.HEADLINES

New Weapons Report Contradicts Prewar's: Thursday's report on the hunt for suspected Iraqi weapons of mass destruction contradicts some recent claims by the Bush administration. Other findings dispute prewar intelligence, or were known to U.N. inspectors before the war. 

1,200 weapons inspectors spent 90 days in Iraq. The exercise cost $300m. And the number of weapons found? 0

Bush seeks to widen Iraqi weapons hunt: Bush is seeking more than $600 million to continue the hunt for conclusive evidence that Hussein's government had an illegal weapons program.

David Kay, led calls to oust Iraqi dictator: Even in 1994, after he had left the IAEA, Mr Kay was making arguments the Bush administration used to justify the war.

Why is it so hard for us to admit? : Why is it so hard for Americans to connect the dots, when it comes to the completely false foundation for the Bush Doctrine of Pre-emptive Aggression against Iraq? 

The American Saddam: Bechtel program directors say the company has hired 69 Iraqi subcontractors and employs more than 27,000 people. But subcontracts to Iraqi firms were only worth $47 million by late September - out of a total of more than $1 billion.

Halliburton's Iraq deal rises to $1.4B: The latest increase, a jump from the $1.25 billion figure posted two weeks ago, reflects higher costs for damage assessments and repairs.

Oil Officials to Be Invited to Iraq: As many as 60 foreign oil companies will be invited to a Baghdad conference to discuss ways of developing the country's oil resources. The meeting, scheduled for December, would be "a brainstorming session" for companies hungry for investment opportunities.

U.S. General Says Iraq Guerrillas More Lethal: "The enemy has evolved. It is a little bit more lethal, little bit more complex, little bit more sophisticated and in some cases a little bit more tenacious, "

Terrorism laws open to abuse- Interpol: "There has been an overuse of terrorism laws to the disadvantage of ordinary citizens and travellers," said the secretary-general of the 181-nation police organization.

Betrayal Under Bush: No specific evidence links Rove to this incident, but the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, convinced no one when he called the mention of Rove as a possible source "ridiculous." Rove has a long history of political dirty tricks.

CIA exposure scandal: NPR removes a section of transcript that reveals the White House had asked the Justice Department if they could wait a day, before directing the White House staff to preserve all phone and email records

US and Turkey to hit PKK: Turkey and the US have agreed on an action-plan to eradicate the Kurdish paramilitary group, the PKK. 

Israel bucks peace plan, expanding settlements: Israel announced Thursday it intended to build about 600 homes in three large West Bank settlements, a move that contradicts the Middle East peace plan.

The Cost of Israeli Settlements: Israel's announcement yesterday that it would build 600 new homes in West Bank settlements is cause for despair. Since 1967, Israel has spent roughly $10 billion on the settlements.

Bomb Explodes at Polish Consulate in Istanbul

Bush announces slumber down under: Australians count down the days in anticipation of our presidents visit Video- humor

California's Next Governor? Women Say Schwarzenegger Groped, Humiliated Them: According to the women's accounts, one of the incidents occurred in the 1970s, two in the 1980s, two in the 1990s and one in 2000.

10/02 Oil and gas running out much faster than expected, says study: Global reserves are 80 per cent smaller than had been thought, new forecasts suggest. MORE ON THIS TOPIC

Iraq weapons search turns up zilch: CIA: The US-led team hunting for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has not found any stockpiles of biological or chemical weapons, but will keep searching the country, CIA adviser David Kay said today. MORE ON "DAVID KAY"

In case you missed it. David Kay's September surprise: When the president needed someone to hawk his "Iraq's weapons of mass destruction are an imminent threat to homeland security" thesis to the American people, David Kay was the man.

Oh well! Not to worry: Images Of War It's not as if these liars and thieves killed white people. They are only "Arabs" after all.

US Military Deaths In The Conquest Of Iraq: Here's the chart I'd like to see on the nightly news

September 11: Did Bush Welcome It?: At least 11 countries provided us with advance warning of the 9/11 attacks. Mossad agents came to Washington in August 2001 to alert the CIA and FBI about a cell of 200 terrorists said to be preparing a "big operation." Four of the 9/11 hijackers were on their list. But not one of them was detained or questioned.

