News for 02-27-06

02-27-06 - Iraq makes terror 'more likely' People across the world overwhelmingly believe the war in Iraq has increased the likelihood of terrorist attacks worldwide, a poll for the BBC reveals.


02-27-06 - US Coast Guard raised concerns over UAE port deal: document


02-27-06 - Incomes Fall, Hunger Worsens as Bush Says 'We're Doing Fine'


02-27-06 - Russia Dampens Hopes on Iran Nuclear Talks A report by the U.N. atomic watchdog agency said Iran appears determined to expand uranium enrichment, which can be a key step in producing nuclear warheads. The report also said a lack of Iranian cooperation has kept U.N. experts from establishing whether Iran's past clandestine nuclear activities were focused on making arms


02-27-06 - Iran Leader: U.S. Should Give Up Nukes Iran's president said Monday that his country supports calls for making the Middle East a nuclear arms-free zone, but he also urged the United States and Russia to give up all their atomic weapons as a threat to the region's stability


02-27-06 - Iran forges ahead with enrichment


02-27-06 - Third of UK military unready due to strain: report


02-27-06 - Should we discriminate on ports deal? You bet! by Patrick J. Buchanan


02-27-06 - Many Americans Urge for Immediate Iraq Withdrawal


02-27-06 - Two Bombs Explode in Iran, Wounding Four Two grenades exploded Monday in a southwestern Iranian province known for unrest among its Arab population, wounding at least four people, the official Iranian news agency reported


02-27-06 - Lebanon's Lahoud says foreign powers want him out "The parliamentary majority, with the help of foreign powers allied to Israel, is now dividing the Lebanese people and setting them against each other, with the well-known goal of weakening Lebanon,"


02-27-06 - Syria opposition says US funding counterproductive Syria's liberal opposition has said it will not accept money from a U.S. offer to fund democratic groups in the country, saying that its credibility would be damaged if it took the cash.


02-27-06 - Veterans May Face Health Care Cuts in 2008


02-27-06 - Israel warns world don't let Iran play for time on nuclear


02-27-06 - Iran says 'no reason' to back down in nuclear dispute Iran said there was "no reason" for it to back down in a dispute over its nuclear programme, casting fresh doubt on the prospect of Russia being able to broker an 11th-hour compromise.


02-27-06 - Israel tightens arms export controls after US spat Israel is imposing tighter controls on arms exports as part of an accord with the United States, ending a dispute over the sale of advanced Israeli-made weaponry to China, senior security officials said on Monday.


02-27-06 - Berri: Israel banking on our anxiety and chaos Berri also said that "Israel is trying to bank on the state of anxiety and chaos we are witnessing and attempting to destabilize the relations between Lebanon and the other Arab countries."


02-27-06 - Moment of Truth Neocons jump ship


02-27-06 - Hamas visit to Russia confirmed


02-27-06 - Berlusconi to explain Russia's Hamas policy to Bush

News for 02-26-06

02-26-06 - Al Qaeda warns of more oil plant attacks: website


02-26-06 - Iran says it agrees basic nuclear deal with Russia


02-26-06 - A revived caliphate: bogeyman, scapegoat and pinata in the febrile post 9-11 political atmosphere of the West, the exaggeration of the threat from Islam has in different ways (immigration, terrorism, values) come to be exploited by political entrepreneurs as a crucial means of winning political power, extending state control over scared citizens, and justifying the massive projection of military power abroad


02-26-06 - Over 500 protesters converge on UK embassy in Iran More than 500 protesters angered by the destruction of a Shi?ite Muslim shrine in Iraq gathered outside the British Embassy in Tehran on Sunday, burning flags and calling for the mission to be closed.


02-26-06 - Canadian hostage's family appeals for his release


02-26-06 - Suspending Ken Livingstone is an affront to democracy


02-26-06 - White House, Congress, Dubai move toward deal on ports: US senator Dubai Ports World (DPW) will seek a new 45-day US review of its acquisition of a British company that manages key US ports, averting a showdown with the Congress


02-26-06 - Launch of Iran's first nuclear power station delayed again


02-26-06 - France refuses to extradite Syrian over Hariri murder


02-26-06 - Hillary Clinton blasts Hamas, Iran Speaker after speaker at the event, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and several members of New York?s congressional delegation, also spoke about the need to contain Hamas and Iran.



02-26-06 - Jewish group to address Iran, Hamas


02-26-06 - It could be done in one night Many commentators argue that a preemptive air attack against Iran's nuclear installations is unfeasible.


02-26-06 - Free speech, even if it hurts Is this line more offensive to Jews than an editorial cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammad with a turban bomb is to Muslims? Apparently it is, because the editorial cartoonists are still free

News for 02-25-06

02-25-06 - Iran to sign oil deal with China


02-25-06 - Oil-hungry Asia stays friendly with Iran With the tone rising by the day between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear drive, Asia is staying cool, preserving warm ties with the Islamic republic whose oil it desperately needs.


02-25-06 - Homeland Security Objected to Ports Deal


02-25-06 - Russia: IAEA Can Still Solve Iran Dispute


02-25-06 - Washington told to justify port deal in court The Bush administration was ordered by a U.S. federal judge on Friday to explain why it did not give New Jersey officials documents and information Washington had about a deal allowing an Arab company to take over management of a container terminal in Newark.


02-25-06 - Pentagon to release names of Guantanamo detainees


02-25-06 - Pentagon denies Wolfowitz approved Guantanamo interrogation tactics The Pentagon denied that former deputy secretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz approved interrogation techniques used on war-on-terror detainees as claimed in a recently released FBI email


02-25-06 - Reflections From the Hot Zone: Covering Conflict Kevin also talked about a defining moment in his career as a war reporter: while embedded with the Marines in 2004, Kevin captured video of a Marine shooting a wounded, unarmed insurgent at point-blank range in a mosque during the battle for Fallujah.


02-25-06 - Iranian advisor: We'll strike Dimona in response to U.S. attack If the United States launches an attack on Iran, the Islamic republic will retaliate with a military strike on Israel's main nuclear facility, an advisor to Iran's Revolutionary Guard said.The advisor, Dr. Abasi, said Tehran would respond to an American attack with strikes on the Dimona nuclear reactor and other strategic Israeli sites such as the port city of Haifa and the Zakhariya area.


02-25-06 - Bush Seeking Nuclear Deal With India India, with more than 1 billion people, is the world's largest democracy and has the second largest population of Muslims, after Indonesia. U.S. businesses are eyeing India's fast-growing economy


02-25-06 - Blogger bares Rumsfeld's post 9/11 orders Hours after a commercial plane struck the Pentagon on September 11 2001 the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, was issuing rapid orders to his aides to look for evidence of Iraqi involvement,...Mr Wolfowitz, now the head of the World Bank, advocated regime change in Iraq before 2001


02-25-06 - Lebanon admits it okayed arms transfer to Hezbollah Watch how quickly this becomes our problem.


02-25-06 - US counterterrorism czar visits Sinai


02-25-06 - UAE Taliban Recognition Likely Pragmatic The United Arab Emirates was one of only three countries that recognized the Taliban militia as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan in the 1990s, linking the Perian Gulf nation to one of the world's most hard-line regimes. If I'm not mistaken, our government backed the Taliban in its fight with the Soviets in Afghanistan during the 80s.


02-25-06 - Palestine: Iran to face no technical problem in transferring aids "If Iran finds it difficult to transfer money to the PNA in dollars, the other solution is to use another international currency, which would be the Euro,"


02-25-06 - Another One for Your "Don't Bomb Iran!" File This reminds me, didn't I just read something about how one of the purposes of the famous Ledeen-Franklin-Rhode-SCIRI-SISMI-Iran-Gorbanifar meeting in Rome in December of 2001 was to thwart a plan that was in the works where the Iranians were going to turn over 5 al Qaeda terrorists to the US in exchange for some MEK terrorists?


