Us vs. Them: On the Meaning of Fascism (plus 97 more items)

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 09:49 AM PST

Robert tucker Pretty much everyone nowadays rejects fascism, but nobody seems to know quite what it is. The words "fascist" and "fascism" are frequently flung about, but they seem to be applied to all sorts of different and unrelated people and things. The dictionaries and Wikipedia are no help because they all assume that the word refers to a political phenomenon that arose in Europe in the 20th Century. That is indeed when the word "fascism" was coined (in the form of "fascismo," an Italian word for the ideology of Benito Mussolini's political party).

Turkey rejects Israeli 'apology'

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 08:10 AM PST

Turkey has threatened to recall its ambassador from Israel if a row over the envoy's treatment is not resolved within hours, dismissing Israeli statements aimed at appeasing Ankara.

Danny Ayalon, Israel's deputy foreign minister, embarrassed Oguz Celikkol, the Turkish ambassador on Monday, making him sit on a low couch and removing the Turkish flag from the table in a meeting called to convey Israeli protests over a Turkish television series.

Truth Will Prevail

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 05:24 AM PST

The Israeli government doesn't think twice before it orders a genocidal attack against civilians. Israeli military leaders do not think twice before they drop bombs on one of the most densely populated places on the planet. They also do not hesitate whether to use artillery shells against a UN refugee shelter. The Israeli people do not think twice before they approve en masse their army's inhuman tactics. But for some bizarre reason, the Israelis are devastated to find out that the rest of humanity is coming to terms with their true nature. Once again it is a Turkish TV drama that exposes the Israelis for what they are. A murderous collective motivated by vengeance.

Deadliest year for Afghan civilians

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 04:09 AM PST

The number of civilians killed in war-related violence in Afghanistan touched 2,412 last year, the highest number since the 2001 US-led invasion, the UN has said.

A report by the UN mission for Afghanistan pointed to the "intensification and spread of the armed conflict" in what was also the deadliest year for foreign forces, with 520 troops killed.

Civilians killed in Iraq bombing

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 02:42 AM PST

At least two people have been killed and six others wounded in a suicide lorry bombing in Iraq's western Anbar province.

The bomber struck early on Wednesday near a police station in Saqlawiya, a town north of Falluja, a security official said.

Guinean president in Burkina Faso

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 02:40 AM PST

Guinea's military leader who was injured in an assassination attempt, is recuperating in nearby Burkina Faso, according to Burkina Faso's foreign ministry.

Moussa Dadis Camara arrived in the capital of Ouagadougou from Morocco on Tuesday where he had been treated for a head wound following the assassination attempt on December 3.

North Korea wants sanctions lifted

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 02:39 AM PST

A North Korean diplomat has said that his country will resume talks on its nuclear programme only when all international sanctions have been lifted.

Choe Jin-su, the North Korean envoy to China, said the sanctions were "an expression of distrust" between Pyongyang and Washington, and cautioned that the US must also agree to peace treaty talks.

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 02:37 AM PST

Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) plans to produce more than 300,000 economy engines during the next Iranian calendar year (starting March 21, 2010).

"Following the strategy of reducing fuel consumption, IKCO will allocate 50 percent of its production capacity to low consumption engines in the next year," said IKCO Deputy Chief Executive (CEO) for Powertrain, Ali Sheikhzadeh.

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 02:37 AM PST

The United States has offered its full-fledged support for the building of a wall by Egypt to disrupt the Gaza Strip's lifeline that moves basic items underground past the Israeli-imposed blockade.

The construction of the steel tunnel-impervious wall, believed to have started some time in November, comes in line with Israeli and Egyptian accusations that Palestinians resistance fighters use the tunnels for procuring and storing weapons for use against the Israelis.

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 02:37 AM PST

Three people, including two children waiting for their school bus, have been injured in a bomb blast that struck Kfar Fila in southern Lebanon.

Naharnet news website cited unnamed security officials in reporting that that blast took place at 7:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) Wednesday at the entrance to a three-storey building.