'Scandal' Has Media Digging – in the Wrong Place: In the past week, three major Iraq-related developments should have, in theory, caused lasting embarrassment to the Bush administration. But because none of these flaps touched on illegality, they have been treated as one-day stories.

Former CIA Agent Lashes Out at White House For Blowing Colleague's Cover: Administration allies seek to discredit former ambassador Joseph Wilson as a partisan critic disregarding his commendation by President Bush Sr. for his heroism? in the 1991 Persian Gulf War we speak with former intelligence officer Larry Johnson who worked with Joseph Wilson?s wife, Valerie Plame, at the CIA. MORE ON THE 'CIA"

Boy Genius or Turd Blossom? Profile Karl Rove

Neocons Are Now Part of the Sordid History of CIA Betrayal: : "Monkeying with the analysis process for political purposes is one thing; bad as that is, it isn't anything new, and is almost predictable," says one retired intelligence official. "But our own people blowing the cover of one of our own people? MORE ON "NEOCONS"

Momentum Builds For Oct. 25 Nat'l March On Washington

12 dead in clashes with suspected al Qaeda fighters

Two Canadian peacekeepers killed in Afghanistan

Three Soldiers Killed in Iraq: Guerrillas killed three American soldiers in a wave of attacks in Iraq, the U.S. Army said on Thursday, adding urgency to efforts by Washington to garner international help in stabilizing the volatile nation.

Calendar of US Military Dead during Iraqi War: 323 US Dead -- 80 British, Iraqi and others, not included. 

General: 3 to 6 GIs Dying in Iraq a Week: Nearly six months after the fall of Baghdad, U.S. troops are suffering an average of three to six deaths and 40 wounded every week, the commander of American forces in Iraq said Thursday.

US wounded in the shadows: How many wounded and injured are there? Nobody really knows for sure. Understandably, it is difficult to be precise when more casualties are being created on a near daily basis. But gathering data is difficult for other reasons.

Unknown illness sweeps US troops: THE outbreak of pneumonia-like symptoms in US troops serving in Iraq could be the harbinger of a new and potentially enormous wave of Gulf war syndrome cases, according to American veterans' organisations and defence analysts. MORE ON THIS TOPIC

6 killed in factional fighting in Northern Afghanistan: At least six fighters have been killed and two others injured in fighting between forces of rival commanders in Northern Afghanistan. MORE ON AFGHANISTAN

Where are the Weapons? A leaked interim report from the American-backed investigation team in Iraq suggests that no weapons have been found. More disturbingly, it now seems likely they were long gone before George Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard even began preparing for war. "Dateline" SBS. Australia : Broadcast 10/01/03 MORE ON WMD

UN weapons inspectors knew that Iraq no longer possessed WMD It's not only politicians who are having to justify the basis for war - Senior UN weapons inspectors knew that Saddam Hussein no longer possessed stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, as was constantly claimed, yet remained largely mute.

The truth tramplers: Media war spin on trial: Tim Predmore is a US soldier with the 101st Airborne Division near Mosul in Iraq. He recently wrote of the current situation in the 'liberated' country: It is a devastating piece, by a person seeing the original justification for war unravelling before his eyes.

This is a must listen interview: BBC Today Program Broadcast: 10/01/03

Bush Seeks $600 Million to Continue Hunt For Iraq Arms

What’s Love of Democracy Got to Do With It? Is it possible that the “We’re here to establish democracy” rationale being used to justify the continued occupation of Iraq is just as false and deceptive as the rationale that Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction” posed an imminent threat to the United States?

Saddam's Niger Point-man Speaks: The Iraqi diplomat at the center of the 'yellowcake' allegations says he was, indeed, trying to get Niger's president to break the embargo on Iraq — by flying to Baghdad, not by selling uranium.

N. Korea claims atomic bombs: North Korea said Thursday it is using plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel rods to make atomic weapons.

Scores of States May Build Nuclear Weapons: The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday that unless the United States and other nuclear powers take concrete steps toward disarmament, scores of countries will follow their lead and build atomic weapons.

GOP leaders hunt for ways to derail effort to force Iraq to repay U.S. aid: Pressure mounted on the White House Wednesday to reshape some U.S. aid to Iraq into a loan as the Senate opened debate on President Bush's $87 billion plan to help that country

Senate Panel Backs Bill to Give Tax Windfall to U.S. Companies: American corporations that have deferred taxes for years on the profits they made overseas could be in line for a huge windfall from Congress.

