Tuesday, February 23, 2010

IRAQ INQUIRY

Pakistani militants confirm Hakimullah dead (plus 98 more items)

Link to Rebel Newsflash

Pakistani militants confirm Hakimullah dead

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 08:23 AM PST

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has admitted that their top leader Hakimullah Mehsud died a week ago from injuries ha had suffered earlier.

The militant group, based in northwest Pakistan's Orakzai tribal agency, has confirmed that the leader of the TTP died a week ago due to a neck injury while traveling from the eastern city of Multan to the southern port of Karachi for treatment, Pakistan's English-language Dawn newspaper reported.

Germany's exports in 2009 tumbled 18.4%.

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 08:10 AM PST

Germany's economy has received another blow as new data show the country's merchandise exports fell 18.4% in 2009, the sharpest decline in decades.

Germany's federal statistics office, Destatis, said on Monday that the country's exports in 2009 tumbled 18.4% and imports dropped 17.2% below the respective 2008 levels, recording the biggest decline in foreign trade since 1950.

Defiant Tymoshenko to fight vote result

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 08:06 AM PST

Defeated Ukrainian presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko says she 'will never recognize' the victory of her rival Viktor Yanukovich and will challenge the results.

Tymoshenko lost by over three percentage points to Yanukovych in Sunday's run-off, which was hailed by international observers as honest and an impressive display of democracy.

Mottaki: Israel will fail to achieve goals in Gaza

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has expressed confidence that Israel will be unable to achieve its goals in the Gaza Strip.

"The Zionists [Israelis] will definitely fail to reach their objectives in Gaza," said Mottaki in a meeting with Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Ramadan Abdullah in Tehran on Monday.

China calls for talks over Iran nuclear issue

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 07:56 AM PST

China has called all parties involved in talks on Iran's nuclear issue to work toward a deal which would provide Iran with 20% enriched uranium needed for Tehran medical reactor.

"I hope the relevant parties will step up efforts and push for progress in the dialogue and negotiations," China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said Tuesday at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

Sana'a downplays al-Qaeda threats

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 07:29 AM PST

Sana'a has dismissed threats from a so-called al-Qaeda cell in the Arabian Peninsula who have called for attacks on US interests worldwide.

Yemen "will not be intimidated by al-Qaeda threats," the country's Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, vowing "security forces will continue to combat any violation of the law and will strike terrorist hideouts wherever they are found."

Iran still open to talks on nuclear fuel swap

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 07:21 AM PST

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast says Tehran is still open to talks over a nuclear fuel swap with the West.

"The issue of a nuclear fuel swap [with the West] … is still open [to talks]. We have announced our conditions in a clear and transparent way. If the other sides provide our conditions and adopt a realistic approach, it (the swap) would be possible," Mehman-Parast told reporters on Tuesday.

In UK, Dizaei jailed after decade of racial fight

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 06:53 AM PST

Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei has been sentenced to four years in prison, after a decade of bitter racial struggles with Britain's Scotland Yard.

The Iranian born officer was convicted by the Southwark Crown Court Monday for misconduct in a public office and perverting the course of justice.

Avalanche kills 17 soldiers in Indian Kashmir

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 06:11 AM PST

At least 17 Indian soldiers have been killed and several others trapped when an avalanche slammed into a military camp in the Baramulla district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

The accident occurred at in the Khelenmarg Mountains, close to the Kashmiri ski resort of Gulmarg, which has become a major draw for foreign skiers.

Iran produces 97% of its domestic medicine

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 06:07 AM PST

The Iranian Health Minister has said that the country produces 97 percent of its own medicine and imports only 3 percent of its pharmaceuticals.

"Iran is producing 97 percent of the prescribed and non-prescribed medicine needed in the country. We are importing no more than 3 percent of medicine (needed domestically) to Iran," Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi told IRIB.

UK urges Iran to keep relations with Britain

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 06:05 AM PST

Britain has urged Tehran not to downgrade its relations with London, saying the calls to lower the level of ties between the two countries are "regrettable."

The UK Foreign Office published Monday an open letter from Britain's Ambassador to Tehran, Simon Gass, to a senior Iranian lawmaker in which the British official said any decision by Iranian parliament to downgrade relations with Britain "would be regrettable," Reuters reported Monday.

Fears of a 'hung parliament' mount in Britain

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 05:45 AM PST

The prospect of a hung parliament has increased in Britain as a new poll predicts a tight race in the upcoming general elections.

