Signed In Blood: 2002 Blair-Bush Texas meeting sealed Iraq fate 27 Nov 2009 Saddam Hussein's fate as Iraqi leader was sealed at a secret meeting between Tony Blair and George Bush in 2002, it was claimed yesterday. The former Prime Minister allegedly "signed in blood" Britain's support for an attack on Baghdad when he got together with the US president [sic] at his Texas ranch. And Mr Blair deliberately linked Saddam to al-Qaeda in a bid to strengthen the case to topple Saddam, despite there being no evidence, the Iraq War inquiry heard. Former British Ambassador to the US Sir Christopher Meyer told the hearing the PM suddenly appeared to agree to the case for a regime change in Iraq after his Bush meeting. Talking about the meeting with Mr Bush, Sir Christopher said: "To this day I am not entirely clear what degree of convergence was, if you like, signed in blood at the Crawford ranch."
'Scrabbling for the smoking gun' Chilcot inquiry: Tony Blair decided on Iraq war a year before invasion - envoy 26 Nov 2009 Tony Blair's government decided up to a year before the Iraq invasion that it was "a complete waste of time" to resist the US drive to oust Saddam Hussein, opting instead to offer advice on how it should be done, the former British ambassador to Washington said today. Sir Christopher Meyer, testifying to the Chilcot inquiry into Britain's role in the war, made it clear that once the Bush administration decided to take military action, the Blair government never considered opting out or opposing it... British officials were left "scrabbling for the smoking gun" – evidence for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction – as preparations continued... The message from Downing Street was that the 11 September attacks and the subsequent US determination to oust Saddam were established facts, "and it was a complete waste of time … if we were going to work with the Americans, to come to them and bang away about regime change and say: 'We can't support it'."
Iraq: The inquiry cover-up that will keep us in the dark 26 Nov 2009 Gordon Brown was accused of strangling the inquiry into the Iraq war at birth yesterday by refusing to let it make public sensitive documents that shed light on the conflict. A previously undisclosed agreement between Sir John Chilcot's inquiry and the Government gives Whitehall the final say on what information the investigation can release into the public domain. Mr Brown, who initially wanted the inquiry held in private, was forced to climb down earlier this year after an outcry and promised that most of its sessions would be heard in public. He said information would be withheld only when it would compromise national security. However, a protocol agreed by the inquiry and the Government includes nine wide-ranging reasons under which Whitehall departments can refuse to publish documents disclosed to the investigation.
6 family members killed in Iraq 25 Nov 2009 [Blackwater] Assailants broke into a house and killed six family members before dawn Wednesday in an area north of Baghdad that was 'once a stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq,' Iraqi officials said. The dead included a couple and two daughters, and two brothers of the husband, according to a police officer in Tarmiyah, 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of the capital. The throats of two women were slit, while the other four people were shot execution-style; two of the couple's other children were not harmed.
Former top official 'can't say' if Afghans tortured 26 Nov 2009 There is "no evidence" Canadian detainees transferred to Afghan jails were tortured, but Canada didn’t monitor them during 2006 and part of 2007 and reports of prison abuse were common, a senior diplomat told a committee of MPs Thursday. Under intense questioning by opposition MPs, David Mulroney said he couldn’t guarantee that no detainee transferred by Canadians had been mistreated. Nor could he say with complete certainty that an Afghan prisoner who described to Canadian diplomats how he had been tortured, whipped with cables and shocked with electricity, had not been handed over by Canadians to Afghan authorities. "I can’t say whether he was or wasn’t," Mulroney said.
Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan: Germany's Top Soldier Resigns over Air Strike Accusations 26 Nov 2009 Germany's highest-ranking soldier has resigned over allegations that the Defense Ministry did not come clean about civilians killed in a recent air strike [war crime] in Afghanistan. Former Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung is also under pressure to resign. Germany's highest ranking soldier has resigned in response to allegations that the German Defense Ministry concealed information about civilian casualties sustained during an air strike in Afghanistan. Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told the German parliament, the Bundestag, on Thursday morning that Bundeswehr Inspector General Wolfgang Schneiderhan, the highest-ranking officer in Germany's armed forces, had asked to be relieved of his official duties. Guttenberg said that Peter Wichert, a state secretary in the Defense Ministry, would also resign.