Cheney Chief-of-Staff Named as Spy-Gate Leaker

Fenced in, locked out: a people in the shadow of fortress Israel

Rush Limbaugh In Pill Probe: The moralizing motormouth was turned in by his former housekeeper - who says she was Limbaugh's pill supplier for four years. 

10/01 When American Intangibles Do Not Save Afghan lives: The cost of this disaster to the Afghan people, it is immeasurable. After all, unlike you, who pay with your taxes, the Afghans pay with their lives, the deformities of their children and the imminent dangers that cloud their existence. 

In case you missed it: Depleted uranium: How dangerous is it?: A former US military researcher tells Gay Alcorn of his crusade to expose the health risks of depleted-uranium weapons used in the Gulf wars.

In case you missed it: Depleted Uranium Hazard Awareness: Why Has Our Military Refused to Show This Training Video To Our Troops Now Serving In Iraq?

Fall, 2003 Tour with Doug Rokke on 'Depleted' Uranium Weapons: Dates confirmed in Indiana, South Dakota, Washington, Oregon, California and New Mexico.

Press Conference on Depleted Uranium with Doug Rokke,Ph.D: Doug Rokke, is former Director of the U.S. Army Depleted Uranium (DU) Project

All exits from Iraq are blocked: The author is former ambassador of Jordan to the UN.

Not Vietnam, But... : One needs to pay closer attention to political developments than to the latest rocket attacks on American forces or car-bombings. 

Open Letter To Soldiers Who Are Involved in the Occupation of Iraq: We write this letter because we have both been military officers during conflicts that descended into a moral abyss and from which we struggled to emerge with our humanity intact.

Astronomical Incomes: The distribution of wealth is wildly skewed; the 5% of households with the greatest net worth own almost 60% of the country's wealth.

Robert Fisk: Oil, War And A Growing Sense Of Panic In The US: Don't tell me that America would have invaded Iraq if its chief export was beetroot.

US Cuts Military Aid to Friendly Nations Because they refused to exempt U.S. citizens and soldiers from the jurisdiction of the new International Criminal Court (ICC)

Fresh bank scandals hit Iraq's Leader In Waiting: Fresh information has emerged of banking scandals involving the family of the Pentagon's preferred candidate to shape post-war Iraq, Ahmad Chalabi.

White House Not to Declassify More of 9/11 Report: The White House has said it will not declassify further parts of a congressional report on intelligence failures related to the Sept. 11 attacks, including details of possible foreign involvement in the plot.

Euro Nears record high against US dollar: European currencies initially touched three month highs against the dollar, after weak U S economic news

Bomb in Iraq Kills Female U.S. Soldier:Iraqi police opened fire in downtown Baghdad Wednesday after demonstrators demanding jobs stormed a police station, set fire to two cars and threw stones at officers, police said. A female American soldier was killed in a roadside bombing in Tikrit. 

The Novak Column that Exposed a CIA Operative: Mission to Niger

Novak Unlikely To Do Time And Vows Not to Give Up Source and whoever it was who leaked him the name is also unlikely to do jail time, legal experts predicted.

The Most Insidious of Traitors: Karl Rove, senior political advisor to George W. Bush, is a very powerful man. That is not to say he has never been in trouble. 

Lies versus Spies: Every citizen of this country has a duty to contact their representatives and demand a thorough and independent investigation into the truth. 

Does a Felon Rove the White House? Allegations are swirling that Karl Rove, senior political adviser to President George W. Bush, may have committed a felony by blowing the cover of a CIA operative

The Secrets Clark Kept: What the General Never Told Us About the Bush Plan for Serial War.

In case you missed it: Convoy of Death: Why have US television stations refused to broadcast this documentary?

Iraq war's human toll could be felt for decades: Beyond fatalities, an average of eight American soldiers a day are wounded.

Paul Krugman: Cronies reap Iraqi contracts: Cronyism is an important factor in the Iraqi reconstruction.

Israelis May Lack Non-Lethal Weapons: Israeli soldiers sometimes fire live ammunition at Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip because of a shortage of non-lethal weapons, according to a state comptroller's report released Tuesday.

A one-state solution: A unitary Arab-Jewish homeland could bring lasting peace to the Middle East.