The Populous poll undertaken over the weekend shows no party is likely to receive an absolute majority.

Pakistani ex-minister escapes assassination attempt

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 05:34 AM PST

A senior Pakistani politician and former aide to ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf has narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.

The attack however killed four people, including two guards, and wounded eight others in the city of Rawalpindi.

Hamas: Cairo wall cannot shake Gazans' will

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 04:54 AM PST

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has scoffed at the blockade of the Gaza Strip, saying walls cannot force Palestinians to submit to external control.

"Gaza is surrounded on three sides; north, east, and south; to make it raise a white flag," Haniyeh said on Monday, insisting that Egypt's underground wall will fail to produce Cairo's desired effect. "The escalation of the blockade and the siege is aimed at toppling the (Hamas) government and bringing the Palestinians to their knees," he added.

US stocks drop amid fears of European debts

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 04:40 AM PST

US stocks have closed broadly lower, with the Dow Jones closing below 10,000 for the first time since November 4 last year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 104 points on Monday as the Nasdaq tumbled 15 and the S&P 500 slid 9 amid fears of global rate hikes and euro zone's sovereign debt troubles.

Endeavour launched on two-week mission

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 04:28 AM PST

The US space shuttle, Endeavour, has lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a two-week mission to the international space station.

The Endeavour orbiter made its final night launch early Monday to soar into the Florida sky on its 13-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Iran starts 20% uranium enrichment

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 04:13 AM PST

Iran on Tuesday began enriching uranium to a level of 20 percent at its Natanz enrichment facility under the surveillance of inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog.

The move comes after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tasked the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran with enriching uranium to 20 percent in order to meet the demands of the country's cancer patients.

UK: Iraq inquiry to question US officials

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 04:08 AM PST

In Britain, the head of the Iraq war inquiry is to seek meetings with members of the administration of former US President George W. Bush, over the 2003 war.

John Chilcot confirmed on Monday he hopes to obtain evidence from American officials, but did not say which specific individuals he wants to question.

Riyadh urges firm stance on Israeli war threats

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 03:35 AM PST

Saudi Arabia has called on the international community to take a 'rigorous position' against Israel's saber-rattling against Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinians.

Riyadh "appeals to the international community on the need for a rigorous position about these (Israeli threats)," the cabinet said after its weekly meeting on Monday chaired by King Abdullah.

Canadian military chief charged with murder

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 03:17 AM PST

A Canadian military base commander has been charged with the murder of two women and sexually assaulting two other women, according to police.

Colonel Russell Williams was arrested in Ottawa Sunday on suspicion of murder of 27-year-old Jessica Lloyd and 38-year-old corporal Marie Comeau.

Moderate quake jolts southern Mexico

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 03:11 AM PST

Southern Mexico has been shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale, according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicenter of the quake was located 14 miles (23 km) southeast of the town of Miahuatlan in Oaxaca.

2 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan blast

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 03:08 AM PST

The British Ministry of Defense has announced that it has lost two soldiers as a result of a roadside bombing near Sangin in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province.

The two soldiers, from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, part of the 3 Rifles Battle Group, were killed in an explosion near Sangin Sunday evening.

'Iran can definitely enrich uranium to 20%'

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 12:27 AM PST

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Ali Akbar Salehi says Tehran is definitely capable of enriching uranium to 20 percent.

Salehi made the remarks on Monday in response to French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who had described the plan as a political bluff.

10 migrants drown in Gulf of Aden

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 12:16 AM PST

At least 10 migrants have drowned and 126 have been rescued by Somali fishermen from the Gulf of Aden after smugglers threw them overboard.

The boat was sailing from Somalia to Yemen when it encountered mechanical problems.

Saudi warplanes kill two children in Yemen

Posted: 09 Feb 2010 12:07 AM PST

The Saudi Air Force has reportedly killed two children in their relentless attacks on northern Yemen, despite having accepted a ceasefire offer by the Shia Houthi fighters.

The Houthi fighters said the Saudi warplanes fired at least 150 rockets and artillery shells on the region on Sunday.

Americans give Obama 'F' for handling economy

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 11:52 PM PST

US President Barack Obama's approval rating has dropped to the lowest level since his inauguration for the way he has steered the country's trouble-ridden economy through the financial crisis.

