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December 2004Future of Andaman's 500 Jarawa tribals uncertainPosted: Friday, December 31, 2004 NEW DELHI: There was no concrete information till late Friday evening about the condition of the 500-odd Jarawa aborigines tribe inhabiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Of these, at least 260 were reported to have survived the devastating tsunami by hanging on to the trees. According to the 2001 census figures, there were around 250 Jarawas inhabiting the middle-south Andaman Islands. By the end of this year their population is expected to have more than doubled, a senior government official said. Full Article : indiatimes.com Remote island tribes safe after quake Groups of rare aboriginal tribes already near the edge of extinction in the Andaman and Nicobar islands survived a massive tsunami, the coast guard said on Thursday. Five tribes numbering 989 people were safe after Sunday's onslaught, including the 100-member Onge, 250 of the fiercely independent Sentinelese, 39 of the almost extinct Andamanese, 350 of the Jarawa and 250 of the hunter-gatherer Shompen. Full Article : iafrica.com Iraq vs Tsunami: Massive tragedy and media predators Posted: Friday, December 31, 2004 The American media has descended on the Asian tsunami with all the fervor of feral animals in a meat locker. The newspapers and TV's are plastered with bodies drifting out to sea, battered carcasses strewn along the beach and bloated babies lying in rows. Every aspect of the suffering is being scrutinized with microscopic intensity by the predatory lens of the media. Where was this "free press" in Iraq when the death toll was skyrocketing towards 100,000? So far, we we've seen nothing of the devastation in Falluja where more than 6,000 were killed and where corpses were lined along the city's streets for weeks on end. Is death less photogenic in Iraq? Or, are there political motives behind the coverage? Full Article : smirkingchimp.com The Chavez phenomenon and the U.S. Posted: Friday, December 31, 2004 CARACAS: Shortly after he appeared on national television in October 2001 holding aloft bloody photographs of children killed by the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan, President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela received a visit from Donna Hrinak, then Washington's Ambassador to the oil-rich South American country. Recalling his meeting with the U.S. envoy at an international conference here last week, Mr. Chavez said his televised message had simply been that one could not fight terrorism with terrorism. "But the Ambassador came to me and demanded, 'You must rectify your position.' I replied: "You are talking to the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. You are dismissed. When you learn what the job of an Ambassador is, you may come back." Full Article : thehindu.com Israel stops Palestinians voting in Jerusalem Posted: Friday, December 31, 2004 Israel was accused yesterday of undermining the election of a Palestinian Authority president by allowing only a few thousand Palestinians to vote in East Jerusalem. More than 100,000 will have to leave the city if they want to vote. The government has told the Palestinian Election Commission that it will not allow privacy screens in the voting booths in East Jerusalem post offices, nor will election officials be allowed to mark voters with indelible ink to prevent fraud. The prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has admitted that the arrangements are designed to show that Israel has sole sovereignty in East Jerusalem. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Latest News Posted: Friday, December 31, 2004 ¤ The Phantom Furies ¤ Seven killed in Iraq car bomb attack ¤ Tsunami toll approaching 150,000 ¤ Mosul election staff quit en masse ¤ War and the Tsunami ¤ Iraq vs. Tsunami ¤ Legal flaws threat to Saddam trial ¤ Oh, What a Year it Was ¤ Stingy? Not with WMD and War ¤ Bush Bumbles Disaster Relief ¤ The Great Crime Spree of 2004 ¤ Bush in Manila ¤ 'The arrogant administration' ¤ Suicide Car Bomber Kills Seven in Iraq's North ¤ Last half of 2004 deadliest ever for US troops in Iraq ¤ Remote island tribes safe after quake ¤ Global analysts dispute perceived US generosity ¤ The Chavez phenomenon and the U.S. ¤ Stench of dead bodies is all around ¤ Survivors gripped by fear of more waves as death toll hits 125,000 ¤ Bay of Pigs Redux? ¤ The bullet and the ballot ¤ TV Networks Officially Refuse to Release Exit Poll Raw Data ¤ Iraq: A War For Israel? ¤ Tsunami death toll tops 125,000 ¤ Why no warning? ¤ Torture akin to terror ¤ Matthew Rothschild: Time to leave Iraq ¤ Bush breaks silence on bin Laden ¤ Israeli Drone Kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza Strike ¤ Scores die in Argentine blaze Tsunami death toll surpasses 125,000 Posted: Thursday, December 30, 2004 Updated: December 31, 2004 U.S tries to Save Face U.S. Boosts Tsunami Aid Tenfold to $350M CRAWFORD, Texas - The United States is pledging $350 million to help tsunami victims, a tenfold increase over its first wave of aid, President Bush announced Friday. Full Article : news.yahoo.com Scientific Background on the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami Information relating to the submarine earthquake inbetween Aceh, Indonesia and Sri Lanka of the 26th of December, 2004 has been compiled here. 5 000 000 displaced by tsunami Up to five million people have been displaced by the devastating tsunamis that pummelled large tracts of Asia over the weekend, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday. Full Article : news24.com International aid groups seek access into remote disaster zone of Indian islands International aid groups sought permission to go deep into India's remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, the last tsunami blind spot where casualties are feared in thousands, but Indian authorities said Friday they have not yet given approval. India has officially reported 7,368 dead in the earthquake-tsunami disaster but that does not include a complete count in the island territories, where officials estimate as many as 10,000 people could be buried under mud and debris. Full Article : chinapost.com.tw Tsunami triggers history's biggest ever relief effort THE DEATH toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 125,000 yesterday as millions scrambled for food and clean water and rumours of new waves sent many fleeing inland in panic. Aid agencies warned many more, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka, could die in epidemics if shattered communications and transport hampered what may prove history's biggest relief operation. Full Article : jamaica-gleaner.com Tsunami death toll now 125,000 BANDA ACEH: The death toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 125,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and clean water and rumours of new waves sent many fleeing inland in panic. Full Article : dailytimes.com.pk Iran Knows What Awaits Tsunami Survivors The people of Bam, an Iranian town devastated by an earthquake a year ago, know what's ahead for the survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami: broken hearts, slow rebuilding and unfulfilled promises of aid. But Bam presents itself as proof of man's capacity to overcome. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Asian tsunami toll jumps to over 125,000 Asia's tsunami death toll soared above 125,000 and aid agencies warned many more people -- particularly children -- could die in epidemics, ushering in a somber New Year's Eve for the world. Full Article : chinadaily.com.cn Tsunami death toll passes 120,000 The death toll from the Asian megaquake and ensuing tsunamis officially passed 120,000. At least 123,181 people were killed in 11 countries in southern Asia and Africa by Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunami waves, according to official figures. Full Article : thisislondon.co.uk Somalia: relief supply reach tsunami victims The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said it had started distributing food to Somali survivors of the deadly tsunami wave that struck the country's Indian Ocean coast at the weekend, as the death toll climbed to 132. Full Article : turkishpress.com Tsunami Death Toll Jumps Over 120,000 BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - The death toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 120,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and fresh water and thousands more fled in panic to high ground on rumors of new waves. Full Article : commondreams.org Breakdown of quake, tsunami death toll At least 114,758 people were killed in 11 countries in southern Asia and Africa from Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunami waves, according to official figures. A breakdown of the toll so far: Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.com Somalia wave victims 'forgotten' Somalia has largely been forgotten by the international community in its response to help victims of Sunday's tsunami, the United Nations says. Jan Egeland, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, said UN personnel had only just reached villages affected. Aid workers have described a scene of devastation on the Somali island of Hafun, a fishing community of 2,500. The floods killed 120 in Somalia with 35 missing and some 50,000 displaced, its prime minister said on Thursday. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk Tsunami death toll likely to surpass 100,000 Planes loaded with everything from lentils to water purifiers touched down across Asia yesterday, the start of the largest relief effort in history, as aid workers predicted the death toll from this week's earthquake and tsunamis would top 100,000. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com Quake relief urgent, toll passes 80,000 Millions of people around the Indian Ocean are in need of food and clean water as the threat of disease and hunger becomes as big a threat as the most devastating tsunami on record that struck on Sunday. Full Article : aljazeera.net Death is all around, but the band plays on for the tourist horde For many in key Thai resort, it is sun, sex and booze as usual Stefan Johansson, a 41-year-old air force officer from Sweden, is hoping that tonight is the night. He is not concerned about aftershocks hitting the beach half a mile from here, or about the haphazard rescue operation finally under way in southern Thailand. Nor is he worried by the deaths of several hundred compatriots. Mr Johansson is anxious that the bar girl he has his eye on is going to keep holding out on him. "I'm having a good holiday," he said. "I went for a walk along the sand this morning, did a bit of swimming. Now I'm off drinking, and then we'll see." Full Article : guardian.co.uk Where Are All the Dead Animals? Sri Lankan wildlife officials are stunned -- the worst tsunami in memory has killed around 22,000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast, but they can't find any dead animals. Full Article : news.yahoo.com Tsunami waters raise landmine fears in Sri Lanka Already haunted by fears of a new tsunami or spread of disease, survivors picking through debris of entire towns to recover corpses at Sri Lanka's northern tip face a new danger -- floating landmines. Full Article : expressindia.com The World Mourns The Dead And Missing After Tsunami JAKARTA, December 30 (RIA Novosti, Mikhail Tsyganov) - From Europe to Australia, the world started mourning the dead and the missing in the wake of tsunami that hit the countries of the Indian Ocean region. In the course of the largest global rescue operation, Europe has been connected with Asia by an "air bridge" transporting food and medical supplies to the south and rescued tourists to the north. Up to 60 countries allocated more than $250 million for humanitarian aid to Asian countries devastated by natural disaster. The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami in 12 countries of Asia and Africa has exceeded 83,000 people. According to the Red Cross organization, the overall number of the dead might exceed 100,000. "We are dealing with a natural catastrophe of unprecedented proportions," announced head of Asian Pacific branch of the Red Cross Simon Missiri. Almost a third of the dead are children. Millions of people are left without housing. Full Article : en.rian.ru Latest News Posted: Thursday, December 30, 2004 ¤ Death is all around, but the band plays on for the tourist horde ¤ Tsunami Death Toll Jumps Over 120,000 ¤ Tsunami Disaster Highlights Corporate Media Hypocrisy ¤ 12/26 and 9/11 How to React ¤ Bush and Tsunamis ¤ Empire of the Misers ¤ Grief, Relief and the Stingy West ¤ Deadly Year in Iraq Has Grown Worse ¤ The End of War ¤ Are We Stingy? Yes ¤ What Can We Do About Terrorism? ¤ Even drug dealers are giving up on the dollar. ¤ Mujahideen Blow Up House In Fallujah, Reportedly Killing 24 American Soldiers ¤ Dead Osama Gives Mythical al-Zarqawi a Promotion ¤ Linking al-Qaeda to the Iraqi Resistance ¤ Bush downplays Sunni boycott ¤ Israeli Troops Kill Nine Palestinians in Gaza Raid ¤ Colombia- A Shill (proxy) Country For Us Intervention In Venezuela ¤ Explosion in house kills 28 in Baghdad ¤ Tsunami death toll could reach 100,000 ¤ Tsunamis death toll climbs to 81,000 ¤ Quake relief urgent, toll passes 80,000 ¤ Tsunami Death Toll May Never Be Known ¤ Israel stops Palestinians voting in Jerusalem ¤ Russia says 'nyet' to Ukraine election results ¤ Neo-cons can't escape responsibility for their Iraq miscalculations ¤ Images of war's true cost ¤ How can we let this evil persist? ¤ Rethinking American History, Completely ¤ Unbecoming Conduct ¤ Reversing My Pro-War Position? ¤ 'Our' Collective Goodness in the Tsunami Disaster ¤ 55 killed in Iraq clashes, blast ¤ Saudi capital: At least eight killed in blasts, clash ¤ Five Palestinians killed in southern Gaza Tsunami Death Toll Soars to Near 77,000 Posted: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 Tsunami Death Toll Soars to Near 77,000 BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - As the world scrambled to the rescue, survivors fought over packs of noodles in quake-stricken Indonesian streets Wednesday while relief supplies piled up at the airport for lack of cars, gas or passable roads to move them. The official death toll across 12 countries soared to near 77,000 and the Red Cross predicted it could pass 100,000. Full Article : news.yahoo.com What Did the US Know and When Did It Know It? Reports on the Asian tsunami typically ignore the crucial political back stories in volatile areas like Aceh and Sri Lanka...and how "aid" efforts will be exploited for geo-political gain. Without such context, the coverage is woefully incomplete and irresponsible. Today, Democracy Now did delve deeper into the situation in Aceh...the military repression, the role of Exxon-Mobil, and now the earthquake/tsunami. Do some research and see for yourself. Full Article : counterpunch.org New York Times Says Tsunami Kills White People, Too! The images of the tsunami are overwhelming, the grief incalculable as the death toll rises to 80,000 and beyond. As many as a third of the victims have been children, unable to withstand the force of the monstrous waves that struck without warning. Amid this carnage, some of the leading media outlets in the United States have focused undue attention on the fact that some Westerners have died along with tens of thousands of Asians. "Many Tourists Are Killed," read the subhed on the front page of Tuesday’s New York Times. (Its main headline drew attention to the high percentage of children who died.) Full Article : commondreams.org Race to bury Asia's dead as toll hits 68,000 BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Thousands of corpses rotted in Indonesia's tropical sun on Wednesday as rescuers scoured isolated coasts across the Indian Ocean for survivors of Sunday's giant waves that killed more than 68,000. Full Article : abs-cbnnews.com More Than 4,000 Tourists Missing in Tsunami-Hit Asia More than 4,000 overseas tourists from nations worldwide are missing three days after 10-meter (33 feet) waves swept through Asian resorts at the height of the vacation season. The Nordic countries are among the hardest hit. Full Article : bloomberg.com British toll rises in Asia quake A total of 26 Britons have been confirmed dead after the Indian Ocean tsunami, with Thai authorities suggesting as many as 43 may have died. Full Article : bbc.co.uk Rescuers battle as toll climbs in Asia The death toll from the Asian tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Indonesia, is 67 682 people, according to government and health officials. Full Article : iol.co.za Tsunami endangers survival of Andaman tribes The unprecedented devastation in the Andaman and Nicobar islands has raised real fears about virtual decimation of indigenous tribal groups on the islands. Many of these tribes are living away from civil society, and smaller and more vulnerable islands and importantly, far away from any means of help. Full Article : ndtv.com How earthquake jolted the planet Sumatra is thought to have moved by as much as 120ft and the Earth to have shifted on its axis THE earthquake responsible for the Asian tsunami was so powerful that it changed the local geography, shifting islands and the mainland of Sumatra by as much as 120ft, American seismologists said yesterday. The energy released by the quake was so huge that it may even have caused the Earth to wobble on its axis. Geophysicists are calling it a megathrust, the term used for the most powerful of changes in the Earth’s surface. Pressure built up over nearly two centuries was released in a single snap. "That earthquake has changed the map," Ken Hudnut, of the US Geological Survey (USGS), said. "Based on seismic modelling, some of the smaller islands off the southwest coast of Sumatra may have moved to the southwest by about 20 metres. That is a lot of slip." Full Article : timesonline.co.uk India, South Asia ignored tsunami alert system NEW YORK: India and other South Asian countries have tended to treat tsunamis as a problem of the Pacific Ocean and in the process not paid enough attention to warnings, say experts. Full Article : indiatimes.com Deadly waves explained A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that are generated by a large-scale disturbance of seawater. Most tsunamis are generated from earthquakes, but they can also occur after volcanic eruptions, landslides, and meteor impacts. The most destructive tsunamis are created by large earthquakes with an epicenter or fault line near or on the ocean floor. Usually, it takes an earthquake with a strength above 7.5 on the Richter scale to generate a destructive tsunami. Full Article : boston.com Latest News Posted: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 ¤ Elections Without Democracy ¤ Who's Feeding the Bin Laden Legend? ¤ What Did the US Know and When Did It Know It? ¤ US Businesses Overseas Threatened by Rising Anti-Americanism ¤ Tsunamis and Death-Toll Pornography ¤ New York Times Says Tsunami Kills White People, Too! ¤ Homeland Insecurity ¤ 'War Crimes' Murmurs ¤ Vatican hit by new row over war role ¤ Bush's don't-ask, don't-tell press conference ¤ The Many Fictions of Iraq ¤ Tsunami Death Toll Soars to Near 77,000 ¤ Tsunami toll tops 76,000 ¤ Tsunami toll could top 100,000 ¤ 30 killed as Baghdad house is blown up ¤ Car Bombs Explode Near Saudi Security Buildings ¤ Dozens killed, wounded in Mosul fighting ¤ Asian Disaster May Affect Two Civil Wars ¤ Tsunami Death Toll Soars Past 58,000 ¤ 32 cops among 62 killed in Iraq ¤ Thai newspaper documents government attempt to kill tsunami warning ¤ Tsunami warning halted out of concern for tourist industry ¤ Tsunami toll nears 60,000 ¤ The true horror emerges ¤ Iraq 2004 Looks Like Vietnam 1966 ¤ The Russian empire is doomed to disintegrate ¤ 29 Killed by Explosion in West Baghdad ¤ Why this year has taught me to be more of a cynic ¤ A terrible warning not to do nothing ¤ In This Mire Of Death, Lies And Atrocities, We Glimpse The Ghost Of Vietnam ¤ Images of war's true cost ¤ No such thing as an ordinary day in Baghdad Death toll in Asian quake disaster over 55,000 Posted: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 Death toll in Asian quake disaster over 55,000 JAKARTA: The confirmed death toll from the massive earthquake and tidal waves that devastated much of Asia's coastline passed 55,000 on Tuesday, with officials warning the figure was likely to rise steeply. In Indonesia, the government's disaster relief centre said at least 27,174 were killed after the country took the full force of the huge earthquake and tidal waves that swallowed entire coastal villages. Full Article : indiatimes.com Asian disaster toll surges past 55,000 as relief operations stall Tidal Waves Death Toll Rises to 44,000 Mourners in Sri Lanka used their bare hands to dig graves Tuesday while hungry islanders in Indonesia turned to looting in the aftermath of Asia's devastating tsunamis. Thousands more bodies were found in Indonesia, dramatically increasing the death toll across 11 nations to around 44,000. Emergency workers who reached Aceh province at the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island found that 10,000 people had been killed in a single town, Meulaboh, said Purnomo Sidik, national disaster director at the Social Affairs Ministry. Full Article : abcnews.go.com Scientists in USA saw tsunami coming Minutes after a massive earthquake rocked the Indian Ocean on Sunday, international ocean monitors knew that a tsunami would likely follow. But they didn't know whom to tell. "We put out a bulletin within 20 minutes, technically as fast as we could do it," says Jeff LaDouce