Police Unleash Force On Rally in Tehran --Obama, in Boldest Terms Yet, Presses Iran to Halt Violence Against Own People 21 Jun 2009 Fiery chaos broke out in downtown Tehran on Saturday as security forces blocked streets and used tear gas, water cannons and batons to break up a demonstration against the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Security forces were seen firing warning shots into the air, but there were also unconfirmed reports that several people were hit by gunfire. President Obama, in his strongest comments to date on a political standoff that has paralyzed Iran for a week, urged the Iranian government "to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people."
13 killed in Saturday violence in Tehran 21 Jun 2009 At least 13 people were killed and 20 wounded in post-election violence in the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday, officials have said. The casualties occurred after some 'terrorist elements' infiltrated the rallies. The armed terrorists set fire on a mosque and two gas stations and attacked a military post.
Qashqavi: VOA, BBC guiding unrest in Iran 21 Jun 2009 Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi pins the blame for the recent post-election turmoil across the country on US and British media outlets. "Voice of America (VOA) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) are state-funded channels and not privately-run. Their budgets are ratified in the US Congress, as well as the British Parliament. The two channels serve as mouthpieces of their respective governments," Qashqavi stated on Saturday. He noted that the two news outlets seek to stir up ethnic discord across Iran in the hope of fomenting the country's disintegration.
British Army officer launches stinging attack on 'failing' UK strategy in Afghanistan 20 Jun 2009 A British Army officer has launched a devastating attack on the UK's "failing" strategy in Afghanistan. The officer, who works in defence intelligence, has described the British presence in Helmand as an "unmitigated disaster" fuelled by "lamentable" government spin and naïvety. Writing in the British Army Review, an official MoD publication, Major SN Miller, stated: "Lets not kid ourselves. To date Operation Herrick [the British codename for the War in Afghanistan] has been a failure".
Main US base in Afghanistan under attack 21 Jun 2009 At least two US soldiers have been killed in a rocket attack on the main US air base at Bagram outside the Afghan capital Kabul. Six US military personnel were also wounded after several rockets were fired at the base early on Sunday. No group has claimed the responsibility of the attack on Bagram air base, which is the main base for the US-led coalition force in Afghanistan and houses over 10,000 troops. The attack however came shortly after a US journalist, who escaped Taliban custody in Pakistan after seven months of captivity, arrived at the base. [!]
Times Reporter Escapes Taliban After 7 Months 21 Jun 2009 David Rohde, a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped by the Taliban, escaped Friday night and made his way to freedom after more than seven months of captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mr. Rohde, along with a local reporter, Tahir Ludin, and their driver, Asadullah Mangal, was abducted outside Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 10 while he was researching a book. Mr. Rohde’s keen interest in Afghanistan was ignited in the intense three months he spent there after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and cemented during his tenure as co-chief of The Times’s South Asia bureau from 2002 to 2005.
169th British trooper dead in Helmand 21 Jun 2009 A soldier serving with the Welsh Guards in Afghanistan has become the 169th member of the British military to be killed, officials have said. The Ministry of Defense said the soldier was on a routine patrol Friday morning in Helmand Province when an improvised explosive device went off, the Daily Mail reported.
2 US troops killed in southern Afghanistan --At least 76 U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan so far in 2009, a record pace. 20 Jun 2009 A roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan killed two U.S. troops Friday, the U.S. military said. The explosion occurred in Kandahar province. U.S. military officials have said they expect a 50 percent rise in the number of roadside or suicide bomb attacks this year.
70 dead in year's deadliest attack 21 Jun 2009 A truck bomb exploded as worshippers left a Shiite mosque in northern Iraq, killing more than 70 people and wounding nearly 200 in the deadliest blast this year. The explosion near Kirkuk came hours after the prime minister warned Iraqis to expect more violence as US troops withdraw from Iraqi cities by the end of this month, but he insisted the deadline will be met "no matter what happens".
The legacy of war: Two British hostages found dead in Iraq --Forensic teams in Baghdad are testing remains believed to be of two of the five men -- a computer expert and four security guards -- kidnapped at the Finance Ministry in 2007 21 Jun 2009 Two British hostages kidnapped in Baghdad just over two years ago were feared dead last night after Iraqi authorities handed over the remains of two bodies to UK forces in the capital.
