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Showing posts from December, 2010

Research links rise in Falluja birth defects and cancers to US assault | World news | The Guardian

Research links rise in Falluja birth defects and cancers to US assault | World news | The Guardian : "A study examining the causes of a dramatic spike in birth defects in the Iraqi city of Falluja has for the first time concluded that genetic damage could have been caused by weaponry used in US assaults that took place six years ago. The research, which will be published next week, confirms earlier estimates revealed by the Guardian of a major, unexplained rise in cancers and chronic neural-tube, cardiac and skeletal defects in newborns. The authors found that malformations are close to 11 times higher than normal rates, and rose to unprecedented levels in the first half of this year – a period that had not been surveyed in earlier reports. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Assange: Many Top Arab Officials Are CIA Spies -- News from Antiwar.com

Assange: Many Top Arab Officials Are CIA Spies -- News from Antiwar.com : "In an interview with the Arabic-language version of al-Jazeera, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange revealed that a large number of the documents that his organization is in possession of prove that top officials across the Arab world have been spying on their own governments on behalf of the CIA. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

allAfrica.com: Somalia: 17 Dead in Mogadishu Clashes, Aweys Praises Al Shabaab

allAfrica.com: Somalia: 17 Dead in Mogadishu Clashes, Aweys Praises Al Shabaab : "At least 17 people were killed in the Somali capital Mogadishu during Tuesday clashes, as Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys publicly declared his support for the merger of Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam insurgent factions, Radio Garowe reports. The fighting started overnight Monday and continued into Tuesday, with Somali government forces and allied African peacekeepers (AMISOM) repelling attacks by Al Shabaab insurgents. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

ei: The Gaza massacre and the struggle for justice

ei: The Gaza massacre and the struggle for justice : "Omar/MaanImages) The Gaza massacre, which Israel launched two years ago today, did not end on 18 January 2009, but continues. It was not only a massacre of human bodies, but of the truth and of justice. Only our actions can help bring it to an end. The UN-commissioned Goldstone Report documented evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in an attack aimed at the very 'foundations of civilian life in Gaza' -- schools, industrial infrastructure, water, sanitation, flour mills, mosques, universities, police stations, government ministries, agriculture and thousands of homes. Yet like so many other inquiries documenting Israeli crimes, the Goldstone Report sits gathering dust as the United States, the European Union, the Palestinian Authority and certain Arab governments colluded to ensure it would not translate into action. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

  2011: Prospects for Humanity?  :      Information Clearing House: ICH

2011: Prospects for Humanity? : Information Clearing House: ICH : "December 28, 2010 'Information Clearing House' -- During the 1950s I grew up in a family who rooted for the success of African Americans in their just struggle for civil rights and full legal equality. Then in 1962 it was the terror of my own personal imminent nuclear annihilation during the Cuban Missile Crisis that first sparked my interest in studying international relations and U.S. foreign policy as a young boy of 12: “I can do a better job than this!” With the escalation of the Vietnam War in 1964 and the military draft staring me right in the face, I undertook a detailed examination of it. Eventually I concluded that unlike World War II when my Father had fought and defeated the Japanese Imperial Army as a young Marine in the Pacific, this new war was illegal, immoral, unethical, and the United States was bound to lose it. America was just picking up where France had left off at Dien Bien Phu

Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion

Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion : "‘ WSJ: Some American officials have spoken about contingency plans being drawn now in Washington for the possibility that some American troops will stay after 2011. Do you know about these contingency plans, and do you need troops? Mr. Maliki: I do not care about what’s being said. I care about what’s on paper and what has been agreed to. The withdrawal of forces agreement [Status of Forces Agreement or SOFA] expires on Dec. 31, 2011. The last American soldier will leave Iraq. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Caught in a Lie: Despite Denials, US Refused to Help in Dubai Probe -- News from Antiwar.com

Caught in a Lie: Despite Denials, US Refused to Help in Dubai Probe -- News from Antiwar.com : "The Obama Administration has been caught out in yet another lie by the release of a WikiLeaks cable, in this case relating to the January 2010 Dubai assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhoh, a top Hamas member. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Gaza Doctor Sues Israel Over Daughters’ Killing -- News from Antiwar.com

