe of faux reporter voted down - The Sun Herald | 03/17/2005 |

The Sun Herald | 03/17/2005 | Probe of faux reporter voted down:

"WASHINGTON - Thompson's attempt to begin an investigation into how an online writer was allowed to join the White House press corps is defeated.

A party-line vote Wednesday defeated Rep. Bennie Thompson's (D-2nd District) push to investigate the Bush administration's approval of a press pass for a conservative activist who became a daily fixture at White House press briefings.

Thompson, the House's top-ranked Democrat for homeland security, joined other leading Democrats to call for an inquiry into how James D. Guckert, an online writer with ties to pornographic Web sites, joined the exclusive White House press corps and gained access to an internal government intelligence memo."

Rice Praises Afghan Drug Clampdown - Yahoo! News -

Yahoo! News - Rice Praises Afghan Drug Clampdown:

"KABUL, Afghanistan - Weeks after the United States declared Afghanistan (news - web sites) on the verge of becoming a narcotic state, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) on Thursday praised Afghan efforts to clamp down on the heroin trade and Afghan President Hamid Karzai predicted drug production will drop significantly this y"

Army officials haven’t maintained “the level necessary to keep child care centers open - Stars & Stripes

European and Pacific Stars & Stripes:

"WASHINGTON — Members of Congress voiced concerns Tuesday that funding for child care centers, barracks maintenance and other military base programs will be hurt by what they call inadequate money for construction and repair in the proposed 2006 defense budget.

During a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing, Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., said he was “astounded” that Army officials haven’t maintained “the level necessary to keep child care centers open, dining halls serving chow, lights turned on and base employees reporting to work.”

Army operations funding will be underfunded by nearly $1 billion in the proposed 2006 budget, and other military services will see a $400 million drop in much-needed repair and construction funds, according to subcommittee members."

CIA's Assurances On Transferred Suspects Doubted (washingtonpost.com)

CIA's Assurances On Transferred Suspects Doubted (washingtonpost.com): The system the CIA relies on to ensure that the suspected terrorists it transfers to other countries will not be tortured has been ineffective and virtually impossible to monitor, according to current and former intelligence officers and lawyers, as well as counterterrorism officials who have participated in or reviewed the practice.
..............................

President Bush weighed in on the matter for the first time yesterday, defending renditions as vital to the nation's defense.

In "the post-9/11 world, the United States must make sure we protect our people and our friends from attack," he said at a news conference. "And one way to do so is to arrest people and send them back to their country of origin with the promise that they won't be tortured. That's the promise we receive. This country does not believe in torture. We do believe in protecting ourselves." One CIA officer involved with renditions, however, called the assurances from other countries "a farce."

Another U.S. government official who visited several foreign prisons where suspects were rendered by the CIA after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said: "It's beyond that. It's widely understood that interrogation practices that would be illegal in the U.S. are being used."

CIA's Assurances On Transferred Suspects Doubted (washingtonpost.com)

CIA's Assurances On Transferred Suspects Doubted (washingtonpost.com): The system the CIA relies on to ensure that the suspected terrorists it transfers to other countries will not be tortured has been ineffective and virtually impossible to monitor, according to current and former intelligence officers and lawyers, as well as counterterrorism officials who have participated in or reviewed the practice.
..................................

President Bush weighed in on the matter for the first time yesterday, defending renditions as vital to the nation's defense.

In "the post-9/11 world, the United States must make sure we protect our people and our friends from attack," he said at a news conference. "And one way to do so is to arrest people and send them back to their country of origin with the promise that they won't be tortured. That's the promise we receive. This country does not believe in torture. We do believe in protecting ourselves." One CIA officer involved with renditions, however, called the assurances from other countries "a farce."

Another U.S. government official who visited several foreign prisons where suspects were rendered by the CIA after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said: "It's beyond that. It's widely understood that interrogation practices that would be illegal in the U.S. are being used."

