be just

Al Jazeera English - Americas - Honduran rivals agree on deal : "Roberto Micheletti, Honduras's de facto leader, has agreed to reinstate Manuel Zelaya, the country's ousted president, as part of a deal aimed at ending a political crisis. The two sides have been at odds for four months over whether Zelaya should be reinstated as president before presidential elections. 'I am pleased to announce ... my negotiating team signed an agreement that marks the beginning of the end of the country's political situation,' Micheletti said in a statement on Thursday."

Jamestown Foundation: Russia is as a criminal country, just like the Soviet Union - Kavkazcenter.com : "Russia's neighbors should not take responsibility, trying to change their relations with Moscow, because it is the Kremlin's actions determine the existing tension, says a well-known political expert, Senior Fellow, Jamestown Foundation Vladimir Socor. The analyst was critical about the statement made by NATO's General Secretary that Russia poses no threat to the Baltic countries. According to Vladimir Socor, Anders Fogh Rasmussen should have been more accurate, and mention the 'potential threat'. 'I think that the small neighbors of Russia should not take responsibility, trying to improve relations with Russia, because these relations are strained because of Russia itself. Any country - small or big, the United States or the Baltic states - will make a mistake, if they are to deal with Russia as if the improvement of relations depends on them', - sai...

'Novaya Gazeta' hinted out that Maksharip Aushev was killed by Kadyrov - Kavkazcenter.com : "The Moscow newspaper 'Novaya Gazeta' hinted out that Maksharip Aushev, likely was killed by Kadyrov. Material by Olga Bobrova provides these facts: 'In September 2007, Aushev's son and his nephew, both are called Magomed, were kidnapped. Own investigation, which was organized by Maksharip showed that Chechen cops were involved - Urus-Martan district police department. The story became a big public outcry."

Al Jazeera English - Europe - Karadzic war crimes trial adjourned : "The war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has been adjourned in The Hague, following his refusal to be present in court. Karadzic boycotted the opening proceedings on Monday in protest at what he says is a 'rush to justice' by the UN-backed International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 'In light of the absence of the accused and of counsel to represent him, the chamber will adjourn these proceedings today,' Judge O-Gon Kwon said within 15 minutes of the opening of the trial."

SudanTribune article : Is there a government in Southern Sudan? : "October 21, 2009 — The untimely death of Dr. John Garang has cast a huge black cloud over the future of Southern Sudan. I am aware that my statement will not go down well with some of the opportunistic and sycophantic elements within President Kiir’s tribally-based political chauvinism. But if all could set aside opportunism for a minute and behave as nationalists, we will discover that Southern Sudan is sinking fast into political abyss. Despite early warnings to this effect, our corrupted and predatory SPLM and GOSS leadership continues to ignore these despite the inevitable collapse of state machinery in South Sudan. Equally true is the uncaring and unresponsive behaviour of most of our State governors who have elected to concern themselves with the looting of public funds on fake projects while ignoring the egregious state in which public services have reached in most states. All in all, looking at what our lea...

Al Jazeera English - Africa - Deadly clashes shake Somali capital : "At least 20 people have been killed and 58 injured in a battle between anti-government fighters and African peacekeepers in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, medical workers say. According to witnesses, clashes broke out on Thursday after fighters launched mortar bombs at the city's international airport, as Sharif Ahmed, the country's president, flew out of the country. Ali Muse, head of Mogadishu's ambulance services, told the AFP news agency it was 'the worst such incident recently' in the city. 'We have seen at least 20 dead bodies lying in the streets, most of them civilians,' he said."

Al Jazeera English - Middle East - Goldstone dares US on Gaza report : "Richard Goldstone, the jurist who authored a UN report accusing Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity during its war on Gaza, has challenged the US to justify its claims that his findings are flawed and biased. Goldstone told Al Jazeera on Thursday that he had not heard from the administration of Barack Obama, the US president, about the flaws Washington claims to have identified in the report. 'I have yet to hear from the Obama administration what the flaws in the report that they have identified are. I would be happy to respond to them, if and when I know what they are,' Goldstone said."

Al Jazeera English - Africa - Rape used as weapon in DR Congo war : "The Democratic Republic of Congo is grappling with rampant rape, which has become an every day practice and is used as a weapon of war, the UN has said. It said almost 5,400 cases of rape against women were reported in the South Kivu province during the first six months of the year. Elisabeth Byrs, a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said South Kivu, near Rwanda, was an increasingly dangerous place for civilians, especially for women. 'Night-time attacks against civilians by unidentified armed elements, and rape against women, remain widespread,' Byrs said."