Gaza Doctor Sues Israel Over Daughters’ Killing -- News from Antiwar.com : "While enormous numbers of civilians were killed in the Gaza Strip over the course of the 2008-09 Israeli invasion, none garnered so much attention internationally nor within Israel itself as the deaths of the three daughters of Dr. Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish and his niece. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

The ‘Subsidy’: How a Handful of Merrill Lynch Bankers Helped Blow Up Their Own Firm - ProPublica

The ‘Subsidy’: How a Handful of Merrill Lynch Bankers Helped Blow Up Their Own Firm - ProPublica : "The group, created in 2006, accepted tens of billions of dollars of Merrill's Triple A-rated mortgage-backed assets, with disastrous results. The value of the securities fell to pennies on the dollar and helped to sink the iconic firm. Merrill was sold to Bank of America, which was in turn bailed out by taxpayers. What became of the bankers who created this arrangement and the traders who took the now-toxic assets? They walked away with millions. Some still hold senior positions at prominent financial firms. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

allAfrica.com: Somalia: Harakat Al-Shabaab 'Gobbles Up' Hizbul Isam (Page 1 of 2)

allAfrica.com: Somalia: Harakat Al-Shabaab 'Gobbles Up' Hizbul Isam (Page 1 of 2) : "On December20, Hizbul Islam (H.I.) folded its tent and migrated under the encampment of Harakat al-Sbababb Mujahiden (H.S.M.), leaving H.S.M. with a monopoly over armed opposition to Somalia's Western-backed Transitional Federal Government (T.F.G.) supported by the African Union peacekeeping mission, AMISOM. The dissolution of H.I. as an independent organization and its absorption into H.S.M. was preceded by H.I.'s retreat to its last stronghold on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the Afgoe distrinct, having been militarily defeated in the strategic town of Burhakabe on the road from Mogadishu to Baidoa, and in its heartland, the Lower Shabelle region, apart from the Mogadishu suburbs. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

My FDL | Blog | Bradley Manning Speaks About His Conditions

My FDL | Blog | Bradley Manning Speaks About His Conditions : "Sign the letter to the Commanding Officer of Bradley Manning’s brig urging for Bradley’s unnecessary POI order to be lifted Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old Army private accused of leaking classified information to Wikileaks, has been held in the brig at Quantico Marine Corp Base for five months in inhumane conditions, with severe restrictions on his ability to exercise, communicate, or even sleep. Manning has not been convicted of any crime. Nor is there a date certain for any court hearing. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

UN Envoy: Spectacular Attacks in Offing in Afghanistan -- News from Antiwar.com

UN Envoy: Spectacular Attacks in Offing in Afghanistan -- News from Antiwar.com : "“We are detecting from the anti-government elements an attempt to show, on their side, spectacular attacks,” Mistura insisted, adding that a political settlement with the Taliban was vital to the stability of Afghanistan. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Julian Assange Furore Deepens as New Details Emerge of Sex Crime Allegations  :      Information Clearing House: ICH

Julian Assange Furore Deepens as New Details Emerge of Sex Crime Allegations : Information Clearing House: ICH Others showed similar reservations. WikiLeaks supporter, the historian Tariq Ali, said that it was possible to separate Assange the man and the allegations from the cables. "WikiLeaks is an organisation and he [Julian] is one of them. So I am very glad he is out and all that, but WikiLeaks would go on even without him and that is important to stress." Investigative journalist John Pilger believes it is necessary to defend Assange. "He is an innocent man until proven otherwise," he said. "It is clear that in Sweden the presumption of innocence has been publicly torn up by those whose duty was to safeguard it. This has encouraged a vicious campaign in the US, including incitement to murder Assange, and secret planning to stitch him up as some sort of terrorist."

US behind Ethiopia invasion in Somalia - Wiki leaks dispatch | Ethiopian Music, News, Video - Addis Live!