Hamas official: Mossad agents arrested in ''Arab country'' following foiled assassination bid.

The price of dignity:  Business is imposing virtual slavery in the developing world - and only we, the consumers, can stop it.

Will your job move to India?: Millions of U.S. jobs will be exported in the coming decade, forecasters say. Here are the jobs that are especially vulnerable.

UN Report: 9/11 used as 'excuse' for government repression

09/30 US soldier killed in Afghanistan: A US soldier is dead and two others wounded after a gunbattle with anti-US forces in south-eastern Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Planning Calls For Up To Eight More Years: U.S. forces could be digging in for a stay of up to eight more years in Afghanistan, where frequent firefights continue on the border with Pakistan nearly two years after major combat ended.

Congress Likely to Add To War Request: lawmakers say the measure's $87 billion price tag appears more likely to expand than shrink.

US paid $1m for ' useless intelligence' from Chalabi: Information provided by Mr Chalabi was used extensively by the administration and US journalists. Surces said The New York Times reporter Judith Miller relied on the INC for many of her stories about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Doubt Grows Over Prewar Intelligence: Some seven months after the US invaded Iraq, criticism of the intelligence used to justify that attack is only intensifying.

The Price of Victory: This powerful documentary examines the nature of the resistance in Iraq, gaining access to American troops as they hunt down paramilitaries. A Must Watch Documentary

What fear is doing to our freedoms: Fear is the most debilitating of all human emotions. A fearful person will do anything, say anything, accept anything, reject anything, if it makes him feel more secure for his own, his family's or his country's security and safety, whether it actually accomplishes it or not.

Soros calls for ' regime change' in US: "I am very hopeful that people will wake up and realise that they have been led down the garden path, that actually 11 September has been hijacked by a bunch of extremists to put into effect policies that they were advocating before such as the invasion of Iraq."

"Why do people hate America ?": ABC Australia: Margaret Throsby, Interviews Author Ziauudin Sardar. A Must Listen

Iraqi official escapes assassination attempt: An Iraqi official working on how to draft a new constitution for this occupied country has escaped an assassination attempt, an official of the US-installed Governing Council said.

Washington Insiders' Consults On Contracts In Iraq: A group of businessmen linked by their close ties to President Bush, his family and his administration have set up a consulting firm to advise companies that want to do business in Iraq, including those seeking pieces of taxpayer-financed reconstruction projects.

US Forces Attacked In Iraq: Hawija's hospital director, Dr Jasim Abd Allah Jiburi, accused US troops  of shooting on hundreds of demonstrators who pelted them with stones, killing 10-year-old Husayn Dakhil Ahmad.

US Rules Out Indian Force In Iraq: The United States says it no longer expected India to contribute troops to the international force in Iraq.

$5,000 Re-Enlistment Bonus Offered To GIs in Terror War: Soldiers in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq or Korea who are up for reenlistment can score an additional $5,000 bonus if they do the deed by Sept. 30 and commit another three years to the Army.

Deserting Our Troops: A new government report scorches the Pentagon for violating a law meant to protect our soldiers.

Halabja: Gassing The Kurds: How President Bush Used it As a Pretext For War 15 Years Later. A Must Listen

British Reservists Walk Out Of Services: Family concern about long tours of duty in Iraq is driving Britain's weekend soldiers out of the drill halls.

Paying the price of war in Iraq: The Government's £3bn "war kitty" for Iraq is almost exhausted and the eventual cost to Britain of the conflict and its aftermath could double to £6bn.

As Canada Shivers, Bush Sings: My Way, Or Take The Highway: Washington is as clueless about Ottawa as it is about Timbuktoo.

US Tax Cuts Lead To Largest Deficit Ever: The record-setting debt is at complete odds from the President's first year in office when he promised, "Many of you have talked about the need to pay down our national debt. . . I agree. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to act now."

When you can't counter a critic, go after his wife : It's one thing to be small in politics, another to be mean. But it's a whole 'nother thing entirely to be as petty and nasty as Bush administration officials are accused of being in seeking revenge against former U.S. ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV.

In case you missed it: Karl Rove: Counting Votes While the Bombs Drop Karl Rove led the nation to war to improve the political prospects of George W. Bush. I know how surreal that sounds. But I also know it is true.

