ACTION Northwest Education Fund

Secret US Deal 'Broke EU Privacy Law'

2006-09-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

The secret release of information on millions of private banking transactions to US anti-terrorism investigators breached privacy rules in Europe, according to an official inquiry report released yesterday. The findings emerged from a report into the transfer of information by Swift, a Belgian-based organisation which processes money transfers on behalf of the world's banks, including the

They Cry, Pray to Bush and Wash out the Devil - Welcome to Jesus Camp

2006-09-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

The children at the Kids on Fire summer camp are intent as they pray over a cardboard cutout of President George Bush. They raise their hands in the air and sway, eyes closed, as they join the chant for "righteous judges". Tears stream down their faces as they are told that they are "phonies" and "hypocrites" and must wash their hands in bottled water to drive out the devil.The documentary film

Cluster Bombs Imperil Southern Lebanon

2006-09-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

BEIRUT - Up to a million unexploded cluster bomblets from Israel's war with Hezbollah are now the biggest threat to civilians in south Lebanon, where they litter streets, homes, and orchards, UN agencies said yesterday. Fourteen people have been killed and 90 wounded by unexploded ordnance since the end of the war in mid-August, with all the fatalities and most of the injuries caused by cluster

White House Blocked Report Tying Global Warming, Stronger Hurricanes

2006-09-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has blocked release of a report that suggests global warming is contributing to the frequency and strength of hurricanes, the journal Nature reported Tuesday. The possibility that warming conditions may cause storms to become stronger has generated debate among climate and weather experts, particularly in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. In the new

Capital Punishment: DNA Tests Prove Justice Has Failed

2006-09-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - When we talk of capital punishment there is no room for mistakes; no allowances for doubt or indecision. There is definitely no mechanism for review of guilt or innocence after someone has been killed. Yet, consider these people: Jeffrey Mark Deskovic, 33, spent nearly half his life in a New York prison for a rape and murder he did not commit. DNA testing cleared Deskovic and he was

Groups Denounce Deal on Detainee Rights

2006-09-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Human and civil rights groups have broadly denounced a compromise deal on the application of the Geneva Conventions to detainees in the "global war on terror" worked out between the White House and a group of rebellious Republican senators whose efforts have been backed until now by their Democratic colleagues. While the deal, the product of two weeks of intense negotiations,

Leaked Intelligence Report Rocks Bush Election Stance

2006-09-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

US spy agencies have dropped a political bombshell six weeks before national elections, with the leak of a classified report concluding that the war in Iraq has spawned a new wave of Islamic radicalism and increased the global threat of terrorism. The intelligence document on Sunday rocked a central pillar of the Republican Party's campaign platform ahead of November elections: that the 2003

'Shame on You, Mr Blair': Protest Disrupts Lebanon Press Conference

2006-09-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Tony Blair was today confronted with Lebanese fury over his stance on Israel's attack on the country this summer. A woman protester paraded in front of him and Lebanese Premier Fuad Siniora as they staged a joint press conference in Beirut, waving a banner and shouting: "This is an insult to the families of thousands of Lebanese who have died. Shame on you, shame

Global Media Abhors US Response to 9-11

2006-09-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

Newspapers across the world have strongly criticised the US response to September 11, accusing the Bush administration of bungling its "war on terror" and squandering global goodwill by invading Iraq. On the fifth anniversary of Al-Qaeda's assault on New York and Washington, editorials united Monday in condemning the attacks and expressing revulsion for the Islamic extremists who carried out the

'Gaza is a jail. Nobody is allowed to leave. We are all starving now'

2006-09-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

A whole society is being destroyed. There are 1.5 million Palestinians imprisoned in the most heavily populated area in the world. Israel has stopped all trade. It has even forbidden fishermen to go far from the shore so they wade into the surf to try vainly to catch fish with hand-thrown nets. Many people are being killed by Israeli incursions that occur every day by land and air. A total of

Interrogation Methods Rejected by Military Win Bush’s Support

2006-09-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Many of the harsh interrogation techniques repudiated by the Pentagon on Wednesday would be made lawful by legislation put forward the same day by the Bush administration. And the courts would be forbidden from intervening. The proposal is in the last 10 pages of an 86-page bill devoted mostly to military commissions, and it is a tangled mix of cross-references and pregnant omissions. But legal

Bush Yields to Geneva Conventions on Detainees

2006-09-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - In a major victory for the State Department and career military lawyers, the Pentagon Wednesday released a new Army field manual that requires all detainees held by the U.S. military, including suspected terrorists, to be treated according to the Geneva Conventions. At the same time, President George W. Bush announced that 14 so-called "high-value detainees" -- those who have been