US behind Ethiopia invasion in Somalia - Wiki leaks dispatch | Ethiopian Music, News, Video - Addis Live! : "ADDIS ABABA) — A WikiLeaks’ leaked diplomatic cables exposed Ethiopia and the US government secret agreement to invade Somalia. However, the report indicated that Ethiopia had no intention to the invasion and said the US was behind the plot and was sponsored by the United States government. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

CIA support War criminal

Declassified CIA files have revealed that US intelligence officials went to great lengths to protect a Ukrainian fascist leader and suspected Nazi collaborator from prosecution after the Second World War and used him to stir up trouble inside the Soviet Union from an office in New York.

Italian court ups sentences for 23 CIA agents :      Information Clearing House: ICH

Italian court ups sentences for 23 CIA agents : Information Clearing House: ICH December 15, 2010 " AFP " -- ROME — An Italian court on Wednesday upped the sentences for 23 CIA agents convicted in absentia of abducting an Egyptian imam in one of the biggest cases against the US "extraordinary rendition" programme. The 23 CIA agents, originally sentenced in November 2009 to five to eight years in prison, had their sentences increased to seven to nine years on appeal in what one of the defence lawyers described as a "shocking blow" for the US. They were also ordered to pay 1.5 million euros (2.0 million dollars) in damages to the imam and his wife for the 2003 abduction.

The Charade of Israeli-Palestinian Talks -- In These Times

The Charade of Israeli-Palestinian Talks -- In These Times : "Washington’s pathetic capitulation to Israel while pleading for a meaningless three-month freeze on settlement expansion—excluding Arab East Jerusalem—should go down as one of the most humiliating moments in U.S. diplomatic history. In September the last settlement freeze ended, leading the Palestinians to cease direct talks with Israel. Now the Obama administration, desperate to lure Israel into a new freeze and thus revive the talks, is grasping at invisible straws—and lavishing gifts on a far-right Israeli government. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

It’s Payback Time! by Justin Raimondo -- Antiwar.com

It’s Payback Time! by Justin Raimondo -- Antiwar.com : "It’s “unclear” only to those whose vision is blurred by State-worship. For the rest of us, it’s all too clear who was and is responsible for the online thuggery directed at WikiLeaks and its supporters. The same people who believe they have a God-given “right” to carpet-bomb civilians and murder foreigners “terrorists” en masse are now launching virtual attacks on web sites whose owners have violated no known laws and are publishing exactly the same materials being printed by the New York Times, the Guardian, and Der Spiegel. The online version of the TSA hasn’t taken down the web sites of the legacy media, at least not yet, but make no mistake – they’re next. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Wikileaks: Discussion with Woyanne intelligence chief | Ethiopia

Wikileaks: Discussion with Woyanne intelligence chief | Ethiopia : "1. (S) In a rare meeting with the elusive head of the Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and main hardliner within the powerful executive committee of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) party, Ambassador and NISS chief Getachew Assefa discussed a wide range of regional and bilateral issues. Getachew made clear during the four hour private meeting that Ethiopia sought greater understanding from the U.S. on national security issues vital to Ethiopia, especially Ethiopia’s concerns over domestic insurgent groups like the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). He spoke at length about former Addis Ababa Mayor-elect Berhanu Nega XXXXXXXXXXXX; VOA’s biased reporting; the dangers of former defense minister Seeye Abraha’s growing authority within the opposition; Ethiopia’s views on democracy and human rights; Eritrea’s role as a

Nigeria Files Corruption Charges Against Dick Cheney, May Issue Bench Warrant Through Interpol | Sahara Reporters

Nigeria Files Corruption Charges Against Dick Cheney, May Issue Bench Warrant Through Interpol | Sahara Reporters : "Former US Vice President, Dick Cheney, may soon have a 'red notice' issued for his arrest as the Nigerian authorities today officially filed corruption charges against him before a Federal Capital Territory High Court judge in Abuja. Prosecutors in the Federal Attorney General's office, led by Godwin Obla, confirmed to Saharareporters from the Office of the Minister of Justice that Nigeria has officially filed 16 -count charges to bring Dick Cheney to trial for corruptly enriching Nigerian officials when he led Halliburton, an oil services firm that distributed over $180 million to top Nigerian officials in order to obtain juicy contracts from the Nigerian government. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Nigeria Files Corruption Charges Against Dick Cheney, May Issue Bench Warrant Through Interpol | Sahara Reporters