Only 36 percent of the Americans approve of the commander-in-chief's economic management and 32 percent approve of his efforts to contain the runaway federal red-ink budget, a Gallup Poll said on Monday reporting on the results of a study conducted by the opinion survey group.

95 detained for 'link' to Karachi bombings

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 11:38 PM PST

Pakistani security forces have reportedly arrested the suspects behind the recent twin bombings in Karachi that left more than 30 people dead and scores injured.

The Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary group, said in a statement that the security forces had placed 95 people in custody after raids on Karachi-based residences, hotels and guesthouses, a Press TV correspondent reported late Monday.

Iran, Pakistan agree to increase parliamentary ties

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 11:13 PM PST

Pakistani National Assembly Speaker Fahmida Mirza has returned to Islamabad after a six-day visit to Iran.

During her stay, Mirza met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

Coupon scam hits Haiti food aid

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 10:09 PM PST

The World Food Programme (WFP) has temporarily halted food aid to about 10,000 survivors of Haiti's earthquake after some people tried to use fake coupons to secure rations.

The attempted scam was discovered on Monday as the
United Nations said that some hospitals were charging patients for medicines provided for free by the relief effort.

Pakistan police 'foil hotel attack'

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:58 PM PST

Pakistani authorities have arrested six suspected Taliban fighters who were allegedly plotting to attack a five-star hotel and kill Americans.

Zulfikar Hameed, a senior police official, said the fighters who were arrested on Monday on the outskirts of Lahore included a 14-year-old boy and a prayer leader from Pakistan's Khyber tribal area near the Afghan border.

Doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:44 PM PST

US prosecutors have charged Michael Jackson's personal physician with involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's death.

Dr. Conrad Murray, 56, will face trial in Los Angeles for giving Jackson a lethal cocktail of drugs.

British death toll in Afghanistan exceeds Falklands war

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:28 PM PST

With the death of the 256th British soldier in Afghanistan, the toll from the conflict has surpassed the number killed in the 1982 Falklands war, defense officials say.

A British bomb disposal expert from the 36th Engineering Regiment was killed in a blast Monday morning while clearing a route in Helmand province in Nad-e-Ali district.

Aafia Siddiqi supporters hold anti-US rally in Islamabad

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:23 PM PST

An anti-US rally was held in Islamabad on Monday protesting the US Federal Court verdict convicting the female Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui.

On February 8, a 12-member New York jury convicted Siddiqui, a mother of three and a graduate of the prestigious American university, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of attempted murder. She had been charged with allegedly shooting at her interrogators in 2008.

Anti-US rally in Pakistan against Siddiqui verdict

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:23 PM PST

An anti-US rally wad held in Islamabad on Monday protesting the US Federal Court verdict convicting the female Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui.

On February 8, a 12-member New York jury convicted Siddiqui, a mother of three and a graduate of the prestigious American university, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of attempted murder. She had been charged with allegedly shooting at her interrogators in 2008.

PSU Professor John Hall Outs Jewish Agent Provocateur, Gets Banned

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:18 PM PST

Zacharia's Channel

Toyota issues Prius recall

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:02 PM PST

Toyota has issued a recall of its flagship Prius hybrid, along with two other hybrid models in Japan, for braking problems.

The car giant informed Japan's transport ministry about the Prius 2010 model recall on Tuesday and was to disclose details later in the day about its global plans for a fix, including possible plans for a similar recall in the US - the company's largest market.

'Enemy cannot hinder Iran's progress'

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 08:29 PM PST

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that Iran's enemies will not be able to block the country's scientific progress.

In an address to the Second National Festival of Innovation and Prosperity in Tehran on Monday, Ahmadinejad said that young Iranian students would continue to attain great achievements in various technological fields.

Sri Lanka detains defeated presidential candidate

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 08:11 PM PST

Sri Lanka's defeated presidential candidate, former General Sarath Fonseka, has been arrested and taken into custody charged with conspiracy against the president.

"He was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes," Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem told Reuters. One of Fonseka's security officers, I. P. Herath, confirmed the account.

'Middle East will determine fate of the world'

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:25 PM PST

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Middle East is the region that "will determine the fate of the world."

"The Zionist regime and its allies are on the losing side, and the free nations' resistance is empowered," Ahmadinejad said in Tehran on Monday during a meeting with Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Secretary General Ramadan Abdullah Shallah.

Toyota set to recall Prius

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:16 PM PST

Toyota looks set to inform Japan's transport ministry that it will recall its Prius flagship hybrid on Tuesday, according to Japanese media.

