News for 03-30-07

03-30-07 - Britain fails to gain strong UN support in row with Iran A week after Iran captured 15 British naval personnel in the Gulf, the UN Security Council Thursday expressed "grave concern" at their detention but declined to back Britain with a call for their immediate release.


03-30-07 - Iran airs second sailor 'apology'


03-30-07 - UK receives note from Iran over captured sailors Iran's message - its first written communication to the UK since the sailors were seized - appeared to resemble a statement used to resolve a similar stand-off in 2004, when Iran seized eight British servicemen and held them for three days.


03-30-07 - US rejects Iran captives exchange


03-30-07 - EU ministers put pressure on Iran The BBC's Oana Lungescu in Bremen says the strongly-worded EU statement goes much further than the UN's expression of "grave concern" about the Iran-UK dispute on Thursday.


03-30-07 - Resist the war drive against Iran ** The capture of the British sailors has all the hallmarks of the kind of incident that has been used in the past as a reason either for war or for escalating confrontation.


03-30-07 - Saudis warned Iran not to underestimate US threat ** Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah reportedly warned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that he should not underestimate the US military threat on Iran.


03-30-07 - UN atomic agency calls on Iran to restore cooperation Soltanieh also said Iran had to protect its nuclear secrets as the United States and Israel "are threatening the use of force and attack against the Islamic Republic and have repeatedly stressed that military action is an option on the table," according to a copy of the letter obtained by AFP.


03-30-07 - Fate of Five Detained Iranians Unknown The continued detention of the Iranians has escalated tensions between the U.S. and Iran and may even have set the stage for the seizure by Iranian forces of 15 British sailors and marines who allegedly crossed into Iranian waters over the weekend.




03-30-07 - Death chants in Tehran voice resentment of 'the little Satan' Britain and Russia occupied Iran in the early part of the 20th century. When Reza Shah refused to toe the Allied line in 1941 they occupied the country again, forcing him to abdicate. Iranians found themselves subject to foreign rule, culminating in the overthrow of a popular prime minister in 1953.


03-30-07 - White House anger over Syria trip Ms Pelosi will lead a delegation from US Congress for talks with officials.


03-30-07 - San Diego families prepare for warship's departure ** Up to five-thousand sailors and Marines will be aboard the aircraft carrier when she sets sail from Naval Air Station North Island, headed for the Persian Gulf.


03-30-07 - Iran's action: A deliberate ploy? In recent months, the eastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan has seen a series of attacks and car bombs targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guards.


03-30-07 - Military beefs up Internet arsenal The U.S. military is quietly expanding capabilities to attack terrorist computer networks, including websites that glorify insurgent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, military officials and experts say.


03-30-07 - Secret Briefing by Zinni Seen as Key In Aipac Duo Trial Defense lawyers have sought the testimony of those in attendance to demonstrate to the jury that meetings between administration officials and Jewish representatives were common practice, and that intelligence was frequently shared during these powwows without the participants knowing the information was classified. But, as first reported in the Forward last month, the Jewish representatives who attended the meeting are refusing to cooperate with the defense team......In Zinni, the defense team would be turning to a harsh critic of both the Iraq War and neoconservatives at the Pentagon, who according to Zinni thought the invasion would stabilize American interests in the Middle East and strengthen Israel's position. "I think it's the worst-kept secret in Washington. That everybody - everybody I talk to in Washington - has known and fully knows what their agenda was and what they were trying to do," said Zinni in a May 2004 interview with the CBS News program "60 Minutes."
Zinni - one of the good guys :) In a nation whose media and politicians are so cowed by this lobby, it is welcome to find such a rare person that has the cojones to stand up to them. In my book, that puts them on par with the founding fathers of this nation.


03-30-07 - Greenpeace warns of nuclear mishap "Ambiguous policies about the possible existence of a nuclear program in Israel only serve to destabilize the region. A policy of honesty and transparency is in need to pave the way to nuclear free Middle-East,"


03-30-07 - Saudi king's remarks could build credibility


03-30-07 - Iran: Attack fears spurred nuclear block ** Iran, in a confidential letter posted Friday on an internal Web site of the U.N. nuclear monitor, said its fear of attack from the U.S. and Israel prompted its decision to withhold information from the agency.


03-30-07 - US, Saudi, Chinese firms announce five-billion-dollar energy deal US oil giant Exxon Mobil, Saudi Aramco and Sinopec announced here Friday two joint ventures worth about five billion dollars to operate 750 service stations and a petrochemical refinery in China.


03-30-07 - Ex-aide contradicts Gonzales on firings


03-30-07 - "A Great Little Racket": The Neocon Media Machine The influence of the Weekly Standard runs all the way to the top of the U.S. government. Vice President Dick Cheney's office at one time reportedly received 30 issues per week, apparently in order to remain on top of any policy recommendations advocated by AEI (where Cheney and his wife have both held positions) and the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), two neoconservative groups with close ties to the management of the Weekly Standard. .....The Weekly Standard has served a pivotal role in what could be considered the neoconservative "echo chamber"?a collection of think tanks, media outlets, and advocacy groups that strengthen and repeat neoconservative policies and ideology through constant media exposure and reinforcement within organizations populated by influential policymakers.....Both the editorial pages of major newspapers and the Fox News cable channel have played pivotal roles in selling neoconservative policies to a more mainstream, conservative, and Republican audience.


03-30-07 - Rice calls Saudi ambassador after king's comments


03-30-07 - Report: ADL, BBI reps were at Rosen event Representatives of ADL and B'nai B'rith reportedly are refusing to cooperate with the defense in the classified information case against two former AIPAC staffers......The ADL and B'nai B'rith fear being drawn into a case that already has complicated AIPAC's mission in Washington. Haul 'em in, fellas.


03-30-07 - UN chief urges Lebanon dialogue


03-30-07 - The Real 'Existential Threat' ** The coming war with Iran will not end until the entire region is aflame ? with the fire spreading to three continents, and beyond. Is this the price the world is willing to pay to put an end to the "existential threat" to Israel?


03-30-07 - Pelosi to address Knesset Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, will address the Israeli Knesset, before heading to Syria


03-30-07 - Ellison on Israel trip Others on the trip are: the Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.); the Government Reform Committee chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.); the Rules Committee chairwoman, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.); the Natural Resources Committee chairman, Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W. Va.); and Rep. David Hobson (R-Ohio.).


03-30-07 - House to consider 'human shield' resolution The U.S. House of Representatives is to consider a resolution condemning Hezbollah for using "human shields" during its war against Israel.
The only problem with this piece of legislation for Israel is that in its exhaustive research of that conflict, Human Rights Watch found no such evidence that Hezbollah was using human shields. In fact, Israel only recently was caught (on tape via AP) doing that very thing. Add to that the fact that Israel, knowing that a ceasefire was imminent (expected in 3 days), fired a million cluster bomblets into mainly civilian areas of Lebanon. These bomblets have continued to kill and maim Lebanese and foreign officials that are trying to find and destroy them. Israel has to this day refused to provide the UN with detailed maps of where it shot off the cluster bombs. My guess is because that would offer definitive proof that ISRAEL TARGETED CIVILIAN AREAS. Lastly, this is not a matter for Capitol Hill. So much legislation is being passed in the halls therein that has nothing to do with THIS country. In fact, it seems to be taking up increasingly more valuable time that could be devoted to matters of import to the AMERICAN people. You know, the ones that are PAYING THE $@@$%ING TAXES. Here is an older HRW report on Israel's use of human shields in Jenin.


03-30-07 - Officials: Arrow can take what Iran can give "Our Arrow operational system can without a doubt deal with all of the operational threats in the Middle East, particularly in Iran and Syria,"


03-30-07 - Farrakhan speaks to the media In a prescient moment, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan even chided Mr. Bashir on the methods used by the media to mislead the public, noting that in this almost two-hour interview, only portions would actually be viewed by the public after selective editing.


03-30-07 - Aguda supports Iraq war Agudath Israel of America declared its support for President Bush's conduct of the war in Iraq.


03-30-07 - Beirut bars Israeli reporter An Israeli journalist was excluded from a press delegation accompanying U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Lebanon.