02-25-06 - Palestinian demographics challenged Bennett Zimmerman, Roberta Seid and Michael Wise presented their thesis at a meeting at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington think tank That's a NEOconservative thinktank. Imagine if there were studies in America being done by white groups of black demographics, the uproar? Yet pro-Israeli groups both here and in Israel continue to do such studies of Arab demographics without so much as a peep from any mainstream organization or media, least of all the Anti-Defamation League. Why is this not a surprise?


02-25-06 - Turkey's Initiative Brings HAMAS Crack in Washington to Light Several representatives of the Realist and Arabist school would agree as well. However, pro-Israelis, the Jewish community and most Neo-cons are offended and angered by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in Turkey.

News for 02-24-06

02-24-06 - Poll: Americans See Iran As Enemy No. 1 Iran has replaced Iraq as the country Americans consider to be their greatest enemy, according to a Gallup Poll Stampeding the sheeple into war, one successful neocon propaganda campaign at a time. This story may be propaganda in and of itself in preparation for the coming strikes on Iran. Perhaps this ties in with the UAE port deal which the Bush admin is so readily defending. Will they be blamed for any attack on a US port which would then ultimately be blamed on Iran?...


02-24-06 - Pentagon Told to Release Gitmo Transcripts A federal judge ordered the Pentagon on Thursday to release the identities of hundreds of detainees at Guantanamo Bay to The Associated Press, a move which would force the government to break its secrecy and reveal the most comprehensive list yet of those who have been imprisoned there.


02-24-06 - Sept. 11 Report Ties Bin Laden to UAE "National technical intelligence confirmed the location and description of the larger camp and showed the nearby presence of an official aircraft of the United Arab Emirates. But the location of bin Laden's quarters could not be pinned down so precisely,"


02-24-06 - Iran pressing on with uranium enrichment A diplomat, who like others interviewed asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the 10-centrifuge cascade cannot enrich uranium very far, "maybe to one percent or slightly more," far below the three to five percent needed for nuclear fuel and the over 90 percent preferred for atomic weapons.


02-24-06 - Iranian FM lashes out at Washington over terrorism "Unfortunately, our region is affected by terrorist groups like the Taliban, like Al-Qaeda, but the main question is, who was the cause of the establishment of such groups in our region?"


02-24-06 - Iran Offers Data on Secret Uranium Project Tehran's overture appeared to be an attempt to blunt the threat of firm U.N. Security Council action in coming weeks


02-24-06 - Syria disputes US charges it incited cartoon mobs Syria on Friday disputed U.S. charges it had incited mob violence over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, saying Damascus had done its best to protect embassies during violent protests and would pay for damages.


02-24-06 - Bush Admin. Won't Reconsider Ports Deal


02-24-06 - Identity of Official to Be Kept From Libby


02-24-06 - Rice: Arabs fear Iraq sectarian violence spillover While few countries are threatening to isolate Iran, Rice said the world agreed the country should curb its nuclear programs.


02-24-06 - All at sea in the Middle East's perfect storm The neoconservative theorists behind the Iraq intervention and the drive for democracy in the Middle East are in intellectual retreat or - like Paul Wolfowitz and John Bolton - have been shifted to new jobs.


02-24-06 - Arab firm to delay US ports deal The president of the Arab American Institute, James Zogby, has described some of the language being used against the deal as "shameful and irresponsible".


02-24-06 - Report: NSA continues controversial data-mining program Americans need to understand that many interests are using the "war on terror" to achieve their agendas. The Federalist Society is using the "war on terror" to achieve its agenda of concentrating power in the executive and packing the Supreme Court to this effect. The neocons are using the war to achieve their agenda of Israeli hegemony in the Middle East


02-24-06 - Hamas' Moscow Trip Angers Israel Oh dear.


02-24-06 - London mayor suspended for "Nazi" jibe London's feisty Mayor Ken Livingstone was suspended for a month on Friday for comparing a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard, a verdict the mayor said struck "at the heart of democracy." There's another fine example of that 'freedom of speech' - European-style.


02-24-06 - UAE terminal takeover extends to 21 ports


02-24-06 - U.S. official: NATO not ready for Israel "I think if this issue were to be put on the table formally within NATO, I think we?d find it immediately very controversial with a large number of countries saying not ready, not now,"


02-24-06 - Libby Lawyers Question Fitzgerald's Clout


02-24-06 - Jill Carroll update Al Arabiya, which has helped the Monitor try to win the release of Jill Carroll, suffers the loss of a news crew in Iraq.



02-24-06 - Arianna Huffington, Racial Profiler She jumps on the Dubai-bashing bandwagon

News for 02-23-06

02-23-06 - Ex-White House aide wants charges thrown out In a court filing, lawyers for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby said his indictment violated the Constitution because Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald was not appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.


02-23-06 - China joins Russia in Iran diplomacy China joined Russia on Thursday in diplomatic efforts to ease a crisis over Iran's nuclear work before a U.N. atomic watchdog meeting and avert any sanctions.


02-23-06 - Jewish group visits Denmark An American Jewish Committee delegation visited Denmark on a solidarity trip in the wake of the Mohammed cartoon controversy. Cui bono? Who benefits, is ever the question we must ask...


02-23-06 - Russia enrichment offer seriously considered: Iran


02-23-06 - India, Iran pledge commitment to build gas pipeline


02-23-06 - US administration backs down in ports battle


02-23-06 - Peace groups under watch Authorities keep tabs on non-violent Seattle activists in hunt for al-Qaida


02-23-06 - How Neocons Sabotaged Iran's Help on al-Qaeda


02-23-06 - European Union and Jewish officials remain at odds over Hamas and Iran The European Union is trying to reassure European Jewish officials that it will stand tough on Hamas and Iran, but so far it isn?t having much luck.


02-23-06 - Rice soothes UAE over ports row


02-23-06 - Rice Makes Surprise Visit to Lebanon Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hinted Thursday the United States would welcome the exit of Lebanon's pro-Syrian president


02-23-06 - UN Hariri probe chief has "good" talks in Syria


02-23-06 - 'Big Brother' watching e-mail, computer data: US report While the government needs a warrant, issued by a judge, to search someone's home computer, it can access a person's webmail account with only a subpoena, issued without judicial review.


02-23-06 - Iran: U.S., Israel Destroyed Iraqi Shrine "We cannot imagine that the Iraqi Sunnis did this," said the influential Sunni cleric Sheik Youssef al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian who lives in Qatar. "No one benefits from such acts other than the U.S. occupation and the lurking Zionist enemy."


02-23-06 - UAE Gave $100 Million for Katrina Relief


02-23-06 - Evangelical pro-Israel group to lobby A new evangelical group is planning a pro-Israel lobbying bid in Washington on July 18-19.
American Christian Zionists (End Times Fundamentalists) believe that in order for the Second Coming of Christ, Jews must settle all of the land of biblical Israel. Tom Delay is a prominent Christian Zionist.


02-23-06 - Report: Palestinians overcounted The American-Israeli Demographic Research Group, presenting its findings at the American Enterprise Institute on Thursday, said the 3.8 million figure for 2004, published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, was off by 1.3 million. So desperate are pro-Israelis to prove that Israel must keep all of the land it has seized, that they've taken to forming groups devoted to the demographics of Palestinians - read, racism. And the AEI, is a neocon 'thinktank' (one of many).