Expectation has been building since last week that it would recall nearly 300,000 units of its Prius model and Japanese broadcaster NHK said the company would submit its recall plan to the government on Tuesday.

Militants blow-up gas pipeline in Balochistan

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:12 PM PST

Suspected militants have blown up a key gas pipeline in the southwestern Balochistan province disrupting supplies to major Pakistani cities.

Police said that in a pre-dawn attack on Monday, militants dynamited a main gas pipeline located in the western bypass in the provincial capital Quetta and fled towards the nearby hills, a Press TV correspondent reported.

It Is Now Official: The U.S. Is A Police State

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 06:58 PM PST

paul craig roberts Americans have been losing the protection of law for years. In the 21st century the loss of legal protections accelerated with the Bush administration's "war on terror," which continues under the Obama administration and is essentially a war on the Constitution and U.S. civil liberties.

The Bush regime was determined to vitiate habeas corpus in order to hold people indefinitely without bringing charges. The regime had acquired hundreds of prisoners by paying a bounty for terrorists. Afghan warlords and thugs responded to the financial incentive by grabbing unprotected people and selling them to the Americans.

Narcotics police seize 4 tons of drugs in Tehran

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 06:50 PM PST

In a fresh crackdown on drug smugglers, Iranian police have seized around 3,750 kilograms of narcotics while busting two notorious drug rings.

"Iranian narcotics agents have managed to confiscate 3,743 kilograms of various kinds of narcotics in heavy clashes in the past six months in the Iranian capital Tehran," said General Hamid Reza Hossein-Abadi, the commander of the narcotics squad.

Reality show offends pro-life and pro-choice

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 05:59 PM PST

A new web show called "BUMP+" is stirring up controversy and conversation about abortion. It's a "fake" reality show in which three actresses portray women facing unintended pregnancies. These characters, entirely fictional, have agreed to appear on a reality TV show and let the public weigh in on what they should do about their pregnancies: keep it, terminate it, adoption?

Straw denies ignoring legal advice against Iraq war

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 04:33 PM PST

Reappeared before Britain's inquiry into the Iraq war, former foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has rejected claims that he ignored advice that the UK did not have enough legal backing to invade Iraq in 2003.

Straw, the current Justice Secretary, was summoned to the inquiry on Monday after his senior legal adviser at the time of the Iraq war, Sir Michael Wood, told the inquiry Straw had ignored his warnings.

UK minister says Iran not part of 'axis of evil'

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 04:25 PM PST

Britain's official inquiry into the Iraq war for the second time linked the conflict with Iran at a session on Monday dedicated to further investigate the invasion's legality.

The former foreign secretary and the incumbent justice secretary, Jack Straw, reappeared before the Downing Street-selected committee investigating the build up to the 2003 war and denied "ignoring" legal advice that war would be in breach of international law without a second UN Security Council resolution.

Americans killed in Pakistan 'working with CIA'

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 04:22 PM PST

The Americans killed in last week's bomb attack in Pakistan were US agents that had been working closely with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), an official says.

Dozens of teenage girls were caught up in the blast, outside their secondary school last week. The incident left eight people, including three American soldiers dead.

Palestinians considering indirect talks with Israel

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 04:07 PM PST

Palestinians say they would consider a US offer to hold indirect peace talks with Israel if the talks are focused on the issue of the borders.

Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said on Monday that the Palestinian Authority needed more information from Washington, along with support from Arab states, before making a commitment to the US offer on the peace talks, Reuters reported.

Iran's uranium enrichment push draws fresh sanctions calls

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 04:00 PM PST

Iran has formally told the United Nation's atomic watchdog it will begin producing higher grade nuclear fuel and it is inviting UN inspectors to monitor the process. In response, the US and France have been leading calls for what would be a fourth round of international sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme. Tehran says it is frustrated because of what it calls the unwillingness of the US and its allies to consider amendments to a UN backed nuclear fuel proposal. Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reports from the Iranian capital. (09 Feb 2010)

Iran asks UN atomic body to oversee fuel production

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:56 PM PST

Iran on Monday informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in an official letter that from Tuesday, it will begin enriching higher-grade nuclear fuel.

"Today we handed over the letter," Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told Press TV.

British scientists discover ageing gene variants

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:42 PM PST

British researchers have discovered the gene variants, which can predict the pace of ageing in the human body.

