NEWS YOU WON'T FIND ON CNN

Rumsfeld: Iran aids rebels: Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld charged yesterday that Iran is fueling the deadly insurgency in Iraq with money and fighters.

Western officials secretly met with Arab opposition : U.S. and European officials held secret meetings with opposition groups from eastern Arab countries in Morocco, official sources said

Brian Sedgemore: The final nail in the Prime Minister's coffin: Nothing more clearly demonstrates the reason why I left the Labour Party for the Liberal Democrats this week than the leaking of the Attorney General's advice.

Tory dismay at Howard's stance on war: Michael Howard faced a backlash from senior Tories after saying he would have approved the invasion of Iraq even though Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction.

Vote for Lib Dems will not let in Tories: Labour's attempts to warn its wavering supporters that a vote for the Liberal Democrats could allow Michael Howard into No. 10 "by the back door" was undermined yesterday in a detailed study carried out for The Independent.

Diplomats: U.S. warning allies about possible North Korean underground nuclear test

N-Korea calls President Bush a 'hooligan’: North Korea today called US President George W Bush a "hooligan" and said it expected no solution of the international standoff over its nuclear programme during the Bush administration.

Saudi Arabia: King Clinically Dead, Sources Say: Speculation is rife among Riyadh's ruling elite of Fahd's clinical death - but even if this were true, any official announcement would delayed until a final decision on Fahd's successor has been taken.

Putin backs under-fire Abbas and pledges aid : Israel has vetoed a US proposal that it allow Palestinian security forces to carry weapons, it was reported yesterday. No Israeli has been killed by Palestinian fire during March and April, but Israel has given Mr Abbas little credit for this, saying instead that he must order his security forces to dismantle the armed groups.

Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews Protest the State of Israel: The state of Israel, according to the Torah (that is the Jewish teachings) is illegitimate. They state that the whole concept of Zionism and the creation of the state of Israel was formed by irreligious Jews contrary to the Torah and the opinion of almost all of the Rabbinical leaders of Judaism worldwide.

Over 10,000 demonstrate against 'Israel' : The establishment of the so-called state of 'Israel' is entirely contrary to the teachings and beliefs of traditional Jews who call for the Zionist state to be dissolved.

Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 04/29/05: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Latin America in Revolt: Leftist Victories Sweep Region: In the last five years, uprisings have overthrown governments in Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. In Brazil, Chile and Venezuela governments have been elected on anti-neo-liberal platforms. Left-wing forces are considered to have a serious chance in upcoming presidential elections in Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru.

People power rattling politics of Latin America: Civic protest is emerging as an increasingly effective - if controversial - political tool.

Nicaragua's president rules out resignation : Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolanos reiterated Tuesday that he will not resign after meeting with about 5,000 protesters allied with the Sandinista Front of National Liberation (FSLN) who chanted slogans calling for his resignation.

U.S. "Embargo" On Cuba: Canadian businessman Sabzali finally free: Sabzali had faced life imprisonment and over $19 million USD in fines for sales of water purification supplies to Cuban hospitals.

The insular American: "Many Americans are in a mental bunker. Any information that tries to penetrate that bunker is rejected as enemy intellectual action."

Civil Rights Commission Closes 2 Offices : Citing mounting debt and projected budget shortfalls, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission announced Friday it will close two of its six regional offices

Whose Constitution Wins?: In pre-1937 America, workers were exploited, factories were free to pollute, and old people were generally poor when they retired. This is not an agenda the public would be likely to sign onto today if it were debated in an election.

Exxon Mobil notches huge profit for quarter: Exxon Mobil's profit was the company's biggest ever in a first quarter. It also was the fifth-largest for any U.S. company in any quarter.

Engineer Turns Bacteria Into Living Computers: The feat, represents an important proof-of-principle in an emerging field known as "synthetic biology," which aims to harness living cells as workhorses that detect hazards, build structures or repair tissues and organs within the body.

1 in every 138 Americans is behind bars: The US prison population, already the largest in the world, reached a new high of more than 2.1 million last year, with one in every 138 residents of the country now behind bars, according to new government statistics.

What?!" Police handcuffed a 7-year-old boy: Police handcuffed a 7-year-old boy outside his elementary school this week after he allegedly assaulted three teachers and two police officers.

What?!" School Mistakes Huge Burrito for a Weapon: A call about a possible weapon at a middle school prompted police to put armed officers on rooftops, close nearby streets and lock down the school. All over a giant burrito.

04/29/05: Attacks Kill at Least 27 in Iraq: Militants Carry Out a Series of Attacks in Baghdad, Killing at Least 27 Iraqis, Wounding Dozens

Three killed in Fallujah gunfire: At least three Iraqi civilians were killed and three more were wounded on Thursday after US soldiers opened fire near a house in the Iraqi city of Fallujah

Car bomb kills GI, wounds two in Iraq: A U.S. soldier was killed and two wounded Friday in a car bombing north of the capital, the military said.

Iraqi police officers, US soldier killed: A general and a police lieutenant-colonel have been assassinated and a US soldier has been killed in Iraq.

Marine hung 'death sign' by bodies, witnesses testify: Fellow Marines testified yesterday that an officer who is accused of murder shot two Iraqis in the back and put a sign near the bodies bearing a Marine slogan: "No better friend, no worse enemy."

Shiite-led Cabinet gets Iraqi approval: But divisions again become apparent after the initial excitement of historic moment

Poll: U.S. to Bush: Leave Iraq: Nearly a quarter of respondents to a Gallup Poll said that if they had 15 minutes to talk to the president they would tell him to end the war in Iraq, making it the No.1 response.

Blair was told deposing Saddam's regime was illegal : TONY Blair went to war in Iraq after being told that the objective of deposing Saddam Hussein was illegal under international law. Lord Goldsmith told Mr Blair that regime change was not a lawful aim for the war and that British troops must limit their mission to disarming - not removing - the Iraqi leader.

A spymaster's view of the world: Retired Mossad cheif is hinting at nothing less than an American occupation of the Saudi oil fields!

Democratic backlash: The Bush administration may be openly contemplating giving economic incentives to Iran's ruling clergy in exchange for denuclearization, yet the US Congress is singing a different tune, that of regime change

Annan warns against strike on Iran: United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Thursday cautioned against military action to punish Iran and said the Islamic republic was "cooperating" with the West on talks about incentives to limit its nuclear program.

North Korea can arm missiles, officer reports: The Pentagon's top military intelligence officer said yesterday that North Korea has the ability to arm a missile with a nuclear device, stunning senators

June seen as North Korean trigger point: The military benefits that North Korea gains from additional reprocessed plutonium is less strategically significant than the inflammatory effect it has on its neighbors to renew calls for increased US flexibility to preclude a dangerous downward spiral

Interrogations Faked at Guantanamo, Witness Says : Authorities at Guantanamo Bay staged interrogations of detainees for visiting politicians and generals to give the impression that valuable intelligence was regularly being gathered, according to a former Army translator at the camp.

Court to rule on torture evidence: Britain's highest court will rule on whether a blanket ban should cover the use of evidence gained by torture after civil liberty campaigners won the right to take their case to the House of Lords.

UN Human Rights Investigator in Afghanistan Ousted Under U.S. Pressure: Days after he released a report criticizing the US for committing human rights abuses. He says, "The U.S. has done an enormous disservice to the cause of human rights in Afghanistan simply because they wanted somebody who was going to look the other way on what their practices were."

Broken Chain Of Command: It should be obvious that anyone willing to engage in the conduct depicted in the pictures from Abu Ghraib is neither a hero nor an innocent. And it should be just as obvious that they could not have committed these crimes alone or in isolation.

Police kill five people in demonstration in Haiti: Police fired on protesters demanding the release of detainees loyal to Haiti's ousted president Wednesday, killing at least five demonstrators, U.N. officials and witnesses said.

Cuban, Venezuelan Leaders Woo Latin American Nations to Trade Pact Minus U.S. Leadership: U.S. officials have expressed alarm over the deepening alliance between Castro and Chavez, saying that Venezuela has become increasingly authoritarian as it tightens its links to communist Cuba.

Chavez has US running scared over rise of Left: America is showing increasing signs of alarm at the influence of Hugo Chavez, the firebrand Leftist president of Venezuela who has eclipsed Fidel Castro as Washington's regional bogeyman.

Will Colombia Be the Proxy in a US Attack on Venezuela?: The U.S. is gearing up its rhetoric against Venezuela again as Condaleeza Rice barnstorms through Latin America -- and there are subtle indications that the U.S. may be ready to increase Colombia's role in undermining the government of Hugo Chavez.

Washington Beating War Drums - Act Now, Defend The Venezuelan Revolution! : This renewed campaign against the Venezuelan revolution represents a serious threat, which the world labour movement will neglect at its peril. In all previous occasions in which this kind of language has been used, it has always been the preparation for military intervention.

Colombia: Massacre in Toribio -- Inconvenient Truths: The right sees the people of Toribio as unworthy victims because of their organizing for justice. And the left finds it inconvenient to admit that the FARC is capable of attrocities and no longer represents the interests of Colombia's poor.

Protests turning violent, political: Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega on Wednesday predicted worse violence if Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolaños orders the army to end a week of street protests in the capital that saw buses torched and masked protesters firing dangerous fireworks at riot police.

Mexico City mayor hails sacking : The mayor of Mexico City has welcomed a sacking by President Vicente Fox that could resolve a political crisis.

Iraq Through the Eyes of Unemebedded, Independent Journalist Dahr Jamail: People who want to go back into that city (Fallujah) have to get retina scans, all ten fingers fingerprinted, then they're issued an ID card. People inside the city are referring to it as a big jail. It is a horrendous situation

Dead Iraqis: Why an Estimate was Ignored

Army aiming to enlist minorities: Some 142 non-citizen troops have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Non-citizen casualty rates represent 8 percent of the total, despite being less than 3 percent of the active duty military personnel.

Discharged and dishonored: Shortchanging America's veterans: Like thousands of his fellow veterans of America's wars, Alfred Brown died waiting.

Detentions: A case against Pakistan: Behind the iron curtains of Attock Fort [2] hundreds of people belonging to the Pakistani army and air force, as well as civilians, are being held. The civilians were arrested across the country, from the southern port city of Karachi to the South Waziristan tribal area on the Afghan border.

Putin offers arms to Palestine: Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged aid and military equipment to the Palestinians to reform, boost security and rebuild the shattered economy

PA Requires Israeli Approval For Russian Armored Vehicles and Choppers : Jerusalem has already expressed opposition to such a deal at this time.

Spitting on Marla Ruzicka's grave: Debbie Schlussel, a right-wing political "commentator" and self-proclaimed heiress to Ann Coulter, has a truly nasty piece appearing in David Horowitz's hysteric Front Page Magazine, in which she asserts that humanitarian activist Marla Ruzicka deserved to die at the hands of Iraqi terrorists.

Global competition for future energy supplies heats up: Soaring demand for crude oil in China, India and other developing nations has set off a scramble to secure future energy supplies that could undermine the economic and national security of the United States.

China creating office to safeguard `energy security': China has created a powerful new agency to oversee the country's energy security amid booming demand for power and surging oil imports, an official at the country's main planning agency said Thursday.

Bush Is Blowing Smoke on Energy: Hitting all the points in a noted GOP pollster's playbook, the President's plan is driven by politics not policy. Worse, it won't cut oil dependency

Congress narrowly passes $2.6 trillion budget: Medicaid gets marked for a $10 billion reduction over four years. The budget could also pave the way for opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

04/28/05: Shoot the Messenger: In his first international interview, the journalist responsible for capturing that awful shooting spoke with Dateline's Sophie McNeill, and a warning - this story contains strong language and confronting images.

there is no war on terrorism: The so-called global war on terrorism does not exist, a high-ranking army officer has declared in a speech that challenges the conventional political wisdom.

Militants Kill Six Sudanese Hostages in Iraq: Islamic militant group Army of Ansar al-Sunna said it shot dead six abducted Sudanese drivers working for U.S. forces in Iraq

Five Killed in Iraq Violence: Gunmen assassinated a senior Interior Ministry official in Baghdad Thursday as four were killed and several others wounded in separate incidents in Iraq.

Four killed in mortar attack: Militants fired at least six mortar rounds toward a U.S. military base Musayyib, 40 miles south of Baghdad, but hit a nearby bus station instead, killing four Iraqis and wounding 21, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

Baghdad barbers targeted in attacks : Barbers in the al-Shaab district and adjacent neighbourhoods of Baghdad closed their businesses after three were shot dead by attackers

Car bomb kills two soldiers in Tikrit: Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and seven others suffered various cuts in a blast of a booby-trapped car in the northern city of Tikrit on Thursda

Iraq approves new government: Jaafari failed to name permanent ministers to five ministries -- oil, defence, electricity, industry and human rights -- and two deputy prime minister posts were left vacant.

Iraq's Ahmad Chalabi: He's now Mr. Oil: Controversial figure, with no industry experience, to run ministry

IRAQ: Doctors warn of increasing deformities in newborn babies.: Health officials and scientists said this could be due to radiation passed through mothers following years of conflict in the country.

Abu Ghraib Torture Victim Speaks Out: A former prisoner who says he was the man under the black hood in the gruesome photo from Abu Ghraib speaks out on this week's edition of the PBS newsmagazine "Now."

Helen Thomas: Pentagon Report On Abuse Has To Be Joke: The Pentagon has got to be kidding.

Secret Iraq war advice published: Publication of a secret 2003 memo from the government's top lawyer questioning the Iraq war's legality buffeted Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday, just a week before the May 5 election.

Full Text : Advice from Attorney General on legality of Iraq war

Blix insists there was no firm weapons evidence: The head of the United Nations weapons inspectors in the run-up to the Iraq war, Hans Blix, last night undercut one of the main grounds offered by the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, in his legal advice to Tony Blair.

UK: Blair accused of 'gross deception' as Goldsmith's advice is published: Families of some of the British soldiers killed in Iraq said they were preparing a legal case against the Prime Minister, based on the leaked document.

Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression: Strong, credible allegations of high-level criminal activity can bring down a government. When the government lacks an effective, fact-based defense, other techniques must be employed. The success of these techniques depends heavily upon a cooperative, compliant press and a mere token opposition party.

Pentagon releases 360 photos: The Department of Defense released to him and the National Security Archive 360 additional photographs of soldiers' remains as they were returned to U.S. bases, from Dover to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

Belgian Doctors Bill U.S. for Treating Iraqi Girl : Belgian doctors sent an Iraqi girl home on Thursday after treating her for leg wounds caused by a bomb during the U.S. invasion -- and sent the 51,570 euro ($66,650) bill to the U.S. embassy.

Robert Higgs: Benefits and Costs of the U.S. Government’s War Making: If the government were able and willing to carry out an effective global “war on terrorism” by means of its present policy of empire building and naked aggression (politely called “preventive war”), would the benefits of that policy justify the costs being borne? Not for a moment.

Video: The Power of Nightmares : Instead of delivering dreams, politicians now promise to protect us from nightmares. They say that they will rescue us from dreadful dangers that we cannot see and do not understand. And the greatest danger of all is international terrorism.This is a must watch documentary

CIA details botched hunt for Iraq's WMD : US military interrogators botched the questioning of Iraqi scientists in the search for weapons of mass destruction and their detention "serves no further purpose", a new CIA report has found.

Planned bomb sale to Israel raises fears of strike on Iran: The Pentagon has notified Congress of a proposed US sale to Israel of 100 guided bunker-busting bombs, a move raising concerns about a unilateral Israel strike against Iran.

Russia plans nuclear fuel shipments to Iran mid-2005: The Russian nuclear fuel trader TVEL should start fuel shipments for a Moscow-built nuclear reactor in Iran six months before the unit becomes operational in early 2006, a senior company official said on Thursday.

Scandal Stymies Israeli Effort to Pressure Tehran: Aipac Shakeup Hurts Advocates of Tough U.S. Stance on Iran Nukes

Iranian newspaper warns against Israeli nuclear arsenal: Iranian newspaper of 'Kayhan al-Arabi' has stressed that the "Zionist nuclear arsenal constitutes a threat to the whole world, because it is not subjected to the international supervision and the west in general and the US in particular ignore it

US State Department identifies nations purportedly sponsoring terrorism : Cuba, North Korea, Syria, and, in particular, Iran are named in the department's "Country Reports on Terrorism" released on Wednesday

The Facts About "Pattern Of Global Terrorism: The number of significant incidents of terrorism in 2004 (a significant incidents means someone was killed, wounded, or kidnapped or there was property damage greater than $10,000) was the highest ever recorded. In addition, the number of fatalities is the second highest total recorded in 37 years.

Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 04/27/05: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Saudis, Oil, Israel, & America : The possible overthrow of the Saudi monarchy. Israeli and American national security professionals are conversing about the likely consequences of present US policy: the need to use military force to secure 'our' supply of cheap oil.

Blow to Bush as Bolton panel widens its inquiry : The Senate committee assessing John Bolton's nomination as the next US ambassador to the UN yesterday widened its inquiry to interview several more potentially hostile witnesses, in a fresh blow to the White House.

Sidney Blumenthal: The "good" soldier's revenge : In Colin Powell's battle to block Bush's nominee to the UN, far more is at stake than John Bolton's unsuitability

Congresswoman Waters Demands That The Senate Investigate Arms Shipment To Haiti : Today, Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-35) released a statement denouncing last year's shipment of thousands of weapons to Haiti by the U.S. Government, in violation of a 13-year-old arms embargo on Haiti, and demanding that the United States investigate why John Bolton allowed these weapons sales to occur while serving as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs.

Rice Lauds Colombia, Slams Venezuela: Colombia is the world's No. 1 supplier of cocaine and a major producer of heroin. The United States has committed $3.3 billion to Plan Colombia

USA Grants USD 600 Million to Columbia for Fight against Terrorism and Drug Trafficking

Politics, drugs and the gun: Colombia's right-wing paramilitaries : The AUC is deeply involved in drug-trafficking and kills more civilians than its foes, the left-wing guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

US Wants Venezuelan Arms Monitored for Rebel Fears: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday that Washington wants arms sales to Venezuela to be monitored due to concerns they could be transferred to Marxist rebels in neighboring Colombia.

Venezuela's Chavez increases minimum wage : Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday announced a 26 percent increase in the country's minimum wage, but he acknowledged that it would still be insufficient for many poor families.