Contractor helicopter missing in Afghanistan 25 Nov 2009 A helicopter belonging to an international military contractor has disappeared in Afghanistan, officials said Thursday. The Supreme Global Service Solutions helicopter has been missing since late Tuesday, said NATO spokesman Maj. Steven Coll. Supreme provides food and logistics services to military bases across Afghanistan.
Leader: Occupiers, root of terrorism 26 Nov 2009 In a message to the pilgrims of the holy mosque in Mecca, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution warns of forces that are sponsoring terrorism in the region. "Occupiers… organize and mastermind violent sectarian terrorism among regional nations," Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in his message. "The Middle East and North Africa were once colonized and humiliated for more than a century by the Western governments of Britain and France and subsequently by America; their natural reserves were plundered, their free spirit was trodden upon and their nations were taken hostage," the Leader added.
The US 'is supporting dictatorship.' [It usually does.] Zelaya slams US over supporting coup regime 26 Nov 2009 Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya has slammed the US for supporting Sunday's presidential elections, saying that the US is supporting a coup-perpetrating regime. "The United States is not just supporting the elections but it is supporting the de facto regime, it is supporting the dictatorship, it is supporting the coup-perpetrating regime," Zelaya said in a telephone interview published on Thursday by the Brazilian website UOL.
Washington endorses gunpoint election in Honduras By Bill Van Auken 27 Nov 2009 The Obama administration has declared its support for elections being held this Sunday in Honduras, under conditions in which the regime that came to power in a coup last June has refused to cede power and is preparing intense repression against those who oppose it. The action has placed Washington at odds with virtually all of Latin America, whose governments have refused to recognize the elections as legitimate.
Arroyo's ally to be charged over massacre 27 Nov 2009 Andal Ampatuan Jnr, the member of a powerful pro-government clan suspected of involvement in the massacre of 57 people in an election caravan in the southern Philippines earlier this week, will be charged with murder today, the Philippines' chief prosecutor said yesterday. Mr Ampatuan turned himself in amid mounting pressure on 'President' Gloria Arroyo to crack down on lawlessness and warlords.
Ousted Minot AFB commander Westa to retire 25 Nov 2009 Col. Joel Westa, the former 5th Bomb Wing commander fired Oct. 30, retired Monday rather than accept an assignment to Global Strike Command. Westa was chosen to turn around the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., after airmen from the wing mistakenly loaded six nuclear warheads aboard a B-52 two years ago. Maj. Gen. Floyd Carpenter, 8th Air Force commander, arrived unannounced to Minot and fired Westa after the wing failed its second nuclear inspection under Westa’s command.
Canada, U.S. to audit air-attack preparedness 25 Nov 2009 Canada and the U.S. will review their air defence capabilities to make sure the right amount of planes and crews are in place to protect North American cities from terrorist attacks. The review by the North American Aerospace Defence Command, the joint U.S.-Canadian alliance, is expected by next spring. Norad will look at the various threats, including the possibility that terrorists could hijack aircraft and fly those into critical infrastructure, such as a power plant or communications centres.
CBC News: The Unofficial Story (Documentary) 27 Nov 2009 On September 11, 2001 the world watched in shock and disbelief as planes flew in to New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, and Americans realized they were under attack. But by whom? What really happened? In The Unofficial Story, the fifth estate’s Bob McKeown introduces us to people who believe the real force behind the attacks was not Osama Bin Laden, but the U.S. government itself... You’ll meet Richard Gage, an American architect, explains how the WTC twin towers and the lesser known 'Tower #7' could only have crumbled as they did due to explosive charges placed inside the buildings.
ABA Backs Federal Court Trials of Alleged 9/11 Plotters 25 Nov 2009 The president of the American Bar Association sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. today praising the decision to pursue federal court prosecutions of five Guantanamo detainees with [very] alleged ties to the 9/11 attacks. The Nov. 25 letter, signed by ABA President Carolyn Lamm, comes after Holder became the target of criticism from conservative politicians for his decision to try alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the others in New York.
Egads! Confidential 9/11 Pager Messages Disclosed By Declan McCullagh 25 Nov 2009 As the World Trade Center and Pentagon were ablaze on September 11, 2001, the U.S. Secret Service's presidential protective detail was informed that a "Korean airliner has been hijacked" en route to San Francisco, prompting already-skittish agents to worry about another wave of terrorist attacks... This unusual glimpse into the events of 9/11 comes from messages sent to alphanumeric pagers that were anonymously published on the Internet on Wednesday. The pager transcripts, which total about 573,000 lines and 6.4 million words, include numeric and text messages also sent to private sector and unclassified military pagers.