While seniors are more prone to certain illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and heart diseases, studies show some individuals may become affected at younger ages.

NATO calls on Taliban to surrender

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:18 PM PST

NATO forces in Afghanistan have called on the Taliban to surrender ahead of what is expected to be the biggest anti-militant offensive since 2001.

A Spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), General Eric Tremblay, called on the militants to lay down their arms and announced that the goal of the operation was to "separate the insurgents from the population".

Will Israel attack Iran during the Olympics?

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:14 PM PST

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 Israeli warships on way to Persian Gulf- As Israel keeps threatening the regional countries with war, Egyptian maritime sources say the Israeli navy has deployed two missile ships to the Persian Gulf. Citing the sources, Yediot Ahronot reported Saturday that two Israeli missile ships passed through the Suez Canal en rout to the Red Sea on Thursday morning. The sources said the ships are expected to reach the Persian Gulf within the next four days.

Colour me different: Yanukovych marks end of Ukraine's 'Orange' Era

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:13 PM PST

With most of the votes counted in Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich has over 48% of the vote. Less than 3% behind is Yulia Timoshenko, with just under 46%.

Palestinians to seek justice at ICC

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 03:01 PM PST

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Monday that the Palestinians will provide the court with more legal arguments over Israel's war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Palestinian Authority officials "will be back in March with more legal arguments, so we are letting them come here before making any decision…It is a very complex decision," Reuters reported.

Washington D.C. is paralyzed by snow

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:54 PM PST

Washington DC has been hit with almost thirty inches of snow; the city has not been able to recover after two days. As a result, the government has been shut down, as well as most of the city. Government officials have said that it doesnt make sense for the city to invest in so much snow removal because this is so unusual.

The Rebbe Made Him Do It

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:47 PM PST

Apparently Jews aren't immune to the general moral decay in society any more than any other people. In recent years Jewish con men have suffered a serious lapse in ethics and have begun preying on their own kind instead of just the goyem. The world-famous swindler Bernie Madoff was not only notable for running a 60 billion dollar Ponzi Scheme, Madoff is famous for ripping off numerous Jews (as opposed to mostly Gentile victims and just a few accidental Jewish victims). More and more Jewish swindlers are turning up who have made millions of dollars and whole careers out of swindling their fellow Tribesmen.

'GOP using jet bomb threat as political football'

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:43 PM PST

Reacting to the Republican criticism of the way US President Barack Obama addressed the Christmas Eve jet bomb threat, the White House terrorism czar accuses the the GOP of trying to gain political momentum from the incident.

Appearing on the NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, John Brennan accused the Republicans of using the incident as a "political football" for their own gains.

Iran closer to Nuclear weapons.

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:39 PM PST

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his country will begin the production of highly enriched uranium for its medical reactor. At present Iran has been enriching uranium only to 3.5 percent, the level needed for use in its Bushehr nuclear power plant. The Tehran medical reactor will require 20 percent enriched uranium, a significant increase but still well short of the levels needed for weapons.

Azerbaijan planning to de-Russify last names

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:37 PM PST

Azerbaijan's parliament has prepared a draft law to change the endings of Azerbaijani last names and remove the Russian sounds.

A parliamentary committee has sent the draft to President Ilham Aliyev to get a presidential decree or a new law, allowing Azeri citizens to change their last names.

France okays warship sale to Russia

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:36 PM PST

France's Defense Ministry has announced that Moscow is seeking to buy three more Mistral class warships from Paris, after reports of an agreement on the sale of one ship.

The Monday announcement may spark fresh concerns in Tbilisi, which had opposed the negotiations over purchase of the 21,300-ton amphibious assault ship.

Media Disinformation in America

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:33 PM PST

Progressive activists and writers continually bemoan the fact that the news they generate and the opinions they express are consistently ignored by the mainstream media, and thus kept from the masses of the American people. This disregard of progressive thought is tantamount to a definition of the mainstream media. It doesn't have to be a conspiracy; it's a matter of who owns the mainstream media and the type of journalists they hire — men and women who would like to keep their jobs; so it's more insidious than a conspiracy, it's what's built into the system, it's how the system works. The disregard of the progressive world is of course not total; at times some of that world makes too good copy to ignore, and, on rare occasions, progressive ideas, when they threaten to become very popular, have to be countered.