Hard Times in Central America: Nicaragua on a Dollar a Day...Forever?: Visiting areas of Nicaragua hard hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, one steps unmistakeably into the vicious colonial class war being waged by corporate plutocrats and their political and institutional fronts against the world's poor.

Dominican Republic Inmates Await Justice: Nearly 9,000 continue to be held without charges.

Can you say hypocrisy? : But Did He Inhale?: Anti-Castro Majority Leader Tom DeLay enjoys a fine Cuban cigar

Wiretaps in U.S. Jump 19 Percent in 2004: The number of secret court-authorized wiretaps across the country surged by 19 percent last year, according to court records which also showed that not a single application was denied. The numbers, released Thursday, do not include court orders for terror-related investigations

Oil surge boosts Shell's earnings : Meanwhile, oil firm Exxon Mobil posted first quarter net profits of $7.86bn.

Economy Grows at Slowest Pace in Two Years: Consumers and businesses turned cautious in their spending in the January-to-March quarter, a key factor in the slower economic growth. High energy prices and rising borrowing costs are causing Americans to tighten their belts a bit.

04/27/05: This is our Guernica: Ruined, cordoned Falluja is emerging as the decade's monument to brutality

hen They Came For The Children: They've vanished into the netherworld of a Homeland Security gulag and their story has already disappeared from the headlines, but the shocking case of two 16-year-old girls from New York City arrested a month ago ought to inspire outrage among every American 

Gunmen Kill Iraqi Member Of Parliment in Baghdad: Gunmen shot dead a member of Iraq's parliament outside her house in Baghdad Wednesday, Iraqi police said. The attack occurred in front of her home in eastern Baghdad.

Grenade kills Sioux City soldier in Iraq: A Sioux City, Iowa, soldier serving his second tour in Iraq was killed when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle

Political stalemate returns, delays Iraqi announcement: In Baghdad Wednesday, unknown gunmen opened fire on the convoy of a senior Iraqi police officer, wounding him and killing two of his bodyguards, Iraqi police said

Three Sunni MPs quit Iraqi alliance: The three members of parliament said they were resigning in protest against the attempt to marginalise Sunni Arabs. They also expressed resentment against what they called foreign interference in ministry-making decisions.

U.S. troops may have killed Canadian in Iraq: Dan McTeague, the parliamentary secretary responsible for Canadians abroad, told the Canadian Press that the government is still trying to sort through conflicting reports of how the man was killed.

US says Iraq resistance undiminished in past year: Iraq's anti occupation force remains undiminished in its capabilities in the past year despite U.S.-led efforts to crush the rebels, the top American general said on Tuesday.

Rights Group Condemns U.S. Over Guantanamo Torture: Europe's human rights body condemned the United States on Tuesday for using what it termed "torture" on terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and it called on European countries not to cooperate in interrogating Guantanamo detainees.

U.S.: Abu Ghraib Only the "Tip of the Iceberg" : The crimes at Abu Ghraib are part of a larger pattern of abuses against Muslim detainees around the world, Human Rights Watch said on the eve of the April 28 anniversary of the first pictures of U.S. soldiers brutalizing prisoners at the Iraqi jail.

Soldiers Charged in Iraqi, Afghani Deaths: A look at some of the soldiers charged with murder as a result of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.

Six Afghan police and US soldier killed in fresh clashes: A US soldier and six Afghan policemen were killed in two separate ambushes by militants in southern Afghanistan, the latest casualties in a surge of violence, US and Afghan officials said Wednesday.

Attorney general told Blair war could be illegal : Secret advice leaked to Guardian : Tony Blair was told by the government's most senior law officer in a confidential minute less than two weeks before the war that British participation in the American-led invasion of Iraq could be declared illegal.

Channel 4 News reveals legal advice on Iraq War: You can download the document in various formats

Blair warned: More to follow Sedgemore out of the party: Tony Blair has been warned that other former Labour MPs could join Brian Sedgemore by leaving the party after the general election in a concerted protest against his leadership.

An obvious trail of slime : Fraudulent claims, lying politicians and deceiving documents litter the historical record of humankind. Sometimes the forgeries are obvious.

Terror Attacks Increased Sharply in 2004 : Terror attacks worldwide more than tripled last year reaching a record high, according to government figures released by a senior House Democrat.

In Pictures: One Man voice: Anti-war protest

N Korea 'running out of time' : America's chief envoy to North Korea has warned that the US will not wait forever for Pyongyang to return to six party talks on its nuclear programme.

N. Korea, 6, and Bush, 0: The single greatest failure of the Bush administration's foreign policy concerns North Korea. Mr. Bush's policies toward North Korea have backfired and led the North to churn out nuclear weapons, and they have also antagonized our allies and diminished America's stature in Asia.

No choice but to deal with Kim Jong Il : North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il is acting up again. This time, he has shut down the country's 5MW nuclear reactor. This could be for routine maintenance. Or it could be the start of a process to extract plutonium from the reactor to build more nuclear weapons.

Diplomats: U.S. Alone in Fight to Oust UN's ElBaradei: The United States is alone on the board of the U.N. nuclear watchdog in opposing a third term for agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, diplomats said Wednesday.

US set to sell bunker-busters to Israel: The Pentagon has notified Congress of a proposed sale to Israel of 100 guided bunker-busting bombs, a move that analysts say could prompt concerns about a unilateral Israel strike against Iran.

Dead Israeli shot by his comrades : An Israeli soldier killed in the West Bank on Monday night was shot by his comrades, in an incident in which a Palestinian driver was also shot dead.

Palestinian, Israeli killed in West Bank: The family of a Palestinian taxi driver has accused Israeli forces of murdering him in cold blood in the West Bank after he ran over and killed an Israeli at an army checkpoint.

Thousands of Israelis Pour Into Gaza Strip: Thousands of Israelis poured into the Gaza Strip's main Jewish settlement bloc Wednesday to protest this summer's planned withdrawal, show support for the settlers and bid farewell to the area Israel occupied for 38 years.

Palestinian Militants' patience for cease-fire is wearing thin : "Our struggle is not in order to die. It is in order to live in freedom and make a future for our kids," he says.

Ex-Officials Say Bolton Inflated Syrian Danger: John R. Bolton clashed repeatedly with American intelligence officials in 2002 and 2003 as he sought to deliver warnings about Syrian efforts to acquire unconventional weapons that the Central Intelligence Agency and other experts rejected as exaggerated, according to former intelligence officials.

Halliburton Overcharges Top $212 Million: Halliburton's overcharges and the extent of the information withheld from the auditors at the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) are much greater than previously known.

Venezuelan Arms Buildup Slammed in Colombian Memo: The memo was leaked to the media on Tuesday, a day before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to meet in Bogota with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

Brazil calls for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty : Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim voiced support Tuesday for a democratic outcome in Venezuela. But in remarks that appeared aimed at Washington, he implicitly cautioned against any outside intervention to achieve that goal.

Venezuela's battle to aid its impoverished: Venezuela has become a global hot spot. I have just returned from there, and want to share some information not readily available.

Latin America in revolt : Continent defies USA: For over two decades the US has forced neoliberalism — and its accompanying poverty and despair — down Third World throats in order to make the world better for US business. Now, unable to defeat a rag-tag bunch of Iraqi militias, and rapidly losing allies in Latin America, the empire is not looking so strong.

Venezuela moves to extradite Cuban militant thought in Miami: Imeria Nunez de Odreman, Venezuela's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, told the Security Council that international law did not permit political asylum to be granted to terrorists and called for Posada's extradition.

Mexico's murky justice: Mexico has a lot riding on the resolution of this case. Five years ago, Mexicans and the entire world watched as the country struggled to emerge from its long history of cronyism and corruption. If Lopez Obrador is disqualified now, it will be a major setback for the world's hopes for reform in Mexico.

The Soul of a Lost Cause: Ernesto Cardenal is still the poet-priest of Nicaragua's Sandinistas. But he knows that the church and the times have turned against The radical priest who once bucked the will of Pope John Paul II looks old and frail now, with his wintry beard and shuffling gait.

In case you missed it: Ward Churchill: Perversions of Justice: Indigenous Peoples and Angloamerican Law : Churchill explores how the U.S. has consistently employed a corrupt form of legalism as a means of establishing colonial control and empire. A Must Read.

Robert Scheer: Fiddling While Crucial Programs Starve: Has the U.S. become like ancient Rome, in love with costly conquest?

Bush wants refineries at former bases: The officials said the president believes the country needs a diverse supply of energy, including expansion of aggressive nuclear power. There has not been a new commercial nuclear reactor ordered in the United States since 1973.

Florida Governor Signs Deadly Force Law: Gov. Jeb Bush signed a new anti-crime law on Tuesday that allows people to kill in self-defense without first trying to flee.

04/26/05 :  Weapons Inspector Ends WMD Search in Iraq: The CIA's top weapons hunter in Iraq said his search for weapons of mass destruction "has been exhausted" without finding any.

Proof Blair was told war could be ruled illegal: The Iraq war has erupted as a major Election issue after legal advice warning Tony Blair that the conflict breached international law was sensationally leaked. 

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off To War We Go..: This country's most expendable commodity is its children and, with few exceptions, Americans appear to be both senseless and blind.

The Myth of U.S. Cultural, Religious, Political, and Social Superiority: The concept of Manifest Destiny describes the 19th century conviction that God intended the continent of North America to be under the control of Christian, European Americans.

US Soldier Died in Explosion in Iraq: US soldier died after a roadside mine exploded at the passing of a convoy West of Baghdad

Al-Jafari completes Iraqi cabinet list: A spokesman said on Tuesday that al-Jafari went into a meeting with President Jalal Talabani and that, if the list is approved by the three-member presidential council, the prime minister will submit it to parliament for a vote.

US sees surge in Iraq attacks: Anti occupation forces have shown improved co-ordination and greater tactical sophistication in a new surge of attacks

UK: The prime minister is a war criminal : Like Chamberlain in the 30s, Blair is an appeaser of a dangerous global power. He should be in prison, not standing for election

Blair faces fresh impeachment threat over Iraq : The Scottish National party and Plaid Cymru today pledged they would make a fresh bid to impeach Tony Blair over the Iraq war after the election.

Exclusive: Labour MP defects to Lib Dems over Iraq: A prominent Labour politician will announce today that he is defecting to the Liberal Democrats in protest at Tony Blair's "lies" over Iraq.

U.S. Likely to Clear GIs in Iraq Shooting : According to Italian news reports, they disagreed with the U.S. findings and were refusing to sign it.

Italian hostage blasts US report : An Italian journalist who was held hostage in Iraq has criticised a US military report into the killing of the agent who helped secure her release.

Italian Opposition Slams U.S. Report on Iraq Killing: Italian opposition parties branded a report that cleared U.S. soldiers of blame for the killing of an Italian agent in Iraq an insult Tuesday and urged the government to press for a fuller investigation.

Evidence that the U.S. May Be Losing the Global War on Terror : Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s office is suppressing data showing that the number of major terrorist attacks worldwide exploded from 175 in 2003 to 625 in 2004, the highest number since the Cold War began to wane in 1985.

Syria completes Lebanon withdrawal: Syrian forces have completed withdrawal from Lebanon and handed over the last military post to Lebanese forces.

US Pro-Israeli Lobbyist Funded Settler Gangs with Swindled Indian Tribe Money: A US magazine revealed today that a pro-Israeli lobbyist in close contacts with US Congressman Tom DeLay defrauded his Indian tribe clients and funneled large amounts of money in the form of paramilitary gear to Israeli settler gangs in the West Bank.

US prepares for nuclear stand-off with Pyongyang . A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said: "If the United States wants so much to drag the nuclear issue to the UN Security Council, it may do so. But we want to make clear we will regard sanctions as a declaration of war."

Venezuela: U.S. considers sending more money to help oust President Chávez : The Bush administration is weighing a tougher approach, including funneling more money to foundations and business and political groups opposed to his leftist government, American officials say.

Rice to Discuss Democracy in Venezuela : Rice said, "We've had concerns about the Venezuelan regime" in terms of its commitments under hemispheric agreements to stick with democratic principles.

Dubya doesn't like them "Mexicans down in Venezuela".: The U.S. government knew of a plot to oust Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chávez, in the weeks before a 2002 military coup that briefly unseated him, newly released CIA documents show, despite White House claims to the contrary a week after the coup.

The Nature of CIA Intervention in Venezuela: Venezuela is certainly not the only country in which these operations to strengthen civil society, promote democracy, to educate people in election processes, but which is only a cover, the real purpose is to favor certain political forces over others, Venezuela is by no means the only place this is happening.

Question of Permanent U.S. Bases Vexes Afghans: "People generally would not accept it. We even now have complaints and protests about the way the Americans or coalition are conducting their operations," said Wadir Safi, a law professor and a cabinet minister during the 1980s.

Another Ex-Colleague Criticizes Bolton : A former colleague says the undersecretary of state doesn't have what it takes to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "Bolton has none of the qualities needed for that job," Frederick Vreeland, a former U.S. ambassador to Morocco.

Saudi Arabia detains 40 Christians - newspapers: Saudi Arabia has detained 40 Pakistani Christians for holding prayers at a house in the Muslim kingdom, where practicising any religion other than Islam is illegal, newspapers said on Saturday.

Don't turn United States into another theocracy: Adolf Hitler defeated the judiciary of the Weimar Republic of Germany when he set up his own courts with his own judges. This allowed the Holocaust of Jews and Christians to take root. This letter is a heads-up to religious leaders, Democrats and Republicans that our judicial system is under attack.

The Frauds of the Clergy : Why would a multi-multi-millionaire Senator, who consistently votes to harm the hungry and the poor who so concerned Jesus, join forces with religious fundamentalists to stack this nation's highest courts?

Call Me Unaccountable: Woodrow Wilson and George Bush: Declaring Wilson to be "the worst president in American history," Powell makes a strong case that the rise of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were unintended consequences of Wilson’s arrogance.

04/25/05 Four Car Bombings in Iraq Leave 21 Dead : Two car bombs in a Baghdad market and two more in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit on Sunday, killing a total of 21 Iraqis and wounding 73 in one of the bloodiest days since Iraq's historic elections.

American killed by bomb in Iraq : The official says the blast hit the soldier's convoy in Baghdad. Military officials say it was one of three bombs today that targeted U-S convoys.

Eastern Shore Marine Killed Near Fallujah : Pfc. Robert "Bobby" Guy, 26, died after being shot in the head, his mother, Ann Guy, told The (Salisbury) Daily Times.

Iraqi forces desert posts as insurgent attacks are stepped up: On average 20 Iraqis and two coalition soldiers have died every day this month.

Lest we forget the ultimate price of warfare: We live in a national culture that glamorises soldiers, yet the sight of a military uniform with its obvious connotations of morbidity and violence provokes in me the question: "What sort of person is attracted to the killing professions?"

Iraq Govt Delayed Again, Could Come Tuesday: Lawmakers said over the weekend that the Shi'ite alliance was expected to take 17 of a likely 32 ministries, including the interior ministry. The Kurds were expected to receive eight posts and the Sunnis the rest.

I was tortured says Bay detainee : Omar Deghayes, 35, also alleged Pakistani interrogators holding him on behalf of the US authorities beat and terrorised him

Group Says U.S. Sent Up to 150 to Possible Torture Sites: A civil liberties group investigating allegations of prisoner abuse will report today that since the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. agents have secretly transported up to 150 detainees to countries that may practice torture.

UN investigator who exposed US army abuse forced out of his job: The UN's top human rights investigator in Afghanistan has been forced out under American pressure just days after he presented a report criticising the US military for detaining suspects without trial and holding them in secret prisons.

Rights Groups Reject Prison Abuse Findings : Human rights groups expressed dismay yesterday over the Army's findings exonerating U.S. generals of prisoner abuse in Iraq, and renewed requests for an independent probe to examine the culpability of senior military and civilian defense officials.

Rumsfeld and Abu Ghraib: If this is justice, in President Bush's view of things, it comes awfully close to scapegoating. For the evidence shows that the abuses at Abu Ghraib were not isolated and aberrant acts and that, in fact, the worst perpetrators may not have been those whose faces were captured on camera.

The Agony of War: War is always about sorrow and the deepest suffering. Nitwits try to dress it up in the finery of half-baked rationalizations, but the reality is always wanton bloodshed, rotting flesh and the lifelong trauma of those who are physically or psychically maimed.

Losing a fighter for war's victims: ARMED ONLY with her humanity, Marla Ruzicka did the impossible. She moved the military without using force, galvanized official Washington without powerful connections, and motivated the press without sensationalism -- just intimate connection to civilians whose deaths she documented and grieved. Her work was a triumph of the heart.

Iran gives Lebanon civil war warning: The Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi accused the United States of creating crisis in Lebanon

Robert Fisk: What if the UN had gone into Iraq? : "Duty Unto Death" might suit the Indian battalion in Lebanon, but I doubt if many US troops would adopt this as their regimental motto.

Uri Avnery : For Whom the Bells Toll : For years, Israel has enjoyed a nuclear monopoly in the region. My friends and I have warned that this monopoly is temporary, and that we must use the time to achieve peace. The hubris of our leaders has prevented this.

Iran poll: Brits want independence from Dubya: 86% of the British public oppose following George Bush into a unilateral attack on Iran even if intelligence reports say it is developing nuclear weapons.

UK: The Attorney General's advice on the Iraq war: Do the fresh disclosures finally prove that Tony Blair took Britain to war knowing that the conflict could be in breach of international law?

UK: Blair's evasions will catch up with him : We've had enough of the prime minister's half-truths on Iraq. Let us see his legal advice in full

UK: Kennedy seeks Iraq war 'justice' : Mr Kennedy said Tony Blair had taken the UK into an illegal war and voters could deliver "justice by the ballot box" at the general election.

US believes North Korea plans nuclear bomb test: In an emergency communication sent yesterday, Washington warned Beijing that Pyongyang was possibly planning a test nuclear explosion, an unidentified US official told the Journal.

U.S. weighs move at UN : The Bush administration, in a standoff with North Korea over nuclear weapons, is debating a plan to seek a UN resolution empowering all nations to intercept shipments into or out of the country that might contain nuclear materials or components, say senior administration officials and diplomats who have been briefed on the proposal.

America's Time and Place: The neo-conservative project of an expanding role for the US in world affairs is in trouble. Few countries are enthusiastic about a pre-eminent role for the US and at home scepticism about the government's approach is growing.