Nigeria Files Corruption Charges Against Dick Cheney, May Issue Bench Warrant Through Interpol | Sahara Reporters : "Former US Vice President, Dick Cheney, may soon have a 'red notice' issued for his arrest as the Nigerian authorities today officially filed corruption charges against him before a Federal Capital Territory High Court judge in Abuja. Prosecutors in the Federal Attorney General's office, led by Godwin Obla, confirmed to Saharareporters from the Office of the Minister of Justice that Nigeria has officially filed 16 -count charges to bring Dick Cheney to trial for corruptly enriching Nigerian officials when he led Halliburton, an oil services firm that distributed over $180 million to top Nigerian officials in order to obtain juicy contracts from the Nigerian government. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Tension grows between Calif. Muslims, FBI after informant infiltrates mosque

Tension grows between Calif. Muslims, FBI after informant infiltrates mosque : "'This is Farouk al-Aziz, code name Oracle,' he said into the keys as he sat in his parked car in this quiet community south of Los Angeles. 'It's November 13th, 4:30 a.m. And we're hot.' The undercover FBI informant - a convicted forger named Craig Monteilh - then drove off for 5 a.m. prayers at the Islamic Center of Irvine, where he says he spied on dozens of worshipers in a quest for potential terrorists. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Israeli moderates outraged as rabbis target non-Jews - Middle East, World - The Independent

Over 40 prominent Israeli rabbis – some of them public servants – yesterday targeted the country's million-plus Arab minority with a religious edict warning their congregations not to rent property to non-Jews. The letter, which provoked immediate protests from civil rights activists, left-wingers and Arab politicians, is the latest in a series of moves by elements of both the secular and religious Israeli right which have helped to inflame mounting inter-ethnic tensions over the last two years. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

James Moore: I Am Julian Assange

James Moore: I Am Julian Assange : "I am Julian Assange. I want information so that I can hold my government accountable. If my country acts improperly and in my name, I want the proof. I want to know if there actually is no evidence proving weapons of mass destruction. I want to know if America is working with Israel to overthrow Iran's leadership. I want data that has not been spun by reporters that work for publishers and broadcasters with political and business goals that conflict with the facts. I want to know. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

The Cable Guy: Julian Assange Becomes US's Public Enemy No. 1 - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

The Cable Guy: Julian Assange Becomes US's Public Enemy No. 1 - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International : "He may be on the short list for Time magazine's 'person of the year,' but many Americans consider Julian Assange to be a criminal and a terrorist. The WikiLeaks founder has been fighting a battle on several fronts since the publication of the diplomatic cables. He has now been arrested in London. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Former Aussie PM Pressed US to Prepare to Attack China -- News from Antiwar.com

Former Aussie PM Pressed US to Prepare to Attack China -- News from Antiwar.com : "A WikiLeaks released cable from March 2009 related a conversation between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Australian Prime Minister (currently Foreign Minister) Kevin Rudd on the issue of China. Incredibly, it included the Aussie PM urging the US to prepare for an aggressive war against the world’s most populous nation. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Poll: Afghans Losing Faith in US, Increasingly Back Insurgents -- News from Antiwar.com

Poll: Afghans Losing Faith in US, Increasingly Back Insurgents -- News from Antiwar.com : "A new poll conducted by a myriad of international media outlets, including ABC News, BBC, ARD and the Washington Post showed huge pessimism amongst Afghans, a strong trends moving against support for the US occupation forces and in favor of supporting the insurgency. The poll shows confidence in the NATO occupation eventually being successful down to only 36 percent, from 48 percent last year, and only 43 percent view the US favorably, the lowest in six years. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