Robert Fisk: Don't Mention The Oil. Or Ask About The Victims

Iraq postwar insecurity began in Washington: report: Iraq's stubborn guerrilla war, electrical blackouts, looting and chaos were born in Washington -- as US officials missed cues and battled over ideology, said a report.

Road To Darkness: That old colonialist racism is manifesting itself in all these remarks about our having to tutor the Iraqis in running their own country. The Iraqis can govern themselves. They've been a nation as long as Finland and a civilization longer than Europe.

House panel questions Iraq proof: The Bush administration scrambled yesterday to answer fresh attacks on the credibility of its case for toppling Saddam Hussein after House Intelligence Committee leaders called prewar information on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction "outdated and circumstantial,"

Pentagon Belittles Information From Iraqi Defectors: An internal assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency has concluded that most of the information provided by Iraqi defectors who were made available by the Iraqi National Congress was of little or no value, according to federal officials briefed on the arrangement.

Nine killed in landmine blast in town of Dehloran in Iran: Nine people were killed in landmine explosions in the border region of Dehloran in the western province of Ilam on Saturday, IRNA reported on Monday quoting a local official.

U.S. Soldier Killed by Guerrillas West of Baghdad:

7 U.S. Soldiers Reportedly killed In Iraq Attacks: Seven U.S. soldiers were reportedly killed and seven others injured in attacks on two U.S. convoys in Fallujah and outside the town of Khaldiyah, west of Baghdad, as one Iraqi official in charge of drawing up the new constitution of occupied Iraq escaped an assassination attempt on Monday.  

US Ambassador says its not a crime to kill a President

Cuba says Gov. Bush urging attack: Appearing on ABC's This Week, Ricardo Alarcon, the leader of Cuba's National Assembly, said Florida's governor was urging President Bush to invade the island.

Don't mention the war: Anger as Iraq is kept off Labour agenda. Veteran ex-Labour MP Tony Benn called the decision a "major scandal".

The Thugs Who Control The Darkness: The fear in this country was so thick immediately after 9/11 that most Americans could taste it. Two years later, the fear is still here, but those of us who are beginning to drown in it are struggling to be exorcised from its grip.

Pentagon Stashes Covert Millions: The U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base inflated budget proposals at the Pentagon's request last year to hide $20-million from Congress, according to documents obtained by the St. Petersburg Times.

Security Aide Prods Airlines to Yield Data on Travelers: Adm. James M. Loy, said that if he cannot get the airlines' cooperation, he said, he will simply order them to turn over the information.

Final agony of RAF volunteer killed by sarin - in Britain: As the inquest into the death of a 'human guinea pig' at Porton Down opens, a witness breaks 50 years' silence to recount the horrors he saw.

09/29 Robert Fisk: Missiles Strike At Heart Of US Occupation

In Iraq, private contractors lighten load on U.S. troops: Much of the work conducted by the contractors is secret. Western security officials in Iraq say the companies aren't yet going out on combat operations as they do in Colombia and other countries.

Chasing a Mirage: The U.S. was sure Saddam had WMD, but Iraqi scientists tell TIME the weapons were destroyed long before the war.

So, What Went Wrong?: Ever since America's decisive military victory, Iraq has been nothing but trouble. TIME reports on the errors and bad guesses, before and after the war, that got the Bush Administration into this spot.

Al-Jazeera broadcasts tape attributed to al-Qaeda deputy: An audiotape attributed to al-Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahri was broadcast on Al-Jazeera satellite television Sunday

Uri Avnery: The Magnificent 27: 

Robert Fisk: Lies, Mischief And The Myth Of Western Intelligence Services They were at it again last week, the liars of our Western "intelligence" community. John Bolton, the US under-secretary of state for arms control and one of Donald Rumsfeld's cabal of pro-Israeli neo-conservatives, was giving testimony before the decidedly pro-Israeli sponsors of the Syria Accountability Act.

No Wonder America Has So Many Enemies: America is no longer regarded as a champion of freedom, democracy and human rights, but increasingly as a dangerous aggressor bent on imperial domination and exploitation.

Seven soldiers killed in Taliban ambush: A pickup truck carrying seven Afghan government troops has been ambushed by suspected Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan.

Assailants Attack Seat of U.S. Authority in Iraq: Assailants fired three explosive projectiles at a hotel housing hundreds of military personnel and civilian reconstruction staff members.

