HEADLINES

The American Century: Now that we are in this war, how did we get in? We got in on the basis of defense. Even that very word, defense, has been full of deceit and self-deceit. To the average American the plain meaning of the word defense is defense of the American territory. (first published in LIFE magazine 17 February 1941)

05/03/04: Up To 20 Iraqi's Killed As US Troops Come Under Mortar Fire: At a Najaf hospital, one slain Iraqi policeman and 16 wounded civilians were brought in, including a woman, who hospital officials said were hit by American fire.

U.S. Military Kills Four Afghanis : U.S. airstrikes killed four alleged militants following an attack on a military convoy in eastern Afghanistan, but local officials said Sunday the victims were policemen killed in a case of mistaken identity.

Car bomb kills three in Pakistan port: A parked car exploded as a vehicle carrying 12 Chinese drove by in the southern city of Gawadar in Baluchistan province where Pakistan is building its third port.

Iraqi policemen killed in Najaf clashes: An Iraqi policeman has been killed and six others hurt after an attack on a US occupation base outside the city of Najaf.

Bremer 'knew of abuse in November': FORMER Iraqi human rights minister Abdel Basset Turki said today US overseer Paul Bremer knew in November that Iraqi prisoners were being abused in US detention centres.

Iraqi general refuses to give up Falluja fighters : The Iraqi general chosen to run a new security force in Falluja yesterday distanced himself from the US military by refusing American demands to give up foreign fighters supposedly hiding in the city.

US general: Abu Ghraib abuse coverup: Officers, soldiers in Iraqi prison abuse scandal tried to hide their actions from Red Cross.

Troops 'Swapped Hundreds of Abuse Pictures' : The potentially explosive claims, if proven, would contradict Prime Minister Tony Blair’s assurance that any misconduct in British ranks was “exceptional” and limited to a handful of servicemen.

Angry ex-detainees tell of abuse: Iraqis say they endured physical, psychological hardship in U.S. custody

A year on from 'Mission Accomplished': An army in disgrace, a policy in tatters and the real prospect of defeat

David Kay: Iraq needs more US troops: A US official who led the hunt for Iraq's elusive weapons of mass destruction has said America may need as many as 250,000 troops to secure the country.

U.S. faces gloomy future in Iraq: "Growing anti-American sentiment is beginning to result in a kind of political unanimity," among Iraq's diverse and often divided religious, ethnic and tribal groups, said one U.S. intelligence official.

Ray McGovern: Blowing Smoke for Bush: Court Historian Woodward Disguises Bush Aims in Invading Iraq

'Chalabi gave Iran information on US occupation of Iraq': Ahmed Chalabi, and some of his top aides supplied Iran with sensitive information on American occupation of Iraq which could "get people killed," a media report said on Monday quoting top Bush administration officials.

“These colors don't run,”: France Invades U.S. (Part 4): Safely ensconced in a bunker in an undisclosed location, Cheney exhorted his Republican God resisters to fight on. When asked if he would leave the bunker and join his forces to defeat the French, Cheney claimed his pacemaker might be picked up by the enemy radar and besides he has other priorities at the moment.

Eric Margolis: Deja vu all over again: ONE OF life's grimmer ironies is that we often find ourselves becoming what we once despised.

God save America ... : The race for the White House will be decided by fundagelicals. That's good news for twice-born George Bush

The Jesus Factor: George W. Bush : "I believe that God wants me to be president." Video and text

The Present Christian Delusion: A doctrine our founders never knew: if American Christian churches had stuck to the faith of our fathers and the early Christian settlers in the colonies, even the faith preached from the pulpits through most of the nineteenth century, the United States would not be under the pressure it is today from the Christian churches whose adherents are ardent dispensationalists and believe in a restoration of Israel, the building of a third temple, and dozens of other tenets of dispensationalism More On This Topic

Blaming America First: Bush hypocrisy is enough to curdle water. He kneels down to pray, squinting eyes atremble, calling upon his Lord and Saviour; and then acts in complete contradistinction to everything for which Jesus' life stood.

Juan Cole on our Photo Wars: When you incarcerate large numbers of people beyond the reach of any court and under conditions lacking legality or oversight, it's hardly surprising that an attitude of impunity develops among the imprisoners from which abuse and torture follow all too naturally.

US News Coverage: It is remarkable how the US press allows themselves to be manipulated by the government. " The proper headline would have been "Permanent Damage to US Image in Muslim World; Bush Fires No One."

Just a massive fix to justify Bush's revenge': All the fancy charts, the briefings, the spin, the secret, secret intelligence was all a big fix to justify George W Bush's revenge on a nasty but pathetic Middle Eastern dictator whose regime was sinking into the sands of the Iraqi desert. Bush's War on Terror was a load of baloney.

The dehumanizing nature of occupation : The seeds of prisoner abuse were sown in the very act of invasion and occupation of a country, especially when it was done without the moral authority of the international community.

Excerpts of the Army's investigative report: 'Sadistic, Blatant and Wanton Criminal Abuses' Reported at Abu Ghraib

Diary of Interrogator - Torturer in Abu Gharieb, Iraq.

How Dumb Can A President Get? Responding ".... so I didn't like it one bit." just doesn't cut it as a response to the Iraqi prison atrocities done under his watch.

In case you missed it: US finds strange bedfellows in UN vote on torture: The United States has aligned itself with some of its fiercest and least democratic enemies in opposing efforts to strengthen an international treaty that outlaws torture, according to diplomatic sources. More on this topic

Why Are We Shocked?: US military torture is old history: Buried Secrets

Webcast: Minister Louis Farrakhan: "Guidance To America And The World In A Time Of Trouble": Minister Farrakhan speaks on the War on Terror; Iraq; the Middle East and the Peace Process; Homeland Security; the Patriot Act; the upcoming election and the Black Agenda.

The price for peace that Israel is unwilling to pay : God has been misappropriated for many purposes in many lands over the centuries, but seldom in such a bad cause as that of the Jewish settlers of occupied Gaza and the West Bank.

Farrakhan`s 2001 "Lost Letter" to Bush

Sharon Aide: Gaza Plan 'Unstoppable' Despite Vote : Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's U.S.-backed Gaza withdrawal plan is "unstoppable" despite being resoundingly rejected by his own right-wing party, his deputy said Monday.

Jerusalem Is Worried About Talk Of Linkage: Fears Pressure From Iraq War: Israeli leaders fear that increasing international efforts to link Iraq's troubles with Israel's will lead to American pressure on Jerusalem for concessions.

Jewish Historian Questions Israel Legitimacy: The Jewish writer believes that his book will help curb anti-Semitism by drawing a clear line between Zionism and Judaism.

Joseph C. Wilson: 'Why the White House went after me and my wife': White House officials went after me and my wife, a CIA operative, after I questioned their claim that Saddam was pursuing nuclear weapons. Here's how they did it, and why it was so important to them.