Churchill for dummies: Winston S. Churchill is the hero of George W. Bush and the neocons. But, they know very little about the great wartime leader. If they did, they’d be horrified

Afghan Police: Six Killed in Taliban Rebel Raid: Two Afghan policemen and four Taliban guerrillas were killed in a rebel attack on a district headquarters in the southern province of Kandahar, police said Monday.

5 killed in border clashes in Afghanistan: U.S. and Afghan soldiers backed by warplanes and artillery battled suspected insurgents in clashes near the border with Pakistan, and four fighters and one Afghan soldier were killed, the U.S. military said Sunday.

New York Times Minimizes Palestinian Deaths: Our statistical analysis of their coverage, showed that there was startling disparity in how deaths were reported, depending on the ethnicity of the victim.

Israel/Occupied Territories: Israeli Authorities Must Put an Immediate End to Settler Violence : In recent weeks, toxic chemicals have repeatedly been spread on fields located near the villages of Tuwani, Umm Faggara and Kharruba in the southern Hebron region.

Relatives of Slain Chechen Leader Maskhadov to Sue Russia Over Secret Burial: A senior Russian prosecutor said on Friday that Maskhadov had been buried secretly in line with legislation allowing authorities to refuse to release the bodies of "terrorists" to their family.

Fmr. Haitian Prime Minister Beaten in Prison : Interim Gv't Prepares to Charge Him in Connection with Political Killings

Venezuela to oil firms; accept sovereignty or leave: Chavez, a fierce critic of Washington, has ordered a review of these 1990s oil contracts he says have "robbed" the nation of income he wants to use to finance national development. Venezuela remains a major oil supplier to the United States.

Americans Detained for Taking Pictures of Venezuelan Military Facility, Refinery: President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that a woman linked to the U.S. military had been arrested while photographing a military installation, signs that the Washington may be plotting an invasion of his country.

U.S. military tried to turn Venezuelan trainees against government: Chavez : President Hugo Chavez says a longstanding military exchange program with the United States was cancelled because U.S. officers in Venezuela were attempting to turn the soldiers they were training against his government.

Will people power have a chance in Colombia? : While many of the messages of solidarity and support that have come from organizations and individuals of conscience in Colombia and throughout the world describe the urgent humanitarian situation, with over 1800 people displaced, dozens of houses destroyed, dozens injured and several killed, it is very important that the words and message of the communities themselves not be lost.

Toxic rain kills more than the coca : The so-called “war on coca” in Colombia, backed by the United States, is destroying jungles and forests, and threatening the health of half a million peasants and indigenous peoples

More than 1 million rally to support Mexico City's mayor: Mexico City police estimated that 1.2 million protesters joined the so-called "March of Silence," which would make the protest the largest march for democracy in Mexican history.

World armed groups 'abduct girls' : A Save The Children report found more than 120,000 girls and young women have been abducted and pushed into conflict.

Armenians remember Turkish killings 90 years ago: Hundreds of thousands of people clutching tulips, carnations and daffodils climbed a hill in Armenia's capital on Sunday to lay wreaths and remember the 1.5 million they say were killed 90 years ago in Ottoman Turkey.

In war's name, public loses information: Federal agencies under the Bush administration are sweeping vast amounts of public information behind a curtain of secrecy in the name of fighting terrorism, using 50 to 60 loosely defined security designations that can be imposed by officials as low-ranking as government clerks.

Bush's Most Radical Plan Yet: WIth a vote of hand-picked lobbyists, the president could terminate any federal agency he dislikes

Police on weapon company payrolls: Hundreds of police officers nationwide also are on payrolls of companies that supply weapons, riot gear and other equipment to the officers' departments, creating possible conflicts of interest.

04/24/05: Terrified US soldiers are still killing civilians with impunity, while the dead go uncounted: "We should end the immunity of US soldiers here," says Dr Mahmoud Othman, a veteran Kurdish politician who argues that the failure to prosecute American soldiers who have killed civilians is one of the reasons why the occupation became so unpopular so fast.

Video: Purple Hearts: Injured Soldiers Tell Their stories. A story that President Bush would probably prefer not to see propagated.

Rice changed terrorism report: A state department report which showed an increase in terrorism incidents around the world in 2004 was altered to strip it of its pessimistic statistics, it emerged yesterday

Holy Warriors: Cardinal Ratzinger handed Bush the presidency by tipping the Catholic vote. Can American democracy survive their shared medieval vision?

Iraq suicide bombings kill 23, Pakistani hostage released: Two explosions Sunday evening in a mixed Shiite-Sunni district of the Iraqi capital apparently targeted an area close to the Shiite Hussayniah al-Beit mosque, killing 16 and wounding 50.

Bombs Kill U.S. Sailor, Two Soldiers in Iraq

Iraqi police say two U-S soldiers killed in bombing : The U-S military is confirming a bombing and casualties but won't give other details.

UK: Blair blow as secret war doubts revealed : The Iraq war was thrust dramatically into the election spotlight last night after long-sought government legal advice, cautioning that the invasion could be illegal, was leaked.

Robert Fisk: How Arabic text of WMD dossier was massaged by Downing St: Translation carried out for The Independent on Sunday reveals for the first time that several references to UN sanctions were cut from the Arabic text. On one page, the words "biological agents" were changed to read "nuclear agents".

Bulgaria's Heli Air Withdraws Employees from Iraq: A helicopter of the company was shut down by insurgents' missile fire north of Baghdad on Thursday, killing 11 people on board.

US guards at Guantanamo tortured me, says UK man: A British resident has claimed he was tortured by US guards at Guantanamo Bay, repeated abuse by American and Pakistani interrogators over the past three years including electric shocks and sodomy by US guards.

Human rights group calls for criminal investigations of Rumsfeld and Tenet: The report, being issued Sunday by Human Rights Watch, criticizes Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former CIA Director George Tenet for allegedly trying to pass blame for the abuse to military subordinates and individual soldiers.

In case you missed it: Government Documents on Torture : Below are documents the government did not want the general public to read -- including an FBI memo (pdf) stating that Defense Department interrogators impersonated FBI agents and used "torture techniques" against a detainee at Guantanamo.

UK Aides Complained To US About John Bolton -Foreign Secretary Jack Straw complained in November 2003 to then Secretary of State Colin Powell that Bolton was making it impossible for allied nations to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

Iran says it will resume uranium enrichment : Iran insists its nuclear program is entirely for the generation of electricity and has offered to provide safeguards of its good intentions.

Israeli army 'lied' about Miller death : Israeli soldiers stand accused this weekend of 'lying' and tampering with evidence in an attempt to obstruct an inquiry by military prosecutors into the death of British film-maker James Miller, according to internal army documents seen by The Observer.

The Bush Family's Favorite Terrorist: While the Bush administration holds dozens of suspected Muslim terrorists on secret or flimsy evidence, one of the world’s most notorious terrorists slipped into the United States via Mexico and traveled to Florida without setting off any law enforcement alarms.

Venezuela bans US military instructors : Venezuela has ordered US military instructors to stop working with its armed forces in an abrupt cessation of a 35-year-old bilateral military exchange programme.

US admits 2,600 weapons sent to Haiti :l THE US government gave more than 2,600 weapons to bolster Haiti’s controversial police force last year despite allegations of human rights abuses and a more than 13-year-old arms embargo, officials at the State Department and US Embassy said.

A Taste for Empire: Invasion, Occupation and Colonization: During the third week of January, 1893, a group of well-armed EuroAmerican insurgents, backed by troops landed from the U.S.S. Boston, overthrew the constitutional monarchy of Hawai'i, with which the United States had entered into several still-binding treaties of peace, friendship and commerce.

Linda McQuaig : Moving closer to U.S. promotes war, not peacemaking

The Silencing of Sibel Edmonds: Court won't let public hear what FBI whistleblower has to say

Bush's War on the Press: Make no mistake: The Bush Administration and its ideological allies are employing every means available to undermine journalists' ability to exercise their First Amendment function to hold power accountable. In fact, the Administration recognizes no such constitutional role for the press.

DeLay expenses put on lobbyist's card: The airfare for a plane trip to London and Scotland in 2000 for then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, was charged to an American Express card issued to Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist at the center of a federal criminal and tax probe

Outrage over usage of HIV positive children as Guinea pigs: The question is whether children in foster care settings, children who obviously have already suffered greatly in their young lives, should be given experimental treatments.

Pope 'obstructed' sex abuse inquiry : Confidential letter reveals Ratzinger ordered bishops to keep allegations secret

This Bet May Cost You Big: The plan to reform Social Security will mean a double cut in benefits. Returns from private accounts are unlikely to cover both

U.S. Prison Population Soars in 2003, '04 : Growing at a rate of about 900 inmates each week between mid-2003 and mid-2004, the nation's prisons and jails held 2.1 million people, or one in every 138 U.S. residents, the government reported Sunday.

Hospital services outsourced overseas: When patients needed urgent CAT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds late at night at St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, Conn., emergency room workers used to rouse a bleary-eyed staff radiologist from his bed to read the images. Not anymore.

04/23/05: Iraq Blast Kills Nine Soldiers, Wounds 20: When the surviving soldiers responded by opening fire, they shot and killed the driver of a civilian car, said police Lieutenant Ahmad Abud.

Bomb explosion near a Shiite Mosque kills two.

Chief of Associated Press office in Mosul Killed: The journalist was killed in an exchange of fire between US soldiers and anti occupation forces.

U.S. soldier killed in Iraq : An American soldier was killed Saturday when his convoy was hit by a roadside bomb south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

Car bomb hits US military convoy in Baghdad : A suicide car bomb attack targeted a US military convoy near Baghdad airport on Saturday, killing a civilian and wounding 25 others

Guess what?: Army Clears Top Abu Ghraib Case Officers: The Army has cleared four top officers - including the three-star general who commanded all U.S. forces in Iraq - of all allegations of wrongdoing in connection with prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and will not be punished, officials said Friday.

Canada's Blind Eye to 'Torture': New documents reveal Canada's former ambassador to Syria accepted a 'confession' from Maher Arar's captors

Iraq: Tigris corpses still a mystery: Medical sources in the town of al-Madain have cast doubts that 60 bloated bodies recovered from a river in Iraq are those of civilians thought to have been taken hostage there last week.

It's terror when we say so : What is considered "terrorism" by the Bush administration is perceived as something completely different around the world.

Halliburton ends Iraq contract one-year early amid surging violence: Halliburton announced today the "completion" of its contract with the Pentagon to restore Iraq's dilapidated oil infrastructure. The announcement came as a surprise since the U.S. State Department reported last week that Iraq's oil infrastructure is far from restored.

Double trouble for Halliburton : The Halliburton corporation, already the Iraq war's poster child for "waste, fraud and abuse", has been hit with a new double whammy. A report from the US State Department accuses the company of "poor performance" in its US$1.2 billion contract to repair Iraq's vital southern oilfields.

Balancing the Iraq Equation: A humanitarian aid worker's death in Iraq last week is spurring calls for a public accounting of civilian casualties by the United States government and more attention to the issue by the U.S. media.

In case you missed it?: How The U.S. Murdered a City : Fallujah: The Truth at Last : Doctor Salam Ismael took aid to Fallujah. This is a report of his visit.

In case you missed it?:Video: Legacy of Fallujah : The men of Falluja are digging graves.

Iraq: Two Years On: What Have I Become: Flash presentation

Activists denounce Bush's silence on anti-Castro 'terrorist': Activists urged President George W. Bush to take action against a "terrorist" accused of blowing up an airliner, bombing buildings and plotting to kill Cuba's leader, and who is seeking asylum in the United States.

The Neocon Revolution and Militarism: The grand vision entertained by second-generation neoconservatives demanded that the United States shatter the status quo. New conditions, they argued, absolved Americans from any further requirement to adhere to the norms that had defined the postwar international order

The coming Pax Americana : "There is a good possibility that Iraq will not be the last country in the region that will require a lengthy American military presence" Efraim Halevy is the former chief of the Mossad

Islamists lead in Saudi polls: In the kingdom's commercial capital of Jedda on Saturday, all the seven winning candidates were those whose names had appeared on what was dubbed the "golden list" - the pick of fundamentalist clerics.

Lecturers vote to boycott Israeli universities : "The taboo has been shattered at last. From now on, it will be acceptable to compare Israel's apartheid system to its South African predecessor."

Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 04/22/05: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

UK: Why I'm backing the heroic stand of Reg Keys: Lance Corporal Tom Keys was killed in Iraq: one of many. Tom's father, Reg, is standing as a "white suit independent" in Tony Blair's own constituency of Sedgefield.

Vital Nuclear Parts Missing: Investigators worry that some components of a weapons factory ordered by Libya have fallen into the hands of another nation.

Venezuela Ends Military Program With U.S: President Hugo Chavez's government has unexpectedly ended a military exchange program with United States, the U.S. Embassy in Caracas announced Friday.

Howard Zinn: The Myth of American Exceptionalism: Americans have invoked God to expand “into someone else’s territory, occupying and dealing harshly with people who resist occupation.” Zinn offers numerous examples of how the American government has used “divine ordination” and rationales of spreading civilization and freedom to justify its most dastardly actions. Real Video.

Aristide ally blasts U.S. policy, officials: Saying the Haitian people need food, not bullets, the Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste on Friday demanded the resignation of two top U.S. State Department officials he accused of helping to arm Haiti's interim government.

US donates 10 aircraft to Colombia : The aircraft, valued at 52 million US dollars, is part of the US contribution to Plan Colombia, which Washington has funded with3.3 billion dollars since 2000 when the program was launched.

Victims with power: A deadly combination: Both China and Japan need to nurture a healthy national mentality. There is no greater threat to peace than the emergence of a major power with a victim mentality.

The World According to Bush : This film aims to pass through the looking glass and to show how the Bushes, father and son, have not only dined with the devil but have often invited themselves to his table.

Chairman of Voting Reform Panel Resign: The first chairman of a federal voting agency created after the 2000 election dispute is resigning, saying the government has not shown enough commitment to reform.

Do you have a bomb in the car? : What is this Muslim CD?: A lawsuit filed Wednesday claiming that five Muslims were unlawfully detained at the Canadian border has struck close to home for local Muslims, who say they feel that they, too, have been treated like criminals at the border

"The Nuclear Option" and the One Party State : America's wacky right wing party and political system doesn't get much worse than this. Tomorrow, the Republican United States Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) will appear on a national evangelical Christian television show that depicts Democrats as against religious believers.

'Fascism: Are we there yet?': The Department of State is proposing that Americans returning from these countries be required to have passports in order to re-enter the United States. We'll be able to check in, but not check out without letting Uncle Sam know where we have been.

Hijacking Christianity . . .: The American flag was appropriated by the political right wing years ago. Now the Christian right is trying to hijack religion. This time it shouldn't be allowed to happen without a fight.

Navajo Nation Outlaws Uranium Mining : The Navajo Nation has outlawed uranium mining and processing on its reservation, which sprawls across parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah and contains one of the world's largest deposits of uranium ore.

$425 million for Sir Lanka tsunami victims never arrived?: Sri Lankans were starting to demand answers about where the $425 million promised by Canada to tsunami victims is.

04/22/05: Blair made a pledge to the Iraqis once: The suffering of my people must not be conveniently forgotten now

Gut Check: All the guff about law, democracy and morality is just cornball for the yokels back home -- and for the cannon fodder sent off to die in the elite's commercial and dynastic wars.

The New McCarthyism: A witch hunt against a Columbia professor, and the New York Times' disgraceful support for it, represent the gravest threat to academic freedom in decades.

Baghdad car bomb kills 10: A car bomb blew up outside a Shi'ite mosque in Baghdad as prayers were ending on Friday, killing 10 people and wounding 15, Iraqi police said.

One US soldier killed in Iraq blast: One US soldier was killed and another wounded early Friday when a bomb exploded near their patrol vehicle in northern Iraq

Video Shows Murder Of Injured Survivor Of Downed Helicopter In Iraq: WARNING - This videos should only be viewed by a mature audience

Iraq government hits snag: The announcement of the new Iraqi government will be further delayed, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has said.

Iraq: Tigris corpses still a mystery: Medical sources in the town of al-Madain have cast doubts that 60 bloated bodies recovered from a river in Iraq are those of civilians thought to have been taken hostage there last week.

Hostage hoax: Nermeen Al-Mufti visits Al-Madaen, the city at the centre of last week's rumours of shia hostage taking Sunni and Shia clerics -- particularly the Al-Sadr movement -- warned the reports were a fabrication intended to stir up sectarianism. But the Western media, particularly in the US, continued reporting on the incident.

Let A Thousand Militias Bloom : In devising a strategy to defeat Iraq’s insurgents, the Pentagon may be gaining the upper hand but at the cost of pushing Iraq toward civil war. A report by the Wall Street Journal from Feb. 16 revealed that “pop-up militias” are proliferating in Iraq. Not only is the U.S. aware of these illegal militias, but the Pentagon is arming, training and funding them for use them in counter-insurgency operations.

In case you missed it?: Iraq's Bootstrap Battalions : There’s something new on the ground in Iraq. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Greg Jaffe reports that in the fall of 2004, privately funded militias connected to key political figures in Iraq began popping up around the country as Iraq’s elections approached.

U.S. Funding Iraqi Militias Led by Baathists As Part of Counter-Insurgency Operation: Most disturbing, one militia in particular – the “special police commandos” – is being used throughout Iraq and has been singled out by a U.S. general as conducting death squad strikes known as the “Salvador option.”

What is "terrorism" depends on target -Italy judge: Militants who attack military or state targets, even with suicide bombers, cannot be considered terrorists in times of war or occupation, an Italian judge said in a ruling released on Thursday.

Senate OKs $81B for Iraq, Afghanistan : The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved $81 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in a spending bill that would push the total cost of combat and reconstruction past $300 billion.

A citizen journalist in Iraq: Dahr Jamail didn’t like the news, so he went out and reported it himself. “I figured, well, media control is how they’re doing it,” he explains, “so I’ll just go over there and try to report on it myself.”

Does the Resistance Target Civilians? According to US Intel, Not Really : The combination of intelligence data, political realities on the ground, and some basic common sense point to the fact that the resistance is not the stereotypical horde of incompetent, crazed brown barbarians so often conjured up in the Western imagination.

The Arab scene: There is not a shadow of doubt that Iran will be next on the current US administration's hit list -- Washington's threats against it are too similar to the buildup to the war against Iraq. There are some differences, however.

Sharon vows to defy Bush over expansion of Israeli settlements: Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, vowed to continue expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank despite his admitted differences with President George Bush on the issue.