'The concept has evolved to include a broader 'all crimes, all hazards' approach.' Vegas fusion center fights terrorism, street crime 26 Nov 2009 When a tip arrived about a threat of violence at a southern Nevada high school football game, a Clark County School District police officer helped plan a response. When a Colorado man was arrested on terrorism charges, a Department of Homeland Security analyst probed whether he had Las Vegas ties. Though the two cases are very different, the officials who worked them were in the same cubicle-filled room at the Southern Nevada Counterterrorism Center. Open for more than two years, the Las Vegas "fusion" center is battling terrorism and street crime.
Heads up! Baxter hopes to build U.S. cell-based vaccine manufacturing plant --Facility would be used to make flu, pandemic vaccines 26 Nov 2009 (IL) Deerfield-based Baxter International Inc. says it is looking into building a cell-based vaccine manufacturing plant in the U.S. to produce seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines. The company won't say when a plant could be built because the timing would depend on the outcome of a government-funded clinical trial of its seasonal product, which is in its final stages. [See: Baxter working on vaccine to stop swine flu, though admitted sending live pandemic flu viruses to subcontractor By Lori Price 26 Apr 2009.]
Swine flu linked to serious respiratory disease 26 Nov 2009 Federal officials said Wednesday that they have noticed "a worrisome spike in serious pneumococcal disease" linked to pandemic H1N1 influenza. Health authorities normally see an increase in such infections associated with seasonal flu, but this year the rate is substantially higher than normal and striking younger people rather than the elderly, according to Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
Sharp increase in swine flu deaths in France 26 Nov 2009 The number of deaths in mainland France from the H1N1 swine flu virus jumped in the last week, according to official data Thursday. The toll rose to 68 deaths as of November 22, with 22 new deaths last week. Six of the 68 victims had no underlying health problems, the country's health monitoring institute said.
Dubai in deep water as ripples from debt crisis spread 27 Nov 2009 Fears of a dangerous new phase in the economic crisis swept around the globe yesterday as traders responded to the shock announcement that a debt-laden Dubai state corporation was unable to meet its interest bill. Shares plunged, weak currencies were battered and more than £14 billion was wiped from the value of British banks on fears that they would be left nursing new losses.
IMF warns second bailout would 'threaten democracy' 23 Nov 2009 The public will not bail out the financial services sector for a second time if another global crisis blows up in four or five years time, the managing-director of the International Monetary Fund warned this morning. Dominique Strauss-Kahn told the CBI annual conference of business leaders that another huge call on public finances by the financial services sector would not be tolerated by the "man in the street" and could even threaten democracy.
Bush advisers on White House visit list [Visitors? I think they're tenants.] 25 Nov 2009 The White House released a new batch of visitor log records Wednesday, disclosing an additional 1,615 visits to the executive mansion. The list includes some surprising names, including a slew of corporate chieftains and even a couple of high-ranking former Republican officials. The White House, which spent much of the year developing and pushing for reforms in Wall Street regulation, welcomed several high-profile Wall Street and corporate figures, the new records show.
Because China did *such* a terrific job with the drywall, powdered milk and pet food: China State Construction nets $100m US subway deal 24 Nov 2009 China State Construction Engineering Corp, the largest contractor in China, has bagged a subway ventilation project worth about $100 million in New York's Manhattan area, marking the construction giant's third order in the United States' infrastructure space this year. The contract was given to China Construction American Co, a subsidiary, the Wall Street Journal quoted a source as saying. "The new project, along with the $410-million Hamilton Bridge project and a $1.7-billion entertainment project it won earlier this year, signals China State Construction's ambition to tap the American construction market," said Li Zhirui, an industry analyst at First Capital Securities. [Thanks, Bloomberg!]
Dealing with the bank was 'like dealing with organized crime.' [It usually is.] Judge blasts bad bank, erases 525G debt 25 Nov 2009 A Long Island couple is home free after an outraged judge gave them an amazing Thanksgiving present -- canceling their debt to ruthless bankers trying to toss them out on the street. Suffolk Judge Jeffrey Spinner wiped out $525,000 in mortgage payments demanded by a California bank, blasting its "harsh, repugnant, shocking and repulsive" acts. The bombshell decision leaves Diane Yano-Horoski and her husband, Greg Horoski, owing absolutely no money on their ranch house in East Patchogue. Spinner pulled no punches as he smacked down the bankers at OneWest -- who took an $814.2 million federal bailout but have a record of coldbloodedly foreclosing on any homeowner owing money... The bank is involved in a similar case in California, where it's trying to foreclose on an 89-year-old woman, despite two court orders telling it to stop.