News for 03-29-07

03-29-07 - Iran TV shows clip of Britons' arrest


03-29-07 - UN voices 'concern' on UK sailors The UN Security Council has agreed a statement voicing "grave concern" at Iran's capture of 15 British sailors.


03-29-07 - Iran concerns push oil above $66


03-29-07 - Problems Cited Between V.A. and Pentagon


03-29-07 - Musharraf warns of 'ominous confrontation' in Gulf


03-29-07 - Russians not leaving Iran


03-29-07 - US Senate votes for Iraq deadline


03-29-07 - European Union considers freeze on contact with Iran


03-29-07 - Capture of Britons won't stop US talks with Iran: State Dept.


03-29-07 - Zogby: Iran Poses Greatest Danger This is the poll that was in my news batch for yesterday. Notice that this one from March 19 gives different figures.


03-29-07 - Second Witness Reveals Much In Plame Leak Controversy


03-29-07 - Iraq diggers 'contaminated with radiation' TWO Australian soldiers who served in the first Iraq war have tested positive to depleted uranium (DU) contamination despite assurances from the Federal Government they had not been exposed, an anti-nuclear group said today.


03-29-07 - Iran loses High Court battle to recover 'stolen' antiquities


03-29-07 - Makiya's Malady Another War Party stalwart cuts and runs


03-29-07 - O'Donnell 9/11 Rant Reaches 30 Million Viewers "In America we are fed propaganda and if you want to know what's happening in the world go outside of the U.S. media because it's owned by four corporations, one of them is this one (ABC)." Actually, I've found that ABC is the best, in terms of truthfulness, of the main networks.


03-29-07 - Clark says Iran attack would harm Israel **


03-29-07 - Lebanon opens beneficent center for elderly Palestinian refugees Lebanon has opened a beneficent center in a bid to care for elderly Palestinians refugees in the country, local newspaper The Daily Star reported on Thursday.


03-29-07 - Rumsfeld torture suit dismissed A US court has dismissed a lawsuit against former US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld over claims prisoners were tortured in Iraq and Afghanistan.


03-29-07 - Israeli experts: Hezbollah most dangerous Hezbollah poses the most immediate international terrorist danger, Israeli experts said at a conference that drew top U.S. officials. The Institute for Counter-Terrorism, an independent think tank comprising former top Israeli security officials, ran a workshop Wednesday at the Israeli Embassy in Washington on changing strategies in combating terrorism.



03-29-07 - RJC loves Lieberman The RJC routinely attacked Lieberman as soft on Israel when he was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2000.


03-29-07 - The Little Saudi Surprise: So It Stings. Live With It "The Israelis want to win the lottery without paying for a ticket," said Jamal Khashoggi, a former Saudi Embassy adviser in Washington. "The lottery is normalized relations with Saudi Arabia, but first they must pay for the ticket by reaching an agreement with the Palestinians."


03-29-07 - Giuliani: Iraq pullout would be ?terrible mistake?


03-29-07 - HELENA COBBAN: How analysts in the Arab world see the Iraq war They also all saw a clear linkage between U.S. influence in the region as a whole and U.S. policy toward the Palestinians. They argued forcefully that making real progress on attaining a final Palestinian-Israeli peace could significantly help the U.S. manage the situation in and around Iraq.


03-29-07 - Arab leaders warn of Mideast arms race Wael al-Assad, the league's official in charge of preparations for the meeting, said closer nuclear cooperation was prompted by fear of Israel's nuclear weapons, and Iran's escalation of its program.

News for 03-28-07

03-28-07 - Iran TV shows seized UK navy crew


03-28-07 - UK/Iran bilateral links suspended


03-28-07 - Americans Reject Attacking Iran Over Iraq Bombs **


03-28-07 - More Pork for More War by Rep. Ron Paul What might be most disturbing, however, is the treatment of veterans in the bill.


03-28-07 - Moscow warns U.S. Iran policy may spark "clash of civilizations" **


03-28-07 - Saudi King Slams ?Illegitimate Occupation? of Iraq


03-28-07 - Easter Surprise: Attack on Iran, New 9/11? or Worse **


03-28-07 - Russia and US accused of abusing men freed from Guantanamo Bay


03-28-07 - US keen to avoid 'escalation of tensions' with Iran following capture of British sailors ** The fact remains however that the massive new war games in the Gulf were brought forward because of the incident with the British, according to a spokesman for the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The exercises, involving two carrier groups, are the largest of their kind since 2003. As Mr Bush made clear in an address on January 10 that directly blamed Iran for fomenting violence against US forces in Iraq, they are intended to send a clear message to Teheran.


03-28-07 - Zogby: Iran Poses Greatest Danger A majority of Americans (59 percent) view Iran as a threat to the United States, and 41 percent believe it is the nation that poses the single greatest danger, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. The neocons and their friends in the MSM would have it no other way.


03-28-07 - US missile shield for Mideast threat, Bush tells Russia's Putin ** The United States is currently concerned about Iran's ballistic missiles.


03-28-07 - U.S. to keep troop levels through fall **


03-28-07 - Propaganda war over captured Brits


03-28-07 - FBI Didn?t Mean to Break the Law, Mueller Says He was addressing a series of recent reports of FBI bungling - making the agency seem sort of like Homer Simpson, but with guns - notably an inspector general?s conclusion that the bureau had improperly used so-called ?national security letters? that allow investigators to obtain private information without a judge?s approval.


03-28-07 - Interventions Without End? by Patrick J. Buchanan


03-28-07 - But Who's Against the Next War? the national-greatness conservatism advanced by neoconservative figures like William Kristol, and in large measure adopted by the Bush administration as it prepared for war in Iraq, finds its echo in a national-greatness liberalism among leading Democrats This only demonstrates that what AIPACers want - they get - no matter the political party.


03-28-07 - Israel boosts Golan troops as contingency -general Israel has reinforced its troops in the Golan Heights as a precautionary step, though neighbouring Syria does not appear to be planning an attack, Israel's top general was quoted as saying on Wednesday.


03-28-07 - Picking on Halliburton On an individual level, many well-known neoconservatives have moved seamlessly between the contractors and the think tanks, filling their bank accounts along the way. They include all-too-familiar names such as William Kristol, Stephen Bryen, Richard Perle, Dov Zakheim, Robert Joseph, Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, and Frederick Kagan. Vice President (and former Secretary of Defense) Dick Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have done the revolving door one better, moving from senior government posts to senior executive positions with the defense contractors, where they made millions of dollars before moving back into government at the highest levels.....The multilateral relationship involving U.S. contractors, Israel's defense industry, and former U.S. and Israeli government officials is both incestuous and apparently frequently beyond the rules that govern international arms sales. FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds has recently said that unsealing the Bureau's investigative reports on Perle, Feith, and former State Department number three Marc Grossman would reveal that they all engaged in what she describes as treasonous activity reportedly linked to illegal weapons sales.


03-28-07 - US terrorist watchlist flags 'ordinary people' in error An increasing number of US businesses are screening their customers against a US Treasury watchlist of suspected terrorists and drug traffickers, resulting in citizens with names similar to those on the list being denied services, according to a new report.


03-28-07 - Information Clearing House Is an Independent News and Information service. Subscribe and then perhaps make a donation to a great newsletter service.


03-28-07 - Arrow passes another test Israel's Arrow II anti-missile defense system passed another test. The Arrow, envisaged as Israel's main bulwark against any future ballistic missile attacks by Iran or Syria, was fired this week in what the Defense Ministry said was a successful test of its avionics


03-28-07 - Israel condemns testimony release Mr Olmert's office said uncensored material could still damage Israel's foreign relations. Why's that?


03-28-07 - Iran, Israel, and our Shared Security Goals Israel is facing the greatest danger for its survival since the 1967 victory. Israel maintained its dominance since 1967 even after the 1973 failure. In 1984 I wrote that WMD and terrorism would pose a threat for US national security. If two or three cities are destroyed because of terrorism both the US and Israel?s democracy will be eroded and both will become greater dictatorial societies. Has anyone informed Newt that America is NOT Israel? More: "We can?t live next to a Palestinian state that wants to destroy Israel." Who's 'we'?