HRT ups asthma risk in postmenopausal women

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:33 PM PST

Apart from commonly reported complications for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a new study links the treatment with a high risk of asthma in postmenopausal women.

Previous studies had reported asthma to be more common in young women after the initiation of menstruation, pointing out a possible link between female hormones and asthma.

Exercise cuts gallstone risk: Study

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:29 PM PST

In line with previous researches, a new study confirms that intense exercise lowers the risk of developing painful gallstones.

Gallstones, considered to be asymptomatic in the majority of cases, are commonly reported in one in every three women and one in every six men. The condition is more frequently seen in seniors.

Yemeni forces suffer heavy losses in Sa'ada

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 02:07 PM PST

At least ten Yemeni troopers have been killed and 18 others have been wounded in a fresh round of clashes with Houthi fighters in the north, said a military official.

The clashes broke out in on Monday in Harf Sufyan, south of the city of Sa'ada, and in the Malahidh border area, the unnamed official told AFP.

Vancouver Olympic blues

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 01:58 PM PST

The city of Vancouver is picking up most of the price tag for the Olympic games that are scheduled to start this week. Many people are angry about this because most of the prices told to the people of Vancouver were under estimated. Many social services have to be cut because the city is trying to pick up the tab for the games.

Tymoshenko under pressure to admit defeat

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 12:57 PM PST

Latest results from Ukraine's run-off election shows Viktor Yanukovich's lead over rival Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko exceeds the percentage of votes yet to be counted.

While only 1.58 votes remain uncounted, the Central Election Commission results on Monday put pro-Russian Yanukovich 2.79 percentage points ahead of Tymoshenko, a charismatic politician with a prolific career.

Blackwater mercenaries not welcome in Pakistan

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 12:45 PM PST

Pakistani political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam condemns the presence of American mercenaries in Pakistan, after US Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed last month that private security firms were operating in the country.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Chief Maulana Fazal-Ur-Rehman said Monday that approximately 9,000 agents working for the US-based security firm Xe Services LLC (formerly known as Blackwater) are operating in Pakistan.

Leader says Iran stands tall in face of threats

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 11:46 AM PST

Ahead of the anniversary ceremonies of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, its Leader said Monday threats against Iran emanate from the enemy's inability to comprehend the divine roots of the Islamic Republic.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the enemies of the country as well as the imperialistic and Zionist organizations are not capable to understand this reason and that is why they continue to threaten the nation.

Once-a-day pill reverses bone loss: Study

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 11:40 AM PST

A once-a-day pill has shown promising results in rebuilding the bone structure in rodents suffering from severe osteoporosis, a new study finds.

Osteoporosis is a health condition in which the bones become fragile, porous and more vulnerable to fracture.

Sweetened beverages linked to pancreas cancer

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 11:40 AM PST

A new study finds drinking two or more sweetened drinks per week increases one's risk of developing pancreatic tumors — the rare but deadliest type of cancer.

According to the study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, those who drink soft drinks frequently are at an 87 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

The Bankruptcy of the United States is Now Certain

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 11:31 AM PST

It's one of those numbers that's so unbelievable you have to actually think about it for a while... Within the next 12 months, the U.S. Treasury will have to refinance $2 trillion in short-term debt. And that's not counting any additional deficit spending, which is estimated to be around $1.5 trillion. Put the two numbers together. Then ask yourself, how in the world can the Treasury borrow $3.5 trillion in only one year? That's an amount equal to nearly 30% of our entire GDP. And we're the world's biggest economy. Where will the money come from?

Fresh calls for Iran sanctions

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 11:26 AM PST

The United States and France have said new sanctions against Iran are the only option after Tehran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it will begin enriching higher-grade nuclear fuel to a level of 20 per cent.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, and Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, said that Iran should face "strong sanctions" over its nuclear programme, a French official said following a meeting between the two men in Paris.

Parliament backs Iran Pres. decision over 20% enrichment

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 11:02 AM PST

Iranian lawmakers have supported a decision by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to domestically enrich uranium to higher levels, saying it was an appropriate response to the growing Western pressure.

Ahead of the 31st anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, President Ahmadinejad ordered the country's nuclear agency to enrich uranium to 20 percent in order to meet the growing demand of Iranian cancer patients.

Will Obama Opt for War on Iran?