US troops injured in Iraqi attacks: A US convoy was attacked on Sunday when an explosive device detonated on a bridge in the town of Falluja, north-west of Baghdad.

Marchers Worldwide Demand Iraq Pullout: protesters demanding an end to the occupation took to the streets Saturday in London, Athens, Paris and other cities around the world, chanting slogans against the United States and Britain.

Pictures of the Anti War Rally

Democrats smell excess in billions for rebuilding: Johnson and his colleagues focused on other items of controversy, such as the cost of building prisons at $50,000 a bed and enrolling 100 families in a witness protection program at a cost of $100 million.

War Tab Jeopardizes Parties' Domestic Agendas: $87 Billion Request May Hurt Medicare, Other Priorities.

US: Leaner is not always meaner: The ongoing transformation of the US military into a sophisticated fighting machine that can do more with less becomes a highly controversial proposition in the face of the problems that are being encountered in Iraq, in the "war on terrorism", and potentially in any of the 136 countries in which US troops are currently stationed.

Vice President Halliburton: "Since I left Halliburton to become George Bush's vice president, I've severed all my ties with the company" Not true, says the Congressional Research Service.

Nation Needs Truth About Iraq Casualties: Two weeks ago, there was a link (Department of Defense website) to the number killed in action in Iraq, before and after “major combat operations,” but that link has since been removed.

Jihad Unspun: What would lead a “successful” woman like me, who seemingly has everything going for her, to embrace Islam and publish this portal? Here is my story.

Russia Won't End Accord With Iran to Build Reactor: President Vladimir V. Putin told President Bush that Russia would go forward with its plans to help Iran build a nuclear reactor.

Iran: No compromise on nuke rights: Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters on Sunday that, “abandoning nuclear activities or enrichment is not something that Iran is ready to compromise on”.

Iran: Damned and damned again: Iran has much to lose whether or not it plays ball with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is why its leaders are leaning toward the example of fellow "axis of evil" conspirator North Korea.

Iranian Agents Flood Into Iraq: The Pentagon believes that Iran is building a bridgehead of activists inside Iraq, ready to destabilise the country if that serves its future interests.

In case you missed it: Report on N. Korea nukes: Bogus: Why do they want nukes? On numerous occasions, President Bush has said that he would "not tolerate" Iraq, Iran or North Korean having nukes. Look at what Bush just did to nuke-less Iraq. 

U.S. lags in destroying chemical weapons:The American government has admitted that cost overruns and delays will force it to miss deadlines for destruction set by an international treaty.

UK Troops in Iraq Warned of 'Inevitable' Terror Attack: A major terrorist strike against British forces in Iraq is 'inevitable', according to senior government sources in Iraq and intelligence officers in Britain and the Middle East.

A History of the Iraq War, Told Totally in Lies: All text is verbatim from senior Bush Administration officials and advisers.

New Palestinian Cabinet Named: The central committee of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement has approved a new Palestinian cabinet.

Biographies of New Palestinian Cabinet: Brief biographies of the 23 Palestinians approved by Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction to be part of the new Palestinian Cabinet.

Palestinians Mark Al-Aqsa Intifada: Palestinians have marked the third anniversary of their uprising against Israel’s occupation by vowing to fight on until they achieve victory.

Three of a kind: India, China and Russia: Officials in all three capitals, New Delhi, Beijing and Moscow, keep stressing that their growing strategic closeness is not directed against any third country, meaning the United States.

09/27 John Pilger: Media Censorship That Doesn't Speak Its Name

Pentagon taps 10,000 soldiers for Iraq, another 5,000 on standby : The Pentagon has mobilized two US Army National Guard brigades for deployment to Iraq and put a third on standby as US calls for international troop contributions go unheeded

US Fire Killed 4 Civilians : Iraqis in the town of Fallujah say U.S. troops have killed four civilians after opening fire on two cars at a checkpoint. The witnesses say several people were wounded in the incident late Friday, including a young girl.

Censored! : If there's one influence that has shaped worldwide politics over the past year, as this year's list of "Censored!" stories shows, it's the extent to which the Bush administration has exploited the events of Sept. 11, 2001

In case you missed it: Media Watch: Human Beings As Feces:

Even Traditional Conservatives Are Outraged by Neocons: This was not the foreign policy agenda traditional conservatives like myself voted for in 2000.