of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. LaDouce says e-mails were dispatched to Indonesian officials, but he doesn't know what happened to the information. Full Article : usatoday.com Biggest relief operation gets under way Local communities and international aid operations are getting ready for what the UN has described as the largest aid operation in history. As this massive exercise got into gear, countless residents in the countries stricken by the massive tsunami disaster were providing their own assistance with whatever came to hand. Dozens of trucks and vans lined up in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, as locals sought to help fellow citizens in a country that suffered at least 12,000 deaths. Full Article : aljazeera.net Breakdown of Disaster Deaths by Country Officials said more than 26,000 people were killed in 11 countries in southern Asia and Africa after massive tsunami waves smashed coastlines Sunday morning. A breakdown of the toll so far: Full Article : kansascity.com Hundreds perish in Somalia NAIROBI: Hundreds of people died and entire villages and towns disappeared when tidal waves hit Somalia’s coastline along its central and north-eastern regions, a Somali presidential spokesman said Monday. The "human loss is in the hundreds in the central and north-eastern coastal area. ... Entire villages and coastal town have been swept away by the tidal waves and there is severe damage to property," said Yusuf Ismail, spokesman of Somalia’s President Abduallhi Yusuf Ahmed. Full Article : jang.com.pk Killer waves smash east coast of Africa NAIROBI - High waves sparked by a massive earthquake on the other side of the Indian Ocean hit the east coast of Africa on Sunday, drowning a number of people, officials and witnesses said. The huge waves swept 7000 kilometres from the Indonesian island of Sumatra before crashing onto the shores of Kenya and Somalia, affecting the islands of Mauritius, Reunion and the Seychelles on the way. Full Article : dispatch.co.za Over 24,000 killed in Asia tidal waves COLOMBO: Massive rescue operations were scrambled along Asia’s devastated coastlines on Monday as the death toll from a powerful earthquake and the giant tidal waves it unleashed neared 24,000 and hopes faded for many thousands more still missing. More than one million people have been displaced in three of the countries, the international Red Cross said. "There are one million displaced in Sri Lanka, plus 29,000 in Thailand and one thousand in India roughly," Marie-Francoise Borel, a spokeswoman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told AFP. Full Article : jang.com.pk From Asia to Africa, a terrible trail of death The death toll from the tsunami which devastated coastal areas of South East Asia was about 23,200 today as the United Nations warned it could be the worst natural disaster of modern times. More than two million people lost their homes and tens of thousands were injured with many more still unaccounted for after the flash floods triggered by a massive under-sea earthquake off Sumatra in Indonesia. Full Article : nzherald.co.nz From Asia to Africa, a terrible trail of death and destruction Burials were held all over India for thousands of victims, mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu, where more deaths yesterday brought the total to 2,890. The Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa described the damage as "unprecedented". Full Article : independent.co.uk U.S. Has Asia-Africa Disaster Information The State Department on Monday established a toll-free telephone number for inquiries about U.S. citizens affected by the Asian earthquake and tsunamis. The public may call toll free at 888-407-4747. Overseas, people may call 317-472-2328. Those seeking information also can contact the department's Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management, 202-647-5225. General information about disaster relief, preparation and emergency services to U.S. citizens abroad can be found at the State Department Web page http://travel.state.gov/travel/crisismg.html. Source: guardian.co.uk Latest News Posted: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 ¤ Tsunami Death Toll Climbs to 52,000 ¤ Agencies fear disease after tsunami ¤ Hyping Terror For Fun, Profit - And Power ¤ EU to begin trade talks with Iran ¤ Baghdad commander of Iraqi security forces assassinated ¤ All the empires die sooner or later ¤ Attacks in Iraq kill 42 ¤ A Shameful Response to Disaster ¤ The Resistance and the West's Anti-War Movement ¤ Tailgated by Media Technology ¤ To Tailor the Truth ¤ A Natural and Unnatural Disaster ¤ Dark Predictions for Coming Year ¤ Confessions of an Economic Hit Man ¤ Sri Lanka said refusing IDF aid team ¤ Pentagon: Rumsfeld misspoke on Flight 93 crash ¤ Rumsfeld says 9-11 plane 'shot down' in Pennsylvania ¤ Insurgency in Iraq 'will not end': Powell ¤ Expat Iraqis will vote from UK ¤ 'To tailor the truth' ¤ Wave of death from Asia to Africa ¤ Tsunami death toll climbs to 25,000 ¤ Relief tasks swamp tsunami hit nations ¤ Israel accused of obstructing Palestinian election ¤ Loss and despair in a town crushed by nature ¤ Whose war is it now? ¤ Israelis arrested in Jordan confess supplying arms to Sudan rebels ¤ Ukraine transport minister found shot dead ¤ Over 24,000 killed in Asia tidal waves ¤ Hundreds perish in Somalia ¤ Bush: ‘Person of the Year’ or corporate crook? ¤ Insurgents kills 18 Iraqi policemen in attacks on stations ¤ 'US sends captives to torture nations' ¤ The Islamic Republic or the perils of being too powerful Latest News Posted: Monday, December 27, 2004 ¤ Israelis supplying arms to Sudan rebels ¤ Venezuela signals clear warning to the US government to back off ¤ Cuban Deja Vu All Over Again, All Over Again ¤ Suicide bomber kills 15 ¤ Yushchenko's Disease: A Tale of Two Poisons ¤ Bush Sending the Wrong Message as Chaos Smolders in Iraq ¤ CIA Resists Request for Abuse Data ¤ Occupation Hazards ¤ Growing Frustration, Pain for U.S. Troops in Iraq ¤ Earthquake moves island of Sumatra ¤ Death Watch for Human Rights in Haiti ¤ Falluja and the disappearing media ¤ The Emperor-in-Chief ¤ History will show U.S. lusted after oil ¤ Democracy by cookie cutter ¤ Palestine groups slam Blair conference ¤ Baghdad blast kills 15 ¤ Asian tsunami toll continues to rise ¤ Asian Tsunamis Kill Nearly 14,000 People ¤ Asian Tsunamis Kill at Least 13,340 People ¤ 12,300 killed as tsunami sweeps across Asia ¤ Asian tsunami disaster: country by country ¤ Kerry votes switched to Bush and ballots pre-punched for Bush ¤ Hacking the vote in Miami County ¤ Wide-awake giant will shake west's strategy ¤ Yes, you must pull out - but also pay for the damage ¤ Islamic Group Banned by Many Is Not on U.S. Terrorist List ¤ Blair ally in African coup plot ¤ Yushchenko 'wins in Ukraine poll' ¤ Yushchenko maintains strong lead in Ukrainian presidential election ¤ 24 dead in Iraq violence ¤ Oil in exchange of non-interference ¤ The American Dream ¤ The emperor's same, old clothes ¤ Escalating pre-election violence in Iraq claims another 19 lives Regime Change: A Necessity of Inter-Imperialist Rivalry? Posted: Sunday, December 26, 2004 By Stephen Gowans, What's Left December 23, 2004 Not too long ago, James Kelly, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, visited the perennial U.S. bete noire, north Korea, and made an accusation. "You're cheating," he said. Under the terms of a 1994 agreement reached with the Clinton administration, the north Koreans were supposed to freeze operations at their Yongbyon nuclear facilities. In return, Washington would provide fuel-oil shipments, normalize relations, and arrange construction of two-light water reactors. The reactors would be incapable of producing weapons-grade material, giving Pyongyang a source of much needed electricity, but not fissile material for nuclear warheads. All went well, at first. The north Koreans sealed their nuclear facilities, opened the door to U.N. inspectors, and signed on to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. For their part, the Americans got the ball rolling on fuel-oil shipments and the construction of the light-water reactors. However, Washington did little to thaw its frigid relations with Pyongyang. The Korean War, which had officially raged from 1950-1953, had never officially ended, and the two countries were still technically belligerents. It seemed the U.S., a military goliath next to the pipsqueak north Koreans, preferred it that way, agreement or not. Not that this was unexpected. The U.S. had never had much patience with Third World countries that sought to develop outside the orbit of U.S. capitalism. If they prospered, other countries might try to follow suit, closing off parts of the world to U.S. economic domination. That would cause too many problems, not only in terms of foregone profits for the investors and shareholders who are the real power in Washington, but for the American economy itself. Could jobs and a growing national income be provided if an expanding part of the world was closed off to US exports and investments on terms preferable to American investors? Long before the 1994 accord, Washington was adamantine that north Korea would not become a "threat of the good example," an inspiration to other developing countries. So it was steadfast in rejecting Pyongyang's repeated pleas for a peace treaty, dismissing each one out of hand, going so far, at one point, to say "We don't do non-aggression pacts or treaties, things of that nature"[1]. No one asked why not? Here was the answer: With an American sword of Damocles hanging over its head, Pyongyang would be forced to channel a large share of its scarce and dwindling resources into national self-defense, further impoverishing a civilian economy already weakened by the overthrow of its socialist trading partners, trade sanctions, and a series of natural disasters. Who in their right mind would think a country that appeared on satellite photos as a blacked-out nothingness could be a model of anything but of what happens to small countries that run afoul of imperialist behemoths? As for the light water reactors the Clinton administration promised, they never got built. True, construction work had begun, but by the time the scheduled completion date rolled around in 2003, the promised reactors were little more than two holes in the ground. Then came Kelly's accusation. "We have evidence you're secretly running a nuclear weapons program." Confronted with the accusation, Kelly said the north Koreans confessed. Soon after, fuel-oil shipments were cancelled, leaving the country desperately short of energy, and – Washington hoped – on its last legs. But that's not the way the north Koreans tell the story. Kang Sok Ju, north Korea's First Deputy Foreign Minister – the official who Kelly said made the admission -- cried foul. No confession was made, he countered, because there was no secret program [2]. Indeed, Kelly's story seems fishy. That a north Korean official would openly admit his government reneged on an important accord is unfathomable, indeed too unfathomable to be believed. If there was a secret program, why say one existed? Another thing: Can Kelly be believed? The Bush administration's track record on telling the truth is hardly what you would call unimpeachable. Where are those weapons of mass destruction, anyway? That's not to suggest that deception is unique to the Bush White House. No evidence of a Serb-orchestrated genocide in Kosovo was ever found either, despite the war-justifying claims of the Clinton administration and its NATO partners in London, Bonn and Ottawa. What seems likely is that Kelly fabricated the story to justify Bush administration plans to scupper the agreement. But what's intriguing is the possibility that Washington cooked up the story to frighten off south Korea and Japan from opening trade relations with Pyongyang [3]. Seoul was moving to establish rail links with the north and to open an industrial park at Keasong, where south Korean corporations would establish factories employing ultra-low-wage labor [4]. Wages in the north would be only 15 percent of the minimum wage in the south, and half the base rate in low-wage China. Ramanson, a south Korean watch manufacturer was thrilled by the prospect of paying skilled north Korean watchmakers only five percent of the going rate in the south.