IKCO exports 20,000 passenger cars

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 02:36 AM PST

Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) says it has exported 20,000 passenger cars since the beginning of the Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2009).

The IKCO expects the number to reach 36,000 cars by March, 2010.

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 02:36 AM PST

The Omani Foreign Minister has arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials on economic and regional issues.

Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah met with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, on Tuesday. In the meeting, the Iranian Foreign Minister called for greater momentum in completing joint economic ventures between the two countries.

Turkey accepts Israel's apology

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 01:09 AM PST

Turkey has accepted an official apology from Israel over the treatment of its ambassador, with the Israeli prime minister expressing the hope it would end the latest row between the two countries.

Danny Ayalon, Israel's deputy foreign minister, embarrassed Oguz Celikkol, the Turkish envoy, on Monday, making him sit on a low couch and removing the Turkish flag from the table in a meeting called to convey Israeli protests over a Turkish television series.

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 01:09 AM PST

Even though a Los Angeles-based terror group claims responsibility for the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran, Washington denies responsibility in the attack.

"The idea that charged the United States with having anything to do with a murder in Tehran in absurd," Gordon K Duguld, Deputy Spokesman of the US State Department said late Tuesday.

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 01:09 AM PST

Internet giant Google Inc has threatened to leave China and shut down its strictly monitored site there after serious cyber attacks originated from the country.

In mid-December, Google detected a highly sophisticated attack on its corporate infrastructure originating from China.

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 01:09 AM PST

The Iranian police force has announced plans to set up a monitoring system in jails to prevent inappropriate treatment of detainees.

"The jail monitoring system will allow better control over the facilities," Iranian Police Chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam told reporters in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Tuesday afternoon.

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 01:08 AM PST

Four Afghan police officers have been killed after militants attacked a police station in Afghanistan's Helmand province, a Press TV correspondent has reported.

"The policemen were killed during an attack on Monday night on a police station in Helmand province's tow of Gereshk in central Afghanistan," a spokesman for the provincial governor, Davoud Ahmadi, said Wednesday.

Guatemalan leader cleared of murder

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 12:12 AM PST

A Guatemalan lawyer who accused the country's president of his murder in a video made before his death, actually contracted the hitmen to kill him, UN investigators have said.

Rodrigo Rosenberg, contacted cousins of his first wife to help him find a hitman to deal with an extortionist, when he really was orchestrating his own killing, the investigating commission said.

No bail for Philippines suspect

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 12:11 AM PST

The man accused of masterminding last November's massacre in the southern Philippines has had his request for bail rejected by a court in the capital, Manila.

Andal Ampatuan Jr is facing 41 counts of murder for allegedly leading the attack on a convoy of political rivals and a group of accompanying journalists in Maguindanao province.

Israel apologises to Turkey

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 12:10 AM PST

Daniel Ayalon, the Israeli deputy foreign minister, has issued a special statement of apology for his treatment of the Turkish ambassador to Israel.

Ayalon had delivered on Monday a rebuke to Ahmet Oguz Celikkol regarding a television show in Turkey that Israel considers offensive.

Yemen kills 'al-Qaeda cell leader'

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 12:09 AM PST

Yemeni soldiers have killed the head of an al-Qaeda cell in the eastern province of Shabwa, the governor of the province says.

Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi, said on Wednesday that Abdullah Mehdar was killed overnight by security forces after being besieged in a house where he had been hiding.

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 12:08 AM PST

The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has taken a swipe at Israeli leaders, emphasizing the need of bringing them to justice in international courts.

"Leaders of the Zionist regime [Israel] should face trial and rights of the Palestinian people should be restored because the regime is currently in a weak position," the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying during a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad.

Seven killed in al-Anbar bombing

Posted: 13 Jan 2010 12:08 AM PST

A fresh bombing attack in Iraq has targeted law enforcement officers near a police station in the western province of al-Anbar, killing at least seven people.

