US Lawmakers Express Concern Over Threats to Women’s Rights in Iraq

Three days before the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) is due to ratify a Fundamental Law to guide the country’s transition until a permanent constitution can be drafted, 16 Democratic members of Congress have asked President Bush to urgently clarify its strategy for guaranteeing the rights of Iraqi women. While commending Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) chief … Continue reading “US Lawmakers Express Concern Over Threats to Women’s Rights in Iraq”

UN Demands Halt to Spying in Premises

UN premises are inviolable – and any country defying that sanctity is guilty of an illegal act, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said Thursday, responding to assertions that intelligence officers spied on Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "We have seen today’s media reports alleging that the secretary-general’s phone conversations were tapped by British intelligence," Eckhard told reporters. "We … Continue reading “UN Demands Halt to Spying in Premises”

Opposition Hardens as Bush Boosts Nuclear Waste Plan

Critics are condemning as irresponsible and illegal the Bush administration’s recent proposal to increase the budget for the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Dump in western Nevada State despite unresolved safety issues and legal challenges. After more than two decades of contesting the selection of their state as the nation’s primary repository for high-level nuclear waste, … Continue reading “Opposition Hardens as Bush Boosts Nuclear Waste Plan”

UN Spying and Evasions of American Journalism

Tony Blair and George W. Bush want the issue of spying at the United Nations to go away. That’s one of the reasons the Blair government ended its prosecution of whistleblower Katharine Gun on Wednesday. But within 24 hours, the scandal of U.N. spying exploded further when one of Blair’s former cabinet ministers said that … Continue reading “UN Spying and Evasions of American Journalism”

State Department Reports Paint Dismal Human Rights Picture

Releasing its annual “Country Reports” on human rights practices around the world Wednesday, the U.S. State Department claimed Afghanistan and Iraq as two major breakthroughs in an otherwise bleak human rights picture. In an introductory overview, the report singled out several countries for poorer performances during 2003, including China, North Korea, Burma, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Belarus … Continue reading “State Department Reports Paint Dismal Human Rights Picture”

Arguments End But Israel’s Wall Goes On

Three days of hearings into the legality of the barrier being built by Israel in the West Bank ended before the International Court of Justice here Wednesday just as they began – with passionate legal arguments inside, and highly emotional protests outside. The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) were the last … Continue reading “Arguments End But Israel’s Wall Goes On”

The Unraveling of Pax Americana?

Faced with its justifications for the troublesome conquest of Iraq regularly being torn to shreds, it seems that Washington is poised to make a tactical retreat from the Middle East. Some serious analysts are interpreting this as the sign of Empire’s coming implosion, and with good reasons. A retreat from Iraq, Kosovo, Bosnia, or any … Continue reading “The Unraveling of Pax Americana?”

The Anthrax Mystery

Amid all the current recriminations, investigations, and political circumlocutions surrounding those missing “weapons of mass destruction,” another sort of WMD – one far closer to home – still casts its sinister shadow over an uncertain future. The anthrax attacks, that terrorized the nation for weeks in the wake of 9/11, remain unsolved to this day. … Continue reading “The Anthrax Mystery”

Asian Officials: Free Trade Will Help Crush Poverty

Asian governments should embrace the global free trade system as a way to lift the region’s millions out of abject poverty, senior development officials told a high-level conference here Monday. Any cooperation between countries across Asia “should pay particular attention to activities that would help achieve the immense potentials for fair trade expansion unleashed by … Continue reading “Asian Officials: Free Trade Will Help Crush Poverty”