[5] For shareholders and investors in the south, the north seemed to promise a bonanza of profits -- that is, if Pyongyang could keep its socialism confined to rhetoric. To allay their anxiety, Seoul made a promise: Up to 90 percent of investments in the north would be repaid in the event of war, blockage of remittances or confiscation of assets [6]. This repeated a pattern typical of capitalist governments everywhere, of socializing the risk of investments that yield huge private returns. Taxpayers would bear the risk, north Korean workers would furnish huge profits through subsistence wages, and investors in the south would reap the generous rewards. Even more attractive was Pyongyang's promise of a minimal tax regime, allowing south Korean shareholders to enjoy even higher returns on their protected investments. While this was happening, Tokyo was quietly exploring normalization of relations with the officially communist half of its former colony. Washington only found out three weeks before Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced he would travel to the north Korean capital for talks, that Japan was working on a deal [7]. The Bush administration probably feared Koizumi would reach an accord with the north Koreans that would allow Japanese firms to build factories in the northern part of the peninsula, employing dirt-cheap labor, along the lines of the model the south Koreans were working on. If so, U.S. corporations and investors would remain out in the cold, while their counterparts in the southern part of the peninsula and Japan grew fat on low-wage north Korean labor. For the Americans, this was a pattern that was being repeated all too often. No sooner is a regime softened up through the threat of war, destabilization and trade sanctions, than a competitor rushes in to reap the benefits of what might have been decades of legwork. China had done oil deals with Sudan, Libya, Iraq and Iran, the oil rich countries Washington had frozen U.S. corporations out of when it imposed punitive sanctions. French, German and Russian firms were well placed to dominate the Iraqi oil industry, at the expense of U.S. oil majors, if sanctions there collapsed, a possibility that seemed highly likely on the eve of the 2003 Anglo-American invasion. This, indeed, was possibly a factor that set U.S. and British boots marching on Baghdad. And while Iran has come under growing pressure from Washington over its nuclear energy program, Russia is in the background, building reactors for the Iranians and promising to sell more. The Americans create commercial opportunities for rivals when they use their military and economic might to pry open closed economies. When embargoed states fall to their knees, rather than capitulating and throwing their doors wide open to U.S. investment, they look to U.S. rivals to provide much needed capital. This can happen as a result of a mad scramble by great powers for access to secure supplies of oil. For example, China has invested billions of dollars in Sudan's oil industry, and is Sudan's largest supplier of arms. Washington prohibits U.S. firms from investing in Sudan, leaving the field wide open – though not deliberately – to Chinese oil and arms enterprises. Last October, China signed a $70 billion oil deal with Iran, another U.S. embargoed country [8]. It's as if the Chinese follow the strategy "go where the US has, through sanctions and economic warfare, left the field wide open by shutting their own corporations out." That poses a problem for Washington: How to isolate a country economically and bring it to its knees, if rival big powers are going to take advantage of the fact that US sanctions keep US capital on the sidelines? Understandably, the threatened, sanctioned and bombed governments are uninterested in allowing the corporations of their American tormentor access. So when the economies are opened up, they're opened up to US rivals only, not US corporations. That's one reason why regime change has become an indispensable fixture of Washington's foreign policy. As the Washington Post put it indirectly in connection with China, "From Kazakhstan to the Middle East…Chinese firms have been aced out by the multinational titans that dominate the energy business. Japan appears set to claim Siberian stocks that China once thought were in hand. The U.S.-led war in Iraq has thrown Chinese oil concessions in that country into doubt" [9]. Few U.S.-tormented governments, Pyongyang and Khartoum among them, are going to welcome US investment with open arms. There are plenty of other countries that can offer needed capital and trade goods, without having to go to the Americans cap in hand. On the other hand, were it not for the U.S. carrying out economic warfare, these countries probably wouldn't find themselves in the position of having to cater to foreign investors in the first place. This works out well for the junior imperialist countries, but for the Americans, it's a growing problem, one, it seems, that necessitates regime change, with U.S.-installed comprador successors, as the solution. [1] US Secretary of State Colin Powell after "North Korea revived its long standing demand for a non-aggression treaty and diplomatic relations with Washington." "Beijing to Host North Korea Talks," The New York Times, August 14, 2003. [2] Selig S. Harrison, "Did North Korea Cheat?" Foreign Affairs, January/February, 2005. [3] Ibid. [4] Ibid. [5] "In Korea, High Hopes for an Industrial Marriage," New York Times, October 20, 2004. [6] Ibid. [7] Harrison. [8] "China Invests Heavily In Sudan's Oil," The Washington Post, December 23, 2004. [9] Ibid. Tsunami Waves Kill Over 23,700 in Asia Posted: Sunday, December 26, 2004 At least 23,700 people have now been killed by Sunday's giant tsunami in southern Asia, according to the International Red Cross, amid signs the final toll could top 50,000. The tsunami, triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was the biggest in 40 years registering 9.0 on the Richter scale. Full Article : aljazeera.net Tsunami Waves Kill Over 19,930 in Asia A military spokesman raised the estimated number of deaths in Sri Lanka caused by devastating tidal waves by more than 5,000 people on Monday, raising the death toll from the regional catastrophe to just under 20,000 people. Thousands of soldiers scoured Asia's coastlines for survivors of the walls of water that obliterated seaside towns in nine countries, killing more than 19,930 people. Aid poured into the region, and parents in India mourned as hundreds of children were buried in mass graves. Full Article : xposed.com - A/P Quake: Strength of a million A-bombs The reaction that sent waves, equal in power to a million atomic bombs, crashing into Indian Ocean coasts on Sunday started more than 10km beneath the sea floor close to Sumatra, Indonesia. Geologic plates pressing against each other slipped violently, creating a bulge on the bottom that could be as high as 10m and hundreds of kilometres long, one scientist said. "It's just like moving an enormous paddle at the bottom of the sea," said David Booth, a seismologist at the British Geological Survey. "A big column of water has moved, we're talking about billions of tons. This is an enormous disturbance." Full Article : aljazeera.net South Asian tsunami toll tops 11,000 The death toll from an earthquake off Indonesia and the tsunamis it unleashed has reached 11,340, with officials reporting deaths in seven countries in southern and southeastern Asia. The most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that slammed into coastlines across Asia on Sunday, killing thousands of people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Thailand on Sunday. Full Article : aljazeera.net Asian tsunami in Pictures : aljazeera.net Latest News Posted: Sunday, December 26, 2004 ¤ It's the White Vote, Stupid ¤ Rumsfeld says defeating the insurgency is an Iraqi, problem ¤ Apparent assassinations kill 5 Iraqi officials ¤ US disclosures signal wider detainee abuse ¤ LARGEST QUAKE IN 40 YEARS and another 8.0+ This week alone ¤ Troops ride ‘roller coaster’ of uncertainty ¤ 'Bush's 2nd term is a great gift to the fat cats' ¤ Steps Forward, Steps Backwards ¤ South Asian tsunami toll tops 11,000 ¤ Asia Quake's Tsunamis Kill Nearly 10,000 ¤ 6,300 Dead as Quake, Tsunami Devastate Asia ¤ Tense Christmas in Iraq's "Triangle of Death ¤ Violence claims more lives in Iraq ¤ Deadly seismic sea wave lashes S Asia ¤ Tsunami effects felt on E African coast ¤ The physics behind tsunamis ¤ Castro announces crude oil discovery ¤ Israel kills Hamas resistance fighters ¤ Iraq poll hangs on overseas vote ¤ Rumsfeld: Iraqi polls may be limited ¤ Tidal Waves Kill More Than 2,200 in Asia ¤ Tidal Waves Kill More Than 3,000 in Asia ¤ Hundreds dead as tidal waves strike S Asia ¤ Huge earthquake wreaks havoc ¤ Ukraine stands on brink of unknown ¤ Gunmen Assassinate Iraqi Police Officer ¤ Insurgents infiltrating coalition, US says ¤ Insurgent Attacks in Iraq Kill 8 on Christmas ¤ 24 dead in Iraq violence ¤ Iraq Resists! Despite U.S. bombs and napalm ¤ Al-Manar and 'TV terrorism' Iraq Resists! Despite U.S. bombs and napalm Posted: Sunday, December 26, 2004 Even in the face of overwhelming Pentagon firepower and high technology, Iraqi resistance is raging. Even after the bloodiest battle of the war, the siege of Falluja--in which the invaders had complete control of the air, enormous material supremacy, forced several hundred thousand people to flee their homes and reduced most of the city to rubble--the resistance goes on. As Pentagon warplanes continued to pound the city with bombs and missiles on Dec. 12, insurgents fought the Marines in running battles. Full Article : trinicenter.com Castro announces crude oil discovery Posted: Sunday, December 26, 2004 HAVANA -- President Fidel Castro said a crude oil deposit has been discovered off Cuba containing up to 100 million barrels, good news for a country that imports about half the petroleum it needs. "This is the first discovery since 1999," Castro said Friday in a speech to a closed session of the National Assembly. His comments were aired on state television Saturday. Castro said the deposit was located off the coast of Santa Cruz del Norte, east of Havana, during an exploratory drilling. He said production at the site could begin during 2006. Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.com Best Scenario for Iraq: Get Out Now Posted: Saturday, December 25, 2004 Americans, and especially the American corporate media, just don't get it. Iraqis resent the United States invading and occupying their country and they will resist for as long as it takes to put an end to the occupation. Stupid Americans apparently have a problem grasping this very simple concept. Full Article : trinicenter.com Latest News Posted: Saturday, December 25, 2004 ¤ Best Scenario for Iraq: Get Out Now ¤ Gunmen kill Baghdad university dean ¤ Car Bomb Kills Five Civilians Near Najaf ¤ Ghost Firms Hinder Oil-For-Food Probe ¤ Mess hall bombing has us in body armor ¤ Yup, It's Moral Outrage Time ¤ Merry Bleepin' Christmas ¤ Russia warns US over Ukraine vote ¤ Casualties in Iraq bombing ¤ Officials targeted in Iraq attacks ¤ Rumsfeld needles media as troops bemoan bad press ¤ IN GUANTANAMO'S TORTURE CHAMBERS ¤ CIA removing documents from National Archives ¤ Baghdad Truck Blast Kills 9, Injures 14 ¤ The Butcher's Bill ¤ Chechen women detained and tortured: UN ¤ Baring Souls and Cupboards ¤ Rumsfeld admits ‘setbacks’ in Iraq ¤ Baghdad Truck Blast Kills 9, Injures 14 ¤ British policy on Guantanamo Bay fails the morality test ¤ Chavez ponders Mao and Bolivar friendship ¤ Three new Windows security holes come at a bad time ¤ Racism and War Crimes ¤ Swiss company inaugurates a website for sending money to Cuba Venezuela and China sign oil deal Posted: Saturday, December 25, 2004 Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has offered China wide-ranging access to the country's oil reserves. The offer, made as part of a trade deal between the two countries, will allow China to operate oil fields in Venezuela and invest in new refineries. Venezuela has also offered to supply 120,000 barrels of fuel oil a month to China. Venezuela - the world's fifth largest oil exporter - sells about 60% of its output to the United States. Mr Chavez's administration, which has a strained relationship with the US, is trying to diversify sales to reduce its dependence on its largest export market. Full Article : bbc.co.uk Chavez ponders Mao and Bolivar friendship Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has blasted U.S. imperialism, called capitalism the road to hell and said Mao Zedong and Venezuela's 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar would have been mates had they met. Full Article : swissinfo.org Lateat News Posted: Friday, December 24, 2004 ¤ Insurgents operate at will in Mosul, US says ¤ Baghdad fuel truck blast a suicide attack ¤ Terrorism by the strong is still terrorism ¤ Ukraine's Real Underdog ¤ Rummy's Quagmire of Lies ¤ Christmas Eve Resistance to the First US Occupation ¤ No Peace on Earth During Unjust War ¤ US to Take Bigger Bite of Iraq's Economic Pie ¤ Rumsfeld And Myers Are Lying About The Attack In Mosul Iraq ¤ Abu Ghraib: Wrapped in an Israeli Flag ¤ World feels bullied by Washington ¤ 'No holiday for vote thieves' ¤ 'Poison pen' ¤ 'Rummy's 'Culture of Lies' (22 dead)' ¤ How Uncle Santa Diddles Dems from Ukraine to Venezuela ¤ Gunmen attack Baghdad police stations ¤ Aziz denies Iraq role in UN scandal ¤ Unrest sweeps Iraq ¤ Insurgents operate at will in Mosul, US says ¤ Rumsfeld Visits U.S. Soldiers in Iraq ¤ Assailants Kill 23 in Honduras Bus Attack ¤ Putin warns west against isolating Russia ¤ US bombing marks return of Fallujah's displaced people ¤ Insurgents operate at will in Mosul, US says ¤ Another guard unit decries training, equipment ¤ Powell Advised Bush to Add Iraq Troops ¤ Pause to think ¤ Invited Home, 900 Evacuees Revisit Falluja ¤ War Crimes ¤ Deadly blast in Thailand ¤ Palestinian fighters shot dead ¤ China, Venezuela sign energy deal ¤ Blair bowed to Israel, say Palestinians ¤ America, the indifferent He Didn't Gas the Kurds!! Posted: Friday, December 24, 2004 The neo-cons who propagated the story that Saddam "gassed his own people," i.e., the Iraqi Kurds, will still insist he did gas the Kurds, back in 1988 when he gave the order to Chemical Ali, who told the Iraqi army to commit genocide at the town of Halabja. But the news from Mohammed al-Obaidi is that the team prosecuting Saddam for crimes against humanity has dropped the genocide charge "due to insufficient evidence." Al-Obaidi assures me the news is true, and if it is, we should be learning about it sooner or later from our news media. It will further complicate the Bush administration’s problems in Iraq, as it had been relying on the genocide charge to justify "regime change" in Baghdad when the other rationales – WMD and Al Qaida connections – failed. I may be wrong, but if this turns out to be true, it would be a positive development in resolving the conflict in Iraq sooner, rather than later. Once the U.S. press corps focuses on the issue, it would force President Bush to re-examine his own assumptions about the rationale for unilateral action and make it easier for him to shift gears toward greater international involvement in resolving the several conflated issues in the Middle East. Full Article : lewrockwell.com Latest News Posted: Thursday, December 23, 2004 ¤ Fighting erupts in Fallujah as refugees return ¤ 'Mayhem in the kitchen' ¤ Bush Monkey Picture Shown on Giant Billboard ¤ The End Of Warfare ¤ Death Watch for Human Rights in Haiti ¤ War Crimes ¤ What do the CIA, the Pentagon and the UN Have in Common? ¤ Compliant News Media Have Failed the American People ¤ Christmas Eve of Destruction ¤ The New York Times manufactures support for the Iraq war ¤ Fighting Continues in Fallujah ¤ Battered dollar hits another low ¤ Attack on the Mosul Mess Tent ¤ Many killed in Ivory Coast land disputes ¤ US living in 'fantasy land' over Iraq ¤ Iraq Bombing Represents Security Breach ¤ 2004: Killing, kidnapping and corruption ¤ Shredded: Hundreds of thousands of government documents ¤ US contractor quits Iraq as violence threatens elections ¤ New Papers Suggest Detainee Abuse Was Widespread ¤ The ghosts of empire: Past, present and future ¤ U.S. using chemical weapons against civilians? ¤ Destroyed Fallujah «Uninhabitable» ¤ Terrorist threats of Moscow and games of the West ¤ Prison abuse by US troops widespread ¤ US casualties in Baghdad bomb attack ¤ George Bush vs. Barry Bonds ¤ He Didn't Gas the Kurds!! ¤ How Did the Blogosphere Get Fooled on Ukraine? ¤ Palestinians dismiss visit as 'just another publicity stunt' ¤ Two explosions south of Baghdad kill up to 15 ¤ 9 killed in Iraq suicide attack ¤ Ghost of apartheid returns to farmlands Latest News Posted: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 ¤ Torture reconsidered: Shock, awe and the human body ¤ Why Blair's trip will not succeed ¤ The Pentagon's Neurosis ¤ Boycott as an Act of Moral Resistance ¤ Things Always Get Worse ¤ Topsy Turvy world gone mad ¤ It's Vietnam Again! ¤ The Sinister Plan ¤ Press fails to press Bush ¤ Iraq reality check ¤ Feared group behind Mosul carnage ¤ Multiple casualties in Iraq bomb attack ¤ US Iraq strategy 'no longer achievable' ¤ Toll mounts in fresh Israeli raid ¤ Battle scars ¤ U.S. infantry sweep through Mosul a day after deadly attack on base ¤ Suicide bomber believed behind Mosul attack ¤ 19 US troops killed in explosion at mess tent ¤ Quiet, or I'll call democracy ¤ Ten more years? ¤ US suffers worst Iraq attack yet ¤ In Instant, Mealtime Turns to Chaos ¤ Soldiers turned their lunch tables over to be used as stretchers ¤ Bring 'em on! ¤ Bush Says Troops Were on Mission of Peace ¤ Footnotes on democracy ¤ Guantanamo torture scandal deepens ¤ US troops suffer rare illness ¤ US army base hit in Mosul ¤ Small but deadly Latest News Posted: Tuesday, December 21, 2004 ¤ At least 22 solders dead in US base attack ¤ Rocket attack on U.S. mess hall in northern Iraq kills 22, wounds 66 ¤ Rocket attack on U.S. base kills more than 20 ¤ Bunker of the Skittish ¤ Bombings and Sectarian Bigotry in Iraq ¤ Aiding Oppression in Haiti ¤ America Locked Up ¤ Don't Lose Sight of the Real Scandal ¤ Death toll of Iraqi policemen hits 1000: minister ¤ Mosul: Northern powder-keg? ¤ Newsday Exclusive: Where is al-Zarqawi? ¤ 'U.S. Soldier Killed Iraqi Teenager after Sex' ¤ US army base hit in Mosul ¤ Guantanamo inmate wrongly held ¤ Bush Defends Rumsfeld As 'A Caring Fellow' ¤ US air strike on Iraqi town kills civilians ¤ Support for Iraq war slipping in US ¤ Bush renews Syria threats ¤ New blasts rock Shia city ¤ Six killed in Taliban attack ¤ 14 killed in Iraq attacks ¤ Israel, US behind Najaf, Karbala attacks: Khamenei ¤ Fresh violence in Iraq ¤ It Can't Happen Here ¤ Questions for John Pilger ¤ What Has Bush Learned? ¤ Rumblings in Russia ¤ Bush admits Iraq bombers are having effect ¤ Texas Still No. 1 in Executions in 2004 ¤ France's little Iraq ¤ America's war on itself ¤ The Iraq War—A Catastrophic Success ¤ LYING KILLS U.S. Criticism of Chávez Unfounded Posted: Monday, December 20, 2004 The recent round of Venezuela-bashing from the U.S. State Department and Washington-based foreign-policy organizations is symptomatic of a broader problem. And it's not Venezuela's problem; it's ours. Last week, Venezuela decided, after a vote of its General Assembly and the approval of the executive, to add 12 new justices to its 20-member Supreme Court. Human Rights Watch denounced the move as a "severe blow to judicial independence." That is a gross exaggeration. Imagine, if you can, that a group of military officers in the United States overthrew our president, dissolved Congress and the Supreme Court and abolished the Constitution. Now imagine that democracy is restored, but the Supreme Court rules that the officers who kidnapped the president and overthrew the government cannot be tried for any crime. That is what happened in Venezuela. Full Article : commondreams.org U.S. Criticism of Chávez Unfounded Posted: Monday, December 20, 2004 The recent round of Venezuela-bashing from the U.S. State Department and Washington-based foreign-policy organizations is symptomatic of a broader problem. And it's not Venezuela's problem; it's ours. Last