9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased

2006-09-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

Days before its scheduled debut, the first major television miniseries about the Sept. 11 attacks was being criticized on Tuesday as biased and inaccurate by bloggers, terrorism experts and a member of the Sept. 11 commission, whose report makes up much of the film’s source material. The six-hour miniseries, “The Path to 9/11,” is to be shown on ABC on Sunday and Monday. The network has been

Intelligence Estimate on Iran Blocks Neo-Con Plans

2006-09-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - In the struggle over U.S. policy toward Iran, neoconservatives in the George W. Bush administration spoiling for an attack on Iran's nuclear sites have been seeking to convince the public that the United States must strike before an Iranian nuclear weapons capability becomes inevitable. In order to do so, they must discredit the intelligence community's conclusions that Iran is

Afghanistan: Campaign against Taliban 'Causes Misery and Hunger'

2006-09-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

Two international think-tanks published reports yesterday highlighting failures of US and UK policy in Afghanistan, and warned the security situation in the country was deteriorating. The Senlis Council claimed that the campaign by British forces against the Taliban had inflicted lawlessness, misery and starvation on the Afghan people. Thousands of villagers fleeing the fighting and a

U.S. Threatens to Revoke Trade Preferences from Left-Leaning South American Countries

2006-09-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

LIMA, Peru - The Bush administration has announced it may revoke trade preferences from three large South American countries in a move some experts believe is designed to pressure them to consent to free trade agreements with the United States. For over 30 years, trade preferences have enabled underdeveloped countries to export products to developed countries without paying tariffs or customs

Sheep through and through

2006-09-07T01:27:00.000-07:00

"There are some people, and I'm one of them, that believe George Bush was placed where he is by the Lord," Tomanio said. "I don't care how he governs, I will support him. I'm a Republican through and through." This is a statement from an article on Yahoo I read before I went to bed last night. Did you notice one major flaw in her argument to support the president? There isn't one because she

Ice Bubbles Reveal Biggest Rise in CO2 for 800,000 Years

2006-09-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

The rapid rise in greenhouse gases over the past century is unprecedented in at least 800,000 years, according to a study of the oldest Antarctic ice core which highlights the reality of climate change. Air bubbles trapped in ice for hundreds of thousands of years have revealed that humans are changing the composition of the atmosphere in a manner

Freedom is My "Write"

2006-09-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Have you heard what Secretary of Defense (or Indefensible Behavior) Donald Rumsfeld said? Right on cue, he is coming down on dissenters of the War on Iraq and this administration's agenda. He compared us to Nazi sympathizers. First of all he is twisting and disrespecting the real history of that atrocity. What a shame. It is pure partisan politics. And it is desperate. This so-called new

Snubbed by US, Pakistan Doing Nuclear Deal With China

2006-09-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

BEIJING - Pakistan's growing nuclear energy needs and its leaders' determination to look to China for investment and know-how in the field are proving an important incentive for the latter's ambitions of becoming a global player in the nuclear power industry. While China itself is still in the process of seeking foreign help to expand its nuclear sector, government officials have made it clear

The War on Terror, Five Years on: An Era of Constant Warfare

2006-09-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

Five years ago this week, the Taliban's al-Qa'ida allies made final preparations to launch devastating attacks on America that would precipitate the "war on terror," the US led invasion of Afghanistan and the subsequent invasion of Iraq. Far from ending terrorism, George Bush's tactics of using overwhelming military might to fight extremism appear to have

Darfur: UN Troops ASAP, Say Rights Workers

2006-08-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

UNITED NATIONS - Amid fears that escalating violence could unleash another round of humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan's Darfur region, rights advocacy groups are urging the world community to take immediate steps to protect civilians. With the looming threat of fresh military action by the Sudanese army, groups say the deployment of a 20,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in Darfur is the first

US Accused of Bid to Oust Chávez with Secret Funds

2006-08-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

The US government has been accused of trying to undermine the Chávez government in Venezuela by funding anonymous groups via its main international aid agency.Millions of dollars have been provided in a "pro-democracy programme" that Chávez supporters claim is a covert attempt to bankroll an opposition to defeat the government.The money is being provided by the US Agency for International

Ex-FEMA Chief Blames Administration

2006-08-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

Former FEMA Director Michael Brown, who lost his job because of Hurricane Katrina, said Tuesday his biggest regret a year later is that he wasn't candid enough about the lack of a coherent federal response plan. "There was no plan. ... Three years ago, we should have done catastrophic planning," Brown said, charging that the Bush administration and his department head, Michael Chertoff, "would

Victory in Alabama + Pride = Humanity

2006-08-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

Victories come in many shapes and sizes. The true measure of a victory is the impact it has on future generations. Another measure is what it can instill to the spirit of those around today. This past Saturday, in Alabama, Patricia Todd became the first openly gay person to be on the ballot for the legislature in Alabama. Hailing from the central Birmingham district in the Deep South,