02-23-06 - Writer fears ban for opera on bomber Commentators including Channel 4 news and BBC Radio 4's Today programmed have alluded to a possible prosecution because of the opera's controversial content.


02-23-06 - 'Leninists!' Cries Neocon Nabob, Suing for Divorce


02-23-06 - US congressman sends protest note to Erdogan over Hamas visit The head of the Jewish lobby in the US Congress, Tom Lantos, has sent a letter of protest to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan concerning the visit last week of a senior official of the Palestinian group Hamas to Ankara.

News for 02-22-06

02-22-06 - Mosque Attack Pushes Iraq Toward Civil War


02-22-06 - Arab Co., White House Had Secret Agreement


02-22-06 - Iran nuclear talks 'not going easily': Putin


02-22-06 - White House scrambles to save UAE port deal


02-22-06 - Iran leader faces Holocaust case An Israeli lawyer, Ervin Shahar, says he has asked Germany to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with denying the Holocaust.


02-22-06 - Iran Must Halt Uranium Enrichment Activities, State's Burns Says


02-22-06 - Israel Warns Iran Against Palestinian Aid "The United States proved that it would not support democracy after it cut its aid to the Palestinian government after Hamas won the elections. We will certainly help the Palestinians,"


02-22-06 - Cheney to address AIPAC Also speaking at the policy conference are Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the new majority leader, and John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.


02-22-06 - Arab-haters target Dubai port company


02-22-06 - US ports deal under fire Sweeney said, "We wouldn't hire a foreign nation to provide security at any one of our airports, and we ought not to do it here either."
Umm. Yes we would, and we did (911).


02-22-06 - Saudis Reject U.S. Plan to Isolate Hamas Others wanted to know why the United States is focused only on Iran's nuclear ambitions instead of on the nuclear weapons held by Israel, and whether the Bush administration might bomb Iran.


02-22-06 - Revisionist History Fukuyama should've known what he was getting into. He did, after all, sign a letter from the Project for a New American Century a week after 9/11 advocating for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein


02-22-06 - EU to sanction suspects in killing of former Lebanese PM The European Union will impose sanctions on people identified by a UN investigation to be suspects in the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.


02-22-06 - Arabs see phobia behind US uproar over ports deal Washington's support for Israel, considered an enemy by many Arabs, and its war on Iraq have also inflamed tensions.


02-22-06 - Syria witnesses Islamist revival


02-22-06 - Olmert: Ahmadinejad?s an anti-Semite "The president of Iran, with all of his statements, is a heinous anti-Semitic phenomenon. He is an Israel-hater,"


02-22-06 - Arab democracy is exposing the blind spot of US policy

News for 02-21-06

02-21-06 - Bush Shrugs Off Objections to Port Deal Brushing aside objections from Republicans and Democrats alike, President Bush endorsed the takeover of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports by a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates. He pledged to veto any bill Congress might approve to block the agreement.


02-21-06 - Jewish Republican heads Libby defense fund Mel Sembler, a board member of the Republican Jewish Coalition and the U.S. ambassador to Italy from 2001-2005, is spearheading the Libby Legal Defense Trust.


02-21-06 - Iran spurns Russian demand for enrichment freeze


02-21-06 - Jewish teacher chains himself for peace A Jewish teacher in California chained himself to a bench to protest the Iraq war and poverty.


02-21-06 - At Spy Agencies, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Shays and his colleagues listened to a litany of retaliations taken against people who have spoken out about abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, illicit federal wiretapping, and other alleged misconduct.


02-21-06 - The Provocateurs The "war of civilizations" touted by the neoconservatives as "World War IV" is darkening the horizon with frightening speed


02-21-06 - Report probes US custody deaths Of the 98 deaths, at least 34 were suspected or confirmed homicides,


02-21-06 - Jewish leaders want Ahmadinejad banned in Europe The European Jewish Congress, meeting at the weekend in Vienna, agreed to make a formal request soon to the European Parliament asking European Union member states to declare him "persona non grata," the group said in a statement on Tuesday.


02-21-06 - Four charged over guerrilla T-shirts Danish police have charged four people selling T-shirts bearing the logos of Colombian and Palestinian guerrillas with supporting banned terrorist groups.


02-21-06 - European consistency on Holocaust denial wanted The European Jewish Congress will lobby European governments to synchronize their laws on anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.


02-21-06 - Reaction to Hamas victory is gift to Iran's leaders Ms Rice warned regional countries, including Iran, to think twice before trying to thwart Washington


02-21-06 - THE NEW AMERICAN POLICE STATE The neoconservatives are using the war to achieve their agenda of Israeli hegemony in the Middle East. Police agencies are using the war to make themselves less accountable

News for 02-20-06

02-20-06 - Silence the War Drums Those reading this bill may find themselves feeling a sense of déjà vu. In many cases one can just substitute "Iraq" for "Iran" in this bill and we could be back in the pre-2003 run up to war with Iraq. And the logic of this current push for war is much the same as was the logic used in the argument for war on Iraq.


02-20-06 - Iran Toughens Stance in Russian Nuke Talks Iran's top negotiator dismissed Russia's call for his country to freeze its domestic enrichment program, and the two delegations ended the day of nuclear talks without any apparent breakthrough.


02-20-06 - Iran to pursue atomic research despite Russian plan "The Iranians will try to throw sand in everybody's eyes, as they have for the last three years," the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said of the Moscow talks


02-20-06 - Top Pentagon lawyer warned of abuse of US detainees


02-20-06 - US threatens to cut Iraq aid over Tehran links


02-20-06 - Churchill, Hitler, and Newt by Patrick J. Buchanan Iran has missiles that can hit Israel, but no nuclear warheads. Israel could put scores of atom bombs on Iran. The United States, without losing a plane, could make the country uninhabitable with one B-2 flyover and a few MX and Trident missiles.



02-20-06 - They came for the bloggers ? and took the right of Free Speech from all Americans


02-20-06 - Isolation of Hamas, Iran focuses of AIPAC's upcoming conference The final day of the conference is reserved for lobbying on Capitol Hill, and organizers tell JTA that lobbying for the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act will top the agenda....Iran will still play a major role at the conference. The opening plenary, featuring former nuclear inspector David Kay and John Bolton...Last week, AIPAC distributed talking points to Congress members promoting legislation initiated by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) AIPAC designates the agenda at Capitol Hill, a fact that goes against the very ideals upon which this country was built. Despite all of the ballyhoo about the AIPAC scandal, NOTHING has changed with regard to their power and their overwhelming influence over our government.


02-20-06 - U.S. Ambassador Says Iran Meddling in Iraq


02-20-06 - Iran Supports End to Cartoon Violence


02-20-06 - Annan hopes UN power struggle won't derail reforms developing nations suspect Washington is trying to use the reform campaign for its own ends, by enhancing its grip on U.N. policymaking while shielding its own actions such as its Guantanamo prison camp from international scrutiny


02-20-06 - Iran leader urges Muslims to fund Palestinians


02-20-06 - Iran denies wanting to "wipe Israel off the map" "We believe that those people who make efforts to free their countries should not be regarded as terrorists,"


02-20-06 - MacKay confident of Iraq hostages' release The Christian Peacemakers were last seen in a Jan. 31 videotaped message, in which their captors threatened to kill them.


02-20-06 - Israel's Hamas policy could boost Iran, deepen Palestinian woes


02-20-06 - Putin Features in Israeli Campaign Ad An Israeli campaign ad featuring President Vladimir Putin's image has sparked outrage from the Russian government, leading to an official complaint from the Foreign Ministry and an apology from former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.


02-20-06 - Who You Calling a Neocon?

