The Eid al-Adha holiday continues in Iraq, where at least one Iraqi was killed and 24 more were wounded in new violence. The numbers likely fall short of the real toll as religious observances have cut into the number of reports leaking out of the country. Meanwhile, Christian leaders are worried that a new exodus could spell the end of Christianity in Iraq.
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Introducing the American Traveler Dignity Act
Wednesday: 3 Iraqis Killed
While the Eid al-Adha observances may still be cutting the number of reports, two significant stories did come out of Iraq today. In the first, President Talabani has taken a stand against executing Tariq Aziz. The second deals with the continuing problems of government formation. Only three casualties were reported today, all of them deaths.
read moreBritain to Settle Rendition, Torture Case for Millions
The British government will reportedly pay millions in compensation to seven British nationals who were unlawfully "rendered" to U.S.-run prisons and tortured with the cooperation of British intelligence. The British press is reporting that ministers and the security...
Government Sexual Molestation in Airports Is ‘Over the Top’
After the initial hysterical security response to the 9/11 attacks – inane measures included posting 19-year-old National Guardsmen with automatic weapons at crowded airports and the temporary discontinuation of electronic tickets – lasting security augmentation...
A ‘Sustainable’ Empire?
If only people were chaining themselves to the White House fence to protest our outrageously extravagant military budget instead of demanding the right to join the armed forces of a country that spends more on “defense” than all other nations of the world...
NATO Summit Unlikely to Answer the Most Important Questions
To adapt to secular use a phrase from medieval mysticism, "the cloud of unknowing" deepens as the war-waging countries of North America and Western Europe approach their NATO "summit," beginning Friday in Lisbon. The phrase is appropriate because in the past it spoke...
Off-Base America
Last year, it was Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq. This year, it's Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Next year, it could easily be Afghanistan, Pakistan, Diego Garcia, Bahrain, and Turkey. Or of course they could choose to play in Japan (with a...
Tuesday: 5 Iraqis Killed, 2 Wounded
Sunni Iraqis who did not travel to Mecca observed Eid al-Adha at home today, while Shi’ite Iraqis must wait until tomorrow. The holiday either reduced violence or prevented reports from reaching the news wires, as the only reported attacks occurred in Mosul. At least five Iraqis were killed there and two more were wounded in the last day or so. The government did take steps to protect the public during the Eid, including deploying about 28,000 security personnel in Diyala province.
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