Inquiry Opened Into Israeli Illegal Use of U.S. Cluster Bombs

2006-08-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

The State Department is investigating whether Israel’s use of American-made cluster bombs in southern Lebanon violated secret agreements with the United States that restrict when it can employ such weapons, two officials said. The investigation by the department’s Office of Defense Trade Controls began this week, after reports that three types of American cluster munitions, anti-personnel

Suicide Soldier's Dying Words to His Mother: 'I can't go to Iraq. I can't kill those children'

2006-08-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

While his peers from St Augustine's Catholic school were this month contemplating university careers or first jobs, Jason Chelsea was preoccupied with a different future: his first tour of duty in Iraq. The 19-year-old infantryman, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, was tormented by concern about what awaited him when the King's Lancaster Regiment

No Diplomacy: Bush Ensured Iran Offer Would Be Rejected

2006-08-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Even before Iran gave its formal counter-offer to ambassadors of the P5+1 countries (the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China) Tuesday, the George W. Bush administration had already begun the process of organising sanctions against Iran. Washington had already held a conference call on sanctions Sunday with French, German and British officials, the Washington Post reported. Thus

Bush Admits Iraq Had No WMDs and "Nothing" To Do With 9/11

2006-08-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006 President Bush Admits Iraq Had No WMDs and 'Nothing'to Do With 9/11 ------------------------------------------------------ On Monday, President Bush admitted that the Iraq war is "straining the psyche of our country." But he vowed to stay the course. A reporter questioned him about why he opposed withdrawing US troops from Iraq. In his answer, Bush admitted that

New York Jews Stage PENN STATION “DIE-IN”

2006-08-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release – August 22, 2006 Media Contacts: On-Site Off-Site For images, video and other media materials, visit www.jewishconscience.blogspot.com New York Jews Stage PENN STATION "DIE-IN" Say to Israel and U.S.: The War Didn't Work, Honor the Cease-Fire! Destroying Lebanese and Palestinian societies is a crime, not a security policy New York City - A group of more than 20

Big Tobacco 'Guilty as Charged' over Decades of Lies

2006-08-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

A US judge has convicted the tobacco industry of orchestrating a sinister conspiracy stretching back decades to cover up the lethal effects of smoking. Washington federal judge Gladys Kessler on Thursday ordered a ban from next January on the use of terms such as "light", "low tar" and "mild" on cigarette packets. But she prompted an outcry from campaigners by rejecting government demands for "

Marines May Have Excised Evidence on 24 Iraqi Deaths

2006-08-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

A high-level military investigation into the killings of 24 Iraqis in Haditha last November has uncovered instances in which American marines involved in the episode appear to have destroyed or withheld evidence, according to two Defense Department officials briefed on the case. The investigation found that an official company logbook of the unit involved had been tampered with and that an

Top Chinese Diplomat Tells US to 'Shut up' on Arms Spending

2006-08-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

China's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, throwing diplomatic language to the wind, has told the United States in no uncertain terms to "shut up and keep quiet" on the subject of Beijing's growing military spending. Interviewed for a BBC radio programme on the topic Thursday, Sha Zukang also said China would "do the business" and sacrifice its own people's lives if any nation supported

Federal Judge Halts Bush's 'Unconstitutional' Wiretapping

2006-08-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

DETROIT - A federal judge ordered the Bush administration on Thursday to halt the National Security Agency's program of domestic eavesdropping, saying it violated the U.S. Constitution. The ruling marked a setback for the Bush administration, which has defended the program as an essential tool in its war on terrorism.U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor said the warrantless wiretapping under the

US Criticized for HIV Aid Effort

2006-08-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy on Aids, said President George Bush's $15bn Emergency Plan for HIV/Aids was too focused on promoting abstinence. He said Washington was practising "incipient neo-colonialism" by telling African nations how to fight Aids. He also accused the West of failing to deliver

Returning to Their Devastated Homes, the People of Lebanon Claim Victory

2006-08-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

The war started in Aitta Shaab, where Hizbullah fighters stole across the border and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers one month ago. When it ended at 8am yesterday morning - and not a minute earlier - the tiny town bore fearful testament to Israel's wrath.The town centre was utterly destroyed, reduced to a line of disembowelled buildings cloaked in ashen dust. Gigantic craters pitted the roads.