How to Lose Friends and Not Influence People: I have some very uncomfortable news to report, or rather, non-news to confirm: There is rising anti-Americanism in Europe. The sentiment was confirmed by the comments of diplomats, journalists, and academics, the reportage I saw on television and in print, and the casual conversations I had in restaurants, on trains, and at parties.

Lots Of Mistakes: He alienated our most important allies — France, Germany and Russia — and had to put together a comic coalition of the bribed and the browbeaten.

Who let the dogs out?: So now you know. Thanks to prime-time television, you, the American people, understand that war is horrible. The mystery is why you didn't know before, why you are outraged now. Perhaps the answer is, if it's not on TV, it's not happening.

Americans advised to leave Saudi Arabia: Inside a bullet-strafed Holiday Inn, the U.S. ambassador told Americans today to leave Saudi Arabia because their safety could not be guaranteed

India orders probe into Iraq mercenaries: The Indian government is parrying allegations that it is allowing ex-soldiers to work as mercenaries in Iraq following pressure from the United States.

What you think you know about Al Qaeda: Think Again:

05/02/04: 11 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq attacks

Six Afghan soldiers killed in ambush: Suspected Taliban ambushed six Afghan soldiers on a road in southern Afghanistan, killing all of them, including a local commander, said a provincial government spokesman.

Gunmen Kill Squatter, Four Daughters Amid Gaza Vote: Palestinian gunmen killed a pregnant Jewish settler and her four daughters Sunday, dimming Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's chances of winning party backing for a Gaza pullout in a vote begun hours earlier.

Boy, 8, is shot dead : Witnesses said Hussein Abu Eker, 8, died after he was hit in the head and arm by live fire from an Israeli tank during an army raid in Khan Younis refugee camp.

Sharon loses Gaza pullout vote: Israel Radio has declared an overwhelming defeat for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a vote by his right-wing Likud party on the Gaza pullout plan he has championed.

30 More Torture Scandals Probed: The dossier of terror includes : Claims that POWs were thrown to their deaths from a bridge. A videotape of the killings is said to have been destroyed.

Seymour M. Hersh: Torture At Abu Ghraib: American soldiers brutalized Iraqis. How far up does the responsibility go?

Abuse at Abu Ghraib, the Psychodynamics of Occupation: A prisoner was tortured to death under interrogation, then his injuries were disguised and body disposed of. The world should not allow this be a matter for the American military alone to deal with.

General Suggests Abuses At Iraqi Jail Were Encouraged: Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinsk, an army Reserve general whose soldiers were photographed as they abused Iraqi prisoners said the special high-security cellblock at Abu Ghraib had been under the direct control of Army intelligence officers, not the reservists under her command.

Seven Iraqis die in British custody. How many soldiers are charged? None: This is not the first incident to involve the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and allegations of brutality.

Robert Fisk: The "Good Guys" Who Can Do No Wrong: It's not difficult to see how some British scumbag will urinate into the face of a hooded man, how some American sadist will stand a hooded Iraqi on a box with wires tied to his hands.

The electrodes' switch is in Washington: It is now clear that not only did they fail to find weapons of mass destruction, but that their fall-back justification for the invasion, that of bringing democracy and human rights to Iraq, is little more than a sham.

Pat Tillman: Hero Or Sucker? He may have been a sucker. But his death will not have been in vain if his example can keep one other young person from making the same mistake he did.

US Hostage In Iraq Thomas Hamill Escapes : An American kidnapped in Iraq three weeks ago is now a free man. Thomas Hamill, 43, of Macon, Mississippi, a civilian working as a truck driver for an American contractor in Iraq

Back home from Iraq after ordeal in U.S. camp : After facing great difficulties, four natives of Velichakala, who worked as kitchen assistants at U.S. military camp in Iraq, escaped from there and reached home today.

U.K. to Send 4,000 Extra Soldiers to Iraq : Soldiers from the Royal Marines, a Parachute Regiment and an infantry battalion will start arriving in the city in the next few weeks to fill the gap left by 1,300 Spanish soldier.

Has Blair Planned His Exit Strategy?: For political commentators, it is no longer a question of if he’ll go, but when.

Myers: Former Saddam General Not in Charge in Falluja: Gen. Jasim Mohamed Saleh, a former general in Saddam Hussein's army, is not in charge in the volatile Iraqi city of Falluja and is still being vetted for a possible peacekeeping role, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Sunday.

Marines turn over control of Fallujah to Iraqi general once loyal to Hussein : As a commander of Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard, Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh was part of the formidable army that put down insurrections. Now the ex-Baathist is back in uniform -- this time for the people who a year ago were his enemies.

Pressure mounts on Cheney: Vice-President's officials are accused of serious felony

Sharon: "Israel Will Keep its Nuclear Blackout": The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday that Israel will maintain ambiguity about its nuclear capacity despite of the international requests of subjecting it to international inspection.

05/01/04: Prisoner torture 'included sex assault with broomstick' : Outrage over the torture of Iraqi prisoners by United States troops intensified tonight after claims that the abuse included sexual assault and threats of rape.

Shame Of Abuse By Brit Troops: A HOODED Iraqi captive is beaten by British soldiers before being thrown from a moving truck and left to die.

Punched, kicked, then left to die: Iraqi detainee 'beaten and urinated upon' as accusations of widespread mistreatment spread to UK forces

Five killed in Iraq gun battle : A British foot patrol came under attack in the southern city of Amarah today, sparking a seven-and-a-half-hour gun battle with insurgents in the city centre that left five Iraqis dead and six British soldiers injured, witnesses and a British forces spokesman said.

Five Westerners Die in Saudi Oil Port Attack: Gunmen killed two Americans, two Britons and an Australian in an attack on a Western engineering firm on Saturday in the Saudi oil and petrochemical hub of Yanbu on the Red Sea, a company spokesman said.

Iraq Attacks Kill 4 U.S. Service Members: Insurgents killed a U.S. soldier and two civilian contractors in northern Iraq and attacked a U.S. convoy Saturday in Baghdad

German's body found in Iraq: THE body of one of two elite German security officers who disappeared last month as they were accompanying a diplomatic mission in Iraq has been found.

Iraqis hail Falluja "victory": Cries of "victory over the Americans" echoed from minarets on Saturday and guerrilla gunmen celebrated in the streets under the green banner of Islam and Saddam-era Iraqi flags.

Mutiny is the only way out of Iraq's inferno: The UN betrayed Iraq by becoming the political arm of US occupation. Now it must redeem itself

1,361 Iraqis Killed in April : Volunteers hunting for bodies in Fallujah find a woman and her daughter in their home, killed in the siege but undiscovered for days. Chanting mourners bury two boys caught in the crossfire of a Baghdad gunfight. A morgue in Basra overflows with torn and burned bodies from a suicide bombing.

'It's hell...everything will be destroyed' : The US snipers are on every roof and minaret. They don't care who they shoot. They are shooting old people, women and children.Where is the UN in all this?"