03-28-07 - JINSA: Stop funding al-Hurrah The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs called on the U.S. Congress to stop funding an Arabic-language broadcaster.



03-28-07 - Bush pulls Fox nomination after Dems complain Fox, 77, of St. Louis, Mo., is national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition.


03-28-07 - An interview with Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz Speaking of Iran, AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is lobbying to block the requirement that the President seek Congressional approval before attacking Iran. What is your view on this?

News for 03-27-07

03-27-07 - Blair: Iran must free naval prisoners in days


03-27-07 - US Navy starts war games in Gulf **


03-27-07 - UK ready to produce Iran evidence The government is preparing to release photographic evidence to support its assertion that 15 UK sailors seized by Iran were not in Iranian waters. This whole incident starts to look like what happened with Israel/Lebanon last July. Israel was planning a war on Hezbollah and waiting for the right opportunity, knowing that Hezbollah had been making efforts to capture IDF soldiers. Then, BINGO. We got a winner.


03-27-07 - UK in 'discreet talks' with Iran


03-27-07 - Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border ** "The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched.


03-27-07 - Sunni extremists 'playing into Iran's hands': US colonel


03-27-07 - Cheney assures early Iraq pullout won't be allowed Cheney for his part used his appearance before the Republican Jewish Coalition in Manalaplan, Florida, to reassure allies that the current political struggle will not result in a precipitous US withdrawal from Iraq.


03-27-07 - Intelligence assets listen in to Teheran


03-27-07 - UAE will not be used in any Iran strike -president ** "We have informed the Iranian brothers ... that we are not party to its conflict with the United States and will not allow our territories to be used for any military, security or spy activities against it."


03-27-07 - Iran reduces US dollar exposure Iran has significantly reduced the amount of US dollars it holds in its foreign reserves, the head of its central bank has revealed.


03-27-07 - Iran's border muddles captivity issue Neither side has released map coordinates to prove its case. Even if one side did, it is unclear that would be enough to convince the other. "If this happened south of where the river boundary ends, knowing the coordinates wouldn't necessarily help us," said Richard Schofield of King's College in London, who is an expert on the waterway. "We have to accept the British claim with as much salt as the Iranian claim."



03-27-07 - Oil spikes $5 on rumors of Iran attack ** U.S. light crude for May delivery jumped $5.18, or about 8 percent, to $68.91 a barrel in electronic trading before giving back most of those gains to trade at $64.40 a barrel, $1.47 above Tuesday's settle price on the New York Mercantile Exchange.


03-27-07 - Russia, China sign four billion dollars of trade deals


03-27-07 - John Bolton: Bush never said Saddam was 'imminent threat' However, on more than one occasion, administration officials used the term "imminent threat" to describe Iraq in the run up to the war.


03-27-07 - US hawks see strikes on Iran as less likely now ** Mr. Rosbenberg says continued tough talk ? and the Democrat climbdown over the spending bill ? largely serve two functions: To hopefully soften up Iran in ongoing diplomatic negotiations over inspections of its nuclear facilities; and as a sop to hard-line groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which says it favors attacking Iran if diplomacy doesn't yield results soon, and whose lobbying was largely seen as leading Ms. Pelosi to take her action. I disagree with the author. It's coming, and that's why Rice is suddenly trying to make peace between the Israelis and Palestinians; to get support from those not on board for military action against Iran. All of this newfound talk of diplomacy and pragmatism is a ruse.


03-27-07 - Cheney: Iraq pullout would hurt Israel A U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq would be damaging to Israel, Dick Cheney said.
Staying there is damaging to the US. Which country do you serve, Dick?


03-27-07 - China shifts to euros for Iran oil


03-27-07 - Palestinian refugees in Lebanon pessimistic Refugees in places like the Burj al-Barajneh camp in the overcrowded shantytown on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut expect the gathering will result in major changes to the 2002 Saudi initiative, including the ?removal of the right of return?.



03-27-07 - Iraq's break-up will lead to '100 Years War' The Jordanian prince warned that a possible break-up would play into the hands of Israeli "extremists," making Israel the dominant minority in a region of minorities. Divide and conquer.


03-27-07 - Kenya terrorist sent to Guantanamo An admitted terrorist involved in attacks against Israel was sent to a U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay,


03-27-07 - Israel gives in on 'road map' to grease wheels of peace push Israeli analysts conclude that unlike the neo-cons, she believes that such movement is possible and that it could strengthen the axis of moderate Arab states around U.S. leadership in the critical standoff with Iran. Bingo.


03-27-07 - Defense: Feds eyeballed AIPAC until it cut off Rosen, Weissman The U.S. Attorney in eastern Virginia at the time, Paul McNulty, "would like to end it with minimal damage to AIPAC," the document quotes Lewin as telling Lowell. "He is fighting with the FBI to limit the investigation to Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman and to avoid expanding it." WTF for? Read on: "When McNulty brought the indictment six months later, in August 2005, he emphasized that AIPAC was not under investigation. McNulty is now the deputy U.S. attorney general." No kidding? More: "On March 15, 2005, government officials meet with Lewin, the AIPAC lawyer, and disclose secretly obtained evidence; on March 18, McNulty's office allegedly tells Lewin that "AIPAC needed to fire Rosen and Weissman;" and on March 21, they're fired"


03-27-07 - Rashid Khalidi on Elliot Abrams' 'Hard Coup' Against Hamas


03-27-07 - Muslims share experiences with racism


03-27-07 - Secretary Rice prods Mideast players to table When George Bush entered the White House in 2001 amid the early days of the Palestinian uprising, and after President Clinton's administration failed peace summits, the administration disengaged from the nuts and bolts of peacemaking. The only times the US seeks peace initiatives between these two groups is when the neocon-driven Bush admin seeks to gain support for an attack on a Middle Eastern nation.


03-27-07 - University apologizes to its Hillel Pace Hillel President Michael Abdurakhmanov told The New York Times in January that following complaints by a Muslim student group, a dean told him not to show "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West."? If the film were shown, the dean allegedly said, police could be called in and Hillel members could be considered suspects in recent Islamophobic acts.
Hillel is a pro-Israel outfit.

News for 03-26-07

03-26-07 - More Veterans Calling The Streets Home One in three homeless Americans is a veteran.


03-26-07 - Iran softens stance on British sailors Iran said Monday it was questioning 15 British sailors and marines to determine if their alleged entry into Iranian waters was "intentional or unintentional" before deciding what to do with them - the first sign it could be seeking a way out of the standoff.


03-26-07 - Iran resumes payments for power station: Russia


03-26-07 - US: Iran must not turn 'blind eye' to UN


03-26-07 - China, Russia leaders reject force on Iran, N.Korea **


03-26-07 - Iran says Marines are fit and well as family speak of their distress "We have statements from the Indian master of the boarded vessel, which was anchored in Iraqi waters, to say they were alongside it when they were detained,"


03-26-07 - Seized sailors 'held in Tehran' In order for the Britons to be released "every vested interest in Iran would need to be satisfied they had not deliberately entered Iranian waters, nor were they spying", the source said.


03-26-07 - Russia, China in appeal to Iran Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's Hu Jintao jointly said they wanted to find a "mutually acceptable solution" to Iran's "nuclear problem".


03-26-07 - Two US, one French aircraft carrier in Gulf region ** Lieutenant Commander Bertrand Bonneau, chief of press for the French navy, said the carrier group would be restricted to actions over Afghanistan. He said the carrier's deployment had "nothing at all" to do with exerting pressure on Iran.


03-26-07 - US funds terror groups to sow chaos in Iran ** "The latest attacks inside Iran fall in line with US efforts to supply and train Iran's ethnic minorities to destabilise the Iranian regime."


03-26-07 - British backtrack on Iraq death toll British government officials have backed the methods used by scientists who concluded that more than 600,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion, the BBC reported yesterday.