Israel's Verdict: We Lost the War

2006-08-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, was obliged to admit "shortcomings" in the 34-day-old conflict in Lebanon yesterday as he launched what may prove a protracted fight for his own political survival. Mr Olmert's admission in a stormy Knesset session came in the face of devastating poll figures showing a majority of the Israeli public believes none or only a very small part of the goals

US Sending 300 Newly Returned Troops Back to Iraq

2006-08-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

About 300 U.S. soldiers who just weeks ago returned home to Alaska after a year in Iraq are being ordered back to try to help bolster security in Baghdad, the U.S. Army said on Monday. The soldiers are part of the 3,900-strong 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright in Alaska. Facing rising sectarian violence in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on July 27 ordered the unit

Gates Breaks Ranks with Attack on US AIDS Policy

2006-08-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Bill and Melinda Gates came off the political fence yesterday and backed key causes of Aids campaigners, criticising the abstinence policies advocated by the US government and calling for more rights for women and help for sex workers. Making the keynote speech of the opening session of the 16th International Aids conference in Toronto, Canada, the Microsoft billionaire and his wife spoke with

Transgendered Candidate Banned From Public Debate

2006-08-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Transgendered Candidate Banned From Public Debate The first ever Transgendered Candidate for Hillsborough County Commission District 4 Jean Batronie has been banned from participating in a live on air public debate on Bright house networks public access channel 20 that was set for August 9, 2006 on the COUNTY SUPPORTED cable access show called Voice of Pride. According to Jean, "I was contacted

Make AIDS History by 2031, World Conference Told

2006-08-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

The biggest AIDS summit opened with a call for the disease to be wiped out by 2031, as the world's wealthiest man, Bill Gates, vowed to spur the fight against the killer of 25 million people. More than 20,000 delegates packed the 16th International AIDS conference, encouraged by the success of therapies that at last are reaching Africa but with optimism tempered by warnings that the end of AIDS

Bush 'Viewed War in Lebanon as a Curtain-Raiser for Attack on Iran'

2006-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Bush administration was informed in advance and gave the "green light" to Israel's military strikes against Hizbollah with plans drawn up months before two Israeli soldiers were seized it has been claimed. The US reportedly considered Israel's actions as a necessary prerequisite for a possible strike against Iran. A report by a leading investigative

Lebanon Gripped by Anti-American Sentiment

2006-08-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

BEIRUT, Lebanon - In trendy central Beirut, a large banner looms over the now nearly empty streets of downtown: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stares intently, with piercing fangs and blood dripping from her lips. "The massacre of children in Qana is a gift from Rice," the banner says. It's referring to a southern Lebanese town that's now synonymous with the word massacre after the deaths

Israel Asks US to Ship Rockets With Wide Blast, Fast

2006-08-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

Israel has asked the Bush administration to speed delivery of short-range antipersonnel rockets armed with cluster munitions, which it could use to strike Hezbollah missile sites in Lebanon, two American officials said Thursday. The request for M-26 artillery rockets, which are fired in barrages and carry hundreds of grenade-like bomblets that scatter and explode over a broad area, is likely to

Neo-Conservatives' "Favorite Democrat" Falls

2006-08-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Tuesday's defeat in Connecticut's primary election of President George W. Bush's "favourite Democrat", Sen. Joe Lieberman, by a little-known anti-war candidate marks a major setback to neo-conservative hopes of maintaining bipartisan support for the administration's aggressive foreign policies, particularly in the Middle East. Lieberman, the Democrats' vice presidential candidate in

US and France Clash over Ceasefire Plan Facing Collapse

2006-08-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

A draft UN ceasefire resolution on Lebanon was unravelling last night as the two co-sponsors, France and the United States, bickered over several key provisions, notably the timing of an Israeli withdrawal. Dramatising the difficulties, the French President, Jacques Chirac, publicly warned the US against allowing the initiative to fail,

Bush Proposes Retroactive War Crime Protections

2006-08-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Bush administration drafted amendments to the War Crimes Act that would retroactively protect policymakers from possible criminal charges for authorizing any humiliating and degrading treatment of detainees, according to lawyers who have seen the proposal. The move by the administration is the latest effort to deal with treatment of those taken into custody in the war on terror. At issue are

Bellwethers, Tell-Tale Signs and Harbingers…

2006-08-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

Joe Liebermen lost a big one. I think that the G.O.P. played him big time. They used him in a classic divide and conquer strategy. Now, the Democrats offer up a weak candidate in this fall’s important election. Even though Connecticut is traditionally a state that votes liberal, this is still a dangerous trend. It is obvious that the Bush regime’s ideals are failing. The war, the economy

UN Asked to Investigate Massacre of 17 Aid Workers

2006-08-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, 17 humanitarian workers, four of them women, were killed in the northeastern Sri Lankan town of Muttur, where government forces are engaged in heavy battle with the rebel Tamil Tigers. The deceased workers were associated with the Paris-based international organization Action Against Hunger (ACF), which has been operating in the strife-torn country for the past 27 years. They were

Antiwar Challengers Across US Get a Vote of Confidence

2006-08-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON -- In October 2002, lawmakers in Congress were presented with a preelection test about where they stood on Iraq, and most answered it by siding with President Bush, voting to authorize his use of force against Saddam Hussein and promising an anxious electorate that they would be protected against a potential threat from Iraq.

