be just

Shiite cleric: Gulf ignores Bahrain's reform cries - Yahoo! News MANAMA, Bahrain – A senior Shiite cleric in Bahrain says Sunni Gulf leaders are showing double standards by supporting Arab uprisings elsewhere while aiding Bahrain's crackdown on its pro-reform protests. Sheik Isa Qassim says Shiite-led calls for greater rights in Bahrain are being ignored by Gulf neighbors that have backed other revolts, such as those in Syria and Libya. Qassim's Friday sermon did not cite specific countries, but Saudi Arabia leads a Gulf military force supporting Bahrain's Sunni rulers. Last week, Saudi Arabia strongly denounced Syrian President Bashar Assad for trying to crush protesters. Qatar, meanwhile, has led Gulf aid to Libyan rebels. Bahrain's majority Shiites began protests in February inspired by other Arab uprisings.

BBC News - South Sudan attacks 'leave 500 dead' At least 500 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in the eastern state of Jonglei, according to the South Sudanese authorities. A senior official told the BBC hundreds of people had been wounded and more than 200 abducted, mainly children. The clashes took place on Thursday when members of the Murle group are said to have attacked the majority Lou Nuer, stealing nearly 40,000 cattle.

Israel launches strikes on Gaza after attacks - Middle East - Al Jazeera English An Israeli air strike on the Gaza town of Rafah has killed six people, Palestinian medics and news agencies said, just hours after a series of deadly attacks in southern Israel. Israeli military sources confirmed on Thursday that air strikes were carried out in Gaza shortly after the attacks in Israel that killed at least seven people. Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem Cal Perry reported that another attack occurred later on Thursday in southern Israel, even after the Israeli military unleashed its air strikes.

Two Killed as Israeli Warplanes Bomb Gaza Strip -- News from Antiwar.com Israeli warplanes launched at least five air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least two people and wounding several others . The slain were both termed “militants” by Israeli reports, but at least one of the wounded was a five year old child.

Sen. Leahy Seeks to Pull Military Aid from Israeli Special Forces -- News from Antiwar.com In a move that has Israeli officials scrambling, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D – VT) is pushing a bill that does the unthinkable, holds Israel to the same standard as other nations with respect to military aid. The bill would halt aid to certain Israeli “elite forces” units, including the Shayetet 13 unit involved in the attack on the Mavi Marmara aid ship, over growing evidence that the units are responsible for major human rights violations in the occupied territories .

Nation & World | Golden decade ending for defense companies | Seattle Times Newspaper NEW YORK — The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down, Osama bin Laden is dead, and the federal government is deeply in debt. This spells the end of what was a golden decade for the defense industry. In the decade since the Sept. 11 attacks, the annual defense budget has more than doubled to $700 billion and annual defense-industry profits have nearly quadrupled, approaching $25 billion last year. Now military spending is poised to retreat, and so are industry profits. "We're about to go into the downhill side of the roller coaster here," said David Berteau, a defense-industry analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Congress agreed last month to cut military spending by $350 billion over the next 10 years. The defense budget will automatically be cut by an additional $500 billion over that period if lawmakers fail to reach a deficit-cut...

US Congressman: US Economic Woes Won’t Affect Israel Aid -- News from Antiwar.com U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said Wednesday that financial challenges “will not have any adverse effect on America’s determination to meet its promise to Israel .” The blunt statement by the second-highest ranked Democrat in the House of Representatives underscored recent news that subsidies to Israel remained untouched by the debt crisis . Hoyer is currently leading a delegation of 26 US Democratic congressmen on a tour of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, funded by an affiliate of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He insisted his message was bipartisan and that a similar message will be brought to Israel next week when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) leads a Republican delegation to the country, numbering 55 congressmen.