Lecturer defends Israeli boycott plan on eve of vote : The woman behind a divisive vote today to boycott Israeli universities has brushed aside criticism of the proposals, saying it is impossible to treat that country's academics as "normal citizens from a normal state".

CIA said to have wrongly held German suspect: CIA operatives held a German citizen in a prison in Afghanistan for six weeks even after determining he was not an Osama bin Laden associate and despite an order from then-U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice

Government Documents Show Army Command Approved and Encouraged Abuse of Detainees: "Instead of holding that chain of command accountable for systemic detainee abuse, the U.S. government continues to thwart efforts to bring the full truth about who was ultimately responsible to light." said the ACLU

Iraq Resistance Releases Documents Exposing The "Sale" Of Iraq's Military Equipment Video and text

U.S. Guns in Haiti Despite Embargo : - The United States has quietly given thousands of guns to the Haitian National Police and is moving to approve the sale of thousands more despite a 14-year arms embargo and allegations the force is corrupt, brutal and responsible for unjustified killings, U.S., U.N. and Haitian officials said this week.

U.S. missile company scouts Labrador: An American missile contractor has been secretly scouting locations for a radar installation in Labrador, despite Prime Minister Paul Martin's decision to keep Canada out of the U.S. missile defence shield program.

Bush Lies, America Cries : This just in: Global terrorism rates are higher than any time since 1985. Thanks, Dubya!

Senate confirms Negroponte director of US intelligence : The annual intelligence budget over which Negroponte will have control is secret, but estimated at some 40 billion dollars

‘He Was Very Angry’: A U.S. ambassador is the latest to charge that John Bolton has engaged in some ‘undiplomatic’ behavior.

GOP bullying on Bolton: What kind of moral value is this? Faced with a Republican with a conscience, President Bush attributes GOP concern over the nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations to partisan bickering.

Votes that rebound: Washington has determined that a democratised Arab world is in its -- and Israel's -- interest. The assumption is wide off the mark

Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 04/21/05: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Video and Text: Blair's Newsnight interview : The war in Iraq was deeply unpopular - does Tony Blair think it lost him the nation's trust? Does Labour intend to raise taxes? And why is he so close to President Bush?

The real reason why it doesn't matter who you vote for: The unspoken issue in the UK General Election campaign is our collective loss of faith in the future and the capacity of humanity to make its own history.

Chomsky: It's time to take back our lives: Chomsky wants people to wrest control of their lives away from corporations, government and whatever other institutions have a claim on them, and "reconstruct the basis for a functioning democratic society."

They Mean It: America is an experiment. Democracy is an experiment. American democracy has not been around very long, and we have never been so perilously close to losing it. All the checks and balances have been removed by allies of these people.

A war on terror gone awry: An Iraqi immigrant falsely imprisoned speaks volumes about the costs of the war on terror.

2 Brits nabbed with $3 trillion in fake US fed notes: The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday said it has arrested two British nationals with $3 trillion fake US federal bank notes in their possession

The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions: Modern nation that deals in state-sponsored death, becomes, in part, dead in itself; dead certainly, to the enlightened ideals from which America derives its existence as a nation.

Blessed are the poor in spirit : We can be sure that Pope Benedict XVI will spend his reign working tirelessly to protect the poorest and most vulnerable from their own corrupting desires.

A Democratic Dishonor Roll: April 13, 2005, was a dark day for Democrats. As House Republicans gleefully passed legislation to repeal the estate tax permanently, 42 Democrats--about one-fifth of the party's caucus in the House--went along for the limo ride.

House Approves Energy Bill: "The bill is loaded with tax breaks and royalty relief for oil and gas companies."

Greenspan issues warning on US economy Alan Greenspan, says the American economy is heading for trouble unless the Government gets its budget deficits under control. He's also worried about America's ability to cope with its ageing population, as baby boomers reach retirement age in big numbers, a concern shared in Australia.

10 Seattle schools targeted for closure: Faced with multimillion-dollar budget deficits, Seattle Public Schools administrators yesterday outlined a cost-cutting plan that would close 10 schools, eliminate a popular alternative program and create two middle schools.

The One-Sided Class War: Working Wages Slide, While Business Lines Its Pockets

Elimination of poverty is simple: The impoverishment of the developing world is understandable once one learns how "plunder by trade" locks the world into violence and war.

04/21/04: Blair's forgotten victims: Election: the outrage - By voting for Blair, you will walk over the corpses of at least 100,000 people, most of them innocent, slaughtered in defiance of international law.

Militarism threatens to bankrupt U.S. economically and morally: It is up to the American people to demand that our representatives stop the warhawks' world-girdling military appetite in the Middle East and elsewhere, restore our own democracy

The War for Oil : This is the story of the hidden agenda behind the invasion of Iraq. How much has this war really been about control over a dwindling resource? 

The end of oil is closer than you think: Oil production could peak next year. Just kiss your lifestyle goodbye

 Commercial Helicopter Shot Down in Iraq, 11 Dead: Guerrillas shot down a Bulgarian commercial helicopter in Iraq on Thursday, killing all 11 on board including six Americans, the aircraft's Bulgarian owner said.

US Company Has Chartered the Bulgarian Helicopter Downed in Iraq: Sources of the US army told AP that the aircraft was chartered by the Pentagon, but the US Embassy in Baghdad does not confirm this information.

Three "Contractors" Killed in Iraq: The three -- an American, a Canadian and an Australian -- were shot on the highway leading to Baghdad's airport on Wednesday, Edinburgh Risk Inc. said in a statement.

Allawi escapes assassination attempt: At least two policemen were killed in the attack that occurred late on Wednesday night while Allawi was being driven home from a meeting.

Citing 50 bodies, Iraq president keeps story alive : In his comments to reporters Talabani offered no documentation that could help independently verify his statement, like a list of victims, photographs of the bodies or the names of witnesses.

Kuwait bars Iraqi paper critical of US: Kuwait has barred an Iraqi newspaper from printing in the Gulf Arab state for allegedly criticising US and British policy in Iraq, the paper's owner said.

Horror Glimpsed From the Inside of A Humvee in Iraq: Life was draining out of Knott. Blasted from the Humvee along with the gun turret, he had suffered severe head trauma. His jugular vein cut by shrapnel, he was loosing copious amounts of blood. Soon, a medic at the scene said Knott was gone

Levin Releases Newly Declassified Intelligence Documents on Iraq-al Qaeda Relationship : Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., today released documents recently declassified at his request that illustrate that some claims of a cooperative relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda made by top administration officials in support of the Iraq war were contrary to what U.S. intelligence officials believed to be true.

Gallup Finds 53% Feel Iraq War Not Worth It: Nearly 8 in 10 Republicans, 79%, say it was worth going to war, while just 19% say it was not worth it. Among Democrats, only 17% say it was worth it and 82% say it was not.

Father of slain soldier plots Blair "regime change": Reg Keys, whose son died at the hands of a mob in June 2003, is standing against Blair in his Sedgefield constituency in County Durham, arguing his son had died in an illegal war and that the premier had lied over the reasons for it.

Iraqi Resistance: Video and Text : Further Evidence In The Dale Stoffel And The $40 Billion Tadji Scandal

Will oil strike $380 a barrel by 2015?: A report prepared by energy economists at the French investment bank Ixis-CIB has warned crude oil prices could touch $380 a barrel by 2015.

Putin: Sale of missiles to Syria will block Israeli flyovers: The SA-18 missiles Russia is selling Syria "will of course make it difficult to fly over the residence of the Syrian president," Russian President Vladimir Putin bluntly stated yesterday.

Israeli Spying On U.S.?: 2 Senior AIPAC Employees Ousted: FBI Investigating if Pair Gave Classified Information to Israel

Marines storm ashore in Nitzanim: Hundreds of US Marines riding hovercrafts stormed ashore the beaches of Nitzanim Wednesday as part of joint maneuvers being quietly held between the US and Israeli militaries.

Sharon: I can withstand pressure for another disengagement plan : Prime Minister Ariel Sharon believes he will be able to resist international pressure for a further withdrawal from the West Bank

Guns of Gaza stay loaded but silent as talks go on : · Palestinian militants keep ceasefire as they await peace deal : Pressure for jobs and end to corruption grows in run up to polls

Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 04/20/05: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Bush urges Senate to confirm Bolton as US ambassador to UN : " I urge the Senate to put aside politics and confirm John Bolton to the United Nations,"

A Disaster for America: The appointment of John Bolton as US Ambassador to the United Nations would be a disaster for America.

Militants kill policeman in Mecca clashes : Militants attacked a security checkpoint in the holy city of Mecca today, killing one policeman and sparking clashes.

Iran uranium source revealed : Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency believe they can confirm that a sample of uranium enriched to 54%, found at one Iranian site, has come from Pakistani equipment.

Kremlin disputes Rice's claim on US nuclear inspections : Condoleezza Rice's first trip to Moscow as US secretary of state ended amid disagreement last night when the Kremlin contradicted her claim that Russia was considering letting American inspectors check its nuclear sites.

Gorbachev criticizes U.S. on nuclear arsenal, hypocrisy: Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev warned the United States on Wednesday "to cure itself" of hypocrisy over nuclear arms and be prepared to cut its atomic arsenal and take it off "hair-trigger" alert

Rice calls for change in Belarus : US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has described Belarus as the "last true dictatorship" in central Europe and has called for the country to change.

In case you missed it: At-a-glance: 'Outposts of tyranny' : Condoleezza Rice, President George W Bush's nominee for secretary of state, has hinted at the direction of future US foreign policy by identifying six "outposts of tyranny" around the world.

Burma 'using chemical weapons' : A human rights group today said it had evidence the Burmese army was using chemical weapons against rebel fighters from the Karen ethnic minority.

FBI Protects Osama Bin Ladens "Right To Privacy": Judicial Watch Investigation Uncovers FBI Documents Concerning Bin Laden Family and Post-9/11 Flights

Rice protests deal to arm Venezuela: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday warned Russia against selling arms to Venezuela, and Moscow immediately rebuffed her criticism, saying a $120 million deal it has signed with Caracas violates no laws or treaties.

Ecuador Congress ousts president: Ecuador's controversial leader, Lucio Gutierrez, has been placed under arrest after Congress ousted him, the armed forces withdrew their support and a new president was named.

Brazil grants asylum to Gutierrez : According to a statement by the ministry released earlier in the day, Gutierrez entered the Brazilian embassy in Quito, Ecuador's capital, late Wednesday seeking asylum.

New Ecuadorian President Takes First Steps: "We will gather the people to decide (...) that Pachakutik --the political party of the indigenous population-- should be in the government", said Palacio.

Ecuador: Chilean press photographer dies amid political turmoil and violence against news media

Chile and Venezuela sign oil deals: Lagos said that both countries need to establish policies aimed at bring about social equality through regional economic growth and ‘‘more realistic and efficient’’ integration. ‘‘That’s how we can create a new hemispheric reality,’’ he said.

Daniel Ortega rides again : With the left on the march in much of Latin America, it is no surprise that Nicaragua's Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega is trying to make a comeback.

Video: Capitalism & Other Kids Stuff: The idea is for you to question the basis of modern society. Windows Media.

Lobbyists urge Cda. to back U.S. army "deserters": There's good news for the approximately 100 American soldiers who have quit the U.S. military to start a new life in Canada. A group of lobbyists is taking up their cause in Ottawa.

Passenger Lists Sought For Flights Over US : The U.S. government plans to force foreign airlines flying over American soil to turn over the names of passengers on board or check the names against U.S. government watch lists

Are Bush's Social Security Program and John Bolton Just Grand Diversions? : From the X-files of political conspiracy theory, here's a nasty thought: What if Bush and Karl Rove aren't really expecting to win on Social Security?

Democrats: Neither leaders nor opposers, but appeasers: I beseech the Demmies, spare me your new found roaring voices for I view them as mere histrionics—a sad case of too little, too late.

I'll gladly stay behind: A neighbor recently insisted I read the Left Behind series. "Especially now after 9/11," he said, "and the blessed countdown for the Rapture has begun."

04/20/05 : 100 bodies plucked from Tigris river : According to the newspaper, another 12 corpses have been found in a poultry farm nearby.

Bodies of 50 "Hostages" Found in Iraq: "More than 50 bodies have been brought out from the Tigris and we have the full names of those who were killed and those criminals who committed these crimes," Talabani told reporters.

19 bodies discovered in Iraqi soccer stadium: Residents said they believed the victims -- all men in civilian clothes -- were soldiers

Fourteen killed after upsurge in violence : - An attack by a suicide car bomber near a United States patrol in southern Baghdad killed two American soldiers and wounded four, an official said on Wednesday.

Two more Iraqis killed as wave of attacks continues in Iraq : In Sadr city, a poor section of eastern Baghdad, gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on policeman Ali Talib as he walked toward his car, killing him, said police Col. Hussein Abdulwahid. In eastern Baghdad, a Health Ministry car was attacked by gunmen, killing the Iraqi driver and wounding one unidentified passenger.

Two U.S. Soldiers Killed: Two Task Force Baghdad Soldiers died April 19 after a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near their patrol around 7 p.m. in southern Baghdad.

Dispute escalates between Shiites, Sunnis: Iraq's Shiite Muslim-dominated National Assembly again delayed appointing a Cabinet on Monday amid a growing political dispute between Shiites and Sunnis.

Aid worker uncovered America's secret tally of Iraqi civilian deaths: A week before she was killed by a suicide bomber, humanitarian worker Marla Ruzicka forced military commanders to admit they did keep records of Iraqi civilians killed by US forces.

Counting the dead in Iraq: In 2004 the US-based scientist Dr Les Roberts led a survey into deaths caused by the invasion of Iraq. His results showed that approximately 100,000 Iraqis had been killed after the invasion. He spoke to Joseph Choonara about his survey

Pepe Escobar : The shadow Iraqi government: The only way Iraq's transitional government can garner any measure of popular credibility is to demand a firm deadline for total American withdrawal.

Put Down Your White Man's Burden, Support Iraqi Resistance : While the ostensible savagery of targeting of civilians does help the US government label the freedom fighters of the present as terrorists, the simultaneous media censorship omnipresent throughout the war in Iraq blinds us to the equally if not more savage violence perpetrated by our state against the Iraqi civilians.

U.S. Military Regrets Incident with Iraq Lawmaker: al-Sheikh, an independent, told parliament a U.S. soldier had grabbed him by the throat, handcuffed him and shoved him to the ground after he parked his car.

The New American Militarism: We are now in an America where it's a commonplace for our President, wearing a "jacket with ARMY printed over his heart and 'Commander in Chief' printed on his right front," to address vast assemblages of American troops on the virtues of bringing democracy to foreign lands at the point of a missile.

Unfolding Middle-East Quagmire: America is Buying Time : The American/Israeli agendas join together regarding the pursuit of a regional state of anarchy. The latter is also based on necessity to draw NATO and possibly Arab proxy armies into the war, with a view to exacerbating sectarian divisions in Iraq as well setting the stage for an offensive on Iran

A Time for Disobedience: Faced with Bush's lockdown on information, reporters have to stand up

No reporters allowed at Lejeune hearing for Marine: The Marine Corps will bar journalists from the courtroom at Camp Lejeune from next week's investigatory hearing in the case of a lieutenant charged with murdering two Iraqis.

Naomi Klein On The Rise of Disaster Capitalism: "If the reconstruction industry is stunningly inept at rebuilding, that may be because rebuilding is not its primary purpose," writes Naomi Klein in the cover story of this week's Nation. "If anything, the stories of corruption and incompetence serve to mask this deeper scandal. Real Audio.

The Rise of Disaster Capitalism: The fires were still burning in Baghdad when US occupation officials rewrote the investment laws and announced that the country's state-owned companies would be privatized. Some have pointed to this track record to argue that Wolfowitz is unfit to lead the World Bank

In case you missed it: The War Party: Panorama investigates the "neo-conservatives", the small and unelected group of right-wingers, who critics claim have hijacked the White House. They brought us war against Iraq - what do the hawks in Washington have in store for us now? This is a must watch - Real Video.

Uncle Sam Would Be a Good Used Car Salesman: How America maintains its hegemony military and economically

Dirty Tricks Detailed by an Economic Hit Man: Before I read this book, I couldn't understand it either. In every country I've visited throughout the world, I have witnessed anti-American sentiment. I thought people were just ignorant and jealous of our wonderful nation.

Reports reveal Zarqawi nuclear threat : Recurrent intelligence reports say al Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi has obtained a nuclear device or is preparing a radiological explosive -- or dirty bomb -- for an attack, according to U.S. officials, who also say analysts are unable to gauge the reliability of the information's sources.

Galloway Forced to Flee Meeting after 'Death Threats' : Anti-war campaigner George Galloway was “threatened with death” by a gang of Islamic extremists, his spokesman said today.

Hearts, Minds, and Dollars : In an Unseen Front in the War on Terrorism, America is Spending Millions...To Change the Very Face of Islam

Religious bias claimed at Air Force Academy: The Air Force Academy, still recovering from rape and sexual harassment scandals, now is facing charges that some Christian cadets have bullied and berated Jews and students of other religious backgrounds.

Abbas accuses Israel of incitement : Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has complained that the Israeli government is inciting against him and that it has violated agreements reached at a summit in February.

West Bank villagers threatened with imminent expulsion: Aqaba villagers have long come to dread Asher's visits. On one past occasion, he had come to decree that the village's mosque and kindergarten were "illegally built" and had to be pulled down

U.S. and Israeli officials meet over disengagement funds : Israel has asked for indirect financial aid ahead of the disengagement, and the Bush administration has agreed to front Jerusalem a 3 billion-dollar financial guarantee until 2008

Lecturers may boycott Israeli academics : Israeli academics who refuse to condemn their government's actions in the occupied territories risk a boycott by the UK's leading lecturers' union.

Ousted Haitian President Aristide Accuses U.S. and France of Causing a "Black Holocaust": "We should not close our eyes on those who are behind the coup - yes the United States, the French. Clearly it's a failure of what they did a year ago using violence and as a consequence we have more violence in Haiti today," he said.

International Case Filed For Haitian former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune: Yvon Neptune, who was Haiti's last Constitutionally appointed Prime Minister, has been illegally imprisoned since June 2004. Mr. Neptune has yet to see a judge in his case, despite a Constitutional bar against holding detainees longer than 48 hours without judicial approval.