WikiLeaks founder denied bail in UK - Europe - Al Jazeera English

WikiLeaks founder denied bail in UK - Europe - Al Jazeera English : "A London court has denied bail to Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, and ordered that he remain in custody for a week, after he was arrested on an extradition warrant. The 39-year-old Australian, who handed himself into authorities in the British capital on Tuesday, is wanted in Sweden on allegations of sex crimes. Howard Riddle, the presiding judge at the City of Westminster Magistrate's Court, refused bail for Assange on the grounds that there was a risk he would fail to surrender. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Clinton: Saudis World’s Largest Terror Funders -- News from Antiwar.com

Clinton: Saudis World’s Largest Terror Funders -- News from Antiwar.com : "A new flurry of WikiLeaks cables may prove embarrassing to Saudi Arabia, as the documents show US allegations that the nation is the “world’s largest source” for funding to al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and other Sunni terror groups. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Helen Thomas says Zionists control U.S. foreign policy - KansasCity.com

Helen Thomas says Zionists control U.S. foreign policy - KansasCity.com : "DETROIT | Helen Thomas said Thursday that she stands by her comments about Israel she made earlier this year that led to her resignation as a national columnist. And she went further, saying that Zionists control U.S. foreign policy and other institutions. The local Jewish community condemned her remarks. In an interview, Thomas, 90, said that criticizing Israel led to her resignation and ostracism in Washington. “I can call a president of the United States anything in the book, but I can’t touch Israel, which has Jewish-only roads in the West Bank,” Thomas said. “No American would tolerate that — white-only roads.” - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Cable Viewer

Cable Viewer : ¶ 3. (S) Turning to the Mujahedin el Khalkh (MEK), the Ambassador urged Maliki not to take any provocative actions prior to the elections. Maliki took this point on board, but replied by asking what outcome the USG sees, and how long this situation can go on. Ambassador stressed that a.) the situation "won't go on forever," b.) the USG has sent a "stern message" to the MEK that they must deal directly with the GOI, not the USG, and c.) the U.S. base near the MEK camp will eventually be closing. The USG has urged the Europeans to take a similar stance, and is seeking greater United Nations involvement in treating the MEK as refugees. Maliki replied that the GOI "has to do something" so that it can say it has started the process. Otherwise, he said, this issue will be used against him in the elections. In Maliki's view, "whoever wants to return to their country can do so." The rest, he said, should be relocated away from the

Is AIPAC a Wikileaks Operation? | Informed Comment

Is AIPAC a Wikileaks Operation? | Informed Comment : "One of the supreme pieces of hypocrisy in Washington right now is all the politicians crying treason and death penalty on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, when many of them are up to their gills in money arranged for them from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

African migrants dying in Yemen border town - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

African migrants dying in Yemen border town - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News : "Thirty African migrants, some of them among thousands deported by Saudi Arabia, have died in recent weeks along Yemen's border where a humanitarian crisis is growing, an aid agency said on Friday. Saudi Arabia has been expelling illegal migrants, mainly from Ethiopia, Somalia or Sudan, who reach the oil-exporting kingdom after a long and hazardous journey across the Horn of Africa seeking a better life in the Gulf or beyond, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

  Wikileaks and the El-Masri case:     :      Information Clearing House: ICH

Wikileaks and the El-Masri case: : Information Clearing House: ICH : "Khaled El-Masri is a German citizen, a father of six who the CIA kidnapped by mistake, then sent off to receive months of torture in Afghanistan. When they realized he was innocent, he was flown to Albania and dumped on a back road without so much as an apology. El-Masri's futile efforts at receiving justice in the U.S. are well-known, but cables recently leaked by Wikileaks reveal that the U.S. also warned German authorities not to allow a local investigation into his kidnapping. The nearest he's gotten to justice is an arrest warrant for 13 CIA agents issued by prosecutors in Spain, which they entered on forged passports. In this video, originally part of the Witness.org documentary OUTLAWED, El-Masri relates his experiences. OUTLAWED website: http://www.witness.org/ Posted December 02, 2010 - Sent using Google Toolbar"