Oil rush: Scramble for Iraq's wealth --Critics said the war was all about the nation's lucrative fuel industry. Are they now being proved right? By Patrick Cockburn 21 Jun 2009 For many Iraqis, the reason the US invaded their country in 2003 was to get control of their oil... On 29 and 30 June, the Iraqi government will award contracts under which international oil companies will take a central role in producing crude oil from Iraq's six super-giant oilfields over the next 20 to 25 years... "The service contracts will put the Iraqi economy in chains and shackle its independence for the next 20 years," said Fayad al-Nema, head of the state-owned South Oil Company, which produces 80 per cent of Iraq's crude. "They squander Iraq's reserves."
Senate Approves War Funding Bill After Obama Presses Democrats --At Obama's behest, the bill includes $7.7 billion to prepare for pandemic flu. --Congress to give Mexico an additional $420 million this year to buy helicopters, surveillance aircraft and computers for police 19 Jun 2009 A war funding bill passed the Senate overwhelmingly yesterday, but the 91 to 5 vote came after a fractured process that included objections from Republicans and Democrats alike, and required President Obama to intervene repeatedly to lobby members of his own party for his foreign policy 'vision.' The final version of the $105.9 billion bill provides funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30. [There's taxpayer billions for US pharma-terrorists and to meet the military needs of most dictatorships on the planet, but the lying sacks of sh*t aka Congress insist there's 'no money' for single-payer health care.]
Taxpayers hit by £150m cost of mercenaries --Conflict in Afghanistan has created the biggest source of income for taxpayer-funded private security companies 21 Jun 2009 Mercenaries working for security companies in Iraq and Afghanistan have earned more than £148m from Foreign Office contracts over the past three years. While Iraq was once at the heart of a boom for the controversial and still expanding industry, Foreign Office figures show that the conflict in Afghanistan has created the biggest source of income for private security companies funded by the British taxpayer.
Austria set to sue over BAE arms sales --New documents in inquiry into corruption allegations --Vienna prosecutor builds case against 'persuader' 19 Jun 2009 Austria expects to bring corruption charges in connection with BAE arms sales, the first such prosecution in five years' of bribery investigations all over the world. The Austrian prosecutors' decision follows the emergence of new documents that outline in considerable detail the channelling of secret BAE cash to Count Alfons Mensdorff-Pouilly, an Austrian aristocrat who worked undercover for the arms firm. In one memo, Mensdorff claims Austria was persuaded to buy BAE's Eurofighters in 2002 for €1.7bn (£1.5bn), thanks to "aggressive incentive payments to key decision-makers".
Alcohol abuse by GIs soars since '03 19 Jun 2009 The rate of Army soldiers enrolled in treatment programs for alcohol dependency or abuse has nearly doubled since 2003 -- a sign of the growing stress of repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Army statistics and interviews. Soldiers diagnosed by Army substance abuse counselors with alcoholism or alcohol abuse, such as binge drinking, increased from 6.1 per 1,000 soldiers in 2003 to an estimated 11.4 as of March 31, according to the data. The latest data cover the first six months of the fiscal year that began in October.
Former Scotland Yard anti-terrorist police chief calls for 7/7 inquiry 20 Jun 2009 Andy Hayman, Scotland Yard's former head of counter-terrorism, says an independent public inquiry should be held into the July 7 bombings. Mr Hayman, at the time Assistant Commissioner for Special Operations, says he is "uncomfortable" with the official position that an inquiry would divert resources from the fight against terrorism. He is the first figure from the security establishment to call for an open inquiry, almost four years after the attacks that killed 52 people and injured more than 700.
Oops! Building firm blurts out secrets of hush-hush MI5 HQ --It was used as a base for Operation Pathway, when 12 terror suspects thought to have been planning attacks on shopping centres in Manchester, were arrested. They were later released for lack of evidence. 14 Jun 2009 Details of one of Britain’s most sensitive spy bases have been revealed after they were posted on the internet by the company that built it. In a security blunder that has irritated MI5, a publicity brochure placed online contains the address and full-colour pictures of its northern operations centre. The building was opened amid great secrecy last year. [Well, that was then and this is now. The address is: Park 66, Pilsworth Road, Bury, Lancashire.]
Gordon Brown: 'I could walk away from office tomorrow' --Gordon Brown has admitted he has been "hurt" by the personal attacks on him in the past month, saying he could "walk away from office" tomorrow. 20 Jun 2009 Reflecting on his time in office, the prime minister, who faced down a coup from his own party earlier this month, admitted flaws in his leadership, particularly how he presented himself to the public. "I'm not as great a presenter of information or communicator as I would like to be," he said in an interview, adding that he is not skilled at political manoeuvring. "I don't actually think I'm very good at it at all."