News for 02-19-06

02-19-06 - 37 million poor hidden in the land of plenty Under President George W Bush an extra 5.4 million have slipped below the poverty line. Yet they are not a story of the unemployed or the destitute. Most have jobs. Many have two.


02-19-06 - EU to make new nukes appeal to Iran as rift deepens


02-19-06 - West may have to live with low-level Iranian atom work The crisis over Iran's atomic agenda is deepening, but the world's nuclear watchdog chief has warned there may be no choice but to accept limited uranium enrichment by Tehran, diplomats say.


02-19-06 - U.S. church alliance: Washington is 'raining down terror' with Iraq war, other policies "We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched in deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights," said the statement from representatives of the 34 U.S. members of World Council of Churches. "We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war. We acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name."


02-19-06 - Russia set for Iran nuclear talks Moscow is confident it can pull off a diplomatic coup and convince Iran to accept a nuclear compromise.


02-19-06 - Iran will not abandon sensitive nuclear work Iran will not give up ultra-sensitive nuclear fuel work and accepting Western demands for the Islamic republic to do so would be a "humiliation", a senior negotiator has said.


02-19-06 - BIN LADEN'S GAME He said, Americans will do anything to defeat a strong Muslim government. We took Saddam out. He said we would take on and defeat any Muslim state that threatened Israel. I think Iraq is an indication of that being true, from their perspective


02-19-06 - US Mideast democracy plan backfiring: Iran president


02-19-06 - Senator breaks with Bush, calls for spy program oversight


02-19-06 - GCC does not oppose referring Iran to Security Council: chief Chief of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which groups six Gulf Arab countries, said on Saturday that the bloc did not oppose referring Iran's nuclear file to the UN Security Council, which might lead to sanctions.


02-19-06 - Firm Sues to Block Foreign Port Takeover A company at the Port of Miami has sued to block the takeover of shipping operations there by a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates.


02-19-06 - Rice back to Middle East to campaign for democracy, against Iran Along the way, Rice will again make appeals against giving money to Hamas, and also for regional leaders to be tougher with Iran A non-stop trip shilling for Israel, is basically what she's doing. How does the interests of America fit in there?


02-19-06 - EJC to file complaint against Ahmadinejad in The Hague The European Jewish Congress, which met this weekend in Vienna, is to file a complaint urging the International Criminal Court in The Hague to bring Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to trial for incitement to mass killing.


02-19-06 - French plot seen in moves to oust Lebanon president The entourage of Lebanon's under-fire pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud has hit back at moves in parliament to oust him, accusing former colonial power France of being behind the "coup" plot.


02-19-06 - Oil attacks costing Iraq $6.25bn


02-19-06 - Six bodies found in wreck of plane in Iraq


02-19-06 - Iran Was on Edge; Now It's on Top The upset victory of Hamas in recent Palestinian elections also promises to boost Tehran's regional role. If the United States and the European Union back away diplomatically and withdraw funding from the Palestinians, some analysts think Iran will have an opportunity to fill in the void as a longtime supporter of Hamas, gaining an unprecedented foothold in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



02-19-06 - British troops executed unarmed Iraqi


02-19-06 - UK radiation jump blamed on Iraq shells Environmental scientists who uncovered the figures through freedom of information laws say it is evidence that depleted uranium from the shells was carried by wind currents to Britain.


02-19-06 - Pollard's handler: If elected MK, I'll seek his release Former Mossad official Rafi Eitan, who participated in the capture of Nazi extermination mastermind Adolf Eichmann, and who later recruited Jonathan Pollard to spy for Israel, said that if elected to the Knesset, he would seek Pollard's release.


02-19-06 - Russia to negotiate for Quartet Russia's foreign minister said he will negotiate with Hamas based on the positions of the diplomatic Quartet overseeing Mideast peace.


02-19-06 - Arabs to resist Rice isolating Hamas, Iran on trip "Arabs will turn round and point out the United States gives billions of dollars to Israel,"

News for 02-18-06

02-18-06 - Reported ElBaradei nuclear proposal a 'step forward': Iran Iran said that a reported proposal by the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog for the Islamic republic to be allowed to conduct small-scale uranium enrichment work was a "step forward".


02-18-06 - Don't waste your money, Tehran tells Washington "Looking at the record of the Americans, such measures have been proved fruitless," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told the official IRNA news agency on Saturday.


02-18-06 - Bombers Warn U.S. Against Iran Attacks An Iranian group that claims its members are dedicated to becoming suicide bombers warned the United States and Britain on Saturday that they will strike coalition military bases in Iraq if Tehran's nuclear facilities are attacked.


02-18-06 - Stopping the War on Iran, Before It Starts


02-18-06 - What Bush Is Up To One of the goals is to replace the present Syrian government with one the administration hopes will be more pliable in its policy toward Israel. Another is to construct four permanent bases in Iraq, and that means the administration has no intention of ever withdrawing all U.S. forces. The third goal is to attack Iran's nuclear facilities from the air. The propaganda campaign to justify this attack is already under way.


02-18-06 - US-Islamic forum opens amid cartoon row tensions


02-18-06 - Delay Sought in Abramoff's Fla. Sentencing


02-18-06 - Saudi king condemns clash of civilisations idea


02-18-06 - Were Israelis involved in Abu Ghriab


02-18-06 - Blair's new laws leave us at the mercy of future tyrants


02-18-06 - Ten die in Libya cartoon clash They were said to be angry at Italian minister Roberto Calderoli, who had worn a T-shirt displaying the drawings


02-18-06 - International pressure to close Guantánamo grows


02-18-06 - Iraq hunts for missing German jet An Iraqi border force official suggested it might have gone down in neighbouring Iran.


02-18-06 - Bad Publicity Puts Pentagon on Defensive Allegations of torture. Pictures of bloodied prisoners. Reminders of embarrassing acts by American troops. All of a sudden, the Bush administration finds itself back on the defensive in its long campaign to persuade the Muslim world that the global war on terrorism is not a war on the Muslim faith.


02-18-06 - Not Another No-End-in-Sight War As Ron Paul notes, there are no violations of Iran?s "international nuclear nonproliferation obligations" for the House to condemn.


02-18-06 - Chirac: France's Stance on Iran Unchanged French President Jacques Chirac said Saturday only the U.N. nuclear watchdog could draw conclusions about the goal of Iran's nuclear program, steering clear of his foreign minister's recent declaration that it is a clandestine weapons project.


02-18-06 - Russian anti-terror envoy: Isolating Hamas would be counterproductive President Vladimir Putin's envoy on international terrorism stressed Saturday that Russia believes it would be counterproductive for the world to isolate Hamas following the militant group's victory in the Palestinian elections, the Interfax news agency reported.


02-18-06 - DRS Technologies Teams with Israel's Plasan Sasa to Offer Vehicle Armor Solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense

News for 02-17-06

02-17-06 - Prosecutor: Libby Has Evidence He Needs Fitzgerald said Libby's lawyers were trying to derail the perjury and obstruction case by pressing for nearly a year's worth of presidential daily briefs, summaries of threats to the U.S. that are among the government's most closely guarded secrets.



02-17-06 - Russian uranium proposal 'useful': senior Iran legislator


02-17-06 - Reports: China, Iran Near Huge Oil Deal The deal is thought potentially to be worth about $100 billion.


02-17-06 - Iran reconsiders nuclear inspections


02-17-06 - Russia to sell Palestinians arms if Israel agrees


02-17-06 - Lonely Defenders of Civil Liberties the Constitution had just three friends in the Senate.


02-17-06 - US to finance Syrian opposition Syria has never attacked us, nor has it threatened to, to my knowledge. Why are we wasting precious tax money on this - while cutting spending in vital areas here at home?