US Joins Ranks of Failed States : Information Clearing House - ICH : "Costs are out of control, and priorities are skewed in the interest of rich organized interest groups at the expense of the vast majority of citizens. For example, war at all cost, which enriches the armaments industry, the officer corps and the financial firms that handle the war’s financing, takes precedence over the needs of American citizens. There is no money to provide the uninsured with health care, but Pentagon officials have told the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in the House that every gallon of gasoline delivered to US troops in Afghanistan costs American taxpayers $400."

Sy Hersh: Military 'In War Against The White House' | Crooks and Liars : "The army is also “in a war against the White House — and they feel they have Obama boxed in,” Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh told several hundred people in Duke University’s Page Auditorium on Tuesday night. “They think he’s weak and the wrong color. Yes, there’s racism in the Pentagon. We may not like to think that, but it’s true and we all know it.”"

Pickens says U.S. firms 'entitled' to Iraqi oil | Markets | Reuters : "WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens told Congress on Wednesday that U.S. energy companies are 'entitled' to some of Iraq's crude because of the large number of American troops that lost their lives fighting in the country and the U.S. taxpayer money spent in Iraq. Boone, speaking to the newly formed Congressional Natural Gas Caucus, complained that the Iraqi government has awarded contracts to foreign companies, particularly Chinese firms, to develop Iraq's vast reserves while American companies have mostly been shut out. 'They're opening them (oil fields) up to other companies all over the world ... We're entitled to it,' Pickens said of Iraq's oil. 'Heck, we even lost 5,000 of our people, 65,000 injured and a trillion, five hundred billion dollars.'"

: Information Clearing House - ICH : "October 20, 2009 'Haaretz' --- The author of a damning report on Israel's winter offensive against Hamas in Gaza, Richard Goldstone, has said that Foreign Minster Avigdor Lieberman does not want there to be an Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Goldstone, a South African Jurist, made the claim in a conference call on Sunday with 150 U.S. rabbis from left-leaning organizations. He was speaking in reference to an Israeli assertion that the report would harm peace talks. 'That just is a shallow, I believe, false allegation,' he said. 'What peace process are they talking about? There isn't one. The Israeli foreign minister doesn't want one at all.'"

Obama is Only Making It Worse : Information Clearing House - ICH : "October 20, 2009 'Counterpunch' -- A few weeks ago the UN headman in Kabul, a woodenheaded Norwegian, decided that the recent Presidential elections were fine and Karzai was a legitimate ruler. His deputy, Peter Galbraith, the unofficial representative of the State Department, was enraged (since the US are unhappy with Karzai who is their own creature) and went public. He was fired. But stories involving US reps and the UN never end like this. Yesterday the UN-supported electoral watchdog ruled that the elections had been fraudulent and ordered a new round. The Hindu Kush mountains must have resounded to the sound of Pashtun laughter. Nobody in Afghanistan takes elections too seriously and especially not when the country is occupied by the US and its NATO acolytes. In the old days Karzai would have been got rid of like South Vietnamese dictators who made too big a mess. Karzai has been a total dis...

Al Jazeera English - Asia-Pacific - Uighurs 'disappeared' in crackdown : "Dozens of ethnic Uighurs, including several children, remain unaccounted for more than three months after China launched a crackdown on ethnic unrest in the country's far west, a human right group has said. A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) released on Wednesday, said the group had documented the cases of at least 43 Uighur men and boys who have disappeared in a wave of arrests across the city of Urumqi. The group said the 43 cases were likely to be 'just the tip of the iceberg', with the real number of disappeared in Urumqi and elsewhere in the Xinjiang region thought to be much higher."

YouTube - Iran Today /Jondullah terrorist organization/07/ 14/ 2009/ part1

Oligarch investor in Sibir moves to Israel - Business News, Business - The Independent : "Chalva Tchigirinski, the beleaguered Russian tycoon who is being sued for alleged improper use of funds belonging to the London-listed oil company Sibir Energy and whose Russian companies are being investigated for supposed tax violations, has moved to Israel, The Independent can reveal. Mr Tchigirinski has taken an apartment in Tel Aviv and is planning to host an 'oligarchs' party' to celebrate his new base. The disclosure is likely to frustrate Russian prosecutors, who are investigating the Moscow Oil and Gas Company, MNGC and the Moscow Oil Company. All three companies were managed by Mr Tchigirinski between 2002 and 2006 and The Independent has obtained reports by the Russian tax authorities, who have been investigating alleged tax violations. State investigators recently raided the offices of a company called Magma, which is linked to the two Moscow Oil companies."