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 10:58 AM PST

Two articles, one by anti-war conservative commentator Patrick Buchanan and the other by neoconservative Daniel Pipes, deal with the issue of Obama moving toward war on Iran for political reasons. In "Will Obama Play the War Card?," Patrick Buchanan points out that this option is certainly a political temptation for Obama especially since Congress is pushing him in that direction. Buchanan cites Congress' effort to impose very stiff sanctions on refined petroleum exports to Iran as a move toward war.

Our Secret Government

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 10:53 AM PST

Macchiavellian politics has reached new height of deception, corruption, and propaganda. Our supreme court became politicized with unscrupulous appointees who were co-opted to implement the new laws for the new world order. Our intelligence agencies have been methodically politicized and corrupted for many years to a point of no return. Cash became GOD!

Chinchilla leads rivals in Costa Rican vote

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 10:42 AM PST

Preliminary results in Costa Rica's presidential poll hints at a decisive lead secured by Laura Chinchilla Miranda, a female candidate from the leftist ruling National Liberation Party.

The fifty-year-old former vice president garnered 46.8 percent of the vote out of 67.9 percent of the votes counted, paving the way for the Central American nation to embrace its first female president, Xinhua reported.

Yemen al-Qaeda leader threatens US

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 10:18 AM PST

Saed Elshari, al-Qaeda's number two in the Arabian Peninsula, has called for attacks against US interests "everywhere".

The messsage was contained in an audio message released on Monday and posted on a website often used by Islamist groups.

Elshari also congratulated Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda's leader, for the bombing bid on a US plane on Christmas Day.

Straw denies ignoring Iraq advice

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 10:16 AM PST

Jack Straw, Britain's foreign minister during the Iraq war, has denied that he ignored advice that the 2003 invasion was illegal, during his second appearance before a public inquiry into the conflict.

Speaking in London, Straw said that two months before the war he read "with great care" an opinion given by Michael Wood, his chief legal adviser at the time, but had rejected it because it contradicted previous advice.

Avalanche kills 11 soldiers in Kashmir

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 10:10 AM PST

An avalanche has struck Indian-Administered Kashmir, killing at least eleven soldiers and leaving fifteen others wounded.

The avalanche hit an army training camp at the Khelenmarg Mountains on Monday, near a ski resort named Gulmarg, 50 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Srinagar.

Iraq defers Parliament session on election row

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:59 AM PST

Iraq's Parliament has called off an emergency session over a contentious decision on the participation in elections of hundreds of candidates with suspected ties to former dictator Saddam Hussein's Baath party.

Deputy parliament speaker Khaled al-Attiya said the lawmakers canceled the session after receiving a letter from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who assured that the judges would complete the appeals process by February 12, when official campaigning for the ballot begins.

High-ranking Hamas, Russian officials meet

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:49 AM PST

Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Monday to discuss prospects of reunifying Palestinian factions.

Lavrov told reporters on Monday that the discussions mainly focused on reviving "efforts brokered by Egypt to secure Palestinian unity."

Iran informs UN nuclear agency of fuel production

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:05 AM PST

Iran on Monday informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in an official letter, that it will begin enriching higher-grade nuclear fuel from Tuesday.

"Today we handed over the letter," said Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali-Asghar Soltanieh.

Sri Lanka arrests General Fonseka

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 09:00 AM PST

General Sarath Fonseka, the defeated candidate in Sri Lanka's presidential election, has been arrested by military police for "military offences", news reports say.

The former army chief "was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes", Rauff Hakeem, Sri Lanka's Muslim Congress leader, told the Reuters news agency.

Zionists Determine Good and Evil

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 08:45 AM PST

Alan Dershowitz (left) recently called Richard Goldstone "an evil man" for censuring Israel's Dec. 2008 Gaza War in his UN Report.

If God is synonymous with absolute truth and justice, Dershowitz exposes Zionism as a war on God. Zionists turn good and evil on their head, and define "good" as whatever benefits them.

This is the New World Order folks; "Good" is "what's Good for the Jews."

Speaking on Israeli Army Radio Jan. 31, Alan Dershowitz called Goldstone a "traitor."

Pedestrians' miracle survival after drunk driver rams crossing

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 08:36 AM PST

A criminal case has been launched in Russia's city of Chelyabinsk, after a drunk driver ran over people on a pedestrian crossing. Two people were immediately hospitalized. Luckily, no one was killed in this awful crash.

Israel arrests Australian woman in West Bank

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 08:25 AM PST

An Australian woman, who was arrested in the West Bank, is being held in an Israeli jail, says her attorney.