New on the Wire: AP to Offer Two Leads for Some Stories

New on the Wire: AP to Offer Two Leads for Some Stories:

"NEW YORK Attention Associated Press members, prepare to get more for your money: Now available, two leads for the price of one.

In a break with tradition at the 156-year-old news cooperative, the AP will now offer two different leads for many of its news stories, the organization confirmed Wednesday.

'The concept is simple: On major spot stories -- especially when events happen early in the day -- we will provide you with two versions to choose between,' the AP said in an advisory to members. 'One will be the traditional 'straight lead' that leads with the main facts of what took place. The other will be the 'optional,' an alternative approach that attempts to draw in the reader through imagery, narrative devices, perspective or other creative means.'"

House Votes to Reaffirm Ban on Torture - Newsday.com - AP Washington

Newsday.com - AP Washington:

"WASHINGTON -- The House voted Wednesday to ban the use of federal money to transfer terror suspects to countries that are believed to torture prisoners, a practice that has drawn fierce criticism of the Bush administration.

The largely symbolic amendment reaffirms a 1994 treaty barring torture of detainees in American custody, whether in the United States or in countries known for human rights violations. The measure was approved 420-2 as part of an $81.4 billion emergency spending package for combat and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan."

China's President Tells Army to Be Prepared for War as Parliament Prepares to Pass Anti-Secession Law Aimed at Taiwan - from TBO.com

China's President Tells Army to Be Prepared for War as Parliament Prepares to Pass Anti-Secession Law Aimed at Taiwan - from TBO.com:

"BEIJING (AP) - China's President Hu Jintao was named chairman of a government military commission on Sunday, capping a generational transfer of power, and told the 2.5 million-member People's Liberation Army to be prepared for war on the eve of the expected passage of a law authorizing an attack if Taiwan declares formal independence."

Iraqi general shot dead by US troops at checkpoint west of Ramadi: police

Iraqi general shot dead by US troops at checkpoint west of Ramadi: police:

"RAMADI, Iraq - The deputy commander of the Iraqi army in western Al-Anbar province was shot dead by US troops at a checkpoint Tuesday night, a police officer said.

'The US forces opened fire at 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) on Brigadier General Ismail Swayed al-Obeid, who had left his base in Baghdadi to head home,' police Captain Amin al-Hitti said.

'They spotted him on the road after the curfew, which goes into effect at 6 pm,' the officer said in Baghdadi, 185 kilometres (142 miles) west of the capital.

No immediate reaction was available from the US military."

Pakistan reviving nuclear black market, experts say - Reuters

Reuters AlertNet - Pakistan reviving nuclear black market, experts say:

"VIENNA, March 15 (Reuters) - Pakistan has developed new illicit channels to upgrade its nuclear weapons programme, despite efforts by the U.N. atomic watchdog to shut down all illegal procurement avenues, diplomats and nuclear experts said.

Western diplomats familiar with an investigation of the nuclear black market by the U.N.'s Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said this news was disturbing.

While Pakistan appeared to be shopping for its own needs, the existence of some nuclear black market channels meant there were still ways for rogue states or terrorist groups to acquire technology that could be used in atomic weapons, they said."

Pentagon Sees $108 Million in Overcharges by Halliburton - The New York Times > Business >

The New York Times > Business > Pentagon Sees $108 Million in Overcharges by Halliburton:

"Overbilling for postwar fuel imports to Iraq by the Halliburton Company totaled more than $108 million, according to a report by Pentagon auditors that was completed last fall but has not been officially released to the public or to Congress.

In one case, according to the auditing report, the company claimed that it had paid more than $27 million to transport liquified petroleum gas it had purchased in Kuwait for just $82,000, a charge the auditors dismissed as 'illogical.'

The fuels report, by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, was one of nine involving Halliburton that were completed in October 2004, in the month before the American presidential elections. But the Bush administration has kept all of them confidential despite repeated requests from both Republican and Democratic members of Congress."