The politics of 'The Fallen' : ABC's decision to use an extended edition of "Nightline" to recite the names of U.S. military personnel killed in the Iraq war, and the decision by a TV station ownership group not to air the show on its ABC affiliates, are emblematic of the deep political divisions in the United States over the war and the media's role in covering it.

What the US papers don't say : Michael Hann examines the air of secrecy and silence surrounding the US media's treatment of George Bush's 'war on terror'

Andrew Greeley : How We Got Into This Unjust War: The administration sold the public -- and perhaps the president sold himself -- on the Iraq invasion as part of the ''war on terrorism.'' It was a deception, perhaps even a lie, from beginning to end. The real reason is that ''all the president's men'' wanted the war.

America's shame : The events inside Abu Ghraib prison opens a shameful episode of US ill-treatment of its prisoners, and has provoked worldwide condemnation. Video and text

America Disgraced! George Bush's Legacy. The terrorist acts perpetrated against US on September 11, 2001, can never be interpreted as either an act of war or an invasion. Terrorist groups do not equate to an attacking nation. Terrorism is almost always an act of frustration against an unbeatable power

Blood Money: The Lure Of Dollars: Indian soldiers lured by dollars

Prisoner Abuse may have been 'order': Abuse of Iraqi prisoners that sparked worldwide condemnation may have been ordered by US military intelligence to extract information from the captives, and was possibly more cruel than officially acknowledged

Army secretly reports blatant abuses of Iraqi prisoners, says magazine : The US Army has found that Iraqi detainees were subjected to "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses" by American military police at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad in a secret investigation

And They Ask, “Why Do They Hate Us?”: Alarmingly, each crime committed against my people is beginning to act like a vaccine booster, as if we were slowly adapting to humiliation. Proud men getting their faces rubbed in sand is the order of the day.

Editorial: Sheer Depravity: What is no less shocking about the degrading photos from Abu Gharib prison is that not a single US newspaper yesterday led its front page with news of them. That is a further demonstration of the appallingly limited comprehension of the Middle East that runs from the White House down to the humblest New York burger stall.

An empire in moral crisis: One day, he said, he was taken to a private room and sexually assaulted. He asked me what I would have done if I were him, and I had no answer.”

Riverbend: Iraqi Girl Blog: Seeing those naked, helpless, hooded men was like being slapped in the face with an ice cold hand. I felt ashamed looking at them- like I was seeing something I shouldn’t be seeing and all I could think was, “I might know one of those faceless men...”

04/30/04: They tracked Saddam, only to follow in his footsteps: The horrific pictures of Iraqi prisoners being "softened up" by American soldiers are reminiscent of the Nazi regime's treatment of prisoners. It is no wonder that the coalition troops are hated by the Iraqi people and that the uprising against the coalition continues to increase.

Excerpts from writings of accused soldier who helped run Baghdad prison: ``Chip'' Frederick wrote an account of how the prison he helped run treated inmates. The writings were given to The Associated Press on Thursday by the soldier's uncle

Blair 'appalled' by Iraq prison torture: Downing Street today said the prime minister was "appalled" by pictures that emerged last night of Iraqi prisoners being tortured by American soldiers.

Torture photos 'the end' for US in Iraq : Chilling pictures of Iraqi prisoners being tortured by US soldiers will damage Britain and signal the "end of the story" for America in Iraq, it was claimed today.

US military in torture scandal : According to lawyers for some of the soldiers, they claimed to be acting in part under the instruction of mercenary interrogators hired by the Pentagon.

Amnesty International: Iraq: 'Torture' : “Our extensive research in Iraq suggests that this is not an isolated incident. It is not enough for the USA to react only once images have hit the television screens.”

In case youmissed it: War Crimes: The Evidence File

In case youmissed it: Take No Prisoners : Another proud moment in U.S. Military History

US soldiers are seen as 'uncaring, dangerous and lacking in respect.': An overwhelming majority of Iraqis, 71 percent (and that figure rises to 81 percent if the Kurdish areas in the north are excluded), now see the US-led coalition as an occupying force and not as liberators.

'Americans don't know how to be peacekeepers': Fear that ruthless United States tactics could lead to disaster in Iraq has caused Washington's most loyal ally Britain to waver in its support as never before.

Marines, Iraq Insurgents Battle in Falluja: U.S. Marines battled Iraqi insurgents on the outskirts of Falluja on Friday, shortly after the marines pulled out from some positions around the besieged town, witnesses said.

US forces 'withdraw' from embattled Falluja: Hundreds of people in Falluja have taken to the streets to welcome a former officer of the Iraqi army who has taken control of the city, following a pullout by US occupation forces.

Fallujah gunmen could help patrol city: The band of about 1,000 Iraqis would be led by one of Saddam Hussein's ex-generals, and its U.S.-funded payroll might include some gunmen who fought U.S. Marines.

Two US marines killed near Fallujah: Suicide car bomb attack kills two US marines near Fallujah, Police colonel and local official killed in Baghdad.

Filipino civilian contractor killed in Iraq: A Filipino civilian contractor has been killed in Iraq, becoming the country's first casualty there, the president said Friday.

Sixth S.African killed in Iraq - foreign ministry: A South African civilian was killed on Friday in the volatile Iraqi town of Falluja, the South African Foreign Ministry said.

The Bloody Cost: Here's another bit of evidence that when the United States condones the bloody ways of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Americans pay for it with their blood. It's time Americans started asking these bozos: "Just what office are you running for: president of the United States or deputy prime minister of Israel?

Sharon's willing accomplices: Bush and Blair will share in the historic guilt Israel will bear for the crimes of Sharon

US TV blackout hits litany of war dead: Almost a quarter of households in the US will be prevented tonight from seeing an ABC TV network news programme that is to broadcast a list of American servicemen and women killed in action in Iraq.

Pentagon's No. 2 Flubs Iraq Casualties: Asked how many American troops have died in Iraq, Paul Wolfowitz the Pentagon's No. 2 civilian estimated Thursday the total was about 500 - more than 200 soldiers short.

Troops in Iraq killed, wounded because of brass inaction : And as the brass ease into the blame game, the thing that frosts me is that no one is being held accountable. Not one head has fallen as legs and arms keep getting blown off and more and more body bags are zipped.

Death to those who dare to speak out: "To tell the truth, at the time of Saddam Hussein, we used to speak to our students freely," says Jawad. "Ministers, for example, were criticized all the time. But now, a lot of people are not willing to say these kinds of things because of fear."

More Agents Track Castro Than Bin Laden : The Treasury Department agency entrusted with blocking the financial resources of terrorists has assigned five times as many agents to investigate Cuban embargo violations as it has to track Osama bin Laden's and Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s money, documents show.

US, Iraqi views of occupation converging: Public opinion in Iraq and the United States is beginning to converge as people in both countries increasingly agree that the US invasion and occupation might not have been such a good idea after all.