Brutal US Attack on Unarmed Afghans Captured by Photos

2006-08-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

Claims that US troops shot dead up to six unarmed Afghan civilians two months ago in Kabul have been given added credibility with a series of photographs offering visual evidence of military misconduct. The pictures were taken by an Afghan passer-by on 29 May in Khair Kane, a district of north Kabul. The 20 photographs appear to show a group of unarmed Afghan civilians being killed by gunfire

Washington to halt publicly funded sex changes

2006-08-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

SUMMARY: Washington state will soon stop publicly funded sex-change surgery, but will continue to cover gender-identity hormone treatment and psychotherapy. Medicaid officials in the state of Washington are taking steps to end publicly funded sex-change surgery. However, the state is required to pay for at least two more operations and will continue to cover hormone treatment and psychotherapy

Half of U.S. Still Believes Iraq Had WMD

2006-08-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

-- Do you believe in Iraqi "WMD"? Did Saddam Hussein's government have weapons of mass destruction in 2003? Half of America apparently still thinks so, a new poll finds, and experts see a raft of reasons why: a drumbeat of voices from talk radio to die-hard bloggers to the Oval Office, a surprise headline here or there, a rallying around a partisan flag, and a growing need for people, in their

Campaigners Arrested 'for Boarding US Plane'

2006-08-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Seven anti-war protesters were arrested today after campaigners boarded a plane at a British airport to search for US weapons being transported to Israel. Two men and a woman were in custody after getting on what's understood to be a military plane at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, in the early hours. Police confirmed a further four people - two men and two women -

Lebanon Rejects UN Truce Proposal Which it Claims Favors Israel

2006-08-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, piled pressure on Hizbullah to comply with the proposed UN call for a truce yesterday, reiterating Washington's insistence that a cessation of hostilities would be the first step towards a longer-term settlement. "We're trying to deal with a problem that has been festering and brewing in Lebanon now for years and years and years," she said.But Nabih

‘Civil War’ Is Uttered, and White House’s Iraq Strategy Is Dealt a Blow

2006-08-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Late last year, during a major address in Annapolis, President Bush introduced a new phrase for his Iraq policy: “Plan for Victory.” With those words emblazoned on a screen behind him, he laid out a possible exit path for American troops, who would gradually cede control to their Iraqi counterparts. But that phrase has all but disappeared as scenes of horrific sectarian violence

Traumatised and Afraid - 300,000 Children Who Want to Go Home

2006-08-04T17:06:00.000-07:00

"I don't want to die. I want to go to school," says Jamal, a four-year-old Lebanese boy scarred by the Israeli bombing of his country. Home for Jamal is now a "displacement centre" in the southern town of Jezzine, where his family fled in fear for their lives. "We've had our picnic, and we want to go home now," says another child,staying in a makeshift refugee camp in the Sanayeh public

US Threatens Suit if Maine Probes Verizon Ties to NSA

2006-08-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

The Bush administration is threatening to sue if Maine regulators decide to investigate whether Verizon Communications illegally turned over customer information to the National Security Agency. Verizon customers in Maine have asked the state's Public Utilities Commission to investigate whether the telecom giant violated privacy laws by cooperating with a domestic surveillance program. The

Bridge Bombing Paralyses Lebanon Aid Pipeline

2006-08-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

BEIRUT - Israel's bombing of key highway bridges in northern Lebanon and strikes at a Hizbollah stronghold in south Beirut paralysed United Nations aid convoys on Friday, but other aid continued to arrive by air and sea. Air strikes against four bridges on the main coastal highway linking Beirut to Syria stalled an eight-truck convoy carrying 150 tonnes of relief and cut what the United Nations

Myspace messages

2006-08-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

As many of you are aware, myspace is a great resource for networking and political organizing, along with meeting new people and connecting with friends. Recently, I posted the article a few posts below about the 9/11 discrepancies found by a recent panel. In response to this, the HRC (who are under the link Equal Rights For All), who are friend's on my page, wrote me the following message: -

EU Rejects Ceasefire Call and UN Fails to Act as Disunity Prevails

2006-08-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

Efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon collapsed again yesterday after a divided European Union issued a watered-down statement and the United Nations postponed a full security council discussion promised by Tony Blair and Condoleezza Rice.Despite escalating violence in southern Lebanon, EU foreign ministers rejected a draft statement that would have called for an immediate

Israel Ready for Massive Invasion of Lebanon

2006-08-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Israeli special forces were last night engaged deep within Lebanon as the army geared up for an expected major ground invasion. Troops were involved in fierce clashes and artillery pounded targets across southern Lebanon. The military also called in air strikes despite a previous commitment to a "partial" halt in air bombardments.Israeli commanders said that six brigades - several thousand