Many Venezuelans join "guerrilla armies", plan to fight: From street vendors to lawyers, thousands of Venezuelans are joining militia units created by the government to fight off anyone - especially U.S. troops - that tries to thwart President Hugo Chavez's socialist "Bolivarian revolution."

The Total and Shameless Chutzpah of Alan Dershowitz: The American historian Norman Finkelstein, whose book "The Holocaust Industry" provoked a fierce debate in Germany four years ago, is creating new furor.

Theologian calls for response to 9/11: David Ray Griffin asks the tough questions about Sept. 11, contending U.S. officials had some knowledge of what was coming and possibly orchestrated the attacks.

8 Taliban killed : Afghan forces and US-led warplanes and troops killed eight Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked rebels and captured 16 others following a gun battle in south eastern Afghanistan, officials said on Tuesday.

Afghanistan's Taliban launching coordinated attacks, says US: Afghanistan has recently seen some of its fiercest fighting for months with more than 30 "insurgents" linked to the ousted Islamic regime dying in firefights in the past week, according to officials

House Energy Bill Increases Tax Breaks: The House this week will consider $8 billion in tax breaks targeted to the energy industry at a time when some of those companies are enjoying soaring profits from high consumer prices.

Ted Rall: Police Perjurers: Throw Lying Cops Off the Force: In an Orwellian twist, the authorities even censored their own tapes to delete evidence of police lies.

Texas may have put innocent man to death, panel told: The execution of Willingham, convicted of the December 1991 arson fire that killed his three young daughters, was a focus of a hearing into a proposed innocence commission.

In case you missed it: New Pope: No to “preventive war”: Is the war that has been announced against Iraq a just war? “All I can do is invite you to read the Catechism,” Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger replied with a mischievous grin, “and the conclusion seems obvious to me

Arch-Conservative German Elected Pope: Arch-conservative German cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope on Tuesday in a surprise choice that delighted traditionalist Roman Catholics but stunned moderates hoping for a more liberal papacy.

Profile: Pope Benedict XVI: Ratzinger, once a teenage infantryman in the German army at the end of World War II, and then briefly an inmate in an U.S. prisoner-of-war camp

Berlusconi ally threatens split : Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government could be facing collapse, after a key ally threatened to leave the ruling coalition.

Paul Craig Roberts: A Greater Threat Than Terrorism: Outsourcing the American Economy

Security and interop issues cause EU biometric passport delays: The European Union has asked the US to put back its biometric passport deadline for another year, citing "data security and interoperability of reading devices" as issues that still needed to be resolved.

Israel arrests Netherlands consul : Israeli police have arrested one of the country's diplomats serving in the Netherlands for allegedly issuing passports in exchange for bribes.

0419/05 : Torture: The Dirty Business: Torture is a multinational industry – but its headquarters is in the USA.  Click here to view. Real Video

How Rich is Too Rich For Democracy?: At what point does great wealth held in a few hands actually harm democracy, threatening to turn a democratic republic into an oligarchy?

At least12 people killed in Iraq violence: Resistance fighters opened fire on members of Iraq's National Guard in Khaldiya, west of Baghdad, killing five people and wounding four. In Baghdad, a suicide car bomber killed four National Guards in the Athamiya district

Two Iraqi generals were gunned down in separate attacks

Legislator Allegedly Mistreated by U.S. : "What happened to me represents an insult to the whole National Assembly that was elected by the Iraqi people. This shows that the democracy we are enjoying is fake.

Marines Recount Dramatic Assault At Base Near Syria : The attack "demonstrates an extremely mature and capable insurgency," said Maj. John Reed, executive officer for the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, which commands U.S. troops here. "It showed its ability to mass a very complex attack very quickly."

Soldiers' 'Wish Lists' Of Detainee Tactics Cited: Intelligence officials to develop a list including open-hand strikes, closed-fist strikes, using claustrophobic techniques and a number of "coercive" techniques such as striking with phone books, low-voltage electrocution and inducing muscle fatigue.

Casualties of Colonial Wars: : To justify its continuing occupation of Iraq, Washington has endeavored to portray itself as the selfless protector of the Iraqi people who are menaced by ruthless terrorists. The corporate media has obliged.

A Math Lesson: The Killing of Nicola Calipari: According to the U.S. military, they fired warning shots within 2.7 seconds of flashing a warning light, and used "deadly force" 2.3 seconds after that.

Before You Mindlessly Tie Another Yellow Ribbon Round That Old Oak Tree: He died for our freedom? I wish someone would help me understand how killing innocent people in Iraq (and Afganistan) is keeping us free.

Counter-Recruiting in the Red Zone : With the military’s enlistment numbers dropping and a “counter-recruitment” movement becoming increasingly active in college towns and major urban centers, the battle for the hearts and minds of possible enlistees is spreading to the more conservative parts of the country, where the military draws a substantial amount of recruits.

Oregon Bill Would Require New Drivers to Automatically Register For Selective Service : House Bill 2575 (PDF of bill) would automatically register young men for Selective Service when they sign up for licenses or state identification cards.

National Guard Seeks to Pay $6M For Naming Rights of Major DC Sports Stadium: In its latest effort to boost the number of new recruits, the National Guard has reportedly signed a $6 million deal to buy the naming rights of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.

'The biggest corruption scandal in history.': In Iraq, allegations range from petty bribery to large-scale embezzlement, expropriation, profiteering and nepotism. The TI report says it could become "the biggest corruption scandal in history."

The Bayoil Indictment -- the Real Scandal: The neo-con team is brazenly acting as if Saddam did something wrong in selling Iraqi oil in violation of the United Nations embargo that we insisted by kept on for a dozen years after the 1991 Gulf War.

Almost 11 million children in developing countries die each year before the age of 5 : Most of them from causes that are preventable in wealthier countries, the World Bank said in a report released Sunday.

Wolfie's War on Poverty: Just wait till our oil companies' profits dip. You'll hear the sound of our tanks over there, and I don't mean gas tanks.

Drive the Wolf back to BUSH! : “Wolfowitz will kill more people from his position at the World Bank than he has done at the Pentagon!”

Source: Moussaoui Offers to Plead Guilty : Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person in the United States charged in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks, is offering for a second time to plead guilty and a federal judge is evaluating whether to accept the plea, a legal source said Tuesday.

Taliban kill eight Afghan soldiers, one driver

World terror risk 'on the rise' : Danger has risen in 31 nations, many of them in western Europe, insurance broker Aon says in a new risk map.

Secret FBI Report Highlights Domestic Terror: A secret FBI report, obtained by ABC News, identifies 22 domestic terror organizations as the current subjects of 338 active FBI field investigations.

In case yoyu missed it?: WMD Plot Uncovered In East Texas: Three people linked to white supremacist and anti-government groups are in custody. At least one weapon of mass destruction - a sodium cyanide bomb capable of delivering a deadly gas cloud - has been seized in the Tyler area.

Colin Powell's Former Chief Of Staff Calls John Bolton An "Abysmal" Pick To Be UN Ambassador

Air Safety: Extending the No-Fly Zone : Aviation sources say the list has grown to more than 31,000, up from 19,000 last September. And a little noticed incident on April 8, involving a Dutch KLM 747 flight from Amsterdam to Mexico City, may result in the list being used even more aggressively.

Homeland Security memo reveals terrorism records are being sanitized: The memo, issued on March 28 by a high-ranking official with DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), essentially orders supervisors in the field to sanitize terrorism-related case files maintained in a major law-enforcement computer system called TECS

Israel faces U.S. warning over plans to build 50 new homes in the West Bank: As Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon confirmed that he was postponing the start of withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Miqati forms new Lebanese cabinet: Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Miqati has formed a new government, paving the way for crucial legislative elections by a May deadline.

Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 04/18/05: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Argentine 'dirty war' suspect convicted and sentenced to 640 years in prison: His trial was Spain's first under a law that says crimes against humanity can be tried in this country - even if they are alleged to have been committed elsewhere.

Outreach To Islam : Delays in launching U.S. effort: The Bush administration's outreach to the Islamic world is in no hurry. And it includes no Muslims.

9th Circuit OKs Suit Against Vatican Over Holocaust: Just in time for the picking of a new pope, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Monday that Holocaust survivors can pursue the Vatican Bank for profiting from a Nazi puppet regime.

Sudan says "abundant" oil found in war torn Darfur: Drilling for oil has begun in Sudan's troubled Darfur region after preliminary studies showed there were abundant quantities of oil, a spokesman for the country's Energy Ministry said.

Evangelicals Cool to Bush's Focus on Social Security Accounts : ``How come he's not stumping across America defending marriage?'' said Burress, 63, an evangelical Christian and president of Citizens for Community Values in Ohio. ``Marriage is a whole lot more important than Social Security.'

General Motors Reports $1.1 Billion First-Quarter Loss: The world's largest automaker, said Tuesday it lost $1.1 billion in the first quarter, clobbered by rising health care costs, lukewarm response to some new models and special charges

Housing Starts Plunge: U.S. housing starts posted their steepest drop in more than 14 years in March, suggesting some cooling in the long-hot housing market, while producer prices rose steeply on surging energy costs.

Riding the Real-Estate Tsunami: The housing bubble, like the dot-com boom before it, has temporarily masked a mess of economic contradictions. As a result, the second term of George W. Bush may hold some first-class Shakespearian surprises.

Wholesale Prices Jump 0.7 Percent in March: It was the biggest jump in five months.

Dow Chemical Buys Silence in Michigan: Union Carbide's (now Dow's) pesticide plant exposed a half million people to the gases. It remains the worst industrial accident of all time, with an estimated 7,000 deaths and 190,000 injuries the first few days and over 15,000 claims of deaths to date.

Forty public policy groups have this in common: They seek to undermine the scientific consensus that humans are causing the earth to overheat. And they all get money from ExxonMobil.

How Companies Pay TV Experts For On-Air Product Mentions: Plugs Come Amid News Shows And Appear Impartial; Pacts Are Rarely Disclosed

04/18/05: John Pilger: Apologizing To Torturers: Can you imagine the BBC and other major broadcasters apologizing to a rogue regime which practices racism and ethnic cleansing; which has “effectively legalized the use of torture”

Orwell Rolls In His Grave: : "Could a media system, controlled by a few global corporations with the ability to overwhelm all competing voices, be able to turn lies into truth?..."This is a must see documentary. 

Iraq Tony And The Truth:: This is the story of what Mr. Blair did not tell us before sending British troops into battle.

Group says it killed three Iraqis: The Army of Ansar al-Sunna has said it abducted and shot dead three Iraqis working at a US base.

Two Iraqi policemen killed and six injured: A roadside bomb exploded as their two patrol vehicles drove through Basra in southern Iraq

One Soldier Killed, One Injured from IED Attack

People Around the World Mourn Marla Ruzicka's Tragic Death: It is with deep sadness and regret that I am writing to inform you that Marla died yesterday at the age of 29 in a suicide bomb attack. Faiz, her Iraqi partner, was also killed.

Video On Demand: Rita Williams Interview With Slain Activist Marla Ruzicka From Earlier This Year

U.S. forces abuse and torture female detainees in Iraq : Iraqi female detainees say that they have been illegally detained, raped and sexually humiliated by U.S. occupation forces.

No sign of hostages in Iraq's al-Madain: "The whole city is under control. We've secured houses where people said there were hostages. We could not find any. I don't think we'll find any," said Iraqi Brigadier-General Muhammad Sabri Latif on Monday.

Sadr warns Iraq against 'foolish action' over Madain: The three-day standoff around Madain, fueled by rumors, suspicion and sharply conflicting reports, had threatened to spiral into all-out national crisis as Sunnis and Shiites negotiate on the formation of a new government.

Riverbend: Iraqi Girl Blog: The Hostage Crisis...: We have an Iraqi government that bans news channels and newspapers because they *insist* on reporting about such routine things as civilian casualties and raids, yet the Puppets barely flinch over media sources spreading a rumor as dangerous and provocative as this one.

Iraq militias 'could beat rebels' : Iraq's new president has said the insurgency could be ended immediately if the authorities made use of Kurdish, Shia Muslim and other militias.

In Iraq, Security in Name Only: The new police force is largely untrained, frequently unreliable, and all too ready to abuse civilians. How can U.S. troops hand over control?

U.S. Troops Engage in War of Words in Iraq : It's just spray-painted graffiti, but the writing on the wall gets the attention of U.S. troops: "Warning to all policemen: You will be killed." Soldiers then storm into the compound, demanding the owners erase the death threat against the Americans' Iraqi allies.

Shiite Bloc Want Saddam-era officials removed: Part of a purge that the United States fears could oust thousands of the most capable Iraqis from military and intelligence forces it has spent more than $5 billion rebuilding.

Fire Bombs in Iraq: Napalm By Any Other Name: This briefing examines the continuing use of incendiary weapons by the US military in Iraq. US officials have been forced to admit using the MK-77 incendiary, a modern form of napalm, at least during the initial fighting stage of the war.

The Purveyors of Violence; The NY Times in Falluja : The truth about Falluja is far different than the bogus reports in the AP and Times. The fact that even now, a full 6 months after the siege, camera crews and journalists are banned from the city, tells us a great deal about the extent of America's war crimes.

Not There: Iraqi Vetran Speaks Out: QuickTime Movie

UN must reform or die, says Rice : She said John Bolton, a long-time critic of the UN and nominated as the next US ambassador to the body, would help update, reform and strengthen it.

Succeeding in the Bush White House: It appears the easiest route to success in the Bush White House was to be at the centre of a war that was waged under false pretences, then mismanaged from the day Saddam's statue was toppled two years ago.

Wanted: Complete Bully for U.N. Ambassador: John Bolton has left a trail of alienated colleagues and ridiculed ideas. He's a shoo-in for Senate confirmation.

Bolton often blocked information, officials say: Iran, IAEA matters were allegedly kept from Rice, Powell

'He behaved like a madman: My horrifying John Bolton story': Melody Townsel was stationed in Kyrgyzstan on a US AID project. During her stay there, she became embroiled in a controversy in which John Bolton was a key player. She described the incident in a letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee members who are reviewing the Bolton nomination.

UK: War: the great unknown among election issues : Last week's Guardian poll showed a measly 3% of voters citing the Iraq conflict as the main factor in determining their choice.

U.S. welcomes Cuban terrorist: In 1976, Posada allegedly plotted with another exile now living comfortably in the U.S., Orlando Bosch, to bomb a civilian Cubana jetliner; 73 passengers and crew members were blown to bits.

Cuba requests independent probe into US detention center at Guantanamo: The Cuban resolution also calls for the United States to allow UN special envoys on torture and arbitrary detention to visit detention facilities at the naval base.

Released Kuwaiti Describes Imprisonment at Camp Delta: Nasser Nijer Naser Al-Mutairi says he survived three years at the US Naval Base on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, amid hunger strikes, beatings, harsh interrogations and suicide attempts

Soldiers who killed Rafah youths didn't aim at legs : The soldiers who killed three Palestinian youths in Rafah nine days ago shot to kill and did not aim their weapons at the lower parts of the victims' bodies as military sources originally claimed, according to the findings of a probe conducted by the Israel Defense Forces.

Israel: Reactor employees seek damages: Workers from the Dimona and Sorek nuclear reactors are claiming they are getting sick with cancer due to negligence by administrators at the reactors and violations of safety regulations.

Israel resumes use of naked screening: Israeli occupation forces in the southern Gaza Strip have resumed a controversial method of screening Palestinians travelling through the Rafah border crossing.

Israelis: U.S. Derailed Jet Development : The United States has frozen Israel out of the development of a prestigious jet fighter as punishment for its military cooperation with China, Israeli defense industry executives said Sunday.

ADL Poll: Americans Want to Kill Iranians : Polls are curious things. You can achieve the desired result if you word questions a certain way. Consider the following paragraph:

Bush administration 'broke its own embargo to sell arms to Haiti police' : Human rights groups say the police carry out routine executions of dissidents and weapons are often illegally funnelled to armed militia.

The UN Security Council Goes To Haiti To Stop The Call For Resignation Of The Latortue Regime : Will the U.N. Security Council hear the people of Haiti or turn a deaf ear, blind eye and unwisely and undemocratically continue pushing for an election the Haitian majority has said it will not stand for unless President Aristide is physically returned to Haiti,

Guard recruiters shunned : The National Guard clearly has become a hard sell. Because of the war in Iraq, the free tuition and other benefits are no longer attractive. Instead of a relatively safe, part-time commitment, it's viewed as a one-way ticket to the battlefield. Some critics have labeled it the "backdoor draft."

Jeremy Hinzman Leads Way For War Resisters In Canada: Initial Denial of Refugee Status Only a Bump in the Road

Torment lingers in OK City: Congress left us high and dry, families say: What is the value of an American life claimed by terrorists? The answer, it turns out, depends on where and when you die

Redundant Ridge retools for RFIDs: The increasing blur between big business and government (think Cheney/Halliburton and Bush Snr/Carlyle Group) has been made more hazy with the recent appointment of Tom Ridge, the former minister of fear - or secretary for homeland security - to the board of directors at radio frequency identification manufacturers Savi Technology.

Marriage Made On K Street: - Since 1998, Savi Technology has won more than $100 million in Pentagon contracts for battery-powered radio-frequency identification tags to track military shipments, according to the Center for Public Integrity, an independent watchdog group.

Corporate welfare: The Bush administration has no problem holding public schools accountable for their performance. It should be at least as vigilant in measuring and disclosing the results of giving away the public's money to big business.

Students paid for tattling on peers: Students can earn up to $500 for alerting school officials about firearms. They can get up to $100 for fingering classmates involved in vandalism, theft or drugs.

Battlespace America : The new Pentagon can peruse intelligence on U.S.citizens and send Marines down Main Street.

04/17/05: Secret Agent: Rumsfeld Sneaks Off to Baku: Unreported in U.S. press, he stalks oil and Iran in Azerbaijan

Orwell Rolls In His Grave: "Could a media system, controlled by a few global corporations with the ability to overwhelm all competing voices, be able to turn lies into truth?..."This is a must see documentary. Click here to watch it now! Real Video.

Further Evidence Regarding the Killing of ( CIA Director - Iraq )Dale Stoffel

How The CIA Looted $40 Billion Of Military Equipment From Iraq

Roadside bomb kills three Iraqis north of Baghdad : "The bomb blasted at 8:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) in the town of Duluiyah as a civilian car passed by, killing two police officers and a civilian,"

Three people including U.S. Aid worker killed in Baghdad: AN American humanitarian worker was among three people killed in a suicide car bomb attack on a convoy travelling on Baghdad's airport road, the US embassy said.