The faith-based superpower : “How can America be a superpower if its people are so ignorant?”

Al-Sadr City: Support from the impoverished: Living deep in every alley are the families of martyrs from the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, from riots against Saddam Hussein and from executions on the gallows of Iraq's prisons.

At U.S. Urging, Qatar to Seek Review at Al Jazeera: Under U.S. pressure, Qatar's foreign minister said on Thursday he would seek a review of Arabic television station al Jazeera's coverage of Iraq after Washington complained it was inaccurate and anti-American.

Claims vs. Facts Database : The Center for American Progress has launched this new database project to chart conservatives's dishonesty – and compare it with the truth. In this database, each conservative quote will be matched against well-documented facts, so that users can get a more accurate picture of the issues.

Afghan soldiers killed in Taliban clash: At least five government soldiers have been killed in clashes with the ousted Taliban army in Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province, scene of a growing Taliban insurgency, a provincial official said.

Israeli Occupation Force admits it killed Palestinian lecturer by mistake : The Israel Defense Forces admitted on Thursday that it accidentally shot and killed Dr. Yasser Abu Laimun, 32, a resident of the village of Taluza, north of Nablus in the West Bank, over the weekend.

Cheney staff accused of role in CIA leak: Vice President Cheney was aware of a meeting held by his staff that started a chain of events that ended with the "effective betrayal of our country," former U.S. diplomat Joseph Wilson charged Thursday

Patriot Act Suppresses News Of Challenge to Patriot Act : The American Civil Liberties Union disclosed yesterday that it filed a lawsuit three weeks ago challenging the FBI's methods of obtaining many business records, but the group was barred from revealing even the existence of the case until now.

Horse Sense : In the heart of the heart of the "Homeland" -- the verdant fields and quiet townships of rural Ohio -- the fate of the world is being decided. There, the sway of a few votes could sway a key state whose political bent could sway the entire U.S. presidential election in November.

Saudi Oil Is Secure and Plentiful, Say Officials: Officials from Saudi Arabia’s oil industry shocked a gathering of foreign policy experts in Washington yesterday with an announcement that the Kingdom’s previous estimate of 261 billion barrels of recoverable petroleum has now more than tripled, to 1.2 trillion barrels.

NYC denies permit for huge anti-war rally during GOP convention : An anti-war group planning a massive demonstration at the start of the Republican National Convention has been denied a permit to use Central Park because the crowd would be too large.

04/29/04: Fleeing Fallujans killed as crisis deepens: US soldiers have fired on a minibus full of civilians near a checkpoint on the outskirts of the besieged Iraqi town of Falluja.

My Country, Right And Wrong:Those self-appointed guardians of mindless loyalty who so fondly call themselves patriots in today's kinder, dumber America, would not only encourage the popular corruption of Schurz's actual, and brilliantly Jeffersonian original words, but would be very happy to never so much as see the entire statement in historically accurate context.

Fallujah: Remember the Alamo?: In our great hate, so cynically manipulated against Iraq by our leaders, we have temporarily lost the American tradition of rooting for the underdog. But what can the rest of the world see at Fallujah but an Islamic David against the ruling Goliath?

Sovereignty and Iraq after June 30 2004: A failure of foreign troops to leave Iraq when requested to do so by the transitional government will expose as the sham that it is the protestations of freedom, democracy and a "return" of sovereignty to the Iraqi people.

World Disorder and the Crimes against the People of Iraq: The people of Iraq continue to die; meanwhile the anti-war movement or the "Second Superpower" is in hibernation. The people of Fallujah are killed because they are defending their families, their live and their city.

Ten U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq : Eight soldiers from the U.S. 1st Armored Division were killed and four wounded in a car bomb attack at about 11:30 a.m. Baghdad time near Mahmudiyah, south of the capital. 

Two Ukrainian soldiers killed in Iraq : Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed Wednesday in an attack in Iraq as opposition parties continued to urge the former Soviet republic to consider pulling back its troops from Iraq.

Seven Iraqi Police, One Civilian Killed During Attacks: Seven Iraqi Police and one civilian were killed in two attacks targeting Iraqi security forces in Mosul

Fifth South African dies in Iraq: A British military official said in the southern Iraqi city of Basra that a civilian, believed to be South African, was killed in a shooting.

Where US snipers fire at ambulances : Four-year-old Ali is lying in a cot, the mattress matted with dried blood. He is bleeding from a horrific groin wound and his left leg has been amputated above the knee. His left arm is bandaged and bleeding, his face badly cut. His father brushes away the flies buzzing around Ali's wounds. It is a scene of almost utter hopelessness.

In Pictures: Falluja besieged

US marines hand Fallujah over to Saddam general: US marines announced the end of the bloody, near four-week siege of Fallujah today and will hand the city over to an all-Iraqi force, commanded by one of Saddam Hussein’s generals .

US planes hit Falluja after pullback deal: The warplanes roared low over the city after pounding Golan and the An-Nawwab al-Dhubbat and Nazzal districts in Falluja, some 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad.

Botched raids typically go unnoticed by the international media : In order for Western observers to understand why the deaths of people presented to Western audiences as liberators would be cheered by those supposedly being liberated, the media would need to present the hundreds of raids that result in Iraqi suffereng.

America is its own worst enemy in Iraq: When a discredited young firebrand cleric outsmarts American administrators and soldiers, you know the occupiers are at sea in the sands of Iraq.

Britain, America begin to diverge in Iraq: Troubling signs between key coalition partners

America's Ayatollah: Like a kid who has been told otherwise, Bush persists in believing in his own version of Santa Claus. The weapons are there, somewhere -- in a North Pole of his mind.

Welcome To America: Briton 'in chains at JFK airport: An accountant claims that he was kept for more than 24 hours in "leg chains" and denied food and water after flying into New York's JFK airport with his wife

Blow to rebuilding hopes as BP backs out : BP's chief executive delivered a serious setback to hopes of rebuilding Iraq when he said that the oil company has no future there.

Poll: Iraqis out of patience: Only a third of the Iraqi people now believe that the American-led occupation of their country is doing more good than harm, and a solid majority support an immediate military pullout even though they fear that as a result they could be in greater danger.

U.S. support for Iraq war down sharply: poll: Fewer than one-half, 47 per cent, said taking military action in Iraq was the right thing to do and about the same number, 46 per cent, said the United States should have stayed out of the country.

Congress Prepares for New Iraq Spending -Sources: Key U.S. congressional committees are drawing up plans that could provide the Pentagon with up to $50 billion in emergency money for military operations in Iraq before the November election, congressional officials said on Wednesday.

Pulp fictions triumph over truth: For those who backed Bush over war in Iraq, the idea of proof has shifted from fact to fervour

U.N. envoy connects dots between Iraq, Israel: The shootings, kidnappings, ambushes, terrorist bombings and U.S. military actions that have left 100 Americans and 1,000 Iraqis dead in the past month testify to the classic deathly dance of the occupier and the occupied.