   WikiLeaks: Experts Explain America's Role In Afghanistan Corruption   :      Information Clearing House: ICH

WikiLeaks: Experts Explain America's Role In Afghanistan Corruption : Information Clearing House: ICH : "“We know that Ahmed Wali Karzai, President Hamid Karzai’s half-brother and the man who effectively controls Kandahar province, is getting paid by the CIA and that thousands of other officials are being paid off. That, in my mind, is corruption,” said Pratap Chatterjee, an author and columnist for the Guardian. “A lot of the biggest money in Afghanistan is U.S. military and State Department contracts.” - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Misseriya forms alternative government for Abyei - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan

Misseriya forms alternative government for Abyei - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan : "December 04, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Chieftains of Al-Misseriya tribe has established an alternative government to supplant the current administration of the oil-producing area of Abyei, Al-Sahafah daily newspaper reported on Thursday. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egypt lobbied for south Sudan referendum to be delayed – leaked US report - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan

Egypt lobbied for south Sudan referendum to be delayed – leaked US report - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan : "December 4, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Last year Sudan’s northern neighbor, Egypt, lobbied to the United States to postpone southern Sudan’s self determination referendum by four to six years as it feared that the new nation could put its share of the Nile’s water in jeopardy according to a leaked US diplomatic cable. In the cable, Cairo said southern secession in 2011 could have 'fatal implications'. Egypt believes that the south’s independence could destabilize the region causing an increase in migrants into Egypt. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

allAfrica.com: Somalia: 35 Killed As Insurgents Fight Govt And Each Other

allAfrica.com: Somalia: 35 Killed As Insurgents Fight Govt And Each Other : "At least 35 people were killed Thursday as intense violence continued in the Somali capital Mogadishu, with reports saying two insurgent factions fought each other in Bay region northwest of Mogadishu, Radio Garowe reports. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks : "WikiLeaks is a non-profit media organization dedicated to bringing important news and information to the public. We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way for independent sources around the world to leak information to our journalists. We publish material of ethical, political and historical significance while keeping the identity of our sources anonymous, thus providing a universal way for the revealing of suppressed and censored injustices. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Debunked: "Julian Assange is a Traitor (U.S.)" | WL Central

Debunked: "Julian Assange is a Traitor (U.S.)" | WL Central : "The Falsehood: Wikileaks' release of 250K diplomatic cables constitutes an act of treason against the United States, and renders Julian Assange and other Wikileaks staffers liable to charges punishable by capital punishment. The Explanation: This falsehood is quite straightforward, and has become a talking point in the mainstream media since Cablegate broke. It finds form in the belief that Julian Assange is a 'traitor,' or is involved in 'treason,' or that, more generally, Wikileaks is involved in treason. The falsehood can only be held along with a profound ignorance of the law of treason, or of the relevant facts. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Ron Paul stands up for Julian Assange - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com

Ron Paul stands up for Julian Assange - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com : "Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is taking a stand as one of Julian Assange’s few defenders in Washington, arguing that the WikiLeaks founder should get the same protections as the media. Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department is examining whether Assange can be charged with a crime for posting hundreds of thousands of leaked government intelligence documents and diplomatic cables. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Lebanon 'gave Israel army tips' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Lebanon 'gave Israel army tips' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Lebanon's defence minister offered advice to Israel in 2008 on how they might defeat Hezbollah, the Shia group based in southern Lebanon, according to US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks. The memo, published in Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, showed Elias Murr telling US officials that areas under Hezbollah control would not receive Lebanese forces' protection from attacks. 'If Israel has to bomb all of these places in the Shia areas as a matter of operational concern, that is Hezbollah's problem,'' Murr reportedly said. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Assange 'facing death threats' - Europe - Al Jazeera English