Three U.S. Troops Killed in Iraqi City of Ramadi: Seven servicemen were also wounded in the attack, three of them seriously, the military said in a statement.

Iraqi troops call halt to Maidan assault: Iraqi troops battling in a town near Baghdad to rescue Shia hostages held by Sunni fighters, have halted their offensive after meeting fierce resistance, government officials said.

Mystery Shrouds Hostage Crisis in Iraqi Town: US-backed Iraqi troops launched on Sunday, April 17, an operation to rescue Shiites reportedly held hostage by militants in Al-Madaen town, with some locals charging the whole thing was a fabricated prelude for a Fallujah-like onslaught.

Intelligence reports undercut US claims of Iraq-Qaeda link: top US senator: A top Democratic senator released formerly classified documents that he said undercut top US officials' pre-Iraq war claims of a link between Saddam Hussein's regime and the Al-Qaeda terror network.

In case you missed it: Tony Benn: Time for change: It is beginning to become apparent that the greatest threat to world peace may not really be individual terrorists but the United States Administration itself

Lesser-Evilism Grips Britain: The Chancellor of the Exchequer and pretender to the throne, has, according to his biographer Richard Peston, told Blair that, "There is nothing you could say to me now that I could ever believe."

Don't mention the war : New Labour is churning out misinformation about Iraq as the election nears

With poison in their souls : The demonisation of the ricin suspects by politicians and the media smacks of Salem

Robert Fisk: Our presidents and prime ministers are poseurs. Where are the Great Men of today? Bush may think he is Churchill, but he cannot really compare himself to his dad, let alone to our Winston

Draft Them All Now: "The only way to change the minds of flag-waving American patriots would be the maiming or death of their own children in Bush’s insane foreign adventures."

Reports Rock Support for U.N. Nominee: Confirmation for John R. Bolton seems less sure after new charges arise that he tried to have an analyst fired. Democrats are probing more cases.

Is The U.S. Vulnerable In The Persian Gulf: The myth of US invincibility

Bush’s Vision Of Arab Democracy Vs Two Reports: Two new reports on economics (“Arab World Competitiveness Report 2005”) and politics (“Towards Freedom in the Arab World,” launched in Amman, Jordan on April 5, 2005) in the Arab states dramatized what all astute observers already knew: the Arab region is a mess and US policies have exacerbated the situation.

Indonesians Hold Anti-Israel Protests : More than 100,000 people held anti-Israel protests Sunday in the Indonesian capital and several other cities, calling for protection of Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site - the disputed Al Aqsa Mosque compound.

A wall's a wall : The US president knew very well that he had to go through the exercise of publicly admonishing Sharon while being fully aware that Israel does only what it wants and would brush aside American pressure — if there indeed such a thing — and go about its way.

Apartheid Wall and Settlements - On The Ground Realaties: Israeli peace activist and documentary producer Jeff Halper, addresses the current situation. Using charts and maps he delves into what it is that Sharon has actually been up to, why, and how this determines the solutions to the conflict that are now possible. You are going to be surprised by what he says. This is a must watch. Real Video

Uri Avnery: The Hundred Days of Abu Mazen : Bush needs Abu Mazen no less than Abu Mazen needs Bush. The American president must prove to his public that his military adventures have created a new, free and democratic Middle East.

Egyptian MPs Sue Sharon: Members of the Egyptian Parliament filed on Wednesday a lawsuit against Israel and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon demanding compensation for the killings and torture of thousands of Egyptian prisoners of war during the 1956 and 1967 wars.

Tehran says Israel in no position to threaten action against Iran : Iran on Sunday rejected calls by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for an international coalition against Iran, saying Israel was not in a position to threaten Iran.

The Case Against Alan Dershowitz : Alan Dershowitz is particularly outspoken and taken quite seriously within certain segments of the North American mainstream. Whether he deserves to be taken seriously is another issue altogether.

Anonymity is the road to nothingness : Victims in the Iraq war are daily "dampened down" and categorised as collateral damage. Give them personality, shape, name and a reference point in society and in conscience you couldn't bomb them. Killing somebody's daughter, mother, girlfriend or baby cuts too near the bone.

The CIA's Kidnapping Ring: U.S. ally Uzbekistan teaches interrogators how to boil suspected terrorists to death

In case you missed it: Our Presidents New Best Friend Boils People Alive: - WARNING - Pictures should only be viewed by a mature audience

Taliban bomb trucks carrying oil for U.S. military: - A bomb planted by Taliban rebels destroyed five trucks carrying oil for the U.S. military in Afghanistan and wounded three drivers, a senior Afghan army official said.

U.S. cleric is being tried in nation's terror court:  The defendant maintains his innocence, and his supporters argue the charges are clear evidence of an anti-Muslim bias by the government.

William Pfaff : Empty threats over China: Taiwan would be more likely to face an Israeli than a European menace, since Israel has for some years been China's most important supplier of advanced military technology.

Koreans expose US plan of action: SOUTH Korea's National Security Council has disclosed it recently vetoed a US plan to mobilise a joint military operation in the event of North Korea's internal collapse.

Chavez Frias warns that CIA plans to stop him winning in 2006: US Joint Chief of Staff, General Myers' visit last week to Colombia is part of the plan, Chavez Frias quips, and his declaration that the USA had no plans to invade Venezuela is more dangerous that if he had said the opposite

Venezuela tightens grip on Western Oil Companies – tax evasion charges planned : According to media reports from Venezuela, the Venezuelan Energy Ministry said on April 14th that it is beginning a full-scale tax investigation into all foreign firms operating in the oil industry and is expecting to get some $2 billion back once the "tax evasion" investigations are complete

Nicaraguan Banana Workers Poisoned : Tell Dow, Shell and Dole to Pay Up: A Nicaraguan court ruled on December 11, 2002, that Dow, Shell and Dole had to pay US$490 million to affected banana workers from the Department of Chinandega, but the companies have yet to pay one cent to the plaintiffs.

Castro urges US to deny asylum to Cuban militant : Cuban leader Fidel Castro urged on Thursday the US government not to give asylum to a Cuban militant involved in a Cuban plane bombing that killed 73 people in 1976, local reports said Friday.

Australia softens illegal immigration laws : The government's tough stand against illegal immigration and people smuggling has helped Howard win four straight elections and has become a model policy for Britain's opposition Conservative Party.

Morally bankrupt?: AMERICA leads the world in many fields, but perhaps most commandingly in bankruptcy. Last year, in Britain, which enjoys Europe’s most debtor-friendly bankruptcy laws, 35,898 people filed for bankruptcy protection. In the United States that figure was 1.6m—around nine times higher per capita

A Bankrupt Way To Do Business: They put huge deficits on plastic for our grandkids to pay. They sell us out to predatory lenders. They're the Credit Card Congress.

Florida Privatizes Child Welfare Programs : The deal Friday with Our Kids Inc. gives the group the right to handle all foster care, adoption and child welfare licensing operations in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, where about 5,000 children are now under state care.

Decoded at last: the 'classical holy grail' that may rewrite the history of the world: Scientists begin to unlock the secrets of papyrus scraps bearing long-lost words by the literary giants of Greece and Rome

04/16/05: 150 hostages and 19 deaths leave US claims of Iraqi 'peace' in tatters: The upsurge in violence across Iraq in the past four days has left claims made by the Pentagon that the tide is turning in Iraq and there are hopeful signs of a return to normality in tatter

3 Die as Ethnic Clashes Erupt in Iran: Fighting has flared between ethnic Arabs and Iranian security forces in a province bordering Iraq

Rebels Threatening to Kill 60 Hostages: Sunni Rebels in the town of Madaen, near Baghdad, have taken at least 60 Shiite inhabitants hostage. They are demanding that all Shiites leave the town. Otherwise the hostage will be killed.

Bid to resolve Iraq hostage drama fails: A spokesman for Muqtada al-Sadr, Shaikh Abd al-Hadi al-Daraji, denied that the incident had taken place at all and said no hostages had been taken.

Army surrounds hostage town: IRAQI soldiers have surrounded a town south of Baghdad where gunmen, believed to be Sunni militants, are holding scores of Shiite residents hostage and have threatened to kill them unless all Shiites leave.

Iraq raid to free Shia hostages : Iraqi and US troops have launched an operation in the central Iraqi town of Madain, where Sunni rebels are holding a number of Shia residents hostages.

Fallujah: Dresden in Iraq : The assault of November 2004 resulted in the near-total destruction of the city, as well as the deaths of thousands of non-insurgent Iraqi civilians.

Charley Reese : An Unjust War : Both the Republicans and the Democrats are committed to an imperialistic policy. Nor was the war against Iraq the first instance of unprovoked and illegal acts of aggression. We invaded Grenada and Panama, and launched aerial attacks against Libya and Serbia.

Blood for Oil?: Retort , a group of writers and activists, considers whether oil was the reason for the invasion of Iraq

Foreign fighters small part of resistance: The U.S. military is detaining hundreds of foreign fighters in Iraq representing 25 countries, a senior U.S. military official said Friday in Baghdad. Still, the vast majority of resistance fighters are Iraqis.

Sexual Violence Against Iraqi Women By U.S. Occupying Forces: A Briefing Paper Presented to The United Nations Commission on Human Rights 2005 Session March Geneva

In case you missed it: Eyes Wide Open. Flash presentation.

In case you missed it: The Nature Of True Patriotism: Let the patriots of the United States join the Iraqi and Palestinian people in their struggle for justice and Self-determination and begin to erase the infamous crimes that the foreign policies of the United States have perpetrated supposedly in their name.

US warns of 'desperate' Taleban : The head of US forces in Afghanistan says the Taleban are "desperate" and "dangerous" and could try to mount a high-profile attack soon.

U.S. Army friendly fire report stays secret: The U.S. Army said yesterday that at the family's request, it will not make public a new report on Corporal Pat Tillman's 2004 death in Afghanistan that confirmed the former professional football player was killed by friendly fire.

Ricin: The plot that never was: A deadly poison said to be at the heart of a terrorist conspiracy against Britain led to a dire warning of another al-Qa'ida attack in the West. The Government was swift to act on the fear that such a find generated. But, as Severin Carrell and Raymond Whitaker report, far from being a major threat, the real danger existed only in the mind of a misguided individual living in a dingy north London bedsit

I n case you missed it: Video: The Power of Nightmares: This is a must watch documentary

Bush Administration Eliminating International Terrorism Report : The State Department decided to stop publishing an annual report on international terrorism after the government's top terrorism center concluded that there were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than in any year since 1985, the first year the publication covered.

Israeli Envoy to Visit Pollard Amid Rumors of Bush-Sharon Deal : A visit to Jonathan Pollard by Israel's U.S. Ambassador has been rumored as part of a deal between Sharon and Bush that would free Pollard after more Israeli withdrawals from Gaza.

Behind The Smoke Screen Of The Gaza Pullout : Behind the smoke screen of disengagement, a process of slow and hidden transfer is being carried out in the West Bank today. It is not easy to judge which method of “transferring” people from their land is crueler.

Haiti police and UN peacekeepers kill up to 10 gunmen: The operation, involving 160 Jordanian peacekeepers and several dozen Haitian police, came a day after bandits shot dead a U.N. soldier from the Philippines

U.N. Peacekeeper Killed in Haiti Gunfight : U.N. peacekeepers and diplomats mourned a Filipino soldier killed as U.N. forces pushed into a volatile slum controlled by heavily armed gangs loyal to deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Ecuador political crisis deepens : Ecuador's President Lucio Gutierrez has fired the Supreme Court and declared a state of emergency in the capital, in a bid to resolve a political crisis.

Colombia pursues US troop cocaine smuggling case: Colombia's defence minister has said a deal giving US soldiers immunity from prosecution was amendable, as law-makers want to charge five US soldiers suspected of cocaine smuggling.

In case you missed it: US Military Bases in Latin America and the Caribbean : Military bases in Latin America and the Caribbean are an interlocking web that supports U.S. objectives for securing access to markets, controlling narcotics flow, and obtaining natural resources, especially oil.

Mercenaries 'fuel W African wars' : The report warns war will continue to be seen as an economic opportunity unless alternatives are provided.

The new American Bankruptcy law: Economic Slavery for consumers and small business owners : Why you should not borrow or take mortgage so easily in America

How Did Your Representative Vote?: A list of the 73 democrats who sold out consumers 

Old Glory isn't what she used to be: The new America is a land of powerful frauds who still know the language of democracy and the pull of patriotism but have long since stopped living their realities. Patriotism has become a tool rather than a creed.

Helen Caldicott : Nuclear power is the problem, not a solution: THERE is a huge propaganda push by the nuclear industry to justify nuclear power as a panacea for the reduction of global-warming gases.

Authorities free 1 million amid proceedings: One million people facing immigration proceedings have been released into the general population, the government's chief of detention and removal told the Senate yesterday , prompting some Republicans to say the Bush administration is "not serious" about the problem.

04/15/05 Scare stories about terrorist threat blown away: Evidence prosecution lawyers tried to link to Afghanistan and al-Qaeda in trials of terrorist suspects has been shown to be false.

Bombs kill six in northern Iraq: Roadside bombs kill three Iraqi soldiers in Balad, two policemen near Tuz, foreign truck driver in Al-Dujail.

Roadside bombs kill one, injure eight in Iraqi capital : Militants exploded three bombs Friday in the Iraqi capital, killing at least one civilian and wounding eight others

Marine killed by enemy mortar fire

What I Didn't See in Iraq: "Trust me when I tell you things are so much better in Iraq," said one US military official to me on my recent visit to that war-ravaged country. I didn't know whether to scream or pull the remaining two strands of hair out of my head.

"Once We were Ruled by a Dictator; Now We are Ruled by Clowns": The President, who maintains a supermodel's appetite for reading, has no recognition of history that most Arabs possess.

Military Recruiting Slips Among Foreigners : The number of foreign nationals enlisting in the U.S. military is dropping, even though service now provides a fast track to American citizenship

Iraqi refugees in mortal fear at home can't get entry into United States: Alyaa hoped to find a haven in the United States but discovered the State Department isn't resettling refugees from Iraq. She's lost her faith in the country she once loved.

In case you missed it: Secrets And Lies: Former Australian Intelligence Officer Goes Public

Sharon: Won't attack Iran's nuke program: Sharon told CNN he did not see "unilateral action" as an option. He said Israel does not need to take a leading role in attempts to deny nuclear weapons to Iran and called again for an international coalition to deal with the issue.

Rice Hews to Diplomatic Approach on Iran: Taking the issue to the U.N. Security Council could mean imposing economic penalties on Iran, but the United States could be blocked by a veto.

Kurds prepare for guerrilla war in Iran : Kurdish fighters dedicated to overthrowing the Iranian Government are hiding out in the mountains of northern Iraq, waiting for a chance to strike at Tehran.

US and UK blamed for oil scandal : The US and Britain are partly to blame for the scandal enveloping the UN oil-for-food programme, Secretary General Kofi Annan has said.

Italy, U.S. Disagree Over Agent Shooting : The U.S. State Department said the investigation was ongoing and denied an NBC report that the U.S.-Italian commission had completed a preliminary report clearing the Americans of any wrongdoing in the killing.

Negroponte gets committee's nod : Under the intelligence restructuring law, Negroponte will have control over the national intelligence budget, which is roughly 70 percent of the $40 billion the United States spends on intelligence

John Bolton vs. Democracy: "Im with the Bush-Cheney team, and I'm here to stop the count." Those were the words John Bolton yelled as he burst into a Tallahassee library on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2000, where local election workers were recounting ballots cast in Florida's disputed presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

Members of Congress Adress MEK Convention: The MEK has been listed as a terrorist organization by the State Department since 1997

Detained Without Charge: Several weeks ago, two 16 year-old Muslim girls, one from Bangladesh and the other from Guinea, were arrested in New York City on the specious grounds that they were potential suicide bombers. Neither of the girls has been formally charged with any crime, but both have been detained indefinitely in facilities far away from their homes and families.

Canada cited for deporting to torture states: Governments that deport suspected terrorists to countries known to torture detainees are either breathtakingly naive or complicit in the abuse if they rely on promises of humane treatment, a new report concludes.

UN group condemns Israeli settlements : The UN Human Rights Commission has passed a resolution condemning Israel's settlement of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, saying Israel should reverse the policy.

Who has the time to hear of hunger in the Gaza Strip?: The eve of Passover is nigh, and there's shopping to be done for the holiday feast; who has the time for unemployment and idleness among the Arabs, or talk of hunger that is driving the Strip youth to acts of despair?

Hanan Ashrawi: The Changing Palestinian Political Landscape: "Palestinians expect the American president to develop a political backbone [so as] to tell Israel it has gone too far,"

U.S. Suspends Israel from Warplane Project - Paper: The United States has suspended Israel from joint efforts to produce a new warplane, in protest at the Jewish state's defense dealings with China

Syrian gunman infiltrates IDF outpost on the Golan Heights: It was later reported that his shotgun may have been loaded with blanks.

UK: Democracy in danger : Almost without question, there will be frauds committed and again, almost without question, the overwhelming majority of these frauds will favour the Labour party.

Greetings from Mexistan: As democracy goes south of the border, the Bush administration is notably silent.

Bush silent as top terrorist seeks US asylum: “If you harbor terrorists, you are a terrorist,” But the Bush administration is itself harboring a notorious terrorist, wanted for the mid-flight bombing of a Cuban civilian airliner as well as other deadly attacks on civilian targets and attempted assassinations.

A stick to beat Cuba : US bullying of the UN human rights group must stop

Washington Focuses on Southern 'Axis of Evil': To some critics, the campaign against Chavez and other radicals could well prove counter-productive.

The Rise of Disaster Capitalism: If anything, the stories of corruption and incompetence serve to mask this deeper scandal: the rise of a predatory form of disaster capitalism that uses the desperation and fear created by catastrophe to engage in radical social and economic engineering.

U.S. Representatives Vote For Debt-Slavery Bankruptcy Bill : If Democrats really want their party's behavior to advance the interests of the American people instead of the elite corporate bribeocrats, we must hold our Representatives and Senators personally accountable for every vote cast in favor of this terrible bankruptcy bill.