03-26-07 - The Coming War With Iran ** , recent events include the kidnapping of Iranian consular officials in Irbil, Kurdistan, by U.S. forces, reports of covert U.S. support for terrorist attacks inside Iran, the "disappearance" of a major Iranian military figure in the elite Revolutionary Guards unit, and suspicions that the Mossad may have had a hand in killing a renowned Iranian nuclear scientist.


03-26-07 - Chavez asks world to halt alleged planned US attack on Iran ** Chavez, speaking one day after the UN Security Council voted to tighten sanctions on Iran over Tehran's refusal to curtail its nuclear programme, cited a Russian press report which purportedly details the time and place of an attack on Iran by the United States, which he has dubbed "The Empire."


03-26-07 - 'We Warned the United States' Mottaki: Every country in the world sets its goals and should also be able to achieve them. On March 5, 1957, exactly 50 years ago, we signed a treaty with the United States that granted us the right to acquire nuclear power plants


03-26-07 - UN agrees to new Iran sanctions as military tensions mount in Gulf


03-26-07 - India to push for $7bn Iran gas pipeline project


03-26-07 - City Police Spied Broadly Before G.O.P. Convention


03-26-07 - Downer applauds UN stance on Iran


03-26-07 - Face-off with Iran takes tougher turn


03-26-07 - Advancing Freedom in Iran the advancement of freedom, democracy, and human rights in Iran should therefore be a U.S. priority Heritage Foundation = neocon 'thinktank'. And we all know the definition of neocon 'democracy' : elect Israel-friendly regime, or else. When neocons call for 'democracy', you know somebody is about to get bombed. It's laughable to see these folks feign concern for the freedom of Iranians. They care about the Iranian people about as much as they care about Arab peoples; they don't. Their only concern is for ISRAEL. And they don't care how much American blood and treasure is expended to further their agenda.


03-26-07 - Fallout fear puts deadline on nuclear sites attack ** Sources cited by The Jerusalem Post say a US or Israeli strike on the Iranian facilities would probably be carried out before Iran had enriched weapons-grade material in sufficient amounts to trigger a nuclear catastrophe if hit.


03-26-07 - Three Fired U.S. Attorneys Balked At Seeking Death Penalty The three prosecutors are among eight U.S. attorneys terminated last year in a housecleaning by the Justice Department. Their hesitation over the death penalty was not cited as a reason for their dismissals, but Washington officials have made it clear they have little patience for prosecutors who are not with the program.




03-26-07 - Syrian President meets British parliament delegation on regional situation Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met on Monday a delegation of the British House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on the regional situation, particularly in Iraq, the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon.


03-26-07 - Fingerprints of history "I believe that a branch of Syrian Baath Party security assassinated Al-Hariri. I don?t say, however, that [Syrian President] Bashar Al-Assad was involved. I don?t think it was sanctioned from the top. I was walking on Beirut?s corniche, 400 metres away, when it happened. I got there before anyone and before the police. I saw Hariri on fire in the street. His socks were burning. And when I asked one Lebanese who was assassinated, he told me it was Hariri."


03-26-07 - Film on "Radical Islam" Tied to Pro-Israel Groups A controversial documentary on the threat of radical Islam, promoted by the two most-watched U.S. cable news networks, was marketed and supported in part by self-described "pro-Israel" groups, according to an IPS investigation Look no further for proof that Israel has very good friends in our MSM media. You think you're getting credible news? ROFLMAO. Funny, and yet thoroughly repulsive.


03-26-07 - Neighborly advice on Iraq It goes without saying that what all of Iraq's neighbors want most is an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. What all fear most is a U.S. war with Iran. It would be nice to divorce Iraq's woes from those broader conflicts, but the reality of the Middle East is that progress on all of these issues is fiendishly interlinked

News for 03-25-07

03-25-07 - Seizure unjustified, Iran warned Iran's detention of 15 Royal Navy personnel is "unjustified and wrong", Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.


03-25-07 - Angry Iran reduces nuclear access Iran's government says it will reduce cooperation with United Nations nuclear inspectors in response to new sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.


03-25-07 - Iran considers charges against British sailors


03-25-07 - Marines face U.S. probe in Afghanistan deaths Marines accused of shooting and killing civilians after a suicide bombing in Afghanistan are under U.S. investigation, and their entire unit has been ordered to leave the country early, officials said Friday.


03-25-07 - Officials: 9 to be held to account on Tillman


03-25-07 - Cheney: Early Iraq Pullout Won?t Be Allowed


03-25-07 - An Open Letter to the President...Four and a Half Years Later By Sean Penn



03-25-07 - Senator: Some see impeachment as option "Any president who says, I don't care, or I will not respond to what the people of this country are saying about Iraq or anything else, or I don't care what the Congress does, I am going to proceed - if a president really believes that, then there are - what I was pointing out, there are ways to deal with that," said Hagel


03-25-07 - Areva denies unit supplied Iran with enriched uranium


03-25-07 - American raid and arrests set scene for capture of marines In terms of US domestic and international politics, an American confrontation with Iran on the nuclear issue probably makes sense. Washington can rally support against Iran in a way that it cannot do when it looks for support for its occupation of Iraq


03-25-07 - US troops 'would have fought Iranian captors' Yesterday, the former First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West, said British rules of engagement were "very much de-escalatory, because we don't want wars starting ... Rather than roaring into action and sinking everything in sight we try to step back and that, of course, is why our chaps were, in effect, able to be captured and taken away."


03-25-07 - Confusion over Iran's intentions


03-25-07 - EU to seek new Iran nuclear talks


03-25-07 - US, Britain welcome sanctions on Iran


03-25-07 - Iraq's Kurds to go it alone on oil deals


03-25-07 - A Saudi-US fence around Iran


03-25-07 - Israel: Lebanon Cease-Fire in Jeopardy Israel's defense minister told the head of the United Nations on Saturday that the U.N.-brokered cease-fire in southern Lebanon is endangered by Hezbollah militants, who continue to hold two captured Israeli soldiers and receive arms shipments from Syria.


03-25-07 - How a Three-Word Mantra Has Undermined America To justify the "war on terror," the administration has lately crafted a false historical narrative that could even become a self-fulfilling prophecy. By claiming that its war is similar to earlier U.S. struggles against Nazism and then Stalinism (while ignoring the fact that both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia were first-rate military powers, a status al-Qaeda neither has nor can achieve), the administration could be preparing the case for war with Iran.


03-25-07 - Protest held over jailed professor According to the supporters and demonstrators, al-Arian also was promised in his plea that he would be deported from the U.S.


03-25-07 - TV Evangelist John Hagee Wants War With Iran, and He Wants It Now!


03-25-07 - ADC calls for congressional inquiry into Bolton remarks Bolton was quoted in an interview with BBC saying he was, "damned proud of what we did" to prevent an early ceasefire


03-25-07 - FEATURE-Palestinian militant leader in Lebanon spotlight


03-25-07 - Muslim activist strives to bridge cultures

News for 03-24-07

03-24-07 - U.S.: Defense shield no threat to Russia ** Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark Pekala urged European leaders to get behind the plan to put 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic. He said the system would help protect the U.S. and its allies from the real menace: an Iranian airstrike.... "We consider the threat from the Middle East very real and quite urgent," Why? Because we are going to strike Iran?


03-24-07 - Former Iran president vows Iran will never build nuclear weapons "Weapons of mass destruction have never been our objective,"


03-24-07 - Ahmadinejad angrily abandons plans for UN visit "President Ahmadinejad's trip has been made impossible because of the lateness in supplying a visa by the United States,"


03-24-07 - Iran says British sailors admit illegal entry


03-24-07 - 'Wash Post' Publishes Rare Op-Ed by 'Anonymous' On FBI Abuse Three years ago, I received a national security letter (NSL) in my capacity as the president of a small Internet access and consulting business. The letter ordered me to provide sensitive information about one of my clients. There was no indication that a judge had reviewed or approved the letter, and it turned out that none had. The letter came with a gag provision that prohibited me from telling anyone, including my client, that the FBI was seeking this information.