The incident happened on Wednesday when a bomber blew himself up in the center of a town just north of Fallujah, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.

Nigeria VP 'can take head duties'

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 11:39 PM PST

A Nigerian court has ruled that Goodluck Jonathan, the vice president, can take over the duties of the president, who has been sick, without a formal transfer of power.

The decision on Wednesday by the chief judge in the Federal High Court in Abuja, the capital, was taken following the absence of Umaru Yar'Adua, the president, from the country since November 28.

Greece rules out quitting euro zone

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 11:38 PM PST

George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister, has ruled out the option of his debt-ridden country leaving the eurozone or resorting to a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Papandreou's remarks came as a team of IMF experts, requested by Greece's finance ministry, launched a week-long mission to the country on Wednesday to help restore its battered economy.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 11:08 PM PST

In a unanimous ruling, the European Court of Human Rights condemns Britain's anti-terrorism legislation arguing that it disrespects the private life of an individual.

All the seven judges censuring the UK legislation said that police searches, without reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing, breach the complainants' right to their private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, its statement said on Tuesday.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 11:08 PM PST

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh calls on all Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip to unify and to protect Gazans from any possible Israeli aggression.

"We call upon Palestinian factions to intensify their meetings in order to reinforce the national agreement and to work in a joint spirit to protect our people and our interests and to block any possible Israeli aggression against our people," Haniyeh said before a cabinet meeting in Gaza on Tuesday.

Houston to let in light of Sufis

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 11:08 PM PST

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston plans to open an exhibit on mystical Sufi and Islamic arts to explore some of its facets through the lenses of artists.

Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam is the first exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to be devoted to Sufism, whose followers seek a mystical union with God.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 11:08 PM PST

Canada has put its airliners and airports on high alert, following alleged reports that "terrorists" were trying to get into the country to infiltrate the US.

"There's specific information that certainly causes me concern, causes our security officials concern, and I think we need to maintain heightened vigilance in this time," Transport Minister John Baird told reporters on Tuesday.

Venezuela imposes energy rationing

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:38 PM PST

Venezuela's government has imposed rolling blackouts of up to four hours every other day throughout the country to help combat an energy crisis.

Hugo Chavez, the president, has said rationing is necessary to prevent water levels in the country's main dam from falling to critical lows and causing a widespread power collapse.

Google 'may quit China'

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:37 PM PST

Internet search giant Google has said it may shut down its China operations in protest against government censorship of its search results.

The announcement, which represents a major shift in policy by the company, follows a recent hacking incident that appeared to target the accounts of activists using its electronic mail system, Gmail.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:08 PM PST

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad says Israel is mounting a fierce media campaign against the resistance before an intended military aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Islamic Jihad spokesman, Davoud Shihab, in a statement on Monday called on the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza to coordinate their positions to confront the threats should they be translated to the ground.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:08 PM PST

The Palestinian Resistance Movement (Hamas) says that the Egyptian soldier shot dead during the recent skirmishes in Rafah border crossing was not killed by Palestinian fire.

According to the Palestinian Information Center, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri on Tuesday expressed the movement's astonishment at claims by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit that Egypt had the names of two Palestinians who shot the Egyptian soldier during clashes that broke out at the Palestinian-Egyptian border.

JAL shares fall on bankruptcy fears

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:08 PM PST

Shares of Japan Airlines (JAL) have plunged by 45 percent to a new record low amid fears of the company's bankruptcy and its removal from the stock exchange.

The Tuesday fall came despite an improved offer of investment from American Airlines, up from US$1 billion to US$1.3 billion.

US, Japan deadlocked over Okinawa base

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:08 PM PST

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Japanese counterpart have failed to resolve a row over a US military base in Japan.

Clinton said on Tuesday she had urged Tokyo anew to follow through on a deal to relocate the US Futenma base on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.

US trade gap up to $36.4bn in November

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:08 PM PST

Latest official data show the US trade deficit has widened by nearly 10 percent in November to reach the highest level in 10 months.