02-17-06 - White House Defends Port Sale to Arab Co. The Bush administration is defending approval of a $6.8 billion sale that gives a company in the United Arab Emirates control over operations at six major American ports, even as one senator sought a new ban on companies owned by governments overseas in some U.S. shipping operations.


02-17-06 - Mideast threatened by Iran-Syria-Hezbollah 'nexus': Rice Most in the Middle East know that the area is really threatened by the US-Israeli nexus.


02-17-06 - Boeing joins Israeli anti-missile venture Next month, the Israeli military will select an Israeli-U.S. industry team for the risk reduction phase of the SRBMD program. The full-scale development and production phases will be a cooperative effort between the Israeli Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. Israel's security is more important than ours, according to our government's actions.


02-17-06 - US handling of UN reform angers developing nations U.S. Ambassador John Bolton's drive to crack down on U.N. fraud and abuse is triggering a backlash from developing nations who fear Washington is trying to wrest control from U.N. members.


02-17-06 - UN nuclear watchdog to issue report on Iran at end of February: diplomats The report is for a March 6 meeting in Vienna of the IAEA board that will decide whether to ask the UN Security Council to take action against Iran over nuclear activities the United States says hide secret atomic weapons work.


02-17-06 - IAEA warns may need compromise on Iranian enrichment: diplomats UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei has warned it will be hard to strike a compromise on Iran's nuclear program without letting it do small-scale enrichment work -- something the West firmly rejects, diplomats told AFP.


02-17-06 - Espionage and the First Amendment * Spycraft, free speech, and the AIPAC espionage case


02-17-06 - US wants to boost sanctions against Syria: Rice


02-17-06 - Turkey rejects Israeli criticism Israeli spokesman Ranaan Gissin had compared the move to Israel inviting separatist Kurdish rebels for talks and said it could damage bilateral ties Israel is arming and helping the Kurds in northern Iraq and to help Israel build a power base

News for 02-16-06

02-16-06 - Annan backs UN Guantanamo demand The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has said the United States must shut down Guantanamo Bay prison camp "as soon as is possible".


02-16-06 - Iran says no uranium enrichment yet, ready to talk "Those surveillance cameras that were not required by the Additional Protocol were removed, but those that are needed according to the Additional Protocol are still in their places."


02-16-06 - Majority of Americans rate Bush negatively: Poll


02-16-06 - France Accuses Iran of Making Nuclear Arms


02-16-06 - Russia Puts Condition on Iran Enrichment Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow will only host Iran's uranium enrichment program if Tehran agrees to re-impose an indefinite freeze on enrichment at home.


02-16-06 - Rice calls Iran "central banker of terrorism"


02-16-06 - Russia Warns U.S. Against Striking Iran


02-16-06 - Iran open to helping Venezuela nuclear program


02-16-06 - US highlights fear of nuclear Iran to enlist Arabs


02-16-06 - Russia says talks with Hamas set for early March Russia has agreed to hold talks with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas at the beginning of next month, the foreign ministry said on Thursday


02-16-06 - Rice says it will be tough to get UN sanctions against Iran


02-16-06 - A bid to foment democracy in Iran The US may be forced to look again, he says, at the People's Mujahideen of Iran (MEK), a longtime opposition group to the Tehran regime that also sits on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations.


02-16-06 - Canadian sent to Syrian jail has US suit dismissed "It's clear that the reason they sent him to Syria was to be interrogated under torture. The executive branch sees itself above the law, that it can do anything in the name of national security or the war on terrorism,"


02-16-06 - Iran tops Blair and Merkel agenda


02-16-06 - Hamas leaders invited to Russia The Russian foreign ministry says the meeting - which is opposed by the US - will take place in early March.


02-16-06 - Cheney says he has power to declassify info Vice President Dick Cheney disclosed Wednesday that he has the power to declassify sensitive government information, authority that could set up a criminal defense for his former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.


02-16-06 - New Abu Ghraib pictures anger Arab nations


02-16-06 - Iran rejects French nuclear charges


02-16-06 - Outside View: Hariri murder mysteries


02-16-06 - THE HOUR: Knowing What We Don't Know "Israeli intelligence played a hidden role in convincing Wolfowitz that he couldn't trust the CIA... Israeli intelligence officials frequently traveled to Washington to brief top American officials, but CIA analysts were often skeptical of Israeli intelligence reports, knowing that Mossad had very strong - even transparent - biases about the Arab world." Wolfowitz, who "had begun meeting personally with top Israeli intelligence officials," preferred the Mossad's analysis to the CIA's.


02-16-06 - Muslim Boycotts of Danish Products Costly Boycott is a means of civil disobedience used by many different groups as a way to affect change.


02-16-06 - Israeli Hardliners Launch a Petition in the US to Destroy the Iranian Reactor, Announces SamsonBlinded.org


02-16-06 - Rep. Gregory W. Meeks Meets with Israel's Consul General, Arye Mekel; Photo Available Consul General Mekel joined Rep. Meeks in the condemnation of the continuing anti-Semitic statements and Holocaust denial of the President of Iran.


02-16-06 - U.S. sheriffs learn from Israelis The American Israel Education Foundation, a supporting organization of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, sponsored the one-week event, which took place last week in Israel. What they were not told by AIPAC : U.S. policy on Israel key motive for effort, I'm guessing.


02-16-06 - Jumblatt does not need lessons from Israel


02-16-06 - The Cartoons and the Neocon How bad is Pipes? He wants the utter military obliteration of the Palestinians; indeed, from the Muslim world, his racism is about as blatant as that of the Holocaust denying Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad


02-16-06 - Feds Mistakenly Turned Over Secret Papers The case against the now-defunct Muslim charity is built in part on wiretaps, informants and information provided by Israel 'Evidence' provided by Israel is admissible in US courts, evidently.

News for 02-15-06

02-15-06 - Saddam warned terrorists would hit US: tapes


02-15-06 - Quieter presence urged in Mideast Through it all, however, "it is essential that the U.S. hand not be seen," said the report by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. military academy.


02-15-06 - Iran ready to counter any US aggression "We have worked on all defensive and offensive scenarios for any possible attacks," Revolutionary Guards chief General Yahya Rahim Safavi told state television.


02-15-06 - Russia hints domestic Iranian uranium enrichment a possibility Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hinted that Russia could back Iran's enriching uranium on its own if Tehran convinced the international community it does not seek nuclear weapons.


02-15-06 - US attacks Iraq abuse images leak The US has said images broadcast on Australian TV showing the apparent abuse of Iraqi detainees by US soldiers should not have been released.


02-15-06 - Masters of Deception what we are seeing are the outlines of a coordinated covert action, engineered by neoconservative ideologues in and around the Pentagon and Dick Cheney's office, and carried out in cooperation with the Israelis. Their objective: gin up a war with Iran, even as we marched into Iraq


02-15-06 - US House urges halt of direct aid to Palestinians "Until Hamas changes course, dismantles its terrorist organization, and agrees to work toward a peaceful settlement with Israel, no taxpayer money should be provided to support the Palestinian government," said House Majority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican. Thus will Palestinians suffer further for wanting an uncorrupt government - the reason they elected Hamas in the first place. Here is the roll call which includes the lone dissenting vote. This move actually goes along with what the NYT article suggested the other day - the plan to starve Palestinians of much-needed money.


02-15-06 - Rice: Force an option with Iran "No options are off the table, no one is ready for a nuclear Iran, the Iranians must understand that," Rice said, according to notes from three people attending the meeting. "The United States and this president do not have a credibility issue when it comes to the use of force."