03-24-07 - Islamic Jihad: Rice's visit means to campaign strike against Iran "We think this visit comes as part of preparations for war targeting Iran or Hezbollah... and maybe to strike an Arab country, "


03-24-07 - Hundreds protest US plan for Poland missile base


03-24-07 - Cheney is his own worst enemy


03-24-07 - Lebanon Islamists recruit Palestinians to fight Israel

News for 03-23-07

03-23-07 - Americans support the troops with food, soap, DVDs "It builds morale for the soldier just to receive something from back home," he says. "The soldiers want to know that someone else other than their family supports them."



03-23-07 - Iran accuses West of 'psychological war'


03-23-07 - Iran kidnaps Marines at gunpoint Last night, the British and Iranian governments were locked in a diplomatic row as the dispute escalated. Britain protested that its personnel had been " kidnapped" while Iranian state television insisted that UK service members were "under arrest" for entering Iranian territory.


03-23-07 - Iran accuses Britain over sailors Tehran had made a "firm protest" about the "illegal entry" in the Gulf by the UK personnel, an Iranian official said.


03-23-07 - Seizure occurs in long-contested waters Iranians and Iraqis have been squabbling over the waterway since before the creation of modern Iran and Iraq.......British forces overran the area in the early days of the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam and quickly reopened the port of Umm Qasr. Virtually all of Iraq's oil is exported through an oil terminal near the mouth of the waterway.


03-23-07 - Navy Lacks Plan to Defend Against 'Carrier-Destroying' Missile A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russia also offered the missile to Iran, although there's no evidence a sale has gone through. In Iranian hands, the Sizzler could challenge the ability of the U.S. Navy to keep open the Strait of Hormuz, through which an estimated 25 percent of the world's oil traffic flows.


03-23-07 - U.S. sells missile shield with Cold War tactics: Russia


03-23-07 - White House urges patience on Iran


03-23-07 - US struggles to avert Turkish intervention in northern Iraq Abdullah Gul, Turkey's foreign minister, MPs, military chiefs and diplomats say up to 3,800 PKK fighters are preparing for attacks in south-east Turkey - and Turkey is ready to hit back if the Americans fail to act.


03-23-07 - Exclusive: Embassies in Teheran prepare escape plans ** According to foreign sources, foreign diplomats believe a possible attack would take place before the end of 2007.


03-23-07 - Oil prices leap on Gulf incident


03-23-07 - Defund the War by Rep. Ron Paul Even though the administration started the subsequent preemptive war in Iraq, Congress bears the greatest responsibility for its lack of courage in fulfilling its duties.


03-23-07 - UN set to vote on Iran sanctions President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not be present because the US delayed issuing visas, Iranian officials say. The US has denied the claims.


03-23-07 - Bush calls for quick, unrestricted Iraq funding US President George W. Bush on Thursday urged lawmakers to approve his emergency spending request for Iraq in full and without restrictions on how it can be spent.


03-23-07 - Iran 'paying Iraqis' to attack Britons


03-23-07 - The rape of Iraq's oil According to documents obtained from the US State Department by BBC Newsnight under the US Freedom of Information Act, the US oil industry plan drafted early in 2001 for takeover of the Iraqi oilfields (after the removal of Saddam) was pushed aside by a secret plan, drafted just before the invasion in 2003, calling for the sell-off of all of Iraq's oilfields. This secret plan was crafted by neo-conservatives intent on using Iraq's oil to destroy the Opec cartel through massive increases in production above Opec quotas.



03-23-07 - Robert Fisk: The crushing fear that stalks America I flicked on the television in my Valdosta, Georgia, hotel room and there was a bejewelled lady on Fox TV telling American viewers that if "we" left Iraq, the "jihadists" would come after us. "They want a Caliphate that will take over the world," she shrieked about a report that two children had deliberately been placed in an Iraqi car bomb which then exploded. She ranted on about how Muslim "jihadists" had been doing this "since the 1970s in Lebanon". It was tosh, of course. Children were never locked into car bombs in Beirut - and there weren't any "jihadists" around in the Lebanese civil war of the 1970s. But fear had been sown.


03-23-07 - WPost Prints New Wilson/Plame Attack This new attack is contained in a column by right-wing pundit Robert D. Novak, who originally blew Plame?s CIA cover in July 2003 and has sought to add insult to the injury ever since.


03-23-07 - Report: Gates Tried to Shut Down Guantanamo Bay Prison But Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Vice President Dick Cheney opposed Gates, and Bush ended up on the side of keeping the prison open for the time being.


03-23-07 - Norwegian delegation to visit Iran Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Olav Akselsen, says the delegation wants to meet Iranian parlamentarians to discuss the nation's controversial nuclear program.


03-23-07 - Fleeing Iraqis creating refugee 'crisis'


03-23-07 - Cheney to address RJC Vice President Dick Cheney will address a Republican Jewish Coalition event Saturday night.


03-23-07 - Court affirms former professor's contempt citation Sami al-Arian also ended his two-month hunger strike in a North Carolina federal prison. He says a plea agreement exempts him from testifying before the grand jury.


03-23-07 - "Damned Proud" of Dead Arab Women and Children


03-23-07 - Just Whom Does Congress Represent? What did Pelosi say that so enraged the AIPAC audience? Here is Pelosi in here own words: "Any U.S. military engagement must be judged on three counts - whether it makes our country safer, our military stronger, or the region more stable. The war in Iraq fails on all three scores."

News for 03-22-07

03-22-07 - Iran navy launches Gulf war games ** "If the United States starts a war against Iran, it won't be the US that finishes it," the ISNA news agency quoted a Revolutionary Guards navy general as saying.


03-22-07 - Iran not worried by prospect of US strike: Ahmadinejad **


03-22-07 - UN seeks deal on Iran sanctions


03-22-07 - Gulf governments plan oil pipelines Gulf governments are planning oil pipelines that would bypass the world's most vulnerable energy choke point, the Strait of Hormuz, aiming to avoid possible Iranian threats to global oil shipments.


03-22-07 - Sensing Shift in Bush Policy, Another Hawk Leaves At the White House, J. D. Crouch, the deputy national security adviser, who headed the group that designed the administration?s strategy to increase troops in Iraq, and Elliott Abrams, who leads global democracy strategy, are known for their relatively hawkish views. Mr. Abrams has assembled a team pressing internally to step up pressure on Iran, a strategy Mr. Bush has endorsed as a way to gain leverage over Tehran.


03-22-07 - Former CIA official supports Professor's claim that official 9/11 Islamist conspiracy theory are lies


03-22-07 - Reduced sentence in works for Abramoff Former Republican super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, sentenced to almost six years in prison for his fraudulent purchase of a South Florida gambling fleet, can receive a reduced sentence if he continues to assist prosecutors in a far-reaching Washington public corruption probe, federal officials said Wednesday.


03-22-07 - Ex-Pentagon Official Unveils Cyber Weapon In Fight To Restore Reputation: DougFeith.com "If this was not so deadly serious, and the consequences of the policy that Feith?s shop was selling so tragic, it would be comical," said Paul Pillar, who was the CIA's chief analyst for the Middle East until a year ago. "Of course vigorous questioning and challenging from consumers is a valuable part of a healthy intelligence-policy relationship, but what the shop under Feith was doing had nothing to do with that. It was striving not to improve intelligence but instead to discredit it and reduce its influence as much as possible when the intelligence community did not arrive at the preferred conclusion that there was an ?alliance? and deep, longstanding operational relationship between the Saddam regime and Al Qaeda. And the reason that was the preference was, of course, that a big part of selling the war was to link it as much as possible in the public mind with 9/11."


03-22-07 - The Dead-Enders Centered in the office of the vice president, the neocons did an end run around the mainstream intelligence agencies to manufacture the lies that lured us into war, and Christopher Hitchens did more than his part to spread these lies


03-22-07 - Israel's Peres opposed starting Lebanon war


03-22-07 - Soros Won?t Take On AIPAC (Yet) In fact, while some Jewish groups and neoconservative Jewish policy advocates lobbied for the war, there is no evidence AIPAC ever did so. Asked to cite an example of such support, Vachon acknowledged, "AIPAC took no official position on the war [but] clearly there was a perception, partly orchestrated at its 2003 meeting" of such support. It is my belief that AIPAC is a serious threat to the sovereignty of this nation.