Iranian court orders US to pay $600 million compensation: An Iranian court has ruled the United States should pay US$600 million in compensation for supplying ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons

'System wide' mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners: report: CBS has broadcast images of US troops mistreating Iraqi prisoners, saying an army investigation has found "system wide" problems in the handling of captured Iraqis.

60 Minutes II: Transcript: In some, the male prisoners are positioned to simulate sex with each other. And in most of the pictures, the Americans are laughing, posing, pointing, or giving the camera a thumbs-up.

Remember Falluja : During the first two weeks of this month, the American army committed war crimes in Falluja on a scale unprecedented for this war.: The sight of decapitated children, the rows of dead women and the shocking pictures of the soccer stadium that was turned into a temporary grave for hundreds of the slain - all were broadcast to the world only by the Al Jazeera network.

Iraqi insurgency : “They are shooting at us ... they are terrorists — they dress like the local population.” The quote is from an American Marine interviewed on CNN during the US assault on Fallujah. Obviously, before CNN set up the camera scene the Marine's superiors had drilled the script into him. In parrot fashion, the young Marine dutifully repeated the mantra.

Falluja is a turning point in the American policy in Iraq. It is also the beginning of a new era for the resistance and for the Iraqi people, too. You cannot imagine what kind of solidarity the people show to Falluja refugees, especially in Shiite neighborhoods! Al-Sadr himself talked about the bravery of the people of Falluja.

Siege of Fallujah provokes second mutiny: A second unit of the Iraqi armed forces has mutinied at Fallujah after being involved in heavy fighting with insurgents Ali Allawi, the Iraqi Defence Minister, said

Army Finds Troop Supply 'Getting Thin' : The Army could have a tough time finding more combat troops if they are needed in Iraq. Of the service's 10 active-duty divisions, all or parts of nine are either already in Iraq to serve 12-month tours of duty, or have just returned home in recent weeks after a year's duty.

Local Support for Iraq War Fading?: Brigadier General Michael Sumrall, former head of the Alabama National Guard, said today the rush of hometown support that provided a morale boost to U.S. soldiers when they arrived in Iraq a year ago has gradually declined.

UK: Pressure on Army to send troops into Iraq's danger areas: The presence of British soldiers in the Iraqi capital would enable the US to claim it was a truly international operation in the violent Sunni triangle.

Saturday deadliest day for Arkansas troops since Korea: Vietnam never produced as deadly a day for Arkansas soldiers as Saturday

A gruesome picture: How long must our troops suffer being in a desperate situation with no additional help fighting a war generated by lies. We support their efforts but a majority of us now no longer believe that they have any business being there.

US swells Iraq media death toll : Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said, "The stations that are showing Americans intentionally killing women and children are not legitimate news sources," he said.

Spoils Of War: Post-War Contractors Ranked by Total Contract Value in Iraq and Afghanistan

Exposed: The Carlyle Group: Shocking documentary uncovers the subversion of Americas democracy

Two Afghan officials killed in mine blast: A mine planted by suspected Taliban militants in Afghanistan’s southern Zabul province killed two district officials on Wednesday, the provincial governor said.

U.S. Pulling Most Troops From Korea's DMZ: The United States will pull nearly all its troops from their last front-line positions along the tense frontier with communist North Korea by October

Globalizing the Harrassment of Muslims: The Dirty Work of Canadian Intelligence: Now, growing allegations of Canadian intelligence cooperating with foreign governments to detain and question citizens abroad.

04/28/04:  112 killed in Thai battle : At least 112 people were killed in Thailand's Muslim-dominated south today in what police claimed was an attempt by poorly armed teenage militants to steal their weapons.

Three Coalition Soldiers Die in Iraq: Three soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition force in Iraq died on Wednesday, one killed in action and two of wounds sustained in attacks, U.S. military spokesman Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said.

Iraqis offer bounty for US officials: Resistance fighters in the Iraqi city of Falluja have placed a $15 million bounty on the heads of key US occupation figures, including Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld.

Marines, Sunnis battle in Fallujah: A series of explosions and gunfire rocked Fallujah on Wednesday in new fighting the day after a heavy battle in which U.S. warplanes and artillery pounded the city in a show of force against Sunni insurgents holed up in a slum.

Insurgents in Iraq show signs of acting as a network: Far from limited to a small group of "dead-enders" and Saddam "thugs" as Pentagon officials claim, the armed opposition to the US occupation in Iraq has reached the point where some experts say it threatens to become a full-fledged nationalist insurgency.

Al-Asad: Iraqis are right to resist: Syrian President Bashar al-Asad has backed armed resistance operations against the US occupation forces in Iraq. The Syrian president said the resistance represented the people of Iraq and was, therefore, legitimate.

Interview with a Mujahedeen: "Terror was unseen here before the invasion. In Falluja, it is not terrorism, it is resistance.”

Mistaken assumptions in the siege of Falluja: The siege in Falluja is a case study in mistaken assumptions, dashed hopes and rivalry between the army and the Marine Corps, according to Pentagon officials, senior officers and independent military analysts.

"We'll All Go To Hell With The Marines": An enormous understanding gap now exists between Iraqis and the occupiers. According to a British officer, the American army, inspired by Israeli methods, may apply "the Jenin solution."

In Falluja, Finding a Place for the Dead: The gravediggers said that the cemetery was full of women and children. And there were headstones attesting to the graves beneath holding civilian victims, marked "child," for example.

Marine sniper units work Fallujah : Sniper teams that target anyone suspected of being an insurgent.

Upside Down In Fallujah: Our Americans are the “foreign fighters” who were not invited to Fallujah or Iraq

Democracy Now! Report: "This Is The Massacre, The Holocaust That We Are Seeing In Fallujah" We go to Fallujah to get a report from a journalist embedded with U.S. troops and we speak with CorpWatch's Pratap Chatterjee, recently returned from Iraq, about Iraqi resistance, private military contractors and the kidnapping of his cameraman.

The ultimate price : Conquering armies always search for collaborators. British imperialism promoted - what the official records of that time call 'natural leaders' of the communities - to rule the people. Americans viewed the oppressed Shia majority as the new facilitators of American rule.

More troops suffering severe head wounds: Injuries prove devastating for doctors, too

Lack Of Armor Claims Troops : Twenty percent of the U.S. troops killed in Iraq might have lived had there been more armored, heavier vehicles available to them.

President needs to open eyes to deaths occurring in Iraq: If we didn't see the dead, maybe we'd forget they exist.

I Will Not Shut Up: So don't toss me a yellow ribbon to tie around a tree. Don't hand me a sign to stick in my yard. And don't tell me to shut up.