02-15-06 - US 'let slip 9/11 hijacker 13 times'


02-15-06 - Congressman Says Unit Foreshadowed Attacks


02-15-06 - Rice to Ask for $75M for Democracy in Iran "The United States wishes to reach out to the Iranian people and support their desire to realize their own freedom and to secure their own democratic and human rights. The Iranian people should know that the United States fully supports their aspirations for a freer, better future," There's that neocon democracy again. Her words translated from neocon-ese : install an Israel-friendly regime soon b/c we're about to bomb the sh*t out of you.


02-15-06 - Cheney Could Face Charges in Shooting If the man wounded by Dick Cheney dies, the vice president could - in theory at least - face criminal charges, even though the shooting was an accident.


02-15-06 - Britain criminalizes 'glorification' of terrorism the new law could make it illegal for people to speak in support of Palestinian rights


02-15-06 - Jewish groups see setback as Air Force issues religious guidelines Jewish leaders said more efforts are needed to counterbalance the evangelical Christian community.

"We have not galvanized Congress, but we will have to," said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League.

02-15-06 - Rice Outlines White House Approach on Iran The Bush administration will "walk a fine line" in seeking punitive international sanctions against Iran's Islamic government over its disputed nuclear program, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.


02-15-06 - Feingold Drops Effort to Block Patriot Act With few if any allies, Sen. Russell Feingold dropped his effort late Wednesday to block the USA Patriot Act, clearing a path for Senate debate. But he promised to try to add new protections for civil liberties during proceedings later this month.


02-15-06 - Germany 'stands with Israel' on Iran Germany?s foreign minister said his country would stand with Israel in dealing with Iran and would not rule out military cooperation.


02-15-06 - Israeli Leader: Iran President 'Obsessed' "It is now clear that the race began again and time is running out," Steinitz told The Associated Press, warning that if Iran is not stopped, it "will obtain a nuclear weapon in approximately two to three years, and this will be a devastating threat not only to Israel and the Middle East but also to Europe and the United States."


02-15-06 - U.S.: Dismantle Hezbollah The Bush administration used the anniversary of the assassination of a Lebanese leader to call on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah.


02-15-06 - Ezra: Israel to share intelligence with four European countries


02-15-06 - Military leader: Iran wants to destroy Israel Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin said Tuesday that within six months Iran could have the means to build a nuclear bomb Our intelligence says ten years.


02-15-06 - US bungles Middle East policy, lawmakers tell Rice Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee (news, bio, voting record) from Rhode Island took aim at Rice for not doing enough to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah Party was defeated by Hamas in the January 25 Palestinian election.

News for 02-14-06

02-14-06 - Iran urged to halt uranium work The French prime minister and Russian president issued a joint statement calling on Iran to conform in full with the demands of the UN's nuclear agency


02-14-06 - Iran owns China, Russia UN votes - US senator "Part of the problem is Iran ... has effectively bought U.N. Security Council vetoes from China and, very likely, Russia," Brownback, a potential presidential contender in 2008, said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.


02-14-06 - Olmert slams Iranian president for 'hatred' towards Israel: report Earlier Tuesday, Israel's new army intelligence chief called Iran the "main threat" to the Jewish state and maintained that Tehran was likely to have the capacity to develop nuclear weapons "by the end of the decade".


02-14-06 - US says cartoon row shows need for Mideast reform Accusing authorities in Iran and Syria of stoking popular anger at the pictures, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Dan Fried said the dispute showed the need for moderate Muslims to gain a greater voice in the region


02-14-06 - UN asks Lebanon about reports of arms to guerillas


02-14-06 - Many fear Iran would use nukes against U.S., Israel Americans are deeply worried about the possibility that Iran will develop nuclear weapons and use them against the USA, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll finds, but they also fear that the Bush administration will be ?too quick? to order military action against Iran.


02-14-06 - Five Agencies Review Libby Case Evidence


02-14-06 - Iran's Actions Reminiscent of N. Korea's Only one other country - North Korea - has withdrawn from the treaty since it came into force 36 years ago, and the Tehran leadership may be hoping the Security Council's meek response to that decision could be repeated in its own case.


While the Security Council expressed concern about North Korea's nuclear program, it undertook no concrete steps to punish the country. U.S. calls for economic or political sanctions foundered on Chinese and Russian opposition.



02-14-06 - Pre-trial strategies suggest unwanted exposure of AIPAC's lobbying practices


02-14-06 - Former Official Backs Lobbyists in Leak Case The former head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy helped write a memorandum of law calling for dismissal of Espionage Act charges against two pro-Israel lobbyists


02-14-06 - Syria seeks to divert attention with Hezbollah front: Israel


02-14-06 - Cheney and shooting victim were hunting illegally, officials say Vice President Dick Cheney was hunting illegally - without the required $7 stamp on his license for quail - when he accidentally shot one of his hunting partners, Texas Parks and Wildlife officials said Monday.

News for 02-13-06

02-13-06 - Lebanon marks Hariri anniversary


02-13-06 - Bush administration spent 1.6 billion on public relations: report The Department of Defense spent more than any other government agency on media-related contracts, paying 1.1 billion dollars for recruitment campaigns and other public relations efforts, according to a report by the Government Accountablity Office (GAO), an investigative, non-partisan arm of Congress.


02-13-06 - U.S. and Israelis Are Said to Talk of Hamas Ouster The intention is to starve the Palestinian Authority of money and international connections to the point where, some months from now, its president, Mahmoud Abbas, is compelled to call a new election. The hope is that Palestinians will be so unhappy with life under Hamas that they will return to office a reformed and chastened Fatah movement. Wow. Just when you thought that they couldn't go any lower... Starving them (some more) for wanting a less corrupt government, and jobs so that they can feed their families.


02-13-06 - Lawyers Group Says Bush Exceeds His Powers The American Bar Association denounced President Bush's warrantless domestic surveillance program Monday, accusing him of exceeding his powers under the Constitution.


02-13-06 - Leader says Iran can take sanctions In the interview Saturday, the first with a U.S. newspaper since he took office last August, Ahmadinejad said "we do not have any problem with the people of the United States."


02-13-06 - Iran: The Next War Blair knows this. He also knows the real reasons for an attack and the part Britain is likely to play. Next month, Iran is scheduled to shift its petrodollars into a euro-based bourse. The effect on the value of the dollar will be significant, if not, in the long term, disastrous.


02-13-06 - Iran-Russia talks on nuclear compromise delayed


02-13-06 - Abuse video fuels Arab fury at West Arab fury at the West intensified on Monday after images of British soldiers apparently beating Iraqi youths were aired in a region already inflamed by caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad.


02-13-06 - Iran, Syria should pay for protest damage -Annan


02-13-06 - Iran starts enrichment work, upping stakes with West According to unnamed diplomats.


02-13-06 - Syria switches to euro amid confrontation with US "It looks like a kind of pre-emptive action aimed at making their foreign assets safer, preventing them from getting frozen in case of any conflict,"


02-13-06 - Chertoff Defends DHS's Dual Role Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Monday rejected criticism that his agency is preoccupied with terror threats, at the expense of preparing for natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.


02-13-06 - Cheney Violates Cardinal Rule of Hunting Know your target and beyond.


02-13-06 - Protest is easier than reform, say moderate Muslims


02-13-06 - Iran paper's Holocaust cartoons A leading Iranian newspaper has launched a competition asking people to submit cartoons about the Holocaust.


02-13-06 - Israel plays up Hamas links to Chechen separatists "It is widely known that Hamas does not intervene in the internal affairs of other sovereign countries," said group spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. "Attempts by Israel to isolate Hamas internationally, politically and economically have failed." Next, Russia will play up Israel's links to Hamas..