03-22-07 - Bolton admits Lebanon truce block A former top American diplomat says the US deliberately resisted calls for a immediate ceasefire during the conflict in Lebanon in the summer of 2006. ....Mr Bolton, a controversial and blunt-speaking figure, said he was "damned proud of what we did" to prevent an early ceasefire. John Bolton is (was)Israel's man at the UN.


03-22-07 - Analysis: Mideast: Permanent Kefuffle ** At first, the idea was to make sure president Bush could not launch air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities without prior Congressional authorization. But friends of Israel in and out of Congress swung into action, arguing that Iran, under present management, was a second "holocaust" in the making......Meanwhile, Israeli settlements keep growing illegally just below the international radar screen, house by house, in some 140 settlements. Many are strategically located to command access to the main aquifer under the West Bank. A secure road network under Israeli control interlinks the colonies.


03-22-07 - Can American Jews unplug the Israel lobby? in the wake of 9/11 and the Iraq war, that all changed dramatically. 9/11, and the Bush administration's response to it, made it inescapably clear that America's Mideast policies affect everyone in the country: They are literally a matter of life and death. The Bush administration's neoconservative Mideast policy is essentially indistinguishable from AIPAC's. And so it is no longer possible to ignore it -- even though it is a notoriously touchy and divisive subject.


03-22-07 - Cameron stands encircled by zealous Anglo-neocons The Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) are a successful force, now claiming a large majority of Tory MPs as members.


03-22-07 - DeLay: I quit for Israel Tom DeLay says he quit the U.S. Congress to fight for Israel and conservative causes.



03-22-07 - Blue eyes, blond hair: that's US problem, says Japanese minister Japan has healthy relations with Arab countries and Iran and imports much of its oil from the Middle East. It is a big contributor of aid to the Palestinian Authority, but also has friendly ties with Israel

News for 03-21-07

03-21-07 - Bolton: Only Force Will Deter Iran From Nuclear Program **


03-21-07 - Russia will not back excessive Iran sanctions


03-21-07 - Iran warns of 'illegal' steps over nukes Iran's top leader warned Wednesday his country will pursue "illegal actions" if the U.N. Security Council insists it halt uranium enrichment, an apparent reference to nuclear activities outside international regulations.


03-21-07 - Iran 'willing to act illegally' "Until today, what we have done is in accordance with international regulations," he was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying. "But if they take illegal actions, we too can take illegal actions and will do so."



03-21-07 - Bush, Congress may fight on executive privilege A possible confrontation moved a step closer on Wednesday when a Democratic-led congressional subcommittee approved subpoenas to be used if White House aides refuse to testify under oath about the firing of eight U.S. prosecutors.


03-21-07 - U.S. concerned by Russian arms sales to Iran, Syria The United States expressed concern on Wednesday about Russia's arms sales to Iran, Syria and Venezuela and accused Moscow of bullying its neighbors


03-21-07 - Lawmakers warn FBI on surveillance powers


03-21-07 - House OKs Subpoenas for Top Bush Aides A House panel on Wednesday approved subpoenas for President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove and other top White House aides, setting up a constitutional showdown over the firings of eight federal prosecutors.


03-21-07 - US looks to sell arms in Gulf to try to contain Iran ** the arms sales, which would come on top of a recent upgrade of US Patriot antimissile interceptors in Qatar and Kuwait and the deployment of two aircraft carriers to the Gulf, could spark concerns that further military buildup in the volatile region would bring Washington closer to a confrontation with Iran.



03-21-07 - New doubts over Iraq intelligence On the fourth anniversary of the invasion, Baghdad experienced at least six bomb explosions, with up to 20 dead and dozens of injuries. Much of Iraq is still in a state of violence and fear.


03-21-07 - Iraqis Increasingly Pessimistic, Anti-US


03-21-07 - Bush: 'Iraq withdrawal may spark 9/11 repeat'


03-21-07 - PLO chief heaps more pressure on Fatah al-Islam


03-21-07 - Nato chief defends US missile plan


03-21-07 - Author: Shimon Peres persuaded France to backdate 1957 nuclear deal with Israel "Shimon Peres: The Biography" also says an earlier, secret agreement between the two countries pledged French co-operation on Israeli research and development of nuclear weapons, even before the French government formally decided to build its own atomic bombs.


03-21-07 - War drill fails to reassure Israelis Israel's largest-ever such drill was meant to signal to the public that the government and safety services had learned the lessons of this summer's war with Hizbullah in southern Lebanon.


03-21-07 - U.S.: Europe won't stop Iran terror funding "The major stumbling block -- the one that looms larger than all the others combined -- is that the Europeans won't recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization," Stuart Levey, the U.S. Treasury's under secretary for terrorism financing, told the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday.


03-21-07 - Hariri killing most likely politically motivated: UN investigator


03-21-07 - Grim upsurge for Lebanon prosthetics Prosthetic limb-fitting centres in southern Lebanon are struggling to cope with the rising toll from the one million unexploded munitions left over from last year's war with Israel. .....The UN has said that clearing them has been made more difficult by Israel not revealing the precise areas they targeted.


03-21-07 - UN Hariri probe 'to be extended'


03-21-07 - Calling out Satterfield Next opportunity: March 27 at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, when Satterfield speaks on "Iraq: Prospects for Peace at Home and Progress with its Neighbors." WINEP was, after all, spun off from AIPAC back in the late 1980s, its events are attended by the pro-Israel community's best and brightest and I know that a lot of its staff's attitude toward the Rosen-Weissman case can be summed up in the unexpandable acronym, WTF?

News for 03-20-07

03-20-07 - Defense Spending Soars to Highest Levels Since World War II As the Iraq war enters a fifth year, the conflict that President Bush's aides once said would all but pay for itself with oil revenues is fueling the highest level of defense spending since World War II


03-20-07 - UN nuclear inspectors visit Iranian enrichment facility: diplomats UN inspectors visited the Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz on Tuesday, diplomats said, but it was not clear if they resolved a dispute over monitoring a strategic underground bunker.


03-20-07 - Russia, Iran deny ultimatum over enrichment program


03-20-07 - Nations propose Iran sanction amendments


03-20-07 - Gulf states can respond to any Iran attack: Bahrain


03-20-07 - Germany warns US on missile shield plan


03-20-07 - "U.S. Funding Armed Groups to Overthrow Iranian Govt "the United States is officially funding armed groups to overthrow the Islamic government" in Tehran.



03-20-07 - Officials: Russian experts leaving Iranian nuke site Sergei Novikov, a spokesman for Rosatom, Russia's Federal Nuclear Power Agency, confirmed that the number of Russian workers at the Bushehr plant had dwindled because of what he said were Iranian payment delays.


03-20-07 - World 'ignoring Iraqi refugees' UNHCR spokesman Peter Kessler said: "There has been an abject denial of the impact, the humanitarian impact, of the war, the huge displacement within Iraq of up to 1.9 million people who are homeless because of the war, and those people who are homeless and never got back to the homes after Saddam Hussein was overthrown."


03-20-07 - U.S. 'Surge' in Iraq Is To Prepare Attack on Iran**


03-20-07 - US Air Force Col.: Bulgaria - Option for Military Base aganst Iran ** The forces are in place to conduct a strike right now. The US has moved an additional carrier group, has deployed additional missile defense assets, has deployed an additional mine sweeping ship to the gulf. The US is in the process of adding oil to a strategic petroleum reserve. All of these are the steps that would be taken if one were going to conduct a strike in Iran.



03-20-07 - White House Searching for Gonzales' Replacement, Source Says The Washington Post reported late Monday that a Justice Department official's early ranking of undistinguished prosecutors included U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago. A March 2005 Justice Department memo from Sampson ranked Fitzgerald, who was responsible for the recent perjury conviction of former I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, with other prosecutors who had "not distinguished themselves."


03-20-07 - More than 100 Arrested in SF, NYC Iraq Protests Police arrested more than 100 Iraq war protesters in San Francisco and New York City on Monday as the nation marked the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.