Yes, We Can Handle the Truth: The bottom line: this government doesn't trust the people. The last thing it wants to do now is fight an image war at home

Reality of 'real war' dawns on U.S. allies: Bulgaria's troops are unprepared for the kind of fighting going on in Iraq and need "immediate and substantial military backup" from the U.S.-led coalition, President Georgi Parvanov said Tuesday.

Bush catches Saddam disease: It's all going bad and getting worse for Bush in Iraq.

Were Japanese diplomats killed by 'friendly' fire in Iraq?:

Bulgarian Soldiers Asking to Return From Iraq Increase to 43: Twenty new requests for return have been filed in the recent days after a sixth Bulgarian soldier was killed in gunfights with radical Shiite rebels in the city of Karbala, Dimitrov said.

Allies clash over Iraq interim powers: America's United Nations Ambassador John Negroponte, who will become US Ambassador to Iraq on July 1, said yesterday that the interim government would have limited powers. It would not control security and would not be able to make new laws, he said.

Death Squad Ambassador: Senate Hearings Begin on Negroponte Iraq Appointment: Negroponte's reputation as ambassador to Honduras from 1981 to 1985 earned him a reputation for supporting widespread human rights abuses and campaigns of terror.

Make No Mistake, We Are 1930's Nazi Germany: The Bush/Limbaugh Republicans are the 1930's Nazis, period. And these eunuchs that make up the Democratic Party - these battered wives who will come up with any excuse to allow these Nazis to continue doing what they are doing - means that America will go the way of Nazi Germany.

Francis A. Boyle, Destroying World Order: "In international legal terms, the Bush Jr. administration should be viewed as constituting an ongoing criminal conspiracy under international criminal law in violation of the Nuremberg Charter, the Nuremberg Judgment, and the Nuremberg Principles, due to its formulation and undertaking of war policies which are legally akin to those perpetrated by the Nazi regime in pre-World War II Germany."

Some Dare Call It Treason: Wake Up America!: "It's been said that somewhere in Texas there is a village looking for their idiot. Now that may be funny, but it misses the point. George W. Bush is not an imbecile. He is a TRAITOR."

Congress Probes Iraqi National Congress Lobbying Efforts: The Iraqi National Congress of Ahmed Chalabi may have violated restrictions against using taxpayer money to lobby when it campaigned for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The Congress' General Accounting Office will investigate the allegation, which if proven true, means that U.S. taxpayers paid to have themselves persuaded that it was necessary to invade Iraq.

Justices Question Indefinite Holding of U.S. Citizens : ``Presumably, this warlike status could last for 25 years, 50 years, whatever it is,'' Justice Sandra Day O'Connor told Bush administration lawyer Paul Clement.

Court must put brakes on grab for power : If the court decides that during a self-declared "war" a president can override basic rights of American citizens and the basic human rights of noncitizens, it will give George Bush II the greatest powers provided to a president since we overturned George III.

Afghanistan forced to admit secret execution: The US-backed government of President Hamid Karzai only admitted the secretive execution after pressure from the human rights group Amnesty International. President Karzai signed the death warrant.

Sharon says roadmap is dead: In an interview to mark the 56th anniversary of the state, Sharon announced that the internationally backed "roadmap" peace blueprint that sought to create an independent Palestinian state by 2005 was dead.

Sharon said likely to resign if disengagement fails to pass referendum

UK: Former diplomats' attack on Blair is off the Richter scale, says Cook: Robin Cook delivers a fresh and devastating blow to Tony Blair today by claiming that serving British ambassadors support the 52 former diplomats who criticised the Prime Minister over his policy on the Middle East.

UK: Diplomatic divide : There are three big things to say about the robustly critical open letter to Tony Blair on Middle East policy from 52 former British diplomats published yesterday.

Blair should listen to the experts : The signatories to the letter include many distinguished and experienced public servants. They extend beyond the "usual suspects" of well-known Arabists, and there is every indication that many more serving and retired diplomats, as well as army officers, harbour the same misgivings.

UK: We have to kick against the pricks: Britain must lose its reluctance to question the special relationship

Gov. Bush promises U.S. commitment to Israel on Independence Day : During a Monday speech celebrating Israel's 56th Independence Day, Bush lauded his brother, President George W. Bush, for reinforcing the alliance between the two countries at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

How many "Defensive Wars" Has Israel Fought? : Of five major wars between Israel and its neighbors since 1948, three clearly were initiated by Israel.

Index Ranks Richest Nations’ Aid Contributions: Despite earning high marks for its trade policy, the United States contributes relatively little in foreign aid given the size of its economy.

Graph: 2004 Ranking The Rich: The United States gives little development assistance for its size, ties much of it to the purchase of U.S. goods and services, and allocates it to countries generally richer or more corrupt than recipients of development assistance from other donors.

9/11 panel won't tape Bush-Cheney 'talk' : White House allows note-taking only at joint interview

Student's Anti-Bush Sketches Eyed: The Secret Service questioned a 15-year-old boy last week and confiscated drawings he made depicting President Bush as the devil, and with his head on a stick.

04/27/04: Blasts Reported in Syrian Capital : Explosions and heavy exchanges of gunfire were heard Tuesday near the British ambassador's residence and Saudi Embassy in Damascus, two Arab TV stations reported.

U.S. Aircraft, Tanks Hit Falluja: "I can hear more than 10 explosions a minute. Fires are lighting the night sky," one witness told Reuters. "The earth is shaking under my feet."

Dozens die as US planes strafe Najaf: Television in Najaf said wounded people were dying for lack of blood supplies and issued an urgent appeal for donors.

US kills tens of Iraqis on Najaf's doorstep: Backed up with helicopter gunships, a spokesman in Baghdad claimed occupation forces had killed 43 Shia militiamen by Tuesday morning. But hospital sources said of the 28 people seriously wounded in the clashes, only six of them appeared to be militiamen

Al-Sadr calls on Muslims to defend Najaf : "If they enter Najaf, all Muslims in Iraq must defend (the holy city), wherever they are and by any means they consider appropriate,"

US soldier killed in Baghdad: A United States soldier was killed when his patrol came under attack in Baghdad's explosive Shiite slum of Sadr City

Iraq Coalition Casualties: Military Fatalities: By Month:

Blair: Britain has enough troops on the ground in Iraq: His comments appear to rule out sending reinforcements in the wake of Spain's decision to withdraw its forces.

Dozens die as US planes strafe Najaf: Television in Najaf said wounded people were dying for lack of blood supplies and issued an urgent appeal for donors.

US kills tens of Iraqis on Najaf's doorstep: Backed up with helicopter gunships, a spokesman in Baghdad claimed occupation forces had killed 43 Shia militiamen by Tuesday morning. But hospital sources said of the 28 people seriously wounded in the clashes, only six of them appeared to be militiamen

Al-Sadr calls on Muslims to defend Najaf : "If they enter Najaf, all Muslims in Iraq must defend (the holy city), wherever they are and by any means they consider appropriate,"

US soldier killed in Baghdad: A United States soldier was killed when his patrol came under attack in Baghdad's explosive Shiite slum of Sadr City

Iraq Coalition Casualties: Military Fatalities: By Month:

Blair: Britain has enough troops on the ground in Iraq: His comments appear to rule out sending reinforcements in the wake of Spain's decision to withdraw its forces.