Bankruptcy Bill Opponents - Hold Accountable Those Who Voted For This Bill

Screw you, Paul Volker : "I don't know whether change will come with a bang or a whimper, whether sooner or later. But as things stand, it is more likely than not that it will be financial crises rather than policy foresight that will force the change" Former Federal Reserve Chairman, Paul Volker

Is America going broke?: The United States of America's public finances are a shambles. They're getting rapidly worse. And if something major isn't done soon to solve the country's intractable budget problems, the world will face an economic shakeup unlike anything ever seen before.

Congress Approves Bankruptcy Overhaul : The House passed legislation today intended to make it harder for tens of thousands of consumers to wipe out debt through bankruptcy, clearing the way for President Bush to sign the bill into law.

Drug prices outstrip inflation: Compared with 2003 wholesale prices, the average 2004 price increase was 2½ times the general inflation rate

04/14/05: A Pornographic Celebration Of Death: Scribes heralded the rapid ascension of John Paul to a saintly throne, while the gang of international Pharisees, led by George Bush, sat shoulder-to-shoulder in ring-side seats beside those whom they planned to kill as soon as the show was over.

Attacks in Iraq leave at least 26 dead: Eight more people, including seven police officers, have died in shooting incidents around the country today.

US soldier killed in fighting : The soldier was killed while engaging anti-US forces in Ramadi

National Guard soldier killed by sniper: Twenty-one-year-old John Miller of West Burlington was killed yesterday. He was a member of Company A 224th Battalion of Burlington.

American businessman held hostage in Iraq: Jeffrey J. Ake, 47 years old, from La Porte, Indiana, appeared on Al-Jazeera television, beseeching the US government to withdraw troops from Iraq and save his life.

CIA's secret kidnappings : The media took little notice of this bipartisan move to try and end the administration's outsourcing of torture - which President Bush continually says is not happening, despite mounting evidence from human rights organizations, freed tortured detainees, and journalists worldwide.

Court unseals Passaro papers: Tenet, Gonzales on witness list: A former CIA contractor accused of beating an Afghan prisoner plans to call former agency Director George Tenet and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as witnesses to aid his defense that he was acting under government authority.

Guantanamo Detainee Suing US to Get Video of Alleged Torture : A detainee at a U.S. military prison alleges that U.S. military guards jumped on his head until he had a stroke that paralyzed his face, nearly drowned him in a toilet and later broke several of his fingers, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court.

Guantanamo detainees tortured: Lawyers for six men arrested in Bosnia and detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp sued the federal government Wednesday, leveling new allegations of abuse and torture by U.S. forces.

Pentagon's war spending hard to track: watchdog: The department "doesn't have a system to be able to determine with any degree of reliability and specificity how we spent" tens of millions in war-related emergency funds set aside by Congress

Tariq Ali on Political Activism from Pakistan to Vietnam to Iraq: A conversation with writer and activist Tariq Ali on more than four decades at the forefront of the antiwar movement.

Venezuela Issues Extradition Request for "Terrorist" in U.S.: : Venezuela’s Vice-President, José Vicente Rangel, said, “We going to step up our demands for extradition.” “I hope Mr. Bush will take note of his own anti-terrorism policies and hand over Posada Carriles,”

Ex-Panamanian president faces accusations of corruption: Some Panamanians had expected her to abscond, and for awhile she was back in Miami, seemingly trying to duck the allegations of corruption and mismanagement of public funds that dogged her four years in the presidency.

Bolton and Negroponte Nominations : Dramatic examples of the U.S.’s failed Latin American policy and the Bush administration’s disdain for international norms.

We must not move on : Given his record in Honduras, John Negroponte should have no difficulty spotting terrorists

US: Iran is years from nuclear arms : US officials confirmed on Wednesday that Iran's nuclear ambitions were discussed by President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at their Texas summit on Monday.

Israeli Blackjack with Iran: Sharon Tries to Pawn Off Fake Photos of Iran's "Nuclear Installations":

Israeli soldiers kill militant, straining truce : Palestinians said Israeli undercover troops jumped from a car and started shooting without provocation, hitting the militant in an ensuing gunbattle. Soldiers took him to an Israeli hospital, where he died of his wounds.

Israeli officer cleared in shooting: Witnesses said Israeli occupation forces shot him at close range, although he wore journalist insignia and waved a white flag.

Britain's double game: The British government assisted a leading company in the UK to obtain a lucrative contract with Israel which violates UK policy and international law on the status of Occupied East Jerusalem

Unanswered Questions: Due process and Dr Kelly: Mistrust in the present UK government is not exclusively due to the lies, distortions and distractions surrounding the Iraq WMD claims, and the legal advice about going to war with Iraq.

Robert Fisk: Lebanon delays its election despite US demands : This is far more serious than it might appear. While the country remains leaderless, the possibility of further provocations to restart the 1975-90 civil war grows.

Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 04/13/05: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Peacekeepers knowingly gunned down civilians in Congo: The human rights group Justice Plus listed names of several alleged civilian victims from a March 1 raid in eastern Congo and said they "paid with their life, while the mandate of the United Nations was to protect them."

Rouge justice: Strongman Hun Sen is a former Khmer Rouge. Today he poses as a statesman - the longest-serving prime minister in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. 

Texan, 2 Others Charged in Iraq Oil Kickback Scheme: A Texas businessman and two of his companies were charged with paying secret kickbacks to Iraq in a federal indictment unsealed on Thursday as part of an investigation into the scandal-plagued U.N. oil-for-food program.

In case you missed it: Saddam's desperate offers to stave off war : In the few weeks before its fall, Iraq's Ba'athist regime made a series of increasingly desperate peace offers to Washington, promising to hold elections and even to allow US troops to search for banned weapons. But the advances were all rejected by the Bush administration, according to intermediaries involved in the talks.

Neocon 101: Some basic questions answered: What do neoconservatives believe? - More on "neoconservatives"

The ricin ring that never was : Yesterday's trial collapse has exposed the deception behind attempts to link al-Qaida to a 'poison attack' on London

Courting Armageddon : How the Bush Administration's Biological Weapons Buildup Affects You

Special Guard Units Prepare for Domestic Terrorism: The National Guard is preparing for domestic terrorism, not just attacks from foreigners. Special teams from the Northwest are training this week at a facility in the Tri-cities.

Is America Preparing for Martial Law?: The Department of Homeland Security recently carried out an extensive anti-terrorist exercise entitled TOPOFF 3 (April 4-8, 2005). The "drill" was described by officials as "a multilayered approach to improving North American security".

US drugs war in Colombia a dismal failure : The war on drugs being waged by the US administration on Colombian territory with the help of the government of President Alvaro Uribe has suffered a serious reverse.

Study: Inmates suffer during lethal injections: Inadequate anesthesia may cause 4 in 10 to stay conscious

America's finest rivers awash with raw sewage: Last year more than 860bn gallons of untreated sewage was poured into US rivers, making millions of people ill and causing widespread environmental damage. At the same time the Bush administration is planning to lower clean water standards.

04/13/05: Man's Claims May Be a Look at Dark Side of War on Terror: Masri said he was kidnapped in Macedonia, beaten by masked men, blindfolded, injected with drugs and flown to Afghanistan, where he was imprisoned and interrogated by U.S. intelligence agents

Look For Media Labels: Repetition is key to successful advertising. The American media uses repeated arbitrary labeling in its supposedly impartial coverage in a deliberate campaign to alter public perception. 

Bomb kills 12 Iraqi guards near Kirkuk: Twelve Iraqi guards have been killed after a bomb exploded while they were dismantling what appeared to be a decoy roadside bomb near Kirkuk.

Blast near Baghdad Green Zone kills five: A car bomb exploded near a U.S. convoy outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Wednesday, killing five Iraqis and slightly wounding four American contractors, the U.S. military said.

Militants attack police convoy in northern Iraq : In a separate incident, US soldiers on a checkpoint near Dowr opened fire at a civilian car, wounding Lie. Col. Hussein Ahmed and another policeman, the statement said.

Suicide car bomb hits US military convoy in Baghdad : A suicide car bomb blew up Wednesday at a US military convoy near Baghdad International Airport, causing casualties among US forces and Iraqi civilians, witnesses said.

Video shows US captive in Iraq: An American citizen who was taken captive in Iraq on Sunday has pleaded for his life in a video broadcast on Aljazeera.

Complaints Greet Rice Deputy in Fallujah : Zoellick, the top deputy to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was confined to a caravan of armored transport vehicles - except for a meeting with civic leaders at a fortified military compound. Marines said the security situation in Fallujah remained tenuous, although daily attacks were down.

Don't be fooled by the spin on Iraq : The US is failing - and hatred of the occupation greater than ever.

The Battle For Al-Qaim : The U.S. Version: "Insurgents" Attack U.S. Base In Iraq : "Insurgents" claiming links to al Qaeda tried to overrun a U.S. Marine base near the Syrian border Monday using gunmen, suicide car bombs and a firetruck loaded with explosives, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

The Battle For Al-Qaim : The Iraq Version: Resistance fighters take over Al-Qaim : Fierce fighting erupted since 7am. More than 70 'Iraqi policemen' deserted their positions. An influx of 150-200 Resistance fighters from the neighboring cities of Hit, Haditha and Fallujah join the battle, including 16 women Resistance fighters.

Iraqis 'suffer a lack of rights' : The United Nations special envoy to Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, has told the UN Security Council that greater attention needs to be paid to human rights there.

Cover the Insurgents, Go to Prison (or Worse) : The international press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders is calling on the U.S. government to release a CBS cameraman it shot last week while he was covering a gunfight in Mosul. When he was shot, the Iraqi freelancer was armed with only his camera.

Abu Ghraib convict breaks silence: A key figure in the Abu Ghraib detainee abuse scandal has given Army investigators a lengthy sworn statement accusing others of misconduct at the Iraq prison.

Scott Ritter: Semper Fraud, Senator Roberts : "Semper Fi," Senator. "Always Faithful." The words roll out easily; but faithful to what? You are the epitome of faithfulness to your party – less so to the Constitution

Post-Traumatic Stress: "I had to pick up several of my friends piece by piece. I had to kill women, children, old men - everyone."

Italian Journalist: U.S. Lied : Journalist and former hostage Giuliana Sgrena says that the American military is lying about the shooting at a security checkpoint in Iraq that wounded her and killed an Italian intelligence officer.

UK: Big rise in deserters 'fuelled by Iraq war' : The number of soldiers to desert the army or go absent without leave has more than doubled over the past year, the Ministry of Defence has revealed.

Lebanon PM Resigns: Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister quit on Wednesday, abandoning efforts to form a government to lead the country to general elections, but said there was still time to hold the poll on time in May.

On the Wrong Side of History: This media is actually serving the cause of the totalitarians who are out there to kill hundreds and thousands of people, occupy other countries, establish concentration camps abroad and pass draconian legislations at home only for protecting their personal interests and promoting their religious fantasies.

Terrorist sneaks across U.S. border: Despite the presence of vigilantes on the Arizona border, a major international terrorist has apparently recently snuck across the border and entered the U.S. Yet astonishingly, only a single American newspaper, the Miami Herald, has even covered the story. Why?

Anti-Castro Cuban Exile Tied to Deadly 1976 Airline Bombing Seeks Political Asylum in U.S.: He has been tied to bombings that have killed at least 74 people and has been imprisoned in Venezuela and Panama. We talk to Cuban expert Peter Kornbluh about Posada's request and what it means for President Bush's "war on terrorism."

Karzai to Ask Bush for Security Deal : President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday he is preparing a formal request to President Bush for a long-term security partnership that could include a permanent U.S. military presence.

US mercenaries spill blood over Afghan opium: One policeman said he had seen five bodies, but it was difficult to tell from the ambulances speeding out of the town towards hospitals one hour away in Kandahar how many had been injured in the disastrous operation.

The Declassified Negroponte File: The 392 cables and memos record Negroponte's daily, and even hourly, activities as the powerful Ambassador to Honduras during the contra war in the early 1980s.

Bush's nominee for UN post 'abused and threatened his staff' Congress told: Mr Ford contradicted Mr Bolton's assertion during the first day of his confirmation hearing on Monday that he never tried to sack officials who disagreed with him.

It's Time To Write a Dear John: Bolton's appalling confirmation-hearings performance

Group: 3,000 Killed in Chechnya Since 2000 : More than 3,000 Chechen civilians have been killed in the war-wracked southern Russian region during the past five years, a Russian human rights group said Thursday.

Russia Delays Nuclear Fuel Shipment To Iran; "We're talking about a delay of several months," an official said. "I don't think it will significantly set back the schedule of the operation of the reactor."

War pimp alert:: ‘Sharon tried to discuss Iran military options with Bush’ : Israeli defence officials asked Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to raise a military option against Iran's nuclear programme with US President George Bush in talks in Texas on Monday, Israel's Army Radio said.

War pimp alert: 'Iran a step away from uranium enrichment': Iran is only one technological step away from enriching uranium and from that point achieving nuclear capability is just around the corner, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told US President George Bush during their Monday meeting in Texas, Channel 2 reported.

War pimp alert: Sharon Provides Bush With Documents on Iran's Nuclear Facilities: A radio broadcast stated that the documents submitted to Bush prove that Iranian nuclear techonology is highly developed.

Sharon Dismisses Bush on Settlements : Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon brushed off a warning from President Bush about further West Bank settlement growth, indicating Israel would continue to solidify its hold on areas it considers of strategic importance.

Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 04/12/05: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Nothing to Show: U.S. anti-drug policy fails in Colombia : What have Americans gotten for the $3 billion we’ve given Colombia since 2000 to help stop cocaine at its source?

The Poor Are Revolting : Denis Halliday resigned as co-ordinator of humanitarian relief to Iraq in 1998, after 34 years with the UN. His was the first public expression of an unprecedented rebellion within the UN bureaucracy. "We are in the process of destroying an entire society. It is as simple and terrifying as that."

3 accused of plot against U.S. financial institutions: The three men, already in custody in England, were charged with three conspiracy counts and providing material support to terrorists.

A wake-up call for the Sane Majority: Does it strike you as odd that persons calling themselves Christians are furious that the U.S. Supreme Court found executing juveniles unconstitutional? Do you find even odder that such individuals describe themselves, straight-faced, as adherents of the "culture of life"?

Love for the Unborn and Brain Dead: Contempt for the Rest of Us

Secret Service visits art show at Columbia : The agents turned up Thursday evening, just before the public opening of "Axis of Evil, the Secret History of Sin," and took pictures of some of the art pieces -- including "Patriot Act," showing President Bush on a mock 37-cent stamp with a revolver pointed at his head.

Citizens of The Hague file lawsuit for arrest of Bush: The Hague - A group of citizens from The Hague have filed a lawsuit against the state in order to allow for the arrest of president Bush as soon as he sets his feet on Dutch soil.

Need a laugh? : Steve Bridges as Mr. President. Video - Mindows Media

Former AIG Chief Gave Wife More Than $2 Billion of AIG Shares: in Days Before Resigning Top Posts, SEC Filing Shows

Violent flu strain mistakenly sent to labs: A dangerous strain of the flu virus that caused a worldwide pandemic in 1957 was sent to thousands of laboratories in the United States and around the world, triggering a frantic effort to destroy the samples to prevent an outbreak, health officials revealed Tuesday.

U.S. accused of covering up mad cow cases: There was testimony on Tuesday before a House of Commons committee alleging that the United States has covered up cases of mad cow disease.

04/12/05: Let them eat bombs: A report to the UN human rights commission in Geneva has concluded that Iraqi children were actually better off under Saddam Hussein than they are now.

US appears to have fought war for oil and lost it: According to the former head of ExxonMobil's Gulf operations, "Iraqi exiles approached us saying, you can have our oil if we can get back in there",

20 Iraqi civilians killed in US air attack: Seven children, six women and three old men were among the dead, witnesses said, while the injured included 13 children, seven women and elderly men.

Suicide Car Bomber Kills 5 Iraqi Civilians: Iraqi officials said a suicide car bomber killed five civilians Tuesday in an attack targeting a U.S. convoy in Mosul

Three killed, over 20 injured in car bomb in Iraq's Samarra : A suicide car bombing occurred on Monday evening in Iraq's Samarra, north of Baghdad, killing three Iraqis and wounding more than 20 others, said reports reaching here from the restive city.

Militants kill one, wound three in Baghdad as Rumsfeld visits;: Militants ambushed a convoy carrying Iraq's deputy interior minister Tuesday, killing a bodyguard and wounding the deputy's son and two other people, an official in the ministry said.

Regime Change Was an Immoral Excuse for War: President Bush’s true reason for invading Iraq — regime change — was a poor and immoral excuse for initiating a conflict that has killed and maimed tens of thousands of innocent people — many more innocent people, in fact, than died on 9/11.

US opposes amnesty for Iraqis who kill US soldiers

War Crimes: A Report on United States War Crimes Against Iraq to the Commission of Inquiry for the International War Crimes Tribunal

Iraq's government faces old nemeses, deadly demands : If it's to survive at all, the government must swiftly demonstrate its independence from Washington.

Polish Defense Minister: Poland wants to withdraw its 1,700 troops from Iraq early next year, the defense minister said Tuesday.

U.S. Has No Exit Strategy for Iraq, Rumsfeld Says

US audit probes possible Halliburton $212m overcharge: Halliburton, the Houston-based oil services company, may have overcharged the US government by $212m (£113m, €165m) for work in Iraq, according to portions of Pentagon audits released on Monday.

Report criticizes Halliburton's work : Serious cost overruns and a "poor performance" have plagued Halliburton's continuing $1.2 billion contract to repair Iraq's vital southern oil fields, a new U.S. State Department report says.

Torture Air, Incorporated: It appears that Dick Cheney himself gave the greenlight for the kidnapping and torture scenario.

Transcripts of tribunals detail stories of Guantanamo detainees: In one case, according to court documents, a judge blurted out: ''I don't care about international law."

Ex-Intel Chief Blasts Bolton at Hearing: A former chief of the State Department's bureau of intelligence and research castigated John R. Bolton on Tuesday as a "kiss-up, kick-down sort of guy" who abused analysts who disagreed with his views of Cuba's weapons capabilities.

Bush calls for halt to new settlements as Sharon warns of 'civil war' in Israel

Sharon rejects US settlements warning: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has rejected a warning from US President George Bush not to expand West Bank settlements, saying Israel will continue its hold on areas it considers of strategic importance.

Israel: Bush Should Lay Down the Law on Settlements: Sharon Must Be Told That U.S. Cannot Support Violations of International Humanitarian Law

A Palestinian prison-state?: Sharon will spring his Generous Offer: Gaza plus 60-75 percent of the West Bank and a symbolic presence in East Jerusalem. Sounds OK, But it will lock the Palestinians into the cantonized entity toward which Sharon has been tirelessly and openly working this past quarter century. It will be a new apartheid.