Panel Finds Pentagon's Version of 9/11 Far from Truth

2006-08-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Some staff members and commissioners of the Sept. 11 panel concluded that the Pentagon's initial story of how it reacted to the 9/11 terrorist attacks may have been part of a deliberate effort to mislead the commission and the public, according to sources involved in the debate. Suspicion of wrongdoing ran so deep that the 10-member commission, in a secret meeting at the end

Surgery Forces Castro to Cede Power

2006-08-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

An operation forced Fidel Castro to temporarily cede power to his brother for the first time in 47 years, abruptly ushering in a period of uncertainty in the communist island as the severity of his illness remained unknown. Castro, less than two weeks away from his 80th birthday, did not appear on the live television broadcast Monday night in which his secretary read a letter from the Cuban

Chavez Ends Vietnam Visit with Attack on "US Imperialist Monster"

2006-08-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has wrapped up a visit to Vietnam, hailing it as a model socialist state and praising it for the wartime defeat of the "US imperialist monster." During his two-day stay in Hanoi, Chavez also visited the mausoleum of revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh and met 94-year-old General Vo Nguyen Giap, the architect of Vietnam's defeat of French and American forces. Pledging

Red Cross Says "No Hezbollah Rockets Fired from Qana"

2006-08-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

QANA - Red Cross workers and residents of Qana, where Israeli bombing killed at least 60 civilians, have told IPS that no Hezbollah rockets were launched from the city before the Israeli air strike. The Israeli military has said it bombed the building in which several people had taken shelter, more than half of them children, because the Army had faced rocket fire from Qana. The Israeli

Lebanon: Death Toll Could Be Twice the Official Figure

2006-08-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

BEIRUT - Lebanese doctors, aid workers and refugees are all reporting that the official number of dead in Lebanon is far lower than the actual. "I think that the real number is at least 750 dead so far," Dr. Bachir el-Sham at the Complex Hospital in Sidon city told IPS in a telephone interview. Sidon is 43 km south of Beirut, and just north of Tyre. This region has seen the worst of the Israeli

US Begins Building Treaty-Breaching Germ War Defence Centre

2006-08-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Construction work has begun near Washington on a vast germ warfare laboratory intended to help protect the US against an attack with biological weapon, but critics say the laboratory's work will violate international law and its extreme secrecy will exacerbate a biological arms race.The National Biodefence Analysis and Countermeasures Centre (NBACC), due to be completed in 2008, will house

UK: Calls For Weapons Embargo on Israel

2006-07-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

Tony Blair faced new demands to suspend all arms exports to Israel amid warnings that Tel Aviv was guilty of "disproportionate" attacks on Lebanon. The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, called for a freeze on all arms export licences after government figures showed that British arms sales to Israel more than doubled last year to £22.5m. Exports included components for military

Israeli Missiles Rip Into Medics' Esprit de Corps

2006-07-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

TYRE, Lebanon — In the burning haze of the missile strike, Qasim Chaalan thought he had died. But piece by piece, he noticed that he was still there, inside the ambulance. He could still feel his body. He opened his eyes, and discovered he could see. He and the other medics were lucky: They had survived the blow of an Israeli missile. Dazed and slow, one of the men fumbled for the radio and

US Turns to Arab Dictators to Contain Hezbollah

2006-07-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - The United States is using authoritarian Arab leaders, who fear that Iran could export its revolutionary political model to their disgruntled populations and are concerned about Washington's reprisal against them a la Saddam Hussein in Iraq, as a buffer between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, Washington's protégé in the Middle East, analysts here say. "Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and

Lebanon: Scale of the Human Crisis Emerges

2006-07-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

BEIRUT -- The people of Lebanon are facing their "hour of greatest need", the UN said yesterday in launching an emergency appeal for $150m (£81m) to help an estimated 800,000 civilians whose lives have been disrupted by Israeli bombing of Lebanon. The relief plan would focus on providing food, water, healthcare and other essential services, Jan Egeland, the UN emergency relief coordinator, said

Washington state supreme court upholds same-sex marriage ban

2006-07-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

Washington state supreme court upholds same-sex marriage ban http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid34424.aspHIGHLIGHT: "The American family is strengthened when the legal responsibilities of marriage, which protect children, stabilize homes, and secure relationships are provided equally to all couples," Jo Wyrick, National Stonewall Democrats executive director, said in a statement. "

Battered Lebanon Counts the Cost of Israeli Onslaught

2006-07-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

The catastrophic scale of destruction inflicted on Lebanon's infrastructure and economy by the Israeli bombardment was becoming apparent yesterday as government officials released details to the Guardian of the damage so far. With countless homes wrecked, 55 bridges destroyed and numerous roads made impassable, factories, hospitals and airports hit and fuel storage facilities destroyed, estimates

Global Warming, Not Just Heat Wave

2006-07-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

PARIS - The heat wave sweeping Europe is a direct consequence of the warming of the earth's atmosphere, experts say. "We are observing and suffering the first effects of global warming," Hervé Le Treut, meteorologist at the French Centre for Scientific Research told IPS. "The emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are leading to higher temperatures all over the world, but these