John Bolton Suggests Nuclear Attack on Iran : Information Clearing House - ICH : "October 15, 2009 'Faster Times' - Oct 14, 2009 -- This Friday, the American Enterprise Institute will host an event addressing the question “Should Israel attack Iran?” The event includes, among others, Iran uberhawk Michael Rubin and infamous “torture lawyer” John Yoo, but the real star is likely to be John Bolton, the former U.N. ambassador whose right-of-Attila views left him an outcast even within the second Bush administration. (Bolton was eventually forced out when it became clear that he would be unable to win Senate confirmation for the U.N. post.) If Bolton’s recent rhetoric is any indication, his AEI appearance may accomplish the formidable feat of making Michael Rubin sound like a dove. Discussing Iran during a Tuesday speech at the University of Chicago, Bolton appeared to call for nothing less than an Israeli nuclear first strike against the Islamic Republic. (The speech...

EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Kyrgyzstan: Gangs Govern Life in Many Kyrgyz Schools : "Organized crime is making inroads into Kyrgyz schools. This trend is forcing students like Turgunbek, a 16 year old at Bishkek’s School Number 67, to worry just as much about carving out a safe spot in the school’s pecking order as he does about his studies. The social order at some schools in the Kyrgyz capital has come to resemble that which exists in prisons. Students not only have to master the basics of reading writing and arithmetic, they must also develop a skill for astute observation in order to identify who is important and who is not. Those on the lowest rung of the gang ladder, dubbed bratishki, or followers, perform favors in exchange for power and protection from a bratyan, or an older brother. A few kingpins maintain control over a certain territory or social group. These school networks often have connections, according to Turgunbek and other observers, to older thieves-in-law - me...

ei: Gaza farmers struggle with damaged agricultural land : "GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IRIN) - Thousands of Gazan farmers may be unable to replant their crops during the region's main planting season in October due to agricultural land still damaged by the Israeli offensive at the start of the year, and a lack of agricultural materials like seeds and fertilizers, according to officials. Half of Hatem Khubair's four hectares of farmland in Beit Lahiya, a city in the northern Gaza Strip, were destroyed during the Israeli offensive earlier this year. 'I can't afford to rehabilitate my land. The Israeli army bulldozed my crops -- onions and carrots -- and parked tanks on it, destroying the irrigation system,' said Khubair."

Taleban tax: allied supply convoys pay their enemies for safe passage - Times Online : "The West is indirectly funding the insurgency in Afghanistan thanks to a system of payoffs to Taleban commanders who charge protection money to allow convoys of military supplies to reach Nato bases in the south of the country. Contracts to supply British bases and those of other Western forces with fuel, supplies and equipment are held by multinational companies."

US Under Pressure to Revise National Intelligence Estimate on Iran -- News from Antiwar.com : "The 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran has been a thorn in both the Bush and Obama Administration’s side since its release two years ago. The report noted that Iran hasn’t had any nuclear weapons program at least since 2003." Not that this has stopped the respective administrations from claiming repeatedly that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, but it has certainly made the rhetoric far less credible. Even today intelligence officials defend the 2007 report , but growing pressure from abroad, notably Israel, is leading to calls for an official repudiation of the report .

Group: Record Numbers Of Homeless In NYC - wcbstv.com : "NEW YORK (CBS) ― The economy may be poised for a rebound but for a lot of people times are very tough. According to a new report, the number of homeless people sleeping in New York City shelters has reached an all time high at 39,000 -- many of them are children."

Just How Sensitive Is Earth's Climate to Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide?: Scientific American : "Carbon dioxide levels climbing toward a doubling of the 280 parts per million (ppm) concentration found in the preindustrial atmosphere pose the question: What impact will this increased greenhouse gas load have on the climate? If relatively small changes in CO2 levels have big effects—meaning that we live in a more sensitive climate system—the planet could warm by as much as 6 degrees Celsius on average with attendant results such as changed weather patterns and sea-level rise. A less sensitive climate system would mean average warming of less than 2 degrees C and, therefore, fewer ramifications from global warming."