House Seeks to Stop Funds for New Iraq Embassy - Politics News Article | Reuters.com

Politics News Article | Reuters.com:

"The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday sought to block the Bush administration from using $658 million it requested in an emergency war spending bill to build an embassy in Baghdad, a move that could delay construction.

The House voted 258-170 in favor of a measure, introduced by a Republican, that would stop the money being used for embassy construction, maintenance and security."

Democratic members have requested a formal review of interrogation and detention practices by the U.S. - Newsday.com - AP Washington

Newsday.com - AP Washington:

"Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee failed to agree Tuesday on whether to open a formal investigation into U.S. interrogation and detention practices.
..................

Rockefeller said the committee is 'not facing its oversight responsibilities with sufficient seriousness' on subjects that will be affecting the country for the next 30 to 40 years.

All seven of the committee's Democratic members have requested a formal review of interrogation and detention practices by the U.S. intelligence apparatus. The Democrats also want to look into 'renditions' -- a practice of transferring foreigners to another country for detention and questioning."

U.S. calls deaths of 26 prisoners homicides - IHT

U.S. calls deaths of 26 prisoners homicides:

"At least 26 prisoners have died in American custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002 in what U.S. Army and Navy investigators have now concluded or suspect were acts of criminal homicide, according to military officials.
.
The number of confirmed or suspected unlawful killings of prisoners is much higher than any the army and the Pentagon have previously reported.
.
A Pentagon report sent to Congress last week cited a figure of only six prisoner deaths caused by abuse, but that partial tally was limited to what the report's author, Vice Admiral Albert Church of the navy, called 'closed, substantiated abuse cases' as of last September."

Italy 'to pull troops from Iraq - 'BBC NEWS | Europe |

BBC NEWS | Europe | Italy 'to pull troops from Iraq':

"Italy is to begin withdrawing its troops from Iraq in September 2005, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said."

GIs shoot Iraq battle footage and edit it into music videos filled with death and destruction - LA Times

Extreme Cinema Verite:

"GIs shoot Iraq battle footage and edit it into music videos filled with death and destruction. And they display their work as entertainment.

....video cameras are lightweight and digital technology has cut out the need for processing. Having captured a firefight on video, a soldier can create a movie and distribute it via e-mail, uncensored by the military. With editing software such as Avid and access to Internet connections on military bases here, U.S. soldiers are creating fast-paced, MTV-style music videos using images from actual firefights and killings....

***

The result: an abundance of photographs and video footage depicting mutilation, death and destruction that soldiers collect and trade like baseball cards....

***

(Pfc. Chase McCollough) was surprised that his favorite video was disturbing to his loved ones back in Texas....

***

Brandi McCullough, then his fiancee and now his wife...was shocked by images of "body parts missing, bombs going off and people getting shot....I didn't realize there was that much" violence....

***

McCullough said his father, a naval reserve captain, had told him, " 'You know, this isn't normal.'..."

MPs urge Bar Council to investigate advice on war

News:

"The Attorney General is facing a damaging inquiry by the barristers' ruling body after the revelation by the country's most senior civil servant that Britain went to war on the basis of one page of legal advice.

MPs have lodged a formal complaint with the Bar Council, which regulates barristers, and asked for an investigation into Lord Goldsmith's conduct in offering his 'definitive advice' on the legality of invading Iraq on a single page of A4. It came as the Government confirmed yesterday it would not release the legal advice for war despite a request to review its decisions."

Looting at Iraqi Weapons Plants Was Systematic, Official Says - The New York Times > International > Middle East >

The New York Times > International > Middle East > Looting at Iraqi Weapons Plants Was Systematic, Official Says:

"Iraq, March 12 - In the weeks after Baghdad fell in April 2003, looters systematically dismantled and removed tons of machinery from Saddam Hussein's most important weapons installations, including some with high-precision equipment capable of making parts for nuclear arms, a senior Iraqi official said this week in the government's first extensive comments on the looting.
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The threat posed by these types of facilities was cited by the Bush administration as a reason for invading Iraq, but the installations were left largely unguarded by allied forces in the chaotic months after the invasion.