03-20-07 - The case against Conrad Black: 'A bank robber in a suit and tie' Mr Genson said that Lord Black's image was the public image of Hollinger, and his private and business expenditures were inseparable. The use of the corporate jet, he said, was mandated by the board, which believed that Lord Black's pro-Israeli views made him a terror target if he travelled on commercial flights.


03-20-07 - Iran, Armenia open gas pipeline Armenia has been building closer ties with Iran following economic sanctions imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.


03-20-07 - Bush will fight congressional subpoenas on attorney firings


03-20-07 - Healing Waters: A Soldier's Recovery, via Fishing Project Healing Waters takes injured veterans from Walter Reed Medical Center out fishing, both for recreation and for recovery


03-20-07 - PLO denies relations with suspects in Lebanon bus bombings


03-20-07 - Palestinian factions clash in lebanon


03-20-07 - Report: France urged Israel to hit Syria Army Radio reported that in the message, which was delivered by Chirac to Israel via a secret channel, the French president suggested that Israel invade Damascus and topple the regime of Bashar Assad. In exchange, Chirac assured Israel full French support for the war.


03-20-07 - Lebanese MPs rally to call for Hariri murder trial Anti-Syrian MPs gathered in the Lebanese parliament on Tuesday to demand the holding of a session to ratify the creation of a court due to try suspects in former premier Rafiq Hariri's murder.


03-20-07 - Assad admit secret talks "Various figures visited Israel and came to Syria and conveyed to us the Israeli points of view, but there was nothing serious on the ground,"


03-20-07 - Unafraid to tackle other issues, Jewish groups avoid Iraq war Foxman said the Walt-Mearsheimer fallout was inhibiting Jewish activism in favor of confronting Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program, a cause that has broad support in the Jewish community.


03-20-07 - Dennis Ross in the spotlight You?ve asked for Jonathan Pollard to be released. What are your arguments and do you believe it will happen soon?


03-20-07 - Gulf Arabs boost aid to Sunni militants in Lebanon


03-20-07 - Conflict with Iran inevitable, Ya'alon says **


03-20-07 - Bad intelligence blamed, but look who supplied it It is obvious that there was a cabal of Israel supporters who wanted to remove Saddam Hussein, for his aid to the Palestinian families whose members were killed by Israel, and to destroy Iraq as an enemy of Israel.


03-20-07 - Iraq steps up anti-Israel boycott US law bars American firms from complying with boycott-related requests and requires them to report any such incidents to the authorities. These might include demands made of companies to verify that their products do not contain components made in the Jewish state or signing forms attesting that they do not do business with Israel.




03-20-07 - Israel: Lebanon conflict was a war

News for 03-19-07

03-19-07 - Report: Sexual assault of women soldiers on rise in US military In the online magazine Salon, Helen Benedict reports that every female veteran she interviewed for a book she is writing on women in the US military said that "the danger of rape by other soldiers is so widely recognized in Iraq that their officers routinely told them not to go to the latrines or showers without another woman for protection."


03-19-07 - Iran stops inspectors visiting nuclear site: diplomats Iran's blocking access definitively to Natanz would be a violation of its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).


03-19-07 - US approves Ahmadinejad UN trip The 15-member Security Council is to meet on Wednesday to discuss the sanctions.


03-19-07 - U.S. Attorney's Firing may be Connected to CIA Corruption Probe Fired San Diego U.S. attorney Carol Lam notified the Justice Department that she intended to execute search warrants on a high-ranking CIA official as part of a corruption probe the day before a Justice Department official sent an e-mail that said Lam needed to be fired, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday.


03-19-07 - S. Africa asks delay on Iran sanctions South Africa called Monday for a 90-day "time out" on sanctions against Iran and said a resolution drafted by six world powers should drop an embargo on arms exports and financial sanctions targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guards and an Iranian bank.


03-19-07 - Bush calls for patience on Iraq


03-19-07 - Uh Oh, the President's Reading Again What is remarkable about all of these books is ? much like the cherry-picked and manipulated intelligence stovepiped to Bush in the run-up to the Iraq War ? both their extraordinary ideological narrowness and their utility in the pursuit of a neoconservative agenda, especially in the Middle East.


03-19-07 - Inter-Palestinian clash wounds two in northern Lebanon The sources said two Fatah members were wounded in the legs when an armed member of the new Fatah al-Islam movement opened fire on them in the Naher al-Bard Palestinian refugee camp.


03-19-07 - Report: U.S. shuns Israel on Iran plans ** according to Ma'ariv, the Olmert government is in doubt about whether President Bush is capable of mustering domestic support for anything other than diplomatic pressure on Tehran.


03-19-07 - Novak's 'Outings': Damage Control


03-19-07 - Netanyahu Issues Call to World From Jerusalem Conference Binyamin Netanyahu, speaking at the 4th Annual Jerusalem Conference Monday morning, repeated his call for the world to prove that now is not like the 1930s and that the world knows how to respond this time.


03-19-07 - Groups launch Ahmadinejad campaign The World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for Israel launched an Internet campaign against Iran's president.


03-19-07 - Lebanese army boosts security around Palestinian camp


03-19-07 - Coalition Announces Launch of ?Jews Against the War? to Give Voice to Growing Anti-War Jewish Majority On the fourth anniversary of the war on Iraq, a coalition of Jewish leaders announced the launch of "Jews Against the War" (JAW), an organization dedicated to ending the Iraq war and preventing one with Iran What about the war on Palestine?....


03-19-07 - The political ideas competing for support in the Arab world all these worldviews contain a strong pro-Palestinian component. Adherents of any might enter a tactical alliance with the US, but so long as Washington is seen as blocking the Palestinians' hopes, such alliances will be hard to maintain.


03-19-07 - Only 10% in U.S. See Iran as Immediate Threat Only 10 per cent of respondents think Iran is a threat to the United States that requires military action now, down 11 points since mid-February. Sorry Netty. Americans aren't buying the propaganda.


03-19-07 - Soros: AIPAC needs reform Soros claimed that by allying itself with neoconservatives backing the Iraq war and opposing any dialogue with a Palestinian Authority that includes Hamas, "AIPAC under its current leadership has clearly exceeded its mission, and far from guaranteeing Israel's existence, has endangered it."


03-19-07 - Patrick Fitzgerald: The 47-Year-Old Virgin No comment...


03-19-07 - PLO distances Palestinian cause from suspects in Ain Alaq bus bombings Zaki said the presence of the militant group in Nahr al-Bared, a refugee camp outside Tripoli, "bothers us all."


03-19-07 - Outside View: Why Muslims hate the U.S.


03-19-07 - Jordan blasts Israel's Olmert The Jordanian government Monday blasted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for reportedly stating the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq will threaten the kingdom.


03-19-07 - Maker: Israeli 'drones' fly over Iraq


03-19-07 - Robert Fisk: US power games in the Middle East Now it has to be said that there's a lot of scepticism about this story. Not because Syria has, inevitably, denied any connection to Lebanese bombings but because in a country that has never in 30 years solved a political murder, it's pretty remarkable that the local Lebanese constabulary can solve this one - and very conveniently so since Mr Sabeh's pro-American government continues to accuse Syria of all things bestial in the state of Lebanon.


03-19-07 - Iraq, Iran, and the Lobby

News for 03-18-07

03-18-07 - Russia warns US not to use nuclear issue to change Iran ** Russia's security chief issued a veiled warning to Washington on Sunday not to use the Iranian nuclear issue to try to change Tehran's political course.


03-18-07 - Congress eyes lost billions sent to Iraq Overall, the Defense Contract Audit Agency has found $4.9 billion in overpricing and waste in Iraq contracts since 2003. US auditors have identified another $5.1 billion in expenses charged without documentation.


03-18-07 - EXCLUSIVE: Major New Problems At Walter Reed


03-18-07 - British nuclear plans "serious setback": Iran envoy


03-18-07 - Congress Investigates Walter Reed's 'VIP' Ward


03-18-07 - As an Economic Partner, Iran Builds Its Role in Iraq The economies of Iraq and Iran, the largest Shiite-majority countries in the world, are becoming closely integrated, with Iranian goods flooding Iraqi markets and Iraqi cities looking to Iran for basic services.