The US Commerce Department said that the trade gap jumped above $36.4 billion, exceeding economists' average projection of $34.5 billion.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 10:07 PM PST

A record number of Pakistani civilians and security forces were killed in a wave of attacks and explosions in the country last year, a report says.

The Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) said in a new report that a total of 3,021 people were killed and 7,334 wounded in the attacks in 2009.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 09:37 AM PST

A recent study has shown that watching television more than four hours a day shortens the lifespan in most individuals.

Australian researchers found that individuals who sit for extended period of time will be at higher risk of developing health problems such as cardiovascular disease.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 09:36 AM PST

The assassination of one of Iran's nuclear scientists is an indication of the country's advancement in different scientific fields, the head of a leading scientific establishment in the capital said Tuesday.

Professor Masoud Ali-Mohammadi, a lecturer at Tehran University, was killed by a booby-trapped motorbike blast in the Iranian capital earlier in the day. The explosion took place near the professor's home in the Qeytariyeh neighborhood of northern Tehran.

Everything Is Fine!!!!

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 09:28 AM PST

<p><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/UW_4TeucbMM/default.jpg" style="float:left;margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;">Very funny, yet sickening view of societies "ills", and loss of liberty. Sadly the UK is a little worse off, than here in the U.S....So far.</p>
<hr id="system-readmore" />
<center>{youtube width="560" height="340"}{/youtube}UW_4TeucbMM</center>
<p>Very funny, yet sickening view of societies "ills", and loss of liberty. Sadly the UK is a little worse off, than here in the U.S....So far.</p>

Will Iraq inquiry prove dossier was 'sexed up'?

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 08:42 AM PST

In London, the former communications head of the British government, Alastair Campbell has given testimony about the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. Campbell told the inquiry that the former British prime minister wanted to disarm Saddam Hussein via the United Nations. He denied that the ex-US president Bush had persuaded Blair to agree with his regime change policy.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 08:42 AM PST

The CIA and controversial US security company, Blackwater, are in the middle of a new anti-terrorist scandal - this time, in Germany. According to Der Spiegel magazine, a team of Blackwater operatives, hired by the CIA, were allegedly working in Hamburg five years ago. They had a secret mission to kidnap a German citizen with suspected ties to Al-Qaeda and 9/11 terror attacks, the report said. The story is gaining momentum as it follows controversy over CIA operations in Yemen and the German ...

Foreigners kidnapped in Nigeria

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 08:41 AM PST

Four men working for a Nigerian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell have been kidnapped by gunmen in south of the country, Nigerian police say.

Rita Abbey, a spokesman for Rivers State police, said the three Britons and one Colombian were seized on Tuesday morning, after their police escort was shot dead.

Ex-Blair aide defends Iraq dossier

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 08:40 AM PST

A former spokesman for Tony Blair, the British prime minister who decided to go to war in Iraq in 2003, has defended a dossier used to justify the case for entering the conflict.

Alastair Campbell told a public inquiry into the war on Tuesday that the document, which claimed Iraq could launch weapons within 45 minutes, was a "serious, solid piece of work".

Many dead in Somalia fighting

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 08:39 AM PST

A second day of fighting between pro-government and al-Shabab forces in Somalia has left at least 14 people dead.

Hundreds of people have also been displaced by the clashes in the centre of the country where the state-allied Ahlu Sunna Wal Jammaa fighters are attempting to take control of the area from al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab, witnesses and rights groups said.

Saudi troops killed at Yemen border

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 08:38 AM PST

Four Saudi soldiers have been killed in an operation to seize back a border post from Yemeni Houthi fighters, Saudi Arabia's state television has said.

Following the clashes, Saudi forces seized the position back from the fighters and "destroyed" them, the report added on Tuesday.

Posted: 12 Jan 2010 08:37 AM PST

At least one in four women experiences domestic abuse over their lifetime. The problem has been a major concern in Italy, where the attacks of jealous husbands are rarely regarded as a crime.