Twenty-two-year-old Bridgette Chappell's Israeli lawyer Omer Shatz told ABC on Monday that she was arrested in a pre-dawn raid on her home.

Iraqi MPs to debate election ban on Saddam loyalists

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 08:22 AM PST

Iraqi lawmakers are to debate the decision to allow hundreds of former Saddam loyalists to run in next month's general elections.

An emergency session was called off on Sunday, as MPs had not received the judicial report needed before starting the meeting.

US soldier water-boards 4-year-old daughter

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 08:14 AM PST

An American soldier whose unit has served in Iraq and Afghanistan wars admits to using brutal CIA torture techniques on his young daughter because she could not recite the alphabet.

Joshua Tabor has admitted to water-boarding his little girl, whose custody he won just a month ago, because he knew she was horrified of water.

Iran opens production lines for modern drones

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 08:03 AM PST

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi has inaugurated two production lines for the manufacture of advanced unmanned aircraft to improve its defense capabilities.

"The two drones, named Raad and Nazir, are capable of carrying out surveillance, detection and even assaults with high precision," Vahidi said on Monday.

Freedom of Warship: France agrees Mistral carrier sale to Russia

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:57 AM PST

After months of negotiations, France has approved the sale of a Mistral helicopter carrier to the Russian Navy, That's according to spokesman for the French Defense Ministry. The Mistral is a state-of-the-art vessel which can carry up to 16 helicopters and more than 70 land vehicles. The deal's estimated worth is around 2 billion dollars, making it the country's largest-ever military import.

Egypt arrests 3 top Brotherhood leaders

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:47 AM PST

Egyptian authorities have detained thirteen members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, including three senior leaders.

The organization's newly elected deputy leader, Mahmoud Ezzat, and two other members of the top-level Guidance Council, Essam el-Erian and Abdul-Rahman el-Bir, were arrested Monday in a an early morning sweep.

Afghan war claims 2 US-led soldiers

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:41 AM PST

At least two US-led foreign soldiers have been killed by an explosion in Afghanistan, according to NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

"Two ISAF service members died following an IED (improvised explosive device) strike in southern Afghanistan yesterday," NATO said in a statement on Monday.

Indian soldiers die in avalanche

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:36 AM PST

At least 17 Indian soldiers have been killed and another 50 trapped following an avalanche that hit an army training centre at a ski resort town in Indian-administered Kashmir, army officials have said.

Fifteen soldiers, all in need of emergency medical care, have been found during search-and-rescue operations currently under way at Gulmarg, 50km northwest of Srinagar, the main city in Indian Kashmir.

Iran's Bushehr N plant running after 1 more test

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:35 AM PST

Iran's atomic chief says the long awaited launch of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the South of the country will be complete after one more test.

"We have successfully completed a test known as the 'metallic sphere' and are now contemplating the warm water test in order to get the power plant open and running," Ali Akbar Salehi said on Monday.

Witnesses say Ethiopian troops back in Somalia

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:15 AM PST

Heavily-armed Ethiopian vehicles have reportedly crossed into south central Somalia, seizing the family of a man with Al-Shabab links.

Witnesses said the neighboring country's troops entered the towns of El Barde and Yeed on Saturday, seeking the unidentified man, according to a Reuters report.

Yanukovych 'wins Ukraine election'

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:13 AM PST

Viktor Yanukovich, Ukraine's pro-Russian opposition leader, has claimed a slender win in presidential elections but Yulia Tymoshenko, his bitter rival in Sunday's runoff for the post, has refused to concede defeat.

Central Election Commission results showed that with just 1.58 per cent of the vote yet to be counted, Yanukovich was 2.79 percentage points ahead of Tymoshenko, the country's prime minister, who can no longer overtake him.

CrossTalk on Obama: Post-racial Age?

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:09 AM PST

In this edition of Peter Lavelle's crosstalk, his guests are asked if the politics and language of race in the world has changed with the Obama presidency.

Haitians protest mayor's corruption, hoarding of aid

Posted: 08 Feb 2010 07:04 AM PST

Survivors of Haiti's devastating earthquake have hit the streets in the country's wrecked capital in protest against the mayor's hoarding of aid provided by relief groups.

Hundreds of protesters thronged in a suburb of Port-au-Prince on Sunday as thousands of Haitians remain hungry and homeless one month after the earthquake registering a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale struck the impoverished Caribbean state.

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