Month: January 2007

Updated at 1:05 a.m. EST, Jan. 28, 2007 The U.S. military announced that seven U.S. servicemembers were killed and three wounded. Also, at least 92 Iraqi were killed or found dead today and another 83 were wounded in various attacks throughout the country. Baghdad continues to be rocked by various explosion, many in the form … Continue reading “Saturday: 92 Iraqis, 7 GIs Killed; 83 Iraqis Wounded”

Despite growing domestic opposition to his plans for escalating US military intervention in Iraq, US President George W. Bush is calling for a sharp increase in Washington’s economic and military commitment to Afghanistan. At a ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Brussels Friday, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice announced that Bush … Continue reading “Washington Ups the Ante in Afghanistan”

The general elections in Serbia, held on January 21, were described as "low-key" by the BBC. Somewhat greater voter turnout than in the past – 60% of the electorate showed up at the polls – didn’t translate into clear results, however. Of the 250 seats in the Skupstina, the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) got the … Continue reading “And the Winner Is…”

ARBIL – Academic life in Iraq’s volatile southern and central regions has become increasingly paralyzed, with hundreds of students and professors targeted and many more abandoning their educational institutions in search of a refuge. Raad Yaseen, 25, fled Baghdad’s insecurity in mid-2004 to study at Mosul University, 396 kms north of the capital. He stayed … Continue reading “Students, Professors Flee to the Kurdish North”

The American public and the US Congress are getting their backs up about the Bush Regime’s determination to escalate the war in Iraq. A massive protest demonstration is occurring in Washington DC today, and Congress is expressing its disagreement with Bush’s decision to intensify the war in Iraq. This is all to the good. However, … Continue reading “Bush Is About to Attack Iran”

It is obvious from their stories that most of the “reporters” covering the trial of Lewis Libby – charged with perjury and obstruction of justice – have either never bothered to read the five count indictment [.pdf] or are too stupid to comprehend what they have read. Jason Leopold is a notable exception. In a … Continue reading “Window Into Pre-War Planning”

Rejecting the notion that the United States was planning to attack Iran and Syria, White House Spokesman Tony Snow called it a myth or an “urban legend.” “I want to address [a] kind of a rumor, an urban legend that’s going around,” Snow told reporters at a White House briefing two days after President George … Continue reading “Expanding the War to Iran: Another ‘Urban Legend’?”

As the Feb. 21 deadline for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program fast approaches, both Iran and the West are scrambling to prepare themselves for all possible moves by the other side. A scenario causing some discomfort among decision-makers in the George W. Bush administration would entail Iran succumbing to the Security Council request … Continue reading “What if Iran Suspends? A Western Dilemma”

Three days of sectarian violence has once again brought this troubled country to breaking point. A mini-civil war has played out throughout Lebanon this week as Government and Opposition factions push their power struggle to the brink. The “peaceful” general strike called by Hezbollah and its Christian allies has turned into a three-day violent sprawl … Continue reading “Another Dark Era Threatens Lebanon”

Say what you will about Sarah Olson, she got the story. On the ground and armed with only an audio tape recorder, reporter Olson did nothing more radical than dig deep – the first law of journalism. Her interview with Lt. Ehren Watada vividly painted the portrait of a young man in anguish – to … Continue reading “No Substitute for Free and Unfettered News Gathering”