week, Venezuela decided, after a vote of its General Assembly and the approval of the executive, to add 12 new justices to its 20-member Supreme Court. Human Rights Watch denounced the move as a "severe blow to judicial independence." That is a gross exaggeration. Imagine, if you can, that a group of military officers in the United States overthrew our president, dissolved Congress and the Supreme Court and abolished the Constitution. Now imagine that democracy is restored, but the Supreme Court rules that the officers who kidnapped the president and overthrew the government cannot be tried for any crime. That is what happened in Venezuela. Full Article : commondreams.org latest News Posted: Monday, December 20, 2004 ¤ Japan in Iraq ¤ Indifferent to Suffering Caused by "Our" Side ¤ Polls of Fear ¤ Did Yushchenko Poison Himself? ¤ U.S. Criticism of Chávez Unfounded ¤ He shouldn't be on the cover of TIME, he should be doing TIME. ¤ Scam of the year ¤ Proof of Ohio Election Fraud Exposed ¤ New bombing rocks Shia holy city ¤ Four killed in northern Iraq ¤ Bloody day hits Iraq poll hopes ¤ France shocked by double murder and beheading at psychiatric hospital ¤ Six Killed in Attack on Afghan Checkpoint ¤ A poll governed by fear ¤ What Your Government Is Doing for (to) You ¤ I received a personal Christmas round robin from Laura Bush ¤ War on the Floor ¤ Tightest security ever planned for Bush’s second inauguration ¤ Powell 'Pushed Out' By Bush For Seeking To Rein In Israel ¤ A nuclear controversy ¤ Don't feed the dragon ¤ U.S. poured millions into Ukraine But State Dept. denies trying to influence vote ¤ Time declares Bush Person of the Year ¤ Disgraced by Silence ¤ Lawyers to resign over UK terror law ¤ Iraqi captives face death ¤ A gaffe too far for 'glib' Rumsfeld? Latest News Posted: Sunday, December 19, 2004 ¤ 60 Killed, 120 Wounded in Iraq Car Blasts ¤ Blasts hit Karbala, Najaf ¤ US warplanes strike Falluja ¤ Mortar rounds hit Baghdad mosque ¤ Blasts in Shiite cities in Iraq kill at least 62 ¤ Threatening Iran – despite the evidence ¤ Major US Defeat In Fallujah Claimed ¤ Overreaching For It ¤ West has bloodied hands ¤ 3 election employees killed in central Baghdad ambush ¤ Contractor Argues U.S. Fraud Law Does Not Cover Iraqi Funds ¤ A Dark Christmas in Iraq ¤ Haiti bloodbath that left dozens dead in jail ¤ Prison rioters accuse police of mass killing ¤ UK 'war crimes' claims examined in The Hague ¤ US marines do not recommend return of residents to Fallujah ¤ 2001 Memo Reveals Push for Broader Presidential Powers ¤ In Congo War, Even Peacekeepers Add to Horror ¤ This is Why the US has Re-Elected Bush ¤ Why Iran? Is it oil again ¤ Daughter, son-in-law of ex-Iraq president killed ¤ 'U.S. Soldier Killed Iraqi Teenager after Sex' ¤ Israeli invasion leaves bloody trail Cuba Erects Iraq Abuse Billboards Near US Mission Posted: Saturday, December 18, 2004 HAVANA - Cuba put up several huge billboards near the U.S. mission on Friday with pictures of abused Iraqi prisoners and American soldiers pointing a rifle at children, in response to a U.S. Christmas display in support of imprisoned Cuban dissident. "There couldn't be a better contrast: the U.S. wishing Cubans happy holidays, Frosty waving at passers-by and an effort to prompt discussion on human rights on the one side, and screaming Cuban government billboards on the other," he said. Cuba had demanded this week that the U.S. display at the mission on Havana's busy sea-side drive be taken down. The president of the National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcon, called it "rubbish" and "a provocation." Full Article : commondreams.org Latest News Posted: Saturday, December 18, 2004 ¤ Cuba Erects Iraq Abuse Billboards Near US Mission ¤ Westerner beheaded on Mosul street as American forces lose control of key city ¤ The General Should Faces Charges in DC, Too ¤ Once, They Called It a Model for the Occupation ¤ The Cuban 5 Have Been the Victims of Torture by the US ¤ Pay Attention, Mr. President... Flashback ¤ WHAT IS BUSH’S REAL GOAL IN IRAQ? ¤ Forced Entry For Blood, Oil and Israel ¤ 'When is a U.S. bond not really a bond?' ¤ 'Insurgents hate our policies, not our freedoms' ¤ Beastly behavior: Bush brings mass slaughter to the homeland ¤ Torture Begins at the Top ¤ UN confirms foreign forces have invaded eastern Congo ¤ US military sees sharp fall in black recruits ¤ Gaza incursion death toll rises ¤ Mosul victim beheaded at roadside ¤ Secret Pinochet payments linked to BAE ¤ Bugging device found at UN offices ¤ Iraq fears put pressure on Rumsfeld to quit ¤ Syria rejects Iraq's accusations ¤ Laughing Dragon, Dancing Bear ¤ The Three Stooges ¤ Torture and Truth ¤ Putin’s Old Habits Aren’t Dying ¤ The poison puzzle ¤ America's Fallujan Dystopia ¤ Palestinians killed in southern Gaza raid ¤ History Debunks Bush Myth S. Africa attacks U.S. over AIDS drug Posted: Friday, December 17, 2004 President Thabo Mbeki's ruling party published a stinging attack Friday on top U.S. health officials, accusing them of treating Africans like "guinea pigs" and lying to promote a key AIDS drug. The criticism reinforces fears of doctors and activists that new questions about the testing of nevirapine could halt use of the drug that's credited with protecting thousands of African babies from catching HIV from their mothers. Full Article : enquirer.com Nevirapine, drugs & African guinea pigs anc.org.za Latest News Posted: Friday, December 17, 2004 ¤ SAfrica's ruling party accuses U.S. of using Africans as AIDS 'guinea pigs' ¤ Cuban billboards highlight US abuses ¤ Four killed in Mosul attack ¤ Bin Laden: An open letter ¤ The failed US face of Fallujah ¤ Iraq Insurgents Kill 3 Foreigners in Mosul ¤ Officials say CIA is running secret jail in Cuba ¤ Racism, Philly Style ¤ Nearly 1,300 Lives Lost - And For What? ¤ Fiddling as Iraq Burns ¤ 300 mortar shells fired at settlements in Gaza since Nov. ¤ U.S. obviously didn't do all it could to protect troops ¤ Too many mistakes ¤ Annan declines to commit extra UN staff ¤ Rights group: Iraq war tribunals flawed ¤ US marine, Iraqi guardsmen killed ¤ Italian hostage among 12 killed in Iraq ¤ Blair holds key as EU opens door to Turkey ¤ Election outcome might not please U.S. ¤ Are They Serious About Syria? ¤ Different targets, same tactics ¤ The rising tab for US war effort ¤ At Guantanamo, a Prison Within a Prison ¤ In Bed with Terrorists ¤ Rumsfeld faces Republican calls for his dismissal ¤ Iraq's National Guard No People's Army Cuban President Fidel Castro Honors Hugo Chavez Posted: Thursday, December 16, 2004 Cuban President Fidel Castro Honors Hugo Chavez Cuban President Fidel Castro awarded visiting Venezuelan Head of State Hugo Chavez with the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Order at a rally marking the 10th anniversary of Chavez' first visit to Cuba. Full Article : ain.cubaweb.cu US Assails Venezuela's High Court Scheme The State Department accused Venezuela on Wednesday of "packing" its Supreme Court to ensure a pro-government majority and said the move calls into question the country's commitment to judicial independence. The Venezuelan Congress, dominated by supporters of President Hugo Chavez, appointed new justices on Monday in carrying out a court expansion from 20 to 32 that won legislative approval last spring. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Latest News Posted: Thursday, December 16, 2004 ¤ Iraq Is An Absolute Disaster ¤ Italian aid worker 'murdered in Iraq' ¤ Sept. 11 Conspiracy Theorist Offers $100,000 Prize ¤ CIA Agent Says Bosses Ordered Him To Falsify WMD Reports ¤ Allawi's Pre-Election Ploy ¤ Redeploying the Disabled ¤ Hillbilly Humvees and Rumsfeld's New Physics ¤ Quiet Protest Planned for Inauguration ¤ Evildoers, here we come ¤ Bush snubs Annan during Washington visit ¤ Rise of the Amerikan Nazis ¤ 5,000 candidates for Iraq polls ¤ Getting in Touch with Your Inner Terrorist ¤ No way to die ¤ Soldier who shot Briton admits lying ¤ For faith and country: insurgents fight on ¤ Yukos files for bankruptcy protection in Bush's backyard ¤ Bomb at Shiite Shrine Kills 7 in Karbala ¤ Different targets, same tactics ¤ Spain coach faces racism inquiry ¤ Bush honors the architects of Iraq debacle ¤ 'George W. Bush's America: A national nightmare?' ¤ 'If dictators buy votes with fear, we buy them with dollars' ¤ Anti-US attacks in Iraq 'more effective' ¤ Senior Iraqi official killed ¤ Karbala blast kills many ¤ War funding request may hit $100 billion ¤ Missile Defence Shield - another multi-billion-dollar Bush flop ¤ Azerbaijanis Accuse British Petroleum ¤ The Petroleum Commons ¤ U.S. fears Iranian influence in Iraqi elections ¥ Any excuse for the U.S. to attack Iran will do. ¤ The pattern of discontent in US ranks ¤ Mass Graves: Are We There Yet? ¤ 12 days of Christmas ¤ New Revelations Indicate Abuse Was Systemic ¤ Doctor Who Criticized U.N. in Book Finds Himself Out of a Job ¤ U.N. Sexual Abuse Alleged in Congo Latest News Posted: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 ¤ Bomb at Shiite shrine in Iraq kills 8 ¤ The Ohio Recount: a "Dumboacracy" Issue ¤ Eighty-Sixing Civil Rights? ¤ Why Elections Won't Quell Iraq Resistance ¤ The Cowardice of the Mainstream Press in the Face of American Wars ¤ Why 8,000,000 People You've Never Heard Of Hate Us ¤ Failure to Challenge Official Deception Over Iraq... ¤ Bush Warns Syria, Iran Against Meddling in Iraq ¥ Looking for excuses ¤ How Iran will fight back ¤ Karbala blast kills many ¤ Six found murdered in Iraq ¤ Iraq's insurgency continues at a fierce pace ¤ Rumsfeld under fire over Iraq ¤ Bodies of 14 slain men found in Mosul ¤ Iran dismisses Egyptian accusations, rules out talks with the U.S. ¤ Battle for the Future Not Over ¤ Déjà Vu Again? ¤ In Ukraine, beware the simple storyline—from either side. ¤ U.S. Trade Deficit Swells to Record $55.5B ¤ Suicide bomber kills seven in Baghdad ¤ Insulting our intelligence ¤ UN peacekeepers storm Haiti slum ¤ Foreign dislike of Bush spreads to Americans ¤ Greek bus passengers taken hostage ¤ Poland to cut troops in Iraq by a third ¤ Six bombs in India’s northeast leave 2 dead Latest News Posted: Tuesday, December 14, 2004 ¤ Moral Values and Volunatry Servitude in Bush's America ¤ The Definition of Insanity ¤ U.S. Invasion Of Iran Draws Closer ¤ No storybook ending ¤ Haiti is Unraveling and No One is Saying Anything ¤ Haiti is not for sale ¤ Fourteen 'executed' bodies found in Mosul ¤ Documents reveal Iraq prisoner abuse ¤ Iraqi police suffer ambush ¤ Aznar 'wiped files on Madrid bombings' ¤ Pinochet arrested on murder charge ¤ 20 Killed in India Train Collision ¤ BBC viewing figures fall to all-time low ¤ Warship captain ordered home after bullying complaint ¤ Suicide bomber kills seven on anniversary of Saddam's capture ¤ Mentally-ill girl who was sold for sex faces death penalty in Iran ¥ U.S: Those 'evil' people in Iran Let's bomb them ¤ Dangerous Delusions About Iran ¤ Lessons lost on America ¤ Israelis hasten land grab in shadow of wall ¤ Ohio Skullduggery ¤ Ignoring Reality in Iraq ¤ Beheading ElBaradei ¤ US sidesteps India’s objections to arms sale to Pakistan ¤ Waking up from the American dream ¤ The Revolt Against the Bush Administration's Nuclear Double Standard ¤ Car Bomb Kills 7 at Baghdad's Green Zone ¤ Pentagon Weighs Use of Deception in a Broad Arena ¤ Rumsfeld May Soon Regret His Arrogance Toward U.S. Troops Latest News Posted: Monday, December 13, 2004 ¤ Spying on El Baradei, Targeting Iran ¤ The War is the War Crime ¤ The US Has Lost in Iraq...and That's a Good Thing ¤ The Pentagon's Neurosis ¤ Way to Go, Ohio! ¤ I Hate To Say 'I Told You So' ... but I Told You So ¤ Digging at Terrorist Roots ¤ Kelly 'could not have died' from knife wound ¤ Company fed rotten food to Abu Ghraib prisoners ¤ Fallujah, Iraq's Tora Bora ¤ 8 Marines Killed in Iraq's Anbar Province ¤ Iraq fuel crisis adds to chaos ¤ World watch ¤ U.S. soldiers' grilling fields ¤ Abbas foe pulls out of race for president ¤ Plenty of Strategy, Just No Exit ¤ I want YOU in the coalition of the willing ¤ The insurgents' troubling gains in Mosul ¤ Four more years of decline ¤ US battle plans begin to unravel ¤ Ten years ago… ¤ Women Warriors and the American Empire ¤ U.S. caught in Kabul ¤ Afghaniscam ¤ Making a killing ¤ Iran says no to permanent enrichment freeze ¤ Asia launches an early campaign for Annan’s post ¤ Car blast rocks Baghdad's Green Zone ¤ the capture of Saddam Hussein can be seen as a false dawn for Iraq ¤ 13 Killed in Suicide Bombing in Iraq Latest News Posted: Sunday, December 12, 2004 ¤ Russia has launched a computer virus against Chechen sites ¤ U.S. pores over transcripts to try to oust nuclear chief ¤ US drops massive bomb on Mosul ¤ Paramedics query Kelly suicide ¤ Strain begins to show as Iraq stretches military thin ¤ DEAD AND BURIED ¤ Explosion rips Israeli base at Gaza-Egypt crossing; 4 Israeli soldiers killed ¤ Blast in south Philippines kills thirteen ¤ Falluja and Mosul bombed amid more violence ¤ UN: Iran not a nuclear threat ¤ Feith to 'Post': US action against Iran can't be ruled out ¤ The bloody decade Russia wants to forget ¤ Three Killed in Philippines Blast ¤ US lost its 1,000th soldier killed in combat. Why did no one notice? ¤ America's biggest export: anarchy ¤ IAEA Leader's Phone Tapped ¤ Humvees No Match for Crude Bombs ¤ Bungling raids by US troops fuel Iraqi anger ¤ Cleveland Paper Cites Voter Problems ¤ Ukraine's repeat election race under way ¤ Three top police officials among 19 killed in Iraq ¤ Fighting rages in Falluja Venezuela Signs South American Integration Posted: Saturday, December 11, 2004 By: Sarah Wagner - Venezuelanalysis.com Caracas, December 9, 2004 - Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and heads of state and representatives from 11 other South American nations gathered in Cuzco, Peru yesterday and today, to formally inaugurate the South American Community of Nations (CSN). The European Union-style ‘Cuzco Delcaration' describes the CSN "as a permanent mechanism of political coordinatoin and cultural, economic, social and physical integration." Presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay did not attend, sending representatives in their stead. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Bolivian President Carlos Mesa attended meetings but were not present at the signing of the agreement. During the two-day summit, delegates discussed the possibilities of regional economic integration. The proposed trade block will unite the two largest existing economic alliances in South America, the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) as well as three additional nations, Chile, Guyana, and Suriname. Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay are full members of MERCOSUR, and Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecquador, and Bolivia make up the Andean Community. In addition to establishing a common South American market, the Community aims to achieve political coordination and consensus as a form of boosting its ability to negotiate with third parties, such as the European Union, the United States, and Asian markets. The proposed union will be the third largest of its kind, after the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement, and will comprise 17 million square kilometers, 360 million people, and a combined GDP of over 970 billion dollars. However, some analysts are concerned that as the region's largest economy, Brazil will dwarf other member countries. Brazil accounts for over 50% of the proposed community's population, and 60% of their combined GDP. According to Eduardo Duhalde, former Argentine president and the current head of MERCOSUR, such an agreement is long overdue. According to Duhalde, South American nations have so far failed to take advantage of their combined economic potential due to existing differences between various nations, such as the Bolivia-Chile border dispute. "In the last 30 years we have sought a Latin America with the capacity for effective international action and we have not achieved it because the countries of South America have been fragmented, not unified," noted Peruvian Foreign Minister Manuel Rodríguez. "With this new community, Latin America will be fortified." Delegates also considered 31 infrastructure projects with a combined cost of US$4.3 billion slotted to be completed within the next five years, including an agreement between Peru and Brazil that aims to build a road linking the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean. The 1,200 kilometer road will cost US$700 million and will connect Southeastern Brazilian with the Peruvian Pacific. "The process of integration has to be more than just trade deals. There has to be political, physical integration, with a will to bring about macroeconomic integration," noted Chilean President Ricardo Lagos. South America possesses over 10% of the world's arable land, 30% of the world's forests, the second-largest reserve of drinking water, and the largest proven oil reserves outside the middle east and north Africa. Another meeting has been tentatively set for March, 2005 to work out remaining details, such as where the institution will be located. Allan Wagner, Secretary General of the Andean Community, who remains hopeful that "In 15 years, we will have a new map in the region." Reprinted from: www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1441 Latest News Posted: Saturday, December 11, 2004 ¤ Disease risk stops Falluja return ¤ From McKinley to Bush ¤ Which Side Are You On? ¤ Bush Lets Sharon Run Loose ¤ The Neo-Con Smear on Kofi Annan What Food-for-Oil Scandal? ¤ Blackwell Locks Out Recount Volunteers ¤ Yushchenko Poisoned With Dioxin ¤ Nephew Suggests Arafat's Death Unnatural ¤ Fallujah Photos Warning Graphic ¤ Colin Powell's Crime in Progress ¤ Rev. Pat Robertson: "Kwanzaa is an absolute fraud" ¤ Guantánamo torture and humiliation still going on ¤ Boogie with the Bushes - $1m ¤ Fallujah: The homecoming and the homeless ¤ Girl, 7, killed at the dinner table ¤ Humvee makers dispute Rumsfeld remarks ¤ Iraq Blowback Is Global and Growing ¤ We Are the Problem ¤ Fits of morality ¤ US soldier found guilty of murdering unarmed Iraqi ¤ Israeli troops re-invade Gaza refugee camp Latest News Posted: Friday, December 10, 2004 ¤ Stop Destroying the Mosques of Iraq ¤ Whitewashing the Voter Fraud Issue ¤ Rebellion in the Ranks ¤ They Still Have Those Dogs ¤ Insurgents Oppose the Occupation, Not the Elections ¤ So Little Time, So Many Regimes to Change ¤ Recruiting At Any Cost ¤ Hunger in America ¤ Falluja Atrocities Expose True Face of U.S. War ¤ 'Every War is a War on Women' ¤ The F word ¤ U.S.: A Call for a New Election ¤ Twelve years of CIA discontent ¤ U.S. Money Helped Opposition in Ukraine ¤ Several killed in Pakistan market blast ¤ Torture claim raises queries over Thatcher coup links ¤ East-West 'meddling' in Ukraine? ¤ CIA fired me for not toeing Iraq line, says agent ¤ Deserters: We Won't Go To Iraq ¤ 1 million U.S. troops have gone to war ¤ US Credibility Under Friendly Fire ¤ Seeing Iraq as Another Vietnam ¤ Eternally Rumsfeld ¤ Halliburton's Iraq Contracts Now Worth over $10 Billion ¤ Shooter Was Ex-Marine ¤ Calling the Kosovo Humanitarians to Account ¤ Rumsfeld vs. the American Soldier ¤ US Hypocrisy on Ukraine ¤ New war doctrine ¤ Oil-rich Iraq running on empty ¤ US toll increases in Iraq ¤ US soldier found guilty of murder in Iraq ¤ Fresh attacks in Baghdad and Mosul ¤ Mortar Strike Kills 3 on Baghdad Street ¤ US Army plagued by desertion and plunging morale Latest News Posted: Thursday, December 9, 2004 ¤ Ask Not Who Bankrolled Fallujah ¤ Vote Fraud As Fundraiser ¤ Bush: the Boy in the Bubble ¤ The Carnivores and the Ivy League Apologist ¤ U.S. Media Still Hiding Bad News From Americans ¤ A Defeat For an Empire ¤ The Limits of "MAN BITES DOG" STORIES ¤ Bhopal: the Making of a Disaster ¤ Six Iraqi national guards, 10 civilians wounded in Mosul bomb attacks ¤ Israeli troops kill four in Gaza ¤ Saddam lawyer's visit stopped ¤ Ex-CIA officer alleges agency retaliated after he didn't falsify report ¤ Would like to see some election outrage in U.S. ¤ U.S. Turns Fallujah into a Huge Concentration Camp ¤ Media Manipulation ¤ US tied over nuclear kingpin ¤ 'Lost in a masquerade' ¤ 'No checks, no balance: U.S. Congress is a disgrace to democracy' ¤ Explosions hit Italian embassy and Mosul ¤ Blair rejects call for count of Iraqi deaths ¤ No excuses ¤ The IRAQ BODY COUNT ¤ Abuse 'continued after Abu Ghraib' ¤ Dead reckoning ¤ 'We can't bring him back, but we want them to pay' ¤ Inconstant Interests in Truth ¤ Who Is Sheik Ghazi al-Yawar? ¤ Musharraf’s Palestine venture ¤ UN rights panel refuses to disqualify repressive governments; US irked ¤ 13 killed in violence as Hoon visits Iraq ¤ US Hypocrisy on Ukraine ¤ Something Rotten in the State of Ukraine ¤ Act the Angel, Be the Brute ¤ Al-Qaeda on the march ¤ Truth be told, lies are part of Pentagon strategy ¤ Troops' Queries Leave Rumsfeld on the Defensive ¤ Rumsfeld faces dissent from US troops ¤ Israel accused of foul play by Palestinian election candidate ¤ Judge Orders Soldier to Report to Iraq ¤ US Attacks Global Court as GIs Sanctioned ¤ Mishandled Money Plagued US-Ruled Iraq ¤ English to be spoken by half of the world's population within 10 years ¤ The hounding of Kofi Annan Latest News Posted: Wednesday, December 8, 2004 ¤ The Human Toll War Crime ¤ Rules of Engagement in Iraq ¤ In Fallujah, Freedom Isn't Free ¤ Disgruntled Troops Complain to Rumsfeld ¤ Rape a Deliberate War Strategy ¤ An Open Letter to George Bush ¤ Racism in the Coverage of the Recount? ¤ Prof. says vote numbers don't add up ¤ Missing And Presumed Dead! ¤ 20 Amazing Facts About Voting In The United States ¤ Homeless Iraq vets showing up at shelters ¤ 'Kill everyone and everything' ¤ A Stolen Election The View From My Black Helicopter ¤ US soldiers sue Pentagon over extended Iraq tours ¤ BBC overhaul sees 3,000 jobs axed ¤ Russia: Iraq elections 'unimaginable' ¤ New Iraq attacks amid bleak CIA view ¤ Ex-US marine: I killed Iraqi civilians ¤ Ohio Whitewash ¤ Memos Say 2 Officials Who Saw Prison Abuse Were Threatened ¤ Rebels target troops, police ¤ U.S. soldier calls war in Iraq illegal ¤ Fear US losing its grip ¤ All Mosquitos, No Swamp; No Elephants Either ¤ Bank papers detail millions in Pinochet payments ¤ Just pretend you're Canadian ¤ CIA warning on Iraq leaked as 1,000th US soldier killed NB: Above story only refers to those killed in combat ¤ U.S. death toll in Iraq passes 1,000 - Sept 8 2004 ¤ U.S. military deaths in Iraq campaign pass 1,000 - 09/07/2004 ¤ Casualties in Iraq ¤ Casualties in Iraq ¤ Iraq body count.org ¤ The Good Germans ¤ Client State ¤ Road Bomb Near Baghdad Kills 3 Iraqi National Guardsmen ¤ Rich kids go to college, poor ones to Baghdad ¤ America's shame ¤ Iraq faces descent into chaos, says CIA chief Latest News Posted: Tuesday, December 7, 2004 ¤ Bush's Embarrassing Canadian Visit ¤ Defending Saddam Hussein ¤ The Imperial Wizard Visits Canada ¤ Hyping Terror For Fun, Profit - And Power ¤ Pakistan and the True WMD Threat ¤ Running Battles in Baghdad ¤ American Fantasies ¤ 'The indelible evil of this war' ¤ China targets media's 'evil trend' ¤ Crying out for justice in Beijing ¤ Pearl Harbor Mother Of All Conspiracies ¤ 2 U.S. soldiers accused of executing 2 unarmed Iraqis ¤ Bomb Kills 3 Iraqi National Guardsmen ¤ US troops question Iraqi suspects ¤ With British troops gone, US marines overstretched in Iraq 'death triangle' ¤ Palestinians killed in renewed Gaza fighting ¤ Israeli army 'executed' Palestinian ¤ Hamid Karzai Sworn in As Afghan President ¤ Gunfight Erupts Near Baghdad U.S. Embassy ¤ 12 killed as gunmen attack US consulate in Jeddah ¤ Five US soldiers killed in Iraq ¤ US may cut forces in Afghanistan ¤ The Triumph of Democracy ¤ FBI witnessed Guantanamo 'abuse' ¤ 2 C.I.A. Reports Offer Warnings on Iraq's Path ¤ Where Have We Heard This Before? ¤ Russian Roulette ¤ Running battles in Baghdad as US death toll nears 1,000 ¤ Big role predicted for security firms ¤ Rumsfeld sees pullout from Iraq in 4 years Latest News Posted: Monday, December 6, 2004 ¤ Two Veteran Journalists Critical Of Today's Media Coverage ¤ Musharraf wins praise, but no jets ¤ Why Are US Troops Still in Iraq? ¤ Creeping Secrecy ¤ Media covering wrong country's election fraud ¤ Drop the euphemisms - it's not 'tantamount to torture'; it's torture ¤ Musharraf: Iraq war is a mistake ¤ 9 Die in Attack on U.S. Mission in Saudi ¤ 'Save us from the politicians who have God on their side' ¤ New twist in Ukraine election deadlock ¤ 70 die as Iraq violence escalates ¤ Harvest of death ¤ Iraq Ambush Kills 17; Death Toll Up to 70 ¤ Grisly find casts doubt on peaceful pyramid theory ¤ Mayhem in Iraq Is Starting to Look Like a Civil War ¤ What Are We Up to – in Ukraine? ¤ Escaping blame for Abu Ghraib ¤ Icarus Over Iraq ¤ Preemption for All! ¤ US Has Zero Credibility Among Muslims ¤ Fresh unrest hits southern Thailand ¤ Rally insists Musharraf quit army post ¤ Hamas rejects ceasefire with Israel ¤ Unicef sounds Iraq malnutrition alarm ¤ 181,000 voters in U.S. elections were dead ¤ 10 Indian soldiers killed in held Kashmir landmine blast ¤ Musharraf, Bush, India and reconciliation at home ¤ Insurgent attacks kill 23 in Iraq Ex-CIA official predicts eventual terror war defeat for U.S. Posted: Sunday, December 5, 2004 WASHINGTON -- The United States will ultimately lose the war on terror because of its policies in the Middle East and because of concerns over the human rights of militants worldwide, the former head of the CIA's team that hunted Osama bin Laden said Friday. In a conversation with United Press International's reporters and editors, Michael Scheuer, newly revealed as the author of the bestselling book "Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror," said bin Laden was now possibly the Arab world's most popular leader, adding al-Qaida's domination of the Internet in the Muslim world was leading to the United States losing its battle for the hearts and minds of Muslims worldwide. Full Article : wpherald.com Latest News Posted: Sunday, December 5, 2004 ¤ Ex-CIA official predicts eventual terror war defeat for U.S ¤ Dead voters on rolls, other glitches found in 6 key states ¤ Judge rules Ohio recount will go forward in all counties ¤ Attack Kills 17 Iraqis North of Baghdad ¤ Three insurgent attacks kill 21 Iraqis ¤ Iraq violence spurs calls for poll delay ¤ British troops wage war on Afghan drugs ¤ Explosion Kills 11 Soldiers in Kashmir ¤ America increases pressure on Annan over UN scandals ¤ Four U.S. Troops, 16 Others Killed in Iraq ¤ Israel's new road plans condemned as 'apartheid' ¤ It's unbelievable ¤ Fourteen die as suicide bombs rock Baghdad and Mosul ¤ Is Bush winning? ¤ N Korea 'waits for new US policy' ¤ New weapon in war on terror: Big Bird ¤ 17 Iraqis Working for Coalition Killed ¤ Mine Explosion Kills 23 in Kazakhstan ¤ Trophy Hunting in Iraq ¤ Indian troops killed in Kashmir ambush ¤ Blasts shake central Baghdad ¤ Army base workers attacked in Iraq Latest News Posted: Saturday, December 4, 2004 ¤ Bombs outside Baghdad's Green Zone kill 16 ¤ Voter Fraud in Florida and Ohio ¤ Committee on the Judiciary Investigates Voting Irregularities in Ohio ¤ Does not compute ¤ CIA Report Confirms UN Analysis of Iraq WMD's ¤ Another election mistake surfaces ¤ Swiss freeze accounts in investigation of alleged bribes by Halliburton partner ¤ US Marine's mystery "suicide" deepens ¤ Firebombing Falluja ¤ Reporting on the Ground from Iraq ¤ A Pathetic Charade ¤ Brazil's Haitian Mission ¤ Widow of Opportunity? ¤ VHeadline.com publishes a top secret US Army document ¤ Iraq attacks intensify ¤ Doing God's Work or Washington's? ¤ Two Baghdad Car Bombs Kill 7, Injure 59 ¤ Navy Probes New Iraq Prisoner Photos ¤ Car bombs attack Iraqi police station in Baghdad ¤ 44 killed in Iraq attacks ¤ US investigating new prisoner abuse photos ¤ Rumsfeld stays as defence secretary ¤ The Two Viktors ¤ Congressional & Presidential Irresponsibility ¤ US Downplays Report on Guantanamo Prisoner Abuse ¤ Barbara Olson's Call From Flight 77 Never Happened ¤ You asked for my evidence, Mr Ambassador. Here it is ¤ Euro Reaches New High Against U.S. Dollar ¤ Outgunned and trapped, Iraqi police are stormed by insurgents ¤ Russia's Putin Calls U.S. Policy 'Dictatorial' ¤ Backing the bad guy ¤ Bush's Dirty War ¤ Court orders repeat Ukraine poll ¤ Car bomb attack on Baghdad mosque ¤ Abuse at U.S. prisons in Iraq mirrored at jails in Afghanistan Latest News Posted: Friday, December 3, 2004 ¤ At least 30 killed in two Baghdad attacks ¤ Basque separatists blamed for Madrid blasts ¤ Zimbabwe's Mugabe rules out regime change ¤ Basque separatists blamed for Madrid blasts ¤ Lie Then Escalate ¤ The White Elephant in the Room ¤ The EU, US, Israel and Iran ¤ Media in the Winter of Our 'Disremorse' ¤ Our Place in the World: U.S. Mortgages its Sovereignty ¤ Russia's Putin Calls U.S. Policy 'Dictatorial' ¤ British intelligence: Arafat poisoned ¤ Navy Probes New Iraq Prisoner Photos ¤ BBC reputation hit by Bhopal interview hoax ¤ Attacks rock Baghdad ¤ Putin backs new Ukraine poll ¤ Barghouti's natural constituents show doubts ¤ Washington funds false sex lessons ¤ UN fears for refugees who fled attack on Falluja ¤ Drug turf war hits Mexico ¤ U.S. Can Use Evidence Gained by Torture ¤ In France they know how to turn fantasy into reality ¤ More Troops Mean More Trouble ¤ Baghdad hit by two major attacks ¤ Bush calls for global cooperation ¤ What Did We Do to Deserve Condoleezza Rice? ¤ Palestinian Girl, Interrupted ¤ Russia Threatens to Blockade Abkhazia ¤ Massive Raids against Chechens in Turkey ¤ Kuchma presents emergency plan for Ukraine ¤ Rumsfeld acknowledges failure to predict insurgency ¤ VHeadline.com today publishes a top secret US Army document ¤ The Evidence for Ballot Tampering in Escambia County, Florida ¤ Attacks at Baghdad Police Stations Kill 20 ¤ Typhoon Leaves 420 Dead in Philippines ¤ Police in Baghdad target of twin attacks ¤ Bush declines to back beleaguered Annan Latest News Posted: Thursday, December 2, 2004 ¤ U.S., France, Canada behind Haiti's Coup ¤ No Justice in Chile ¤ The Bad vs. the Corrupt: Standoff in Ukraine ¤ Another Grim Record ¤ The Coup That Keeps On Ticking ¤ The Civilians We Killed ¤ Putin strongly opposes new Ukraine runoff ¤ 'Ohio tally fit for Ukraine' ¤ Syria rejects Israeli talks demands ¤ Marines reverse death disclosure rule ¤ US Falluja toll increases ¤ Bush sidesteps question on whether Annan should resign ¤ US to deploy more troops to Iraq ¤ War on the Home Front ¤ Know your place ¤ Fear Grips Iraqi Voters ¤ Insurgency broken? Far from it ¤ Iraq's civilian dead get no hearing in the United States ¤ November deadliest month for US because of Fallujah ¤ When is as mob not really a mob? ¤ From blogs to insurgents, 2004's most looked-up words ¤ U.N. Rejects Call for Annan's Resignation ¤ Child Sacrifice in Iraq ¤ The threat posed by the group is hugely overblown. ¤ Galloway wins Saddam libel battle ¤ US death toll in Iraq at record level ¤ Dead Wrong on the Iraqi Elections ¤ US death toll in Fallujah reaches 71 ¤ Going to war costs taxpayers almost £5bn Latest News Posted: Wednesday, December 1, 2004 ¤ Beware of Western Nation's Threatening "Democracy" ¤ Why Doesn't the U.S. Press Quote Iraqi Papers More Often? ¤ France admits Ivory Coast deaths ¤ Abu Ghraib, Carribbean Style ¤ If It's 2005, It Must Be Time For Another War ¤ 5,000 Anti-Bush Protesters Scuffle With Police ¤ PR Meets Psy-Ops in War on Terror ¤ Let the credibility wars begin... ¤ 'Firebombing Falluja' ¤ In Ukraine, a franchised revolution ¤ From Guernica to Fallujah ¤ The forgotten people ¤ UN to back pre-emptive strikes in first major overhaul ¤ Karzai grills British officials over 'illegal' poppy crop spraying ¤ Protesters, police gear up for Bush visit ¤ The Empire Has No Clothes ¤ My Tiny Hopes Crushed ¤ Car bomb kills seven in Iraq ¤ Shooting from the hip ¤ Report: Pentagon wants 10,000 more troops in Iraq ¤ U.S. Toll In Iraq Equals Grim Mark ¤ At a Loss for Words ¤ U.S. Generals in Iraq Were Told of Abuse Early ¤ Worse Than Ashcroft ¤ What happened to Iraq’s oil money? ¤ Voters to challenge US election ¤ Bush Defends Iraq Decisions in Canada ¤ Russia's oil and gas power Putin's ambitions ¤ US security supremo quits after criticism ¤ Coroner Confirms Ebersol's Son Killed ¤ US torture at Guantanamo 'increasingly repressive' ¤ No offence, but why are all white men so aggressive? ¤ For aid workers, a deadly blurring of lines ¤ Ukrainian opposition breaks off talks ¤ Opposition Quits Talks In Ukraine Ballot Crisis ¤ Iraq invasion 'a public health disaster' ¤ US Downplays Report on Guantanamo Prisoner Abuse |
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