A Wild Day in Beirut

Street Notes from the Hamra District

By Franklin Lamb

In order to calm the atmosphere in Lebanon right now and remove the berms of July 2006 rubble blocking the airport road as well as the evacuation of fighters from West Beirut and the Mountains, the Bush administration must order the reversal of Monday's Lebanese Cabinet decisions.Continue

Hezbollah Sec-General Hasan Nasrallah Address Lebanon

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"The combat today is not between the Sunni and Shia" - "There is a national plan for resistance and an American plan" - "It is up to everyone to choose the camp they want" Continue

Early Warning

A Secret Afghanistan Mission Prepares for War with Iran

By William M. Arkin

A secret mission conducted last August over Afghanistan caught my eye because it tells us everything we need to know about the ability of the U.S. military to conduct a bolt-out-of-the-blue attack in Iran. It also tells us how useless such a strike might be. Continue

Portrait of an Oil-Addicted Former Superpower

By Michael T. Klare

How Rising Oil Prices Are Obliterating America’s Superpower Status. Continue

The Loathsome Smearing of Israel’s Critics

By Johann Hari

In the US and Britain, there is a campaign to smear anybody who tries to describe the plight of the Palestinian people. It is an attempt to intimidate and silence — and to a large degree, it works. There is nobody these self-appointed spokesmen for Israel will not attack as anti-Jewish: liberal Jews, rabbis, even Holocaust survivors. Continue

19 killed, 85 wounded in Sadr City clashes since Thursday – medic: "The Imam Ali hospital in Sadr City received 15 corpses and 70 others wounded, while al-Shahid al-Sadr hospital, also in Sadr City, received four corpses and 15 others wounded. Women and children were among the victims,"

At least 17 killed in another bloody day of US occupation: U.S. occupation forces say kill 14 militants in Baghdad: Air strikes and tanks were used to attack militiamen attempting to launch rockets from the slum or shoot at U.S. troops on patrol. Hospitals in Sadr City said they had received four bodies and 51 wounded. Among the wounded were children.

Eight killed when rockets hit US base: Two civilian contractors were among those killed when several rockets slammed into a coalition military base in Basra at around 2.20pm (9.20pm AEST), the military said.

Baghdad's Coming Refugee Crisis: U.S.-back Iraqi forces are gearing up for a new push deeper into Sadr City that could worsen fighting and displace hundreds, a government spokesman in Baghdad said. "There will be a big offensive soon," said Iraqi government spokesman Tahseen al-Sheikhly

Sadr aide lashes out at Iraq's senior Shiite cleric: An aide to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr lashed out on Friday at Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, for keeping silent over clashes that have killed hundreds in Baghdad.

Bulgarian soldiers hired for US security in Iraq: The US Company Defense Security Services (DSS) has been snapping up retired Bulgarian soldiers and policemen to work as guards in Iraq the company said

11 die in Beirut gun battles: Shiite opposition gunmen seized control of several Beirut neighbourhoods from Sunni foes loyal to the U.S.-backed government on Friday, in street battles that left 11 dead, security officials said.

Hezbollah in control of west Beirut : The army has largely avoided getting involved in the street battles amid fears of being dragged into the conflict.

One More War Crime: Blindsided, Hezbollah Mulls Its Response: . Conspiracy theories, taunts, threats and provocations continue, the stone throwing on some streets, as commentators offer myriad analyses of "the implementation of suspicious schemes" as Beirut's An Narar noted.

Lebanon unrest: Insiders' views: Al Jazeera asked four experts on Lebanon whether they thought the new unrest in the country following a government crackdown on Hezbollah, which the Shia group's called "a declaration of war", was the beginning of a showdown or whether it can be contained or resolved. Here are their responses:

US cautions Syria if Hezbollah''s challenge to Lebanese gov''t continues: US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on Thursday wanrned that he would engage his colleagues in the Security Council to take steps against Syria, including sanctions, if Hezbollah's challenge to the Lebanese Government continues.

Syria Won't End Ties With Iran, Hezbollah: Syrian President Bashar Assad says his country won't not sever ties with Iran and militant group Hezbollah, despite Israel's demands to do so.