Bush Gave Israel 'Green Light' for Limited Attack on Lebanon

2006-07-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

The US is giving Israel a window of a week to inflict maximum damage on Hizbullah before weighing in behind international calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, according to British, European and Israeli sources. The Bush administration, backed by Britain, has blocked efforts for an immediate halt to the fighting initiated at the UN security council, the G8 summit in St Petersburg and the European

Mideast Conflict Boosts Chances of Iran-US Showdown

2006-07-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - The week-old Israeli-Hezbollah conflict is likely to boost the chances of U.S. military action against Iran, according to a number of regional experts who see a broad consensus among the U.S. political elite that the ongoing hostilities are part of a broader offensive being waged by Tehran against Washington across the region. While Israel-centred neo-conservatives have been the

Thousands Flock to Hills, Parks and Schools, But No Place Safe from Bombs

2006-07-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

Up to half a million people have been displaced throughout Lebanon, according to according to Roberto Laurenti, the Beirut representative of the United Nations Children's Fund, sparking a humanitarian disaster.For many refugees to Beirut the first port of call is Sanayeh, a once attractive park no bigger than a London garden square. Two hundred people slept on the grass there last night. Another

Attacks Qualify as War Crimes, Officials Say

2006-07-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

The United Nations’ top human rights official said Wednesday that the killing and maiming of civilians under attack in Lebanon, Israel and Gaza and the West Bank could constitute war crimes. “The scale of killings in the region, and their predictability, could engage the personal criminal responsibility of those involved, particularly those in a position of command and control,” said Louise

Civilian Toll Raises Questions

2006-07-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

As Israel has steadily escalated its military assault on Hezbollah, so has the criticism about the rising number of civilian deaths resulting from its campaign. Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, accusing Israel of indiscriminately targeting civilians, said Wednesday that his country "has been torn to shreds" by Israel's aerial bombardment, which he said has killed 300 Lebanese, mostly

Meth Still #1 Drug Problem, Survey Finds

2006-07-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

Meth abuse continues to fuel an increase in crimes like robbery and assault, straining the workload of local police forces despite a drop in the number of meth lab seizures, according to a survey Tuesday. Nearly half of county law enforcement officials consider methamphetamine their primary drug problem, more than cocaine, marijuana and heroin combined, the survey of the National Association of

Gov. Chris Gregoire sent an invoice of nearly $50 million to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

2006-07-18T05:18:00.000-07:00

We are glad that Gov. Chris Gregoire is standing up to the feds. For far to long they have left the states to pay for extra security when we were told that funding was coming our way, all the while they were cutting programs at the same time. We await for the Attorney General's response. Gov. Chris Gregoire sent an invoice of nearly $50 million to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday,

Executives Given Cut-Price Stock Options in Weeks after 9/11

2006-07-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Executives at leading US companies could make millions through the award of stock options issued in the weeks after the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks.Nearly 200 US companies awarded options to their board members in the wake of the attacks when share prices were at historic lows, giving executives the chance to make millions of dollars later as values returned to normal levels.Prominent

Fleeing Lebanese Speak of Indiscriminate Bombing

2006-07-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

ADDABBAOUSIYEH (northern Lebanese border) - People fleeing the bombing of Lebanon say the Israelis are targeting civilian neighbourhoods and vital infrastructure, and not just Hezbollah centres. The bombing has killed more than 100 Lebanese civilians so far. Several border points between Syria and Lebanon are being deluged with refugees. Lebanon has a long border with Syria towards its south

Beirut under Siege as Israel Attacks from Air and Sea

2006-07-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Israel laid siege to Lebanon yesterday bombing Beirut airport, blockading sea ports and declaring its northern neighbour's airspace closed to everything but its jets launching waves of attacks.Hizbullah, the Lebanese militia group, responded by bombarding Israel with scores of rockets, some of which for the first time hit a major city - the port of Haifa about 20 miles from the border.Israeli air

GIs in Iraq Could Be Stripped of Immunity After Rape-Murder Allegations

2006-07-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Iraq will ask the United Nations to end immunity from local law for U.S. troops, the country's human rights minister said on Monday, as the military named five soldiers charged in a rape-murder case that has outraged Iraqis. According to the Pentagon, the indicted soldiers drank alcohol, abandoned their checkpoint, changed clothes to avoid detection and headed to a house, about 200 yards from a

Global Warming 'Will Cancel out Western Aid and Devastate Africa'

2006-07-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Climate change could have a devastating impact on Africa, wiping out all the benefits from the measures to help the continent agreed by the world's richest nations last year. The warning will be issued by the British Government today when it announces plans to bring poor countries into the next round of international discussions to combat global