'Lynch mob mentality' scares politicians [What a shame!] 20 Jun 2009 MPs fear the publication of their expenses claims could lead to attacks on their homes and endanger the safety of their families this weekend. Politicians said they had been abused in the street. One candidate for the vacant Speakership of the Commons said the stories on expense abuses had created a "lynch mob mentality". The Tory MP Nadine Dorries said she had called the police after returning home on Wednesday to find vandals had smashed up patio furniture at her constituency home in Bedfordshire. They then left a note on her website, saying: "Nice patio Nadine, or was."
Heads up! Baxter to release flu vaccine in July 13 Jun 2009 Illinois-based Baxter International Inc. said it expects by early July to release the first commercially available dosages of [deadly] H1N1 swine flu vaccine. Baxter, based in Deerfield, Ill., is one of several vaccine makers working with the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to combat foment the virus, which WHO this week declared a global pandemic. [See: Baxter working on vaccine to stop swine flu, though admitted sending live pandemic flu viruses to subcontractor By Lori Price 26 Apr 2009.]
The Baxter Bug: Swine flu 'could infect up to half the population' --Health authorities told to set up testing and drug distribution centres in case of autumn outbreak 21 Jun 2009 Primary care trusts are to set up anti-viral drug distribution centres and swine flu testing clinics amid fears that the infection could spread out of control. The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, wrote to health authorities last week urging hospitals to test all patients who show signs of flu-like symptoms... The letter followed an earlier warning from Sir Liam that millions of Britons could fall victim to swine flu in the coming months. Government officials admitted last night that illness rates from the virus could reach 50 per cent.
Utah prisoners under quarantine for H1N1 test 19 Jun 2009 A prison dormitory is under quarantine as health officials process tests for H1N1 swine flu. Three inmates at the Promontory housing facility have been tested after reporting flu-like symptoms, according to a news statement by the state Department of Corrections. The three men live in the same 50-bed dormitory at the Utah State Prison.
Passenger says TSA agents harassed him --ACLU is suing DHS Secretary on behalf of passenger 20 Jun 2009 Steve Bierfeldt says the Transportation Security Administration pulled him aside for extra questioning in March. On a recording a TSA agent can be heard berating Bierfeldt. One sample: "You want to play smartass, and I'm not going to play your f**king game." Larry Schwartztol of the ACLU said the TSA is suffering from mission creep. "We think what happened to Mr. Bierfeldt is a reflection that TSA believes passenger screening is an opportunity to engage in freewheeling law enforcement investigations that have no link to flight safety," he said.
Schwarzenegger jet makes "steep" emergency landing 20 Jun 2009 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's jet made a "quick, steep, but safe" emergency landing in Los Angeles on Friday after the pilot reported smoke coming from the cockpit's instrument panel, his office said. Although there was no visible fire, the pilot diverted the jet to the Van Nuys airport 10 minutes before he was due to land at Santa Monica, spokesman Aaron McLear said in a statement.
Poll: 72 percent want government-administered insurance plan to compete with private sector --85 percent want major healthcare reforms 20 Jun 2009 Americans strongly support fundamental changes to the healthcare system and a move to create a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll published on Saturday. The Times/CBS poll found seventy-two percent of those questioned said they backed a government-administered insurance plan similar to Medicare for those under 65 that would compete for customers with the private sector.
Previous lead stories: Judge Questions Justice Dept. Effort to Keep Cheney Remarks Secret 19 Jun 2009 A federal judge yesterday sharply questioned an assertion by the Obama administration that former Vice President [sic] Richard B. Cheney's statements to a special prosecutor about the Valerie Plame case must be kept secret, partly so they do not become fodder for Cheney's political enemies or late-night commentary on "The Daily Show." U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan expressed surprise during a hearing here that the Justice Department, in asserting that Cheney's voluntary statements to U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald were exempt from disclosure, relied on legal claims put forward last October by a Bush administration political appointee, Stephen Bradbury.
Taliban defectors: US, Israel funding militants 19 Jun 2009 Two militants' leaders who defected from notorious Taliban chief in Pakistan have revealed that their comrade was pursuing a US-Israeli agenda across the country. A prominent militant leader, Turkistan Bittani, who broke away from Baitullah Mehsud, called him "an American agent". Mehsud, a warlord in his late 30s, has claimed responsibility for dozens of devastating string attacks on both civilians and security forces throughout the feared region. Baetani also noted that al-Qaeda and Taliban's leadership was never targeted in the dozens of US drone strikes in the country's troubled north-west region.