Lebanon: Increasing Violence Raising U.S. Concerns Over Iran: Several times this year, the United States has sought to rally its allies in the Arab world against what it calls Iran's continued meddling in the region

Presstitute and war pimp alert: Why the West moves closer to bombing Iran: Another week, another British fatality - and yet more evidence of Iran's lethal meddling on the battlefields of the war on terror.

The Iran Consensus Grows More Dangerous: The three candidates share a consensus, backed by the national security community, that Iran is the new strategic threat. It is radical, anti-American, anti-Israel, terrorist-supporting, nuclear-armed and provocative. But just because this is the consensus view does not mean it is right

U.S. declines to help present nuclear deal to Iran: World powers will in the coming days offer a revised package of incentives to Iran but Washington has refused to send its own envoy to help present the deal

Iran to offer new deal to break nuclear deadlock: "My government has worked out a new package, a new initiative, which is going to be put forward in the near future to deal with all aspects of our relationship," Movahedian said.

Shell, Repsol not to pull out of Iran : Royal Dutch/Shell and Spain's Repsol reportedly intend not to capitulate to US pressure by backing away from an energy project in Iran.

Keeping Secrets From the CIA: The Senate Intelligence Committee is about to release a report that sheds new light on "inappropriate" back-channel contacts between Pentagon officials and a group of Iranian informants—including a key figure from the Iran-contra affair.

Israeli occupation forces kill three Palestinians, injures 20 others in attack on Gaza Strip: According to the Palestinian Human Rights Center, the woman was killed when the IDF blew up her front door. The woman, Wafa al-Durma, 33, was mother to seven children.

Israel's Olmert admits taking cash, won’t quit: Prime minister denies campaign backing from American was improper .

Key witness 'fears Olmert may seek to harm him' : Court okays early testimony from U.S. businessman said to fear retribution

Obama 'committed' to Israel's security: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Thursday that the friendship between the US and Israel is "unbreakable" and vowed to ensure Israel's security should he be elected president.

5 Myths About Being 'Pro-Israel': Grateful as I am for decades of U.S. friendship to Israel, I have to wonder, as the state my father helped found turns 60, just who is defining what it means to be pro-Israel in the United States these days.

US: Several militants killed in Afghanistan clash: Coalition troops have killed several militants in southern Afghanistan, the U.S.-led coalition said Friday.

Afghans meet to restore dialogue: Tribal leaders, members of civil society and politicians in Afghanistan have held a meeting to discuss ways of bringing peace to the country. - It agreed that its representatives would meet members of the Taleban and Hezb-e-Islami groups to lay the ground for peace talks with the government.

Afghan intellectuals criticise US, NATO operations: About 3,000 Afghan politicians and intellectuals criticised Thursday the international military campaign against Islamic militants in Afghanistan and called for dialogue to ending the fighting.

Taliban agrees for a ceasefire in Pakistan's restive Swat district: In a breakthrough for the new Pakistani governmentâ??s experimental approach of reconciliation with the extremists, the provincial government of North-Western Frontier Province has reached an agreement with the pro-Taliban militants for a ceasefire in Pakistan's restive north- western district of Swat.

Pakistan plays down US cash claim: Pakistan has played down a recent US report that in February the Pentagon refused its request for funds to fight Taleban and al-Qaeda militants.

Pakistan opposes US military aide: Pakistan says it has asked the United States not to appoint the former head of the US prison at Guantanamo as military envoy in Islamabad.

Army Says 50 Rebels Killed in Burundi Clashes: A spokesman for Burundi's army, Colonel Adolphe Manirakiza, said soldiers killed 50 rebels from the National Liberation Forces, known by their French acronym FNL, in Kabezi, outside Bujumbura. He said two government soldiers were also killed, and four wounded.

Russia 'expels US embassy staff': The expulsion order was given some days ago but was only revealed by the state department on Thursday.

Demonizing Chavez:: Deep ties between Venezuela, Colombian rebels: paper: Computer files found on a dead guerrilla leader's laptops captured in a March raid show deep ties between the Venezuelan government led by President Hugo Chavez and the communist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday

Bolivia to vote