Gunships level minaret as US cancels assault: An American assault on the Iraqi city of Fallujah was postponed yesterday after local commanders said bloody urban warfare could provoke retaliation across the country and protests throughout the Muslim world.

Apartheid assassins meet match in Iraq: SOME of the worst human rights violators of the apartheid era, including a man who helped kill 14 civilians while they slept, have been employed as security contractors in Iraq.

Three killed in raid by suspected Taliban in southern Afghanistan : Suspected Taliban shot dead three people and injured two during a raid at an aid agency's compound near the southern city of Kandahar, officials said.

US sets limits to Iraqi self-rule: The US has warned that the new government due to take power in Iraq on 1 July will have to delegate some of its powers to the coalition.

When sovereignty does not mean security: So bad is the situation among the US-trained Iraqi security forces - many of whom refuse to fight - that Secretary of State Colin Powell warns that when the June 30 handover of sovereignty comes about, the US will have to retain control of security. Powell hopes Iraqis will understand. Iraqis hope that Powell will understand if they don't buy his line

Robert Scheer: Face the Iraq Fiasco, Senator: Former war hero and protester John Kerry has to stop angling for position and confront Bush directly on the war.

White man's burden: The war in Iraq was conceived by 25 neoconservative intellectuals, most of them Jewish, who are pushing President Bush to change the course of history. Two of them, journalists William Kristol and Charles Krauthammer, say it's possible.

America's death wish is coming true: What we have is a President who created a war on false premises, an uninformed public wrapped up in ass kicking and feeling real good about it, and a world filled with hatred for us.

Paul Krigman: A Vision of Power: What Mr. Cheney is defending, is a doctrine that makes the United States a sort of elected dictatorship: a system in which the president, once in office, can do whatever he likes, and isn't obliged to consult or inform either Congress or the public.

'They Hate Us Because of Our Freedom': Whenever I hear “they hate us because of our freedom” or "because they hate our way of life" or some other such drivel, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. If real people didn’t suffer the consequences of it, such ignorance would be amusing.

Jimmy Breslin : A frank talk with God: We have a president who says he talks to God. When he was asked if he had gone to his father to discuss starting the invasion in Iraq, George Bush said, no, I talked to a higher father. What he was saying is that God personally told him it was all right to send our soldiers into Iraq and start the War of the Children.

Bush’s Secrecy, and the Dumbing-Down of Conspiracy Theories: The War Party in Washington is lucky that the American people, as obese mentally as they are physically, are interested only in stuffing their minds with reality TV.

Karen Kwiatkowski : Attention on Deck! Violation of Rule 17!: Photographs and other evidence of the deaths of hundreds of young Americans are, as Rumsfeld might put it, "very unhelpful." For the State to allow their release also violates Goebbels’ 17th rule of propaganda, which says, "Propaganda to the home front must diminish the impact of frustration."

Spend Money on Aid, Not Wars, World Bank Head Says: There is a "ludicrous" gap between the billions of dollars of global military spending and the sum spent on trying to reduce world poverty, World Bank President James Wolfensohn said on Sunday.

Depleted Uranium: The Toxic Killer : The Bush Administration knows about the health and the environmental consequences of using depleted uranium but it doesn't care.

Still on Catastrophe's Edge: In a flash, U.S. and Russia could hurl thousands of missiles at each other.

Greg Palast: Oil Slick Jim moves in: I'm not one of those cynical people who thought Bush sent us into to Iraq for the oil. To me, Saddam Hussein was always a Kurd-killing cockroach with a Hitlerian mustache. I never liked the guy -- not even when he worked for George Bush Sr.

If Arafat harmed, recognition of Israel to be canceled: official : Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's aide Ahmad Abdel-Rahman stated on Tuesday that harming Arafat means annulling Palestinians' acknowledgement of the state of Israel.

Israeli Myths: "The myth that Israel is a democracy: It is not a democracy in the western sense. It is an ethnic democracy. Twenty per cent of Israel’s citizens are Israeli Palestinians. They are entitled to vote, and they are required to pay taxes, but they do not have equal rights."

Anti-Semitism falls in Europe but hostility to Israel grows: The poll's findings could also undermine the argument, supported by some civil rights movements including the ADL itself and think-tanks in Israel and the US, that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.

Jews for Justice: They call us "self-hating" Jews when we raise criticisms of Israeli policies. No wonder, that social-justice-oriented American Jews today feel betrayed by Israeli policies that seem transparently immoral and self-destructive.

Israeli Nukes and the American Connection: The danger of nuclear arms was the main pretext for the invasion of Iraq. Iran is threatened in order to compel it to stop its nuclear efforts. Libya has surrendered and is dismantling its nuclear installations. So what about Israel?

Iraq Official Blames U.S. for Standoff: Iraq's current Governing Council president said Monday the United States has only itself to blame for the military deadlock at Najaf and Fallujah because it allowed its troops to change from "an army of liberation" to "an army of occupation."

Iraqi Delegation Says US Used Cluster Bombs In Fallujah : --A spokesman for an Iraqi delegation from the violence-gripped city of Fallujah Monday accused U.S. troops of using internationally banned cluster bombs against the city and said they had asked the U.N. to mediate the conflict.

Procuring the world's oil: In not too many years, the United States will need to increase its energy supplies by the equivalent of the total oil consumed by China and India. To do this, existing sources will have to be ensured, and new ones found - even if this means by the barrel of a gun

Move to endorse Iraq plan could fail over troops: The Bush Administration is preparing a resolution for the United Nations to endorse its plan to transfer power in Iraq, but a proposal that guarantees legal protection for foreign troops may face a tough time.

General: Marines Will Occupy Iraq For Years: The reality, aside from the cost of war, according to Gallinetti, is that Marines will have to be in Iraq for about five years.

We are facing death in Iraq for no reason : A serving US soldier calls for the end of an occupation based on lies

A black and white case of US injustice: The docket, No. 03-1027, bears the title "Rumsfeld vs Padilla". It may just be the most important case of its kind in half a century, in setting the limits of presidential power, and determining whether an American citizen can be denied justice in his own country.

61 killed in fighting between the Congolese army and Rwandan insurgents: The Rwandan rebels fled to Congo after leading the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. At least 500,000 people, most from the Tutsi minority, were killed in the slaughter orchestrated by a government of extremists from the Hutu majority that was then in power.

Diplomats rebuke PM on Middle East : Fifty-two former British diplomats yesterday delivered a damning critique of Tony Blair's close alliance with George Bush and their "doomed" Middle East policy.