Jewish settlers in Hebron wreak havoc on Palestinian neighbors: Settlers demolished part of the house with sledgehammers, working under the noses of soldiers posted on top of the structure. Israeli police officers who arrived at the scene were pelted with stones and eggs, and five people were arrested but later released, a police spokesman said.

Video: Mosaic: World News Reports from Middle East TV For 04/11/05: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Tehran to take legal action against U.S. for funding Iran opposition: "Our country and the regime are stable enough not to be disturbed by such measures. However, such acts are against international norms and law. The foreign ministry will take necessary legal action" against Washington, he said.

UK Terror Trial Finds No Terror: Not guilty of conspiracy to poison London with ricin

The Armageddon Man: A comprehensive look at John Bolton's career reveals a man who champions extremism in the service of expediency.

Negroponte Used CIA Back Channels to Defy Congress : Papers illustrate Negroponte's Contra role - show intelligence nominee was active in US effort.

Cartoon of the day:

Philippine military calls situation in Mindanao alarming : The Philippine military said on Monday that "terrorist" activities in Mindanao have reached the alarming level, and that "lack of resources" is preventing the military from dealing with the terrorists decisively.

House of Saud re-embraces totalitarianism: Residents of the tiny provincial capital of Saudi Arabia's northernmost province last week witnessed a grisly scene in the main public square: the corpses of three militants tied to poles, on top of which were placed their severed heads.

Bank says Saudi's top field in decline: Speculation over the actual size of Saudi Arabia's oil reserves is reaching fever pitch as a major bank says the kingdom's - and the world's - biggest field, Gharwar, is in irreversible decline.

Watchdog backs Egypt torture claims: The Egyptian Supreme Council for Human Rights (ESCHR), a state-backed organisation set up last year, gave credence in its first annual report to widespread allegations of torture by Egyptian police and security forces.

CSIS grilled Canadian teen in Cuba, shared info with U.S. : Canada's spy agency admits it shared information it obtained from a Canadian teen being held as an enemy combatant at Guantanamo Bay with American intelligence services, documents show.

"Breathtaking" poll sees defeat for Canada Liberals: Canada's minority Liberal government is heading for defeat at the hands of the Conservatives after more than 11 years in power, a dramatic new poll is predicting.

'Bomb-plot' Cuban crosses into US : A Cuban exile, accused by President Fidel Castro Havana of plotting to kill him, is preparing to apply for asylum in the United States, his lawyer says.

Fugitive Cuban exile to seek asylum in U.S., says he worked with CIA:· A Cuban exile accused of plotting to assassinate Fidel Castro and wanted by Venezuela on charges of blowing up a Cuban airliner in 1976 is in the United States, his attorney said Monday.

Moscoso obtained $4 million for pardoning Posada and his accomplices: Posada Carriles used false documents provided by the US embassy in Panama to leave that country.

Mary Shaw: Mind Control and the American Media: The U.S. mainstream media are frequently accused by the right of being too liberal. But consider the following.

Greg Palast: Give it back, George: 'Did Wyly coyotes' ill-gotten loot buy White House?'

DeLay Fundraising Plied Special Interests : Tom DeLay routinely solicited donations by identifying legislative actions that prospective givers wanted, from video gambling to lawsuit limits, memos show.

Higher Prices, Stagnant Wages Produce Pay Cut for US Workers: Inflation has outpaced the rise in salaries for the first time in 14 years. And workers are paying a bigger share of the cost of their healthcare.

Trade Deficit Hits All-Time High in February: The U.S. trade deficit, exacerbated by surging imports of oil and textiles, soared to an all-time high of $61.04 billion in February.

In theocracy they trust: Christian right leaders denounced separation of church and state and prayed for a judge's deliverance to Satan. And their Capitol Hill allies were right there with them.

Religion now more a part of politics : Talk of faith, values is nearly omnipresent : Forty-five years ago, John F. Kennedy was elected president only after reassuring skeptical voters that his Catholicism did not mean the pope would be dictating American foreign and domestic policy from Rome.

James Kennedy's Christian Crusade: TV Evangelist's ministerial and media empire claim US a 'Christian nation', don't believe in the separation of church and state, and aims to extend political reach

Russia shocks BP with demand for $1bn in back tax from oil venture: The claim, which refers to 2001, is likely to cast a pall over Russia's precarious investment climate and came out of the blue.

04/11/05: Murderous Thugs: In 1975 my son had not yet been born. Today he is in his grave. Dick Cheney, on the other hand, is now Vice President of the United States, and he is materially wealthy beyond what any of us would ever pray to be.

Why We Fight: Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? A Must Watch Documentary

Oil, Geopolitics, and the Coming War with Iran

Three suicide car bomber outside a US military base : In other unrest, a Turkish truck driver was killed in a roadside bombing near the northern refinery town of Baiji. An Iraqi Kurdish engineer working with the US military was kidnapped in Balad north of Baghdad. The bullet-riddled bodies of three Iraqis were found in nearby al-Dujail

Mosul, a member of the provincial council shot dead: Ajil Muhsin Ajil was in his car near the Mosul General Hospital on Sunday when a group of armed men leaped out of another car parked nearby and shot him. His driver was also killed.

Car bombs hit US military targets: Aljazeera reports that five car bombs have hit US military targets in the western Iraqi city of al-Qaim near the border with Syria, wounding at least two US soldiers.

U.S. Civilian Kidnapped in Iraq, Embassy Reports: An American civilian working for a contractor on a foreign aid project in Iraq has been kidnapped, officials at the U.S. Embassy here reported Monday.

US and Iraq lock up record number of suspects: US and Iraqi forces are holding a record 17,000 men and women - most without being formally charged - and those in Iraqi-controlled jails live often in deplorable conditions, officials said.

US accused of seizing Iraqi women to force fugitive relatives to give up : US soldiers seized a mother and daughter from their home in Baghdad two weeks ago and allegedly left a note on the gate: "Be a man Muhammad Mukhlif and give yourself up and then we will release your sisters. Otherwise they will spend a long time in detention."

Talabani endorses foreign troop presence : Iraq's new president Jalal Talabani has restated his support for a continued US and Australian military presence in Iraq, one day after large demonstrations demanding US troops leave the country.

Saddam may yet be the ultimate survivor: An idea being floated in Baghdad is that if Saddam's punishment was jail for life, rather than the execution he is widely assumed to face, the Sunni minority who enjoyed power and prosperity while he controlled Iraq might save face and break with the insurgents.

Imperial Reach: Of the dozen or so locations mentioned in Pentagon or media accounts of new basing locations, a majority--including Algeria, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Gabon, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Romania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tunisia--either possess oil themselves or abut major pipelines and supply routes

US mulls seven bases in Afghanistan : The US army plans to establish seven military bases in Afghanistan, US army Corps of Engineers Col. John B.O'dowd told reporters in Kabul on Monday.

US air strikes kill 12 suspected Taliban in Afghanistan: Twelve suspected Taliban militants died Monday in air strikes by US helicopter gunships and tankbuster jets in southeastern Afghanistan, officials said.

Warlords get away with murder in Afghanistan: LAWLESSNESS: An assault on workers with Doctors Without Borders last year highlights that the central government is unable to control much of the country

Dr. Gal Luft: Bin Laden’s Out to Destroy U.S. Economy : Dr. Gal Luft, Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security says Osama Bin Laden’s main goal is the destruction of the U.S. economy - and that, so far, he appears to be succeeding.

In case you missed it: Al Qaeda's economic war against the United States: Osama bin Laden plans strategies based on his victory over the Soviets in Afghanistan during the 1980s. We "bled Russia for ten years until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat," bin Laden boasted in his October 2004 videotape.

In case you missed it: Transcript of bin Ladin's speech: So we are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. Allah willing

A must watch interview with Gore Vidal: "I would say that, in the long run, the world will be saved American despotism by the coming bankruptcy of the country. Now, that will have awful fallout for everybody. I don't even want to look into that crystal ball." - Real Video and Windows Media.

IMF says that surging demand and falling supply could spark 'permanent oil shock': The worldfaces "a permanent oil shock" and will have toadjust to sustained high prices in the next two decades, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday in the starkest official warning yet about the long-term outlook for energy supplies.

The Price of Oil and the Bush Dollar: Don't Blame the Oil Sheikh's

Compensation for Fallujah residents slow - locals: Government studies suggest that 70 percent of buildings were destroyed in the city during the last conflict between US troops and insurgents. Only 90 families had received compensation of around US $1,500 each so far.

Photographs From Iraq: March 28 - April 10, 2005 : Endless killing, strange propaganda, more oil sabotage, and links to new videos. - Warning - Graphic Images

Dear George and Dick: Neither of you have any idea of the true human, sorrowful cost of war nor do you care that you are ruining lives by the thousands and thousands. You both disgust me beyond belief.

Are Bush & Co. War Criminals? : Some lawyers claim the U.S. is guilty of crimes against humanity. There is certainly enough latitude under Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act to prosecute senior Bush administration officials if they visit Canada after leaving office.

Why was there really a war?: Operation Iraqi Liberation, which can be spelled OIL, has been said by many to be mainly about oil. That is one popular reason, but this is not the main reason

Sharon: Atmosphere in Israel looks like eve of civil war : Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in an interview broadcast by NBC News on Monday, spoke of the growing threat of violence by extreme-right Jewish activists in Israel ahead of the disengagement plan.

Shin Beth chief warns of new intifada: The outgoing chief of Israel's main domestic security Shin Beth agency has warned that a third intifada or uprising is in the offing and that violence on a large scale could break out in months.

Israeli occupation forces raid Nablus: The troops have begun to demolish a house, a Palestinian official told Aljazeera. The troops also told reporters to leave the area.

Jesus and Where Is the Apology for Rachel Corrie - Poem: A prayer for Easter

Israel Termed A 'Nuclear Power' By US Officials: Their publicly terming Israel a nuclear power on a par with India and Pakistan might be a sign that the US perceives of nuclear issues as too serious to condone the double standards it employs freely on other issues.

UK: Could the election be won by fraud? : The postal voting system makes Britain look like a banana republic, says a judge. Yet Labour favours it and has ignored warnings of fraud.

UK: Labour activists had 'vote-rigging factory' to hijack postal votes: Beneath the veneer of an apparently democratic local election campaign the battle to control areas of Birmingham involved allegations of death threats, intimidation and bribery.

US will block Brown campaign to beat poverty with gold sale : Gordon Brown's year-long anti-poverty crusade is in jeopardy this week, as the US prepares to block his plans for a sale of International Monetary Fund gold reserves to raise cash for debt relief.

Venezuela: Revolution in Progress: Today is the third anniversary of the failed coup attempt to overthrow democratically elected Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. We speak with filmmaker Matt O'Neil about his new documentary, "Venezuela: Revolution in Progress."

Venezuela: President Chavez Frias calls for creation of military strategy : The President says it is time to start studying ideas, concepts and doctrines of asymmetrical conflict.

‘Venezuela represents hope’: This week of solidarity will mark the third anniversary of the defeat of a US-backed coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose government is leading a process is implementing wide-ranging changes to eradicate poverty and build up institutions of popular power. In Australia, solidarity events are being organised by the Venezuela Solidarity Network.

Inquiries of Top Lobbyist Shine Unwelcome Light in Congress: Jack Abramoff, one of Washington's most powerful and best-paid lobbyists, needed $100,000 in a hurry.

The business of influence in Washington: Drug companies fund group battling AARP

04/10/05: The Crusaders: Christian evangelicals are plotting to remake America in their own image

Baghdad: Hundreds Of Thousands Protest American Invasion and Occupation Of Iraq: “The American people need to know that they can’t suppress us anymore, even with all their strength and power,”

Iraqi Girl Blog: Baghdad Burning: Protesters in the thousands. None of the news channels were actually covering it.

In Pictures: Iraqi's Protest Against American Occupation

29 killed in Iraq violence: On Saturday, violence against Iraqi security forces and civilians killed 29 and wounded scores more in separate incidents.

Iraqi police officer killed, one kidnapped: Iraqi police officials say an officer was killed Sunday and another was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in al-Haditha, in the western section of Iraq.

Zarqawi 'rejects amnesty offer' : President Jalal Talabani was an agent of the US, it said, and he would never be forgiven for his "infidelity" and "spilling of the blood of Muslims".

Militants in Iraq kidnap Pakistani diplomat

TV news buries Iraqi civilian deaths : During the last three weeks, television news -- cable and network -- have spent more time on the dying and deaths of two individuals than they have on all the civilian Iraqi casualties since the beginning of the war.

US 'smuggles wounded troops home' under cover of darkness: Just as the Bush administration has banned the media from taking photographs of the coffins of American troops killed in Iraq as they arrive in the US, opponents say it is now trying to cover up the number of wounded.

The horror: Iraq coverage just like Vietnam: For anyone raised on the press-release war waged by the Johnson and Nixon administrations, this was familiar indeed.

In case you missed it:  Disappearing the Dead: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Idea of a "New Warfare": Among those endeavors that a state or a people may undertake, none is more terrible than war. Part of this responsibility is to estimate and gauge the effects of war, including the collateral damage and civilian casualties that it incurs.

Eyes Wide Open: Wage Peace! A must watch flash presentation.

In case you missed it: A Simple Request - Put My Son's Name on a Bomb: The Item Below is posted to demonstrate how successful the Bush Cabal has been in misleading the American people into believing that Iraq was responsible for, or associated with the tragedy of 9/11.

Taking Advantage Of Ignorance: Simple lack of knowledge can sometimes be a killer. Take the invasion of Iraq, for example.

Eric Margolis : Bush rewards his failures: U.S. commission on Iraq just the latest surge in a Niagara of whitewash

Rights group decries proposed military doctrine that formalizes "enemy combatant" status: The doctrine "will send a message to the world that the Geneva Conventions are not law, but mere policies that can be changed according to tastes of a particular government," Human Rights Watch said in a letter to US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Palestinians gather to defend holy site: Thousands of Palestinian Muslims gathered inside al-Aqsa mosque to defend the site against a planned rally by an Israeli extreme-right group, and Israeli police encircled Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday to prevent clashes.

Police block rally by Gaza withdrawal opponents: Police said 31 Israelis were detained as their protest against a Gaza withdrawal fizzled.

Sharon casts aside 'road map' in bid to seal off Jerusalem's Arab areas: To the disquiet of critics in the United States and Israel, work has forged ahead in the past week on the "Greater Jerusalem" project, in which settlements will in time encircle Arab neighbourhoods in the east of the city.

Former Mossad head: There is a danger of a coup in Israel: "Religious soldiers are among the best fighters we have, but if the messianic ideology grows stronger among them, if soldiers really do not return to their units after Passover, it will be only the beginning, and the next step will be a coup," he added.

Three Teenagers Shot Dead in Gaza : Israeli troops fired at a group of Palestinian youths who were playing soccer near an army base in the southern Gaza Strip, killing three teenagers.

In Pictures: Rafah Today: Children's corpses in the hospital again, major shelling and the threat of death from the circling Apaches again—all the fear, all the horror--it is happening again and the people of Rafah are hiding in their houses.

Glossing Over Israel's Human Rights Abuses: The Janus Face of the Department of State

Juan Cole: New York Times Supports McCarthyite Witch Hunt : The David Project wants Middle East historians to reproduce faithfully in the classroom the Zionist master narrative as the "true" version of history. We aren't going to do that, and nobody can make us do it

The Christian Right's fundamental problem: In Genesis, God promises Abraham all the land "from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates", an area which includes a part of Egypt, a large slice of Iraq and Syria, not to mention all the land from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River. There is no room for Arabs in this promised land.

Conservatives launch pro-DeLay offensive: Allies and friends of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas have concluded that public attention to his ethics is unlikely to abate for months to come, and they plan to try to preserve his power by launching an aggressive media strategy and calling in favors from prominent conservative leaders

Illegal export of nuclear devices: US government indicts Pakistani and Israeli businessmen: The US government has indicted Islamabad-based Pakistani businessman Humayun A Khan and his Israeli partner Asher Karni for illegally exporting devices from the US that could be employed to test, develop and detonate nuclear weapons.

Karzai ally beheaded: Lal Mohammad, a top member of Afghanistan Solidarity Party which backed President Hamid Karzai during last October's presidential election was beheaded on Tuesday

Afghan city mourns its lost children, looks back to Taliban: In the photograph, 12-year-old Mohammed Tahir looks barely conscious. A bloodied rag covers his left hand, where the kidnappers hacked off his finger and sent it, along with the picture, to his family.

Four killed in clashes with police in Haiti: At least four people were killed in clashes with police in Port-au-Prince on Saturday, a police spokeswoman said.

Aristide foe killed by police in shootout: Haitian police shot and killed a prominent rebel leader yesterday who helped force former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide into exile last year, officials said

Teachers and Classmates Express Outrage at Arrest of Girl, 16, as a Terrorist Threat: "I feel like, how dare they? She's a minor, and even if she's not a citizen, she has rights as a human being."

U.S. Seeks Access to Bank Records: The initiative, as conceived by a working group within the Treasury Department, would vastly expand the government's database of financial transactions by gaining access to logs of international wire transfers into and out of U.S. banks.

In case you missed it: Despotism & Democracy: Explains how societies and nations can be measured by the degree that power is concentrated and respect for the individual is restricted. Where does your community, state and nation stand on these scales? Video.

In case you missed it: Video: Eisenhower's Farewell Address to the Nation - January 17, 1961 : "This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence – economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government.

04/09/05: Hail to the Robber Baron?: Thirty years ago, President Bush was my student at Harvard Business School. In my class, he called former president Franklin D. Roosevelt, Class of 1904, a “socialist” and spoke against Social Security, unemployment insurance

The Big Fix: So let's have no illusions about where we are. Gangsters are in charge, and nothing and no one will be allowed to challenge their dominion.

Militants kill 15 Iraqi troops: They say the soldiers were being transported in a truck, which was pulled off the road by the gunmen.

Huge Anti Occupation Protests on anniversary of Saddam's fall: Tens of thousands of followers of a rebel Shi'ite cleric have marched in Baghdad to denounce the U.S. presence in Iraq. Related protests were held in Ramadi, a Sunni Arab city west of Baghdad, and in Baiji, another largely Sunni town north of the capital, showing the widespread support for the demands.

Headlines Continued Here