02-13-06 - Putin the Peacemaker One has to wonder, however, why he would bring up the subject of Chechnya in this context. Especially since Israel's amen corner in the U.S. is so overtly sympathetic to the Chechen cause, as evidenced by the endorsers of the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya, including such neoconservative superstars as Jim Woolsey, Richard Perle, Elliott Abrams, and the omnipresent Michael Ledeen


02-13-06 - Leunig denies entering cartoon contest "I've had a few emails recently, anonymous emails taunting me to enter this competition.

News for 02-12-06

02-12-06 - US prepares military blitz against Iran's nuclear sites Strategists at the Pentagon are drawing up plans for devastating bombing raids backed by submarine-launched ballistic missile attacks against Iran's nuclear sites as a "last resort" to block Teheran's efforts to develop an atomic bomb.


02-12-06 - Iran is prepared to retaliate, experts warn


02-12-06 - White House Acknowledges Abramoff Photo


02-12-06 - Bush urged to stir rebellion within Iran Robert Kagan, a leading neoconservative who helped to make the case for the invasion of Iraq, accused the Bush government of doing little "to exploit the evident weaknesses in the regime". Same neocons, different war.


02-12-06 - 'Liberators' have shown their true face, say critics "It reminds me of the footage I used to watch as a child of Israelis beating Palestinian kids," Imad Jassim, an al-Kadumiya doctor, said. "It is impossible now to be friends with an occupier. And people ask why there is so much violence against the British and Americans! Look at the video and you see the answer."


02-12-06 - Fair and Balanced?: Death Threats Hit Prominent Political Columnists The targets are those who are vocally against the neoconservatives.


02-12-06 - '10,000 would die' in A-plant attack on Iran Precision bombing could put Iran's weapons programme back five to 10 years but within a month the situation would become "an extremely dangerous conflict", says Prof Paul Rogers, the report's author...The report concludes: "A military response to the current crisis is a particularly dangerous option and should not be considered further. Alternative approaches must be sought, however difficult these may be." See the last paragraph.


02-12-06 - Assad Sends Messages With Appointments


02-12-06 - Rice expresses concern about Russian reform Ever notice that those countries that our government seeks to 'reform' are the only ones that have stood in defiance of Israel?


02-12-06 - Iran Rejects Charge of Inflaming Violence The Iranian government on Sunday rejected an accusation by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that it has fanned violent protests over caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad and demanded an apology, saying that could reduce growing tension.


02-12-06 - Senators: Cheney Should Be Probed in Leak Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald should investigate Vice President Dick Cheney and others in the CIA leak probe if they authorized an aide to give secret information to reporters, Democratic and Republican senators said Sunday


02-12-06 - Probe of domestic eavesdropping leak expands: report Federal agents have interviewed officials at several law enforcement and national security agencies in a criminal investigation into The New York Times' disclosure of a U.S. domestic eavesdropping program, the newspaper reported.


02-12-06 - Most Danes understand Muslim cartoon anger: poll But fewer than half those asked thought it was wrong of the daily Jyllands-Posten to publish the 12 cartoons


02-12-06 - Gore Laments U.S. 'Abuses' Against Arabs Gore refused to be drawn into questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

News for 02-11-06

02-11-06 - Khatami warns of higher oil prices if UN sanctions Iran


02-11-06 - Iran may reconsider nuclear NPT membership Iran may reconsider its membership of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if it feels its enemies are using the accord to put unfair pressure on it


02-11-06 - Iran: U.S., Europe Should Pay for Drawings Iran's hard-line president on Saturday accused the United States and Europe of being "hostages of Zionism" and said they should pay a heavy price for the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that have triggered worldwide protests


02-11-06 - MoD to probe Iraq 'abuse' video Pictures from a video allegedly showing British soldiers brutally beating a group of Iraqi teenagers have been published by the News of the World.


02-11-06 - Republican Chief Outlines 2006 Strategy According to Bolton, our job is to fight anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in the world via the UN.


02-11-06 - Annan Urges Iran to Maintain Nuke Freeze


02-11-06 - The Neocons' Long War As the war in Iraq has proved to everyone but the most hard-core neoconservative, ham-handed U.S. military attacks in Muslim countries create more terrorists than they kill. One way to reduce the amount of animosity for America in not just the Muslim world, but in the entire world as a whole, would be to stop supporting Israel's unlawful colonization and occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Nahh. That'd be too easy...


02-11-06 - U.N. Wants News of Lebanon Investigation Bolton said U.S. concern "about Syrian obstruction of the investigation remains - and that's going to be an issue that we're going to watch very closely in the coming days." As predicted, Bolton never called for any inquiry into the shooting of the teenaged Lebanese shepherd gunned down by Israeli forces. He is only concerned with punishing Israel's arch-enemies.


02-11-06 - Ahmadinejad repeats Holocaust is a 'myth' Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeated his view that the Holocaust of Jews under Nazi Germany was a "myth" and argued that Palestinians and Iraqis were suffering from "the real Holocaust".


02-11-06 - Embattled Syrian Leader Shakes Up Cabinet Syria's president ordered a major Cabinet shake-up Saturday, signaling he has no plans to cave under growing U.S. and international pressure over the assassination of a former Lebanese leader and alleged failure to stop militants from crossing into Iraq.



02-11-06 - Denmark closes more embassies


02-11-06 - Why would Iran start an arms race in the Middle East? Giraldi said that shutting down the Strait of Hormuz could send oil skyrocketing to as much as $300 a barrel. Giraldi says: "is this all worth it? No".



02-11-06 - Iran Jews express Holocaust shock Iran's small Jewish community of about 30,000 is recognised by the Islamic Republic and there is even a Jewish member of parliament.


02-11-06 - President Ahmadinejad's trap Conspiracy theory?


02-11-06 - Hizbullah, FPM understanding worries U.S. "We don't want to see a process of dialogue that gives an excuse for any party to avoid their responsibilities under Resolution 1559," However, Israel is never pressed by the US government to implement the numerous Security Council resolutions that it is in violation of.


02-11-06 - Muslim-Americans defend free speech, despite blasphemous' cartoons


02-11-06 - Whistleblowers Are Not Protected, Mr. Goss


02-11-06 - Lebanon village struggles after Syrians The irony of the Syrian presence in Lebanon - that its army controlled the country, but its people worked like serfs for Lebanese masters - is etched into his weather-beaten face.


02-11-06 - 'New populists' vs. the West Can the leaders of Iran and Venezuela forge a political counterweight to US power?


02-11-06 - EU mulls media code after cartoon protests

News for 02-10-06

02-10-06 - Use of force debate persist on Iran In a private meeting with European diplomats this week, a former senior U.S. official raised the idea of launching a dozen B2 bombers in an air raid aimed at crippling key Iranian nuclear facilities....The military possibility "comes up whenever we've been around (Washington)," talking with administration officials and congressmen, a European diplomat told Reuters, but "we don't see the military option as being anywhere near in view."


02-10-06 - DeLay Lands Coveted Appropriations Spot DeLay, R-Texas, also claimed a seat on the subcommittee overseeing the Justice Department, which is currently investigating an influence-peddling scandal involving disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his dealings with lawmakers. The subcommittee also has responsibility over NASA - a top priority for DeLay, since the Johnson Space Center is located in his Houston-area district.




02-10-06 - Ex-CIA official says Bush administration 'cherry-picked' Iraq intelligence Considered a leading counterterrorism analyst, Pillar said the clear message from official intelligence analysis was "to avoid war" because the threat posed by Saddam had been largely contained.