Some Republicans Doubt Need For $20.3 Billion For Rebuilding: A new curriculum for training an Iraqi army for $164 million. Five hundred experts, at $200,000 each, to investigate crimes against humanity. A witness protection program for $200,000 per Iraqi participant. A computer study for the Iraqi postal service: $54 million.

US won't pay for Iraq's long-term reconstruction: Bremer Some reconstruction tasks may be postponed due to lack of money, the top US official in Iraq said.

Signs Show U.S. Underestimated Iraq War: Wear and tear on tanks in Iraq is outpacing the Army's efforts to repair and resupply. The administration is scrambling to find thousands more troops by early next year. Stressed American soldiers are suddenly being given two-week vacations. 

Macmillan backed Syria assassination plot : Documents show White House and No 10 conspired over oil-fuelled invasion plan.

'You lied, they died,' US parents tell Bush: The father of a soldier killed in Iraq accused President George Bush yesterday of being responsible for his son's death. 

London: Thousands stage Iraq demo: Police estimated at 1530 BST there were about 20,000 marching, although organisers estimated up to 100,000 had attended the event.

Blair should quit, says half British public

Patriots and invaders: Iraqi resistance to foreign occupation enjoys great popular support.

US Likely to Write Off $500 Million Debt: Pakistan expects another $500 million debt write off from the United States. Sources said discussions on the loan write-off would take place during the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali to Washington.

Pyongyang hurls insults at Rumsfeld: North Korea called US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a "psychopath" and a "stupid man" yesterday, denouncing him for saying that one day freedom would come to the isolated Communist state.

Dean, Kerry call on Rumsfeld to quit: Citing a “pattern of deception” in his statements on Iraq and a failure to plan for the postwar period.

Bush Presses OPEC Not to 'Hurt Our Economy': One day after OPEC's surprise decision to cut oil output, President Bush pressed Saudi Arabia and other cartel members on Thursday not to act in ways that threaten the U.S. economy.

CIA Seeks Probe of White House: The CIA has asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations that the White House broke federal laws by revealing the identity of one of its undercover employees.

Bush Steps Up Pressure on Iran Over Nuclear Plans

West Bank Gunman Kills Israeli Man, Baby: A Palestinian attacked a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and killed two people - including an infant - before he was killed Friday night, emergency workers said.

09/26 Robert Fisk: Bomb Destroys The Media's Illusions: The world was told, that staff of an American television network were the intended victims and that there had been "one" Somali dead. No one knew his name. But they did know the name of David Moodie, the NBC soundman who received a nasty piece of broken glass in his arm.

Mixed reports cast doubt on US recovery: A surprising fall in orders for US manufactured goods in August cast fresh doubts on Thursday about the sustainability of the US economic recovery.

34.6 Million U.S. People in Poverty in 2002 - Report: Nearly 1.7 million people in the United States slid into poverty in 2002 and incomes slipped for the second year in a row, the U.S. government said on Friday.

Because His Lips are Moving: The last tax cut enacted by the George Bush’s Republican-led Congress was supposed to create 1,000,000 (one million) jobs. The truth has been quite the opposite. Jobs have been evaporating from all sectors of the economy. More than 500,000 were lost in the last quarter alone.

Stolen Labor: The Crime about Employment:  While economists talk up the market and promote the fantasy about prosperous times, global employment facts tell another story about poor workers whose labor produces the wealth for an elite few. Stolen labor now affects both developing and developed countries, like the United States and Australia. Wanda Fish explores the crime about employment…

Israel considers Iran nuke strike: Combination of 'non-conventional weapons,' 'non-conventional regime,' alarms Jerusalem.

Against Blind Imperial Arrogance: Edward Said closed one of his last published essays with the lines: "We are in for many more years of turmoil and misery in the Middle East, where one of the main problems is, to put it as plainly as possible, U.S. power. What the U.S. refuses to see clearly it can hardly hope to remedy." 

Suicide Bombers: What is theologically and morally wrong with suicide bombings? A Palestinian Christian perspective.

Voting on an ominous future for Syria: There was more than a touch of the Freudian about this telling faux pas by the principal sponsor of the Syria Accountability Act, which is on a fast track toward becoming American law.