State dinner crashers spur White House security probe 27 Nov 2009 The Secret Service has launched a "comprehensive investigation" of its security measures after two aspiring reality-TV stars [Michaele and Tareq Salahi] crashed President Barack Obama's state dinner at the White House this week. An administration official said the gate-crashing incident was apparently a breakdown in Secret Service screening and not the work of the White House social office.
Couple slips though security to crash state dinner 25 Nov 2009 Crashing a state dinner at the White House apparently takes a security breakdown as well as some kind of nerve. The Secret Service is looking into its own security procedures after determining that a Virginia couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, managed to slip into Tuesday night's state dinner at the White House even though they were not on the guest list, agency spokesman Ed Donovan said.
Obama grants 'Courage' a pardon 25 Nov 2009 It was a festive atmosphere on the White House North Portico on Wednesday morning for the president's annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon. Dozens of press joined dozens of guests and White House staffers to witness President Obama pardon a 45-pound turkey dubbed Courage, from Goldsboro, NC. [Obama seems to have pardoned the biggest turkeys on earth - the Bush cabal - so Courage should certainly get a pass.]
Obama 'promises' greenhouse gas cut 26 Nov 2009 US President Barack Obama seeks to reduce America's greenhouse gas emissions by a 'low' 17 percent before 2020, ahead of a climate summit in Denmark. Obama's pledge to cut CO2 levels comes in advance of the December climate change convention in Copenhagen, meant to decrease human's contribution to 'catastrophic' air pollution.
Hacked climate emails called a "smear campaign" 25 Nov 2009 Three leading scientists who on Tuesday released a report documenting the accelerating pace of climate change said the scandal that erupted last week over hacked emails from climate scientists is nothing more than a "smear campaign" aimed at sabotaging December climate talks in Copenhagen. "We're facing an effort by special interests who are trying to confuse the public," said Richard Somerville, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a lead author of the UN IPCC Fourth Assessment Report.
Australia to kill 6,000 camels 26 Nov 2009 Australian authorities [sociopaths] plan to corral about 6,000 wild camels with helicopters and gun them down after they overran a small Outback town in search of water, trampling fences, smashing tanks and contaminating supplies. The Northern Territory government announced its plan Wednesday for Docker River, a town of 350 residents where thirsty camels have been arriving daily for weeks because of drought conditions in the region.
Previous lead stories: Two NATO commanders wore Nazi regalia in Afghanistan 25 Nov 2009 It has just been discovered that two commanders of the Czech military working under NATO command used Nazi symbols on their helmets during their deployment in Afghanistan. The story was made public after Czech police serving in Afghanistan reported the case, the Russia Today website reported on Tuesday. According to the daily Mlada fronta Dnes, the soldiers, identified as Hynek Matonoha and Jan Cermak, wore the symbols of the 9th SS panzer division Hohenstaufen and the SS Dirlewanger brigade respectively, which were probably the most infamous SS combat units of World War II.
Iraq inquiry: Britain rejected regime change as illegal in 2001 --British officials discussed toppling Saddam Hussein in 2001 but rejected a policy of "regime change" as illegal under international law, the Iraq war inquiry has heard. 24 Nov 2009 On its opening day of public hearings, Sir John Chilcot’s public inquiry into the invasion heard that British diplomats heard the "drumbeat" of war emanating from Washington even before the September 11 terrorist attacks. The inquiry into the war, which cost 179 lives, opened yesterday with a promise from Sir John, a former Whitehall mandarin, to "get to the heart of what happened" and "not shy away" from criticising anyone who made mistakes.
'UK complicity is clear.' 'Cruel, illegal, immoral': Human Rights Watch condemns UK's role in torture --Pressure for inquiry grows as torturers themselves allege British complicity 24 Nov 2009 The attorney general was under intense pressure tonight to order a wider series of police investigations into British complicity in torture after one of the world's leading human rights organisations said there was clear evidence of the UK government's involvement in the torture of its own citizens. After an investigation spanning more than a year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) today condemned Britain's role in the torture of terror suspects detained in Pakistan as cruel, counter-productive and in clear breach of international law.