Dr. Araji's statements came just a week after a United Nations agency disclosed that approximately 90 important sites in Iraq had been looted or razed in that period."

Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged News-The New York Times > Washington >

The New York Times > Washington > Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged News:

"An examination of government-produced news reports offers a look inside a world where the traditional lines between public relations and journalism have become tangled, where local anchors introduce prepackaged segments with 'suggested' lead-ins written by public relations experts. It is a world where government-produced reports disappear into a maze of satellite transmissions, Web portals, syndicated news programs and network feeds, only to emerge cleansed on the other side as 'independent' journalism."

Army Details Scale of Abuse of Prisoners in an Afghan Jail - The New York Times > Washington >

The New York Times > Washington > Army Details Scale of Abuse of Prisoners in an Afghan Jail:

"WASHINGTON, March 11 - Two Afghan prisoners who died in American custody in Afghanistan in December 2002 were chained to the ceiling, kicked and beaten by American soldiers in sustained assaults that caused their deaths, according to Army criminal investigative reports that have not yet been made public.
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The attacks on Mr. Dilawar were so severe that 'even if he had survived, both legs would have had to be amputated,' the Army report said, citing a medical examiner.
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Among those implicated in the killings at Bagram were members of Company A of the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion, from Fort Bragg, N.C. The battalion went on to Iraq, where some members established the interrogation unit at Abu Ghraib and have been implicated in some abuses there.

The reports, from the Army Criminal Investigation Command, also make clear that the abuse at Bagram went far beyond the two killings. .......................
..................................

American military officials in Afghanistan initially said the deaths of Mr. Habibullah, in an isolation cell on Dec. 4, 2002, and Mr. Dilawar, in another such cell six days later, were from natural causes. Lt. Gen. Daniel K. McNeill, the American commander of allied forces in Afghanistan at the time, denied then that prisoners had been chained to the ceiling or that conditions at Bagram endangered the lives of prisoners.

But after an investigation by The New York Times, the Army acknowledged that the deaths were homicides. Last fall, Army investigators implicated 28 soldiers and reservists and recommended that they face criminal charges, including negligent homicide."

Feds Suggest Enron Contracts Were Illegal - ABC News:

ABC News: Feds Suggest Enron Contracts Were Illegal:

"SEATTLE Mar 12, 2005 — Government regulators handed a major victory to western utilities and cities trying to get out of exorbitant contracts they made with disgraced energy giant Enron Corp. during the power crisis of 2000-01.

In a six-page order issued Friday evening, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determined that Enron was engaging in illegal activity at the time it entered in the contracts. It was the first time the commission acknowledged that the contracts were signed under fraudulent pretenses."

Pentagon Seeks to Transfer More Detainees From Base in Cuba - The New York Times > Washington >

The New York Times > Washington > Pentagon Seeks to Transfer More Detainees From Base in Cuba:

"WASHINGTON, March 10 - The Pentagon is seeking to enlist help from the State Department and other agencies in a plan to cut by more than half the population at its detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in part by transferring hundreds of suspected terrorists to prisons in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Yemen, according to senior administration officials.
.......................

Transfers have been approved by the State Department to countries including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, identified in the department's own human rights reports as nations where the use of torture in prisons is common."

Italian PM Disputes U.S. Shooting of Agent - Yahoo! News -

Yahoo! News - Italian PM Disputes U.S. Shooting of Agent:

"ROME - The prime minister on Wednesday disputed Washington's version of the events leading to the killing of an Italian intelligence agent by U.S. troops in Baghdad, saying the agent had notified the proper authorities that he was on his way to the airport after winning the release of a hostage.