03-18-07 - FBI insisted on using questionable methods for getting records: report The US Federal Bureau of Investigation ignored warnings by lawyers and continued using questionable procedures to obtain the telephone records of thousands of Americans as part of its counterterrorism probes, The Washington Post reported Sunday.


03-18-07 - Israel, U.S. test missile defense ** Israel and the U.S. are concerned that Iran could be developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles able to threaten Israel When did it become our job to defend the nation of Israel, I wonder? Soon it will be written into the Constitution. Thanks to these folks, that actually isn't necessary.


03-18-07 - U.S. says new Palestinian government must recognize Israel The United States will not deal with the new Palestinian government unless it agrees to give up violence and fully recognize Israel, President George W. Bush's national security adviser Stephen Hadley said on Sunday. Hadley = neocon.


03-18-07 - IRAQ: Police raids spread panic among Palestinians


03-18-07 - Exclusive: Pearl Family Doubts KSM Confession


03-18-07 - israelis planned kidnapping of soldiers in Lebanon


03-18-07 - Permission to Speak Freely? I received the following disturbing message from Tom Feeley, the editor of Information Clearing House, a widely recognized source of alternative news: Great newsletter. I was wondering why it went missing for a few days there.


03-18-07 - Israel's Last Chance


03-18-07 - Forget Israel, Befriend Russia

News for 03-17-07

03-17-07 - Iran's military warns U.S. against "stupid move" ** Iran's army commander has warned the United States and other Western powers not to make any "stupid move" over Tehran's nuclear work, and suggested they would be surprised by Iran's military response if they attacked.


03-17-07 - Worldwide protests mark 4th anniversary of Iraq war Thousands of US anti-war demonstrators, some carrying yellow and black signs reading "US out of Iraq now!" marched toward the Pentagon.


03-17-07 - Qatar voices Gulf fears of military action against Iran **


03-17-07 - Four years on, war costs Bush at home and abroad "The impact has been devastating," Eichenberg said. "American standing abroad is by all measures at its lowest point in history. This is true in Europe, this is true in other parts of the world. Whether this can be reversed in a new administration, Republican or Democrat, we will have to see."


03-17-07 - US soldier guilty in Iraq killing A US soldier has been found guilty on three charges of negligent homicide in the deaths of three Iraqi detainees.


03-17-07 - The Original American Foreign Policy by Rep. Ron Paul


03-17-07 - Lebanese army boosts security around Palestinian camp, base of militants blamed in bus bombings

News for 03-16-07

03-16-07 - Iran condemns UN draft sanctions Mr Ahmadinejad vowed to pursue his nation's nuclear future despite the sanctions, at a rally central Iranian town of Khatam.


03-16-07 - Plame: My cover was 'recklessly' abused "If our government cannot even protect my identity, future foreign agents who might consider working with the Central Intelligence Agency and providing needed intelligence would think twice," Plame said in response to a question.


03-16-07 - Valerie Plame Speaks--Finally--About CIA Leak Case Plame was able to tell the committee, "I was a covert officer." She said she helped to "manage and run operations." She noted that prior to the Iraq war she had "raced to discover intelligence" on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. "I also traveled to foreign countries on secret missions," she said under oath, "to find vital intelligence."


03-16-07 - US will expedite Iranian leader's visa, hope he will accept UN demands


03-16-07 - Iranian president: sanctions won't work President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted Friday that new sanctions won't force Iran to give up its right to enrich uranium, and he blasted the U.N. Security Council as an instrument used by "bullying" Western nations against Tehran.


03-16-07 - Report: Iran army loses touch with senior officer based in Iraq A senior source in the Iranian military told the newspaper that it is possible that Shiradi has been arrested by American forces.


03-16-07 - Officials: Mohammed exaggerated claims


03-16-07 - Coroner says 'friendly fire' killing of British soldier was a criminal act The killing of Lance Corporal Matty Hull in an American air strike in Iraq was a "criminal, unlawful act" by pilots who opened fire "with disregard for the rules of engagement", a coroner ruled yesterday.


03-16-07 - Soldier testifies killings were planned A staff sergeant gave soldiers the option of taking part in the shooting of three Iraqi detainees before the killings took place, a soldier testified Wednesday.


03-16-07 - US rejects coroner's findings on 'friendly fire' death


03-16-07 - Analysis: Attacking Iran -- Part 1 **


03-16-07 - Analysis: Attacking Iran -- Part 2 **


03-16-07 - French prime minister says U.S. should pull out of Iraq within one year "It shattered America's image. It undermined the image of the West as a whole. It is time for the United States and Europe to regain together the respect and admiration of other peoples,"


03-16-07 - Syria welcomes latest Hariri probe report Syria on Friday welcomed the latest interim report by the UN commission of inquiry into the 2005 murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, describing it as "professional."


03-16-07 - Senate accepts proposals of 9/11 panel The Senate passed legislation yesterday on a 60-38 vote to implement recommendations of the September 11 commission, despite the threat of a presidential veto over a provision to allow airport screeners to unionize


03-16-07 - UNHCR condemns deadly Iraqi raid on Palestinians in Baghdad The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday it was deeply disturbed by a raid conducted by the Iraqi security forces earlier this week in a Palestinian area of Baghdad that left at least one person dead.


03-16-07 - Abbas: Protect Palestinians in Iraq Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to intervene to protect the Palestinians in Iraq.


03-16-07 - E-mails show Rove role on prosecutors' future


03-16-07 - Pelosi's Disastrous Misstep on Iran Under pressure from some conservative members of her caucus, and from lobbyists associated with neoconservative groupings that want war with Iran and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC), Pelosi agreed on Monday to strip the Iran provision from the spending bill that has become the House leadership's primary vehicle for challenging the administration's policies in the region.


03-16-07 - Tomgram: The Seymour Hersh Mystery


03-16-07 - Hariri probe 'progress on motive'


03-16-07 - U.S. official: Israeli investors should pump money into Iraq


03-16-07 - AIPAC rejects Pollard motion AIPAC officials spoke against the motion, arguing that involving the organization in efforts on behalf of Pollard, currently serving a life sentence for spying for Israel, would complicate the lobby's mission to promote a close U.S.-Israel relationship.


03-16-07 - Olmert defiant as calls grow for resignation ahead of war report Mr Olmert is in an uncomfortable position. His popularity ratings have sunk, with an Israeli public disillusioned by what is widely perceived as a failed war against Hizbullah last July and by corruption allegations against Mr Olmert and several other scandals involving members of his government.


03-16-07 - Inside America's powerful Israel lobby Many rank-and-file members of AIPAC seemed to be spoiling for military action against Iran -- "We have to do to them what we did to Saddam," one delegate told me........."Our commitment to Israel defines us as a nation," said Republican Norm Coleman of Minnesota, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, adding that the AIPAC lobbyists "help make sure that we don't forget." ........."I don't sit behind my desk and come up with this stuff," Coleman said, stressing that he often consulted AIPAC executive director Howard Kohr for policy advice. Barbara Mikulski, a Democrat from Maryland, said that she, too, often spoke to Kohr and others in the AIPAC leadership. "They're like daily phone calls," she said, as other Democratic and Republican members of Congress onstage nodded in agreement. Read the entire article.


03-16-07 - AIPAC judge calls hearing on secret evidence The judge in the classified information case against two former AIPAC staffers ordered hearings on whether to keep evidence secret at trial.


03-16-07 - U.S. failed to give Israel all drafts of UN Resolution 1701 The United States usually represents Israel's positions in the Security Council, and did so during the war as well No kidding? Well I never would've guessed that.


03-16-07 - Yes, Barack, But How Much Do You Hate the Palestinians? AIPAC is a right-wing body, even on the Jewish-American political spectrum ? in Israeli terms, its orientation is strongly Likudnik, aligning it with the right-wing fringe in Israel, too. Close to 80% of American Jews, according to surveys see the Iraq war as a mistake. (As opposed to the AIPAC crowd and Israeli government, which continues to support it.)