Army Relaxes Its Standards to Fill Ranks

2006-07-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

Pentagon officials announced Monday that the Army has managed to achieve its latest recruiting goals, while admitting that they have lowered some standards that had been set to ensure the quality of the force. But as the military continues investigations into alleged atrocities committed by U.S. troops in Iraq, some experts worry that the Army, stretched thin by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Hate Groups Are Infiltrating the Military, Group Asserts

2006-07-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

A decade after the Pentagon declared a zero-tolerance policy for racist hate groups, recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed "large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists" to infiltrate the military, according to a watchdog organization. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks racist and right-wing militia groups, estimated that the numbers could run into the

Global protest to target anti-gay death penalty

2006-07-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

Twenty-one anti-death penalty vigils around the world are planned July 19 to commemorate last year's public hanging in Iran of two young men. Twenty-one anti-death penalty vigils around the world are planned for July 19 to commemorate last year's public hanging in Iran of two young men accused of homosexuality. Before Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni were executed in Edalat ("Justice") Square in

FBI Plans New Net-Tapping Push

2006-07-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

The FBI has drafted sweeping legislation that would require Internet service providers to create wiretapping hubs for police surveillance and force makers of networking gear to build in backdoors for eavesdropping, CNET News.com has learned. FBI Agent Barry Smith distributed the proposal at a private meeting last Friday with industry representatives and indicated it would be introduced by Sen.

Shia Massacre Revives Fears of Civil War

2006-07-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

At least 40 people, apparently all Sunnis, were killed yesterday by Shia militants in a rampage in a Baghdad suburb - one of the capital's most deadly sectarian pogroms - that revived fears of civil war.Witnesses said gunmen, some masked, set up roadblocks and stopped motorists in the mainly Sunni suburb of Jihad, near Baghdad airport, demanding to see identity cards. Those with Sunni names were

Army Charges Lieutenant Who Wouldn't Go to Iraq

2006-07-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

A Fort Lewis Army officer who refused to serve in Iraq could face seven years in prison under charges filed Wednesday. The Army accused 1st Lt. Ehren Watada of missing his brigade's troop movement to Iraq, twice speaking contemptuously of the president and three acts unbecoming an officer. The alleged actions are violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

With Jobs to Do, Louisiana Parish Turns to Inmates

2006-07-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

LAKE PROVIDENCE, Louisiana - At barbecues, ballgames and funerals, cotton gins, service stations, the First Baptist Church, the pepper-sauce factory and the local private school the men in orange are everywhere. Many people here in East Carroll Parish, as Louisiana counties are known, say they could not get by without their inmates, who make up more than 10 percent of its population and most

Homelessness a Threat for Iraq Veterans

2006-07-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Herold Noel had nowhere to call home after returning from military service in Iraq. He slept in his Jeep, taking care to find a parking space where he wouldn't get a ticket. "Then the nightmares would start," says the 26-year-old former Army private first class, who drove a fuel truck in Iraq. "I saw a baby decapitated when it was run over by a truck I relived that every night." Across America

US is Losing 'Global War on Terror', Experts Say

2006-07-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

Despite high-profile arrests, security operations and upbeat assessments from the White House, the United States is losing its "global war on terror," experts warn. Five years after Washington launched its hunt for those responsible for the September 11 attacks, the world has not become a safer place, and a new large-scale strike against America at some point appears likely, they say. Even

CIA Closes Unit Focused on Capture of Bin Laden

2006-07-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - The Central Intelligence Agency has closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, intelligence officials confirmed Monday. The unit, known as Alec Station, was disbanded late last year and its analysts reassigned within the C.I.A. Counterterrorist Center, the officials said. The decision is a milestone for the agency, which

Anti-War Protesters Begin July 4 Fast

2006-07-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

Star Hollywood actor-activists including Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon and anti-war campaigners led by bereaved mother Cindy Sheehan plan to launch a hunger strike, demanding the immediate return of US troops from Iraq. As Americans get set to fire up barbeques in patriotic celebration of US Independence Day on July 4, anti-war protestors planned to savour a last meal outside the White House,

Iraqi Death Toll Tops 50,000, Reports Reflect Carnage Since 2003 Occupatio

2006-06-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD — At least 50,000 Iraqis have died violently since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, according to statistics from the Baghdad morgue, the Iraqi Health Ministry and other agencies — a toll 20,000 higher than previously acknowledged by the Bush administration. Many more Iraqis are believed to have been killed but not counted because of serious lapses in recording deaths in the chaotic first year

Revealed: Japan's Whaling "Shopping List"

2006-06-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

Less than a week since Japan and its allies scored a stunning victory at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) conference - paving the way for a possible return to commercial whaling - the Japanese government has inadvertently revealed how it was done: by buying the votes it needed. In a written reply to a query on Japan's "marine-aid" to developing countries, the government has