YouTube - Fault Lines -One on One with Harry Belafonte- 3 Sep 09- Pt 1

YouTube - Fault Lines -One on One with Harry Belafonte- 3 Sep 09- Pt 2

The UN Must Adopt the Goldstone Report : Information Clearing House - ICH : "Palestinian civil society has strongly and almost unanimously condemned the Palestinian Authority's latest decision to delay adoption by the UN Human Rights Council of the report prepared by the UN Fact-Finding Mission, headed by justice Richard Goldstone, into the recent Israeli war of aggression against the Palestinian people in the occupied Gaza Strip. A common demand in almost all Palestinian statements issued in this respect was for the UN to adopt the report and act without undue delay on its recommendations in order to bring an end to Israel's criminal impunity and to hold it accountable before international law for its war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza and, indeed, all over the occupied Palestinian territory. Succumbing to US pressures and unabashed Israeli blackmail, the president of the PA himself reportedly was himself responsible for the decisio...

ElBaradei says nuclear Israel number one threat to Mideast: report : Information Clearing House - ICH : "Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday that 'Israel is number one threat to Middle East' with its nuclear arms, the official IRNA news agency reported. At a joint press conference with Iran's Atomic Energy Organization chief Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran, ElBaradei brought Israel under spotlight and said that the Tel Aviv regime has refused to allow inspections into its nuclear installations for 30years, the report said. 'Israel is the number one threat to the Middle East given the nuclear arms it possesses,' ElBaradei was quoted as saying. Israel is widely assumed to have nuclear capabilities, although it refuses to confirm or deny the allegation. 'This (possession of nuclear arms) was the cause for some proper measures to gain access to its (Israel's) power plants ... and the ...

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran 'co-operation' draws praise : "The US and the UN have given an upbeat assessment of the possibility of settling the nuclear dispute with Iran. US National Security Adviser Jim Jones said Tehran was now 'willing to come to the table', following talks this week between Iran and major powers."

Rift between Somalia's rebel groups deepens | International | Reuters : "MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's two main insurgent groups clashed on Saturday near the southern port of Kismayu and residents said al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam were squaring up for battles elsewhere in the Horn of Africa country. The rebel groups fought for control of the lucrative port and main airport in southern Somalia this week. Al Shabaab won the battle, in which a local rights group said at least 28 civilians and an unknown number of combatants were killed."

Rethink Afghanistan: Filmmaker Robert Greenwald Launches Film Opposing Escalation of War

As troops draw down, more contractors hired | StarTribune.com : "Just as they were starting to pack to leave in 2007, they learned that they were part of a group of 2,500 Minnesota National Guard troops whose deployments had been extended an additional four months as part of President George W. Bush's 'surge.' So where did two veterans from Detroit Lakes end up after coming home? Back in Iraq. Dustin Heard and Dan Wilson, who were in the same unit in Iraq during a 15-month tour with the Guard, are now working as private security contractors at a base near the Baghdad International Airport."

ei: Abbas helps Israel bury its crimes in Gaza : "Just when it seemed that the Ramallah Palestinian Authority (PA) and its leader Mahmoud Abbas could not sink any lower in their complicity with Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the murderous blockade of Gaza, Ramallah has dealt a further stunning blow to the Palestinian people. The Abbas delegation to the United Nations in Geneva (officially representing the moribund Palestine Liberation Organization) abandoned a resolution requesting the Human Rights Council to forward Judge Richard Goldstone's report on war crimes in Gaza to the UN Security Council for further action. Although the PA acted under US pressure, there are strong indications that the commercial interests of Palestinian and Gulf businessmen closely linked to Abbas also played a part."

In Anbar, U.S.-Allied Tribal Chiefs Feel Deep Sense of Abandonment - washingtonpost.com : "RAMADI, Iraq -- There was once a swagger to the scotch-swilling, insurgent-fighting Raed Sabah. He was known as Sheik Raed to his sycophants. Tribesmen who relied on his largess called him the same. So did his fighters, who joined the Americans and helped crush the insurgency in Anbar province. Sabah still likes his scotch -- Johnnie Walker Black, with Red Bull on the rocks -- but these days, as the Americans withdraw from western Iraq, he has lost his swagger. His neighbors now deride him as an American stooge; they have nicknamed his alley 'The Street of the Lackeys.'

Obama Reaffirms He Will Keep Israel’s Nukes ‘Secret’ -- News from Antiwar.com : "Following up on assurances he made in May, President Obama has reportedly ‘reaffirmed’ a secret understanding whereby he will not reveal the existence of Israel’s widely known nuclear arsenal, nor will he pressure Israel to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)."