02-10-06 - L.A. Mayor Blindsided by Bush Announcement Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday he was blindsided by President Bush's announcement of new details on a purported 2002 hijacking plot aimed at a downtown skyscraper, and described communication with the White House as "nonexistent."


02-10-06 - Experts Say U.S. in Iraq for Long Haul it now looks as if the United States may have a long-term and substantial military presence in Iraq, military experts say.


02-10-06 - LA skyscraper plot never got beyond talk: analysts Bush is likely using the plot to help push for wider cooperation with Asia in the "war on terror,"


02-10-06 - Israel fumes over Putin 'knife in back' Moscow, unlike the United States and the European Union, does not consider Hamas a terrorist organisation.


02-10-06 - Islam-West divide 'grows deeper' which was the goal of the editor who published these cartoons.


02-10-06 - Reid Aided Abramoff Clients, Records Show Reid, D-Nev., has led the Democratic Party's attacks portraying Abramoff's lobbying and fundraising as a Republican scandal.


02-10-06 - Kidnapped journalist says time is short


02-10-06 - UN Hariri murder investigator meets with key council members The 43-year-old Belgian prosecutor notably met with US ambassador John Bolton, the council president for February, and representatives of the four other veto-wielding permanent members: Britain, China, France and Russia.


02-10-06 - Iran "making mistake" with Iraq meddling: Rumsfeld Rumsfeld did not make specific allegations of misconduct by either Iran or Syria relating to Iraq.


02-10-06 - Jewish symbols approved in schools A federal appeals court upheld New York City?s policy of allowing symbols of Jewish and Muslim holiday scenes in school displays, but not Christian nativity scenes.



02-10-06 - Danish editor on leave after Holocaust cartoon comments an Iranian newspaper had said it would commission cartoons on the Holocaust to test Europe's tolerance of free speech. Mr Rose responded by saying he would consider publishing those Iranian cartoons. That was too much for his editor-in-chief, who said the Iranian cartoons would not be reprinted and he asked Mr Rose to take a vacation That double standard rears its ugly head again.


02-10-06 - Ex-U.N. Inspector: Decision Already Made To Attack Iran Ritter described how the U.S. government might justify war with Iran in a scenario similar to the buildup to the Iraq invasion


02-10-06 - US worries Syria still blocking UN Hariri inquiry Washington remains concerned about Syrian obstruction of a U.N. inquiry into the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister and is watching the matter closely, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said on Friday.


02-10-06 - Polls: Anti-Iran Propaganda Working


02-10-06 - Abramoff says Bush met, even joked, with him Jack Abramoff said in correspondence made public Thursday that President Bush met him "almost a dozen" times, disputing White House claims Bush did not know the former lobbyist at the center of a corruption scandal..... The White House has said Abramoff attended three Hanukkah receptions at the White House.


02-10-06 - Mofaz to address NATO Mofaz said NATO defense ministers have expressed unity over the Iranian nuclear threat, the Jerusalem Post reported.



02-10-06 - Sweden shuts website over cartoon The Swedish government has moved to shut down the website of a far-right political party's newspaper over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.


02-10-06 - Putin tries to restore Russia's role in Middle East "Reasserting Russia as a big player on the world stage is very much Putin's agenda. He may be trying to rebuild that at relatively low cost,"


02-10-06 - US accepts Russian contacts with Hamas after assurances


02-10-06 - The 'Samson defense': if Libby goes down, will he drag the GOP down with him? That the leading Islamophobe and opponent of Arab "medievalism" and the foremost proponent of American hegemony as the verdict of capital-H History should join hands in defense of Libby is entirely appropriate, almost poetically so. They are the theory; Libby ? a lying, conniving, unscrupulous traitor ? is the practice


02-10-06 - Russia could take over as main Mideast mediator - Hamas official "The failure of U.S. policies in the region has left a vacuum and this vacuum should be filled in by other states," Marzuq said. "We believe that Russia can do this."


02-10-06 - Danish ambassador to leave Syria


02-10-06 - Rice: Russia Should Send Message to Hamas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday to send a clear, strong message in any meetings with Hamas officials that the militant group must stop terror attacks on Israel.

News for 02-09-06

02-09-06 - Soldiers Face Debilitating Diseases


02-09-06 - Russia confirms missile defence contract with Iran Amid the escalating crisis around Iran's nuclear programme, Russia said Thursday that it will still arm Tehran with missiles


02-09-06 - US judge concerned by Bush's surveillance program


02-09-06 - Hezbollah Leader to Bush: 'Shut Up'


02-09-06 - Saudi Ambassador Decries Iran Nuke Program "(Iranians) see a double standard," he said. "They see the U.S. government negotiating with North Korea ... and they see the U.S. signing a nuclear peace agreement with India .... and they see the U.S. turning a blind eye completely to Israel, although Israel has the most nuclear weapons in our part of the world."


02-09-06 - Secularist stupidity and religious wars by Patrick J. Buchanan We have "speech codes" in colleges and "hate crimes" laws to protect minorities from abusive remarks. But newspapers that hail these codes throw a blanket of "artistic freedom" over scatological art that degrades religious symbols ? from putting a figure of Christ in a jar of urine to a "painting" of the Virgin Mary surrounded by female genitalia and elephant dung that hung in a Brooklyn museum


02-09-06 - Mass anti-cartoon rally in Beirut


02-09-06 - Libby: White House 'Superiors' OK'd Leaks A former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney told a federal grand jury that his superiors authorized him to give secret information to reporters as part of the Bush administration's defense of intelligence used to justify invading Iraq, according to court papers.


02-09-06 - US shield blunts Israeli military option on Iran "The decision if and when to act against Iran will be made in the White House, not in the underground headquarters of the (Israeli military command) General Staff."....A senior Israeli official, who asked not to be named, acknowledged that Bush's pledge took bilateral ties to "a new level," but said Israel had not promised anything in return.


02-09-06 - Juggernaut Gathering Momentum: Next Stop, Iran Aside from all that, the Israelis were, and are, confident that their influence in Washington is such as to ensure U.S. support, no matter what. And, as President Bush's rhetoric demonstrates, they are correct in thinking they can, in effect, have their cake and eat it too ? a commitment equivalent to a defense treaty, with no binding undertakings on Israel's part.




02-09-06 - Putin says will invite Hamas leaders to Russia Denisov also said Moscow would push for the "rejection of radical views and positions which are inappropriate" and tell Hamas to keep up the "momentum of the peace process."


02-09-06 - Cheney 'Authorized' Libby to Leak Classified Information


02-09-06 - Beyond Chanukah Abramoff describes nearly a dozen meetings with Bush


02-09-06 - Editors at odds over new cartoons Plans by the culture editor of Jyllands-Posten newspaper to publish more religous caricatures were quickly put on ice by the newspaper's editor-in-chief on Wednesday. Hypocritical neocon-lover shows his true colors. See yesterday's comments on Rose.


02-09-06 - Iran: A Clear and Present Danger to the Jewish People, Says World Jewish Congress


02-09-06 - Israel no longer alone in the struggle against Islamic imperialism The partial compensation is that Israel is not alone in dealing with aggressive fundamentalist Islam. It?s now being made tangible to European countries - by the street rioting and the torching of embassies - that their culture and the lives of their citizenry are in real danger. Cui bono - who benefits?


02-09-06 - Pollard appeals to U.S. Supreme Court in latest effort to end his life sentence


02-09-06 - U.S. Says Russia Must Stand Firm on Hamas The United States reminded Russia on Thursday that it is on record condemning Hamas' violent tenets, but did not criticize Russia's president for inviting leaders of the militant group to Moscow.