Ambassadors' letter to Blair: Here is the letter sent by more than 50 former British ambassadors to Tony Blair, urging him either to influence US policy in the Middle East or to stop backing it:

UK: Anger as new ID cards to be tested in city: ID cards would carry details of the holder's identity, including facial recognition, iris images and fingerprints. A special database would be created, storing individual iris scans and prints

UK: ID card scheme £2,500 fine threat: People who refuse to register for the government's planned ID card scheme could face a "civil financial penalty" of up to £2,500, it has emerged.

Jordan parades 'chemical bombers': Jordanian state television has aired what it says are confessions by captured supporters of al-Qaida who said they had planned to launch deadly chemical attacks.

04/26/04: 8 Insurgents, 3 US Soldiers Killed in Iraq: At least eight Iraqi insurgents and one U.S. Marine were killed Monday in the Iraqi city of Fallujah in a firefight that erupted despite a supposed truce in the city.

US helicopters launch Falluja attack: Speaking on behalf of the Falluja town council, Muhammad Tariq Abd Allah said, "We are facing what can be called ... war crimes, and the situation can no longer bear the actions of the occupation forces who are behaving outside all international laws."

Geneva convention 'breached', agencies warn : Aid agencies have warned that the Geneva convention is being breached in Falluja, Iraq, amid serious concern about the safety of civilians in the city where at least 600 people have been killed by coalition forces.

US troops threaten to cross Shia 'red line' to enter Najaf : American troops will enter parts of the holy city of Najaf to crush the radical Shia cleric Muqtada Sadr but will avoid its sacred sites, a US general said yesterday.

Unilateral “Negotiations” and Collective Punishment in Falluja: The veil of democracy and freedom has been stripped from the face of the U.S. occupation, particularly in Falluja, where the brutality takes the form of American snipers shooting grandmothers waving white flags.

U.S. Facing Opponents it Trained : U.S. calculations that it would train a new army in Iraq have gone badly wrong. It is now up against the very people it trained.

Falluja, Najaf and the First Law of Holes: Anyone who believes that April has been the cruelest month of this Iraq war - 111 Americans killed with the total dead now at 718, hundreds upon hundreds of Iraqi civilians killed - should gird themselves for the reality that the worst, the very worst, the unimaginably awful, is still yet to come.

Iraqi group threatens to kill hostages unless Italians hold protests : A statement received by the Dubai-based station from a group calling itself the "Green Brigade", said it would free the three hostages if "the Italian people organise demonstrations to protest against their government's policy in Iraq."

Who Would Jesus Occupy?: Ten Reasons to Oppose the US Occupation of Iraq

Majority of Thais want troops out of Iraq -poll: The nationwide survey by Bangkok's Assumption University, showed 57.2 percent of the public wanted the soldiers to return.

Survey: 75 percent want Slovak soldiers out of Iraq

Gung-ho mood is gone at Camp Pendleton: Town next to big Marine base left reeling by Iraq violence. A chill is spreading through this military town, and it's not coming from the breeze blowing in off the beach.

brandonhughey.org: Brandon Huhgey is a former member of the U.S. Army who left his country rather than participate in an illegal act of aggression.

Scott Ritter: “President Bush poses the greatest threat to America that we have seen in modern history,”

Is FOX News Supporting the Troops or the President?: Pardon me, but isn’t there a difference between Middle East terrorists who are retaliating for prior acts of U.S. foreign policy and Iraqi insurgents who are simply resisting a foreign occupation of their country?

Lawyers try to gag FBI worker over 9/11: The Bush administration will today seek to prevent a former FBI translator from providing evidence about 11 September intelligence failures to a group of relatives and survivors who have accused international banks and officials of aiding al-Qa'ida.

The Basic Flaw: If neoconservatives came from an American tradition rather than a Trotskyite tradition, they would understand that America itself is not a democracy.

Our Hidden WMD Program: Why Bush is spending so much on nuclear weapons. The budget is busted; American soldiers need more armor; they're running out of supplies. Yet the Department of Energy is spending an astonishing $6.5 billion on nuclear weapons this year, and President Bush is requesting $6.8 billion more for next year and a total of $30 billion over the following four years.

UK Gov't Mulls Jailing Terror Suspects' Associates: Asserting that the war on al Qaeda is going to last for years to come, the British government has quietly begun to look at plans to jail friends and associates of suspected terrorists

Chechen rebels kill five Russian soldiers : Chechen rebels killed five Russian soldiers and wounded seven others over the weekend in the war-torn southern republic, news agencies reported yesterday.

Georgia on the brink of civil war : Georgia was drawn to the brink of civil war yesterday after President Mikhail Saakashvili threatened to use force against the breakaway region of Adzharia.

Three US Marines Wounded in Afghan Ambush: U.S. military officials in Afghanistan say three Marines were wounded when their convoy was ambushed Saturday in the southern part of the country.

Reporter's history of CIA-Afghanistan link chilling: In retrospect, one now wonders how much better off the United States would have been had the CIA stopped with the ouster of the Soviet military and simply left the Russian puppet, Najibullah, in office. The Taliban might never have come to power..

20 000 Flee Christian Terrorists In Uganda: The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been carrying out raids on refugee camps in the area to steal food and medical supplies.

Bantustan plan for an apartheid Israel: Sharon's separation scheme is doomed to fail once it becomes clear what it means

Pastrami & Champagne: Three decades ago Winston Churchill's grandson asked Ariel Sharon how Israel should deal with the Palestinians. "We'll make a pastrami sandwich out of them," he replied. "We'll insert a strip of Jewish settlements in between the Palestinians, and then another strip of Jewish settlements right across the West Bank, so that in twenty-five years' time, neither the United Nations nor the United States, nobody, will be able to tear it apart."

Diplomats slam Blair on Mid-East: The 52 ambassadors said it was time for the prime minister to start influencing America's "doomed" policy in the Middle East or stop backing it.

Ambassadors' letter to Blair: Here is the letter sent by more than 50 former British ambassadors to Tony Blair, urging him either to influence US policy in the Middle East or to stop backing it:

Kerry jumps on Sharon bandwagon: In an interview with NBC television, Kerry declared that he supports the separation plan, as well as President Bush's letter to the Sharon government.

Mordechai Vanunu: 'I feared brain-washing... They were out to destroy my personality' As newly released technician speaks out, Sharon comes close to admitting his country has nuclear weapons

Shots fired at Bulgarian president: Shots have been fired at a motorcade carrying Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov during an unannounced visit to Iraq.

04/25/04: : and warned Washington it was earning the Muslims' hatred by backing Israel in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Uphill struggle to gain Iraqi goodwill looms: As one senior officer bluntly summed up the conflicting views of many Iraqis nearly one year after President Bush declared the end of major combat operations: "They hate us.

Four children shot dead in Iraq: witnesses: Some witnesses said the children, all aged around 12, were shot dead by US troops who had opened fire randomly after the blast on Canal Street in eastern Baghdad. At le