The top U.S. general in Iraq (news - web sites) said he had no indication that Italian officials gave advance notice of the route the Italians' car was taking. In a statement released after the shooting, the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which controls Baghdad, said the vehicle was speeding and refused to stop.
.................................

But in his first major address since Friday's shooting strained relations between the United States and Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told lawmakers the car carrying the intelligence agent Nicola Calipari and journalist Giuliana Sgrena was traveling at a slow speed and stopped immediately when a light was flashed."

Converting from Islam a Capital Offense in Bush's New Afghanistan - Providence Journal/U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

http://www.projo.com/religion/content/projo_20050305_riafghan.1bb7abd.html

Experts say that despite the reforms of President Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan remains a conservative country, committed to an interpretation of Islamic law that makes apostasy a capital crime.
............................................

In May 2003 a federal commission that advises the president and Congress on how best to promote religious liberty expressed grave reservations about how the Afghan judiciary would treat the crime of apostasy.

"Afghan jurists have stated that apostasy from Islam would be considered a capital offense, but have intimated that ways would be found to avoid the death penalty," wrote members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

See also - http://www.uscirf.gov/index.php3?scale=1280

Afghanistan makes first appearance on list of countries where Christians are persecuted most - Christian Today

Christian Today > Open Doors World Watchlist Released:

"For the third straight year, the isolated communist nation of North Korea remains atop an annual list of countries where Christians are persecuted most.
.................................................

Right below North Korea on the World Watch List was again Saudi Arabia, where all citizens are required to be Muslims and where apostasy - conversion to anther religion - is punishable by death.
...............................

This year Somalia and Afghanistan make their first appearance on the list."

UN warns Afghanistan could slide into chaos. 22/02/2005. ABC News Online

UN warns Afghanistan could slide into chaos. 22/02/2005. ABC News Online:

"Afghanistan remains one of the world's poorest places three years after the ousting of the Taliban and could fall back into chaos if people's grievances are not addressed, the United Nations has warned in its first ever development survey of the war-ravaged country.

There had been 'remarkable' progress since US-led forces toppled the Islamic regime, but without help the country that once sheltered Osama bin Laden could again pose a international threat, the report that ranked Afghanistan 173 out of 178 countries says."

Report: Nation's Infrastructure Crumbling - Yahoo! News -

Yahoo! News - Report: Nation's Infrastructure Crumbling:

"Crowded schools, traffic-choked roads and transit cutbacks are eroding the quality of American life, according to an analysis by civil engineers that gave the nation's infrastructure an overall grade of D.

A report by the American Society of Civil Engineers released Wednesday assessed the four-year trend in the condition of 12 categories of infrastructure, including roadways, bridges, drinking water systems, public parks, railroads and the power grid.

The overall grade slipped from the D-plus given to the infrastructure in 2001 and 2003."

The New York Times > Washington > Documents Suggest Bigger DeLay Role in Donations

The New York Times > Washington > Documents Suggest Bigger DeLay Role in Donations:

"Documents subpoenaed from an indicted fund-raiser for Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, suggest that Mr. DeLay was more actively involved than previously known in gathering corporate donations for a political committee that is the focus of a grand-jury investigation in Texas, his home state."

Chavez: Our oil reserve does not belong to Mr. Bush - EnergyBulletin.net |

EnergyBulletin.net | Chavez: Our oil reserve does not belong to Mr. Bush:

"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Monday accused the United States of planning to portray his country as a security threat in order to capture its vast oil reserves.

'We are just waiting for the United States to announce next that Venezuela has weapons of mass destruction,' Chavez said in a speech in the southern Indian city of Bangalore."

U.S. panel critical of intelligence about Iran - IHT

U.S. panel critical of intelligence about Iran:

"WASHINGTON A presidential commission due to report to President George W. Bush this month will describe American intelligence on Iran as inadequate and not complete enough to allow firm judgments about that country's illicit weapons programs, according to people who have been briefed on the panel's work."