Assange 'facing death threats' - Europe - Al Jazeera English : "The founder of whistleblowing website WikiLeaks has said that he is taking precautions against death threats following the publication of hundreds of leaked US diplomatic cables. Julian Assange, who is also wanted for questioning by Swedish police over alleged sex offences, was answering readers' question on the website of the UK's Guardian newspaper on Friday, despite lying low since the documents began to appear on the group's website on Sunday 'The threats against our lives are a matter of public record, however, we are taking the appropriate precautions to the degree that we are able when dealing with a superpower,' he was quoted as saying on the newspaper's website. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Jahanpour: US following Israeli 5-Point Plan on Iran: Wikileaks | Informed Comment

Jahanpour: US following Israeli 5-Point Plan on Iran: Wikileaks | Informed Comment : "In view of the fact that the United States is arming its “allies” with billions of dollars worth of the most sophisticated weapons, its protestations about Iran’s military threat sounds hollow. According to The Financial Times, the US plans to reinforce Arab military power by selling an unprecedented amount of USD 123 billion to four Persian Gulf littoral states. Saudi Arabia’s share stands at nearly $67 billion, the UAE at $40 billion, Oman at $12 billion and Kuwait at $7 billion, according to the business daily. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

  Now we know.       :      Information Clearing House: ICH

Now we know. : Information Clearing House: ICH : "The problem is that for decades, Middle East potentates have been threatening to chop off the heads of snakes, serpents, rats and Iranian insects – the latter a favourite of Saddam Hussein who used US-supplied 'insecticide' to destroy them, as we all know – while Israeli leaders have called Palestinians 'cockroaches' (Rafael Eitan), 'crocodiles' (Ehud Barak) and 'three-legged beasts' (Begin). Tears of laughter, I have to admit, began to run down my face when I read the po-faced US diplomatic report from Bahrain that King Hamad – or 'His Supreme Highness King Hamad' as he insists on being called, in his Sunni dictatorship with a Shia majority and a kingdom slightly larger than the Isle of Wight – had announced that the danger of letting the Iranian nuclear programme go on was 'greater than the danger of stopping it'. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

   Wikileaks : US Cable Confirms US Killed Women and Children In Yemen     :      Information Clearing House: ICH

Wikileaks : US Cable Confirms US Killed Women and Children In Yemen : Information Clearing House: ICH : "By Michael Isikoff National investigative correspondent November 30, 2010 'NBC News' -- The U.S. media paid scant attention in June when Amnesty International released a report charging that U.S. cruise missiles carrying cluster bombs had struck the village of al Majalah in southern Yemen on Dec. 17, 2009, killing 41 civilians, including 14 women and 21 children. Pentagon officials declined to discuss the matter at the time. But accusations of direct U.S. participation in that bombing and others in Yemen that reportedly caused civilian casualties quickly became a principal theme of al-Qaida propaganda. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

ei: Why NGO Monitor is attacking The Electronic Intifada

ei: Why NGO Monitor is attacking The Electronic Intifada : "NGO Monitor has launched a campaign targeting a Dutch foundation's financial support to The Electronic Intifada, accusing the publication among other things of 'anti-Semitism.' NGO Monitor is an extreme right-wing group with close ties to the Israeli government, military, West Bank settlers, a man convicted of misleading the US Congress, and to notoriously Islamophobic individuals and organizations in the United States. NGO Monitor's campaign of public defamation against The Electronic Intifada has focused on a grant the publication receives from the Dutch foundation ICCO. NGO Monitor has pressured the Dutch government, which subsidizes ICCO, to end its support for The Electronic Intifada. Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has apparently already lent public credence to NGO Monitor's campaign against The Electronic Intifada, an independent publication established in February 2001 and read by thousand

The World's 10 Worst Dictators | Parade.com

The World's 10 Worst Dictators | Parade.com : "Despite King Abdullah’s talk of reform, Saudi women still need permission from male guardians to work, study, travel, marry, or even obtain an ID card. The government opened a women’s branch of its Human Rights Commission, but only men serve on its board. There is no Saudi penal code, and trial defendants often cannot question witnesses. U.S. link: Dependence on Saudi oil—the U.S. imported $50 billion worth in 2008— has caused our leaders to overlook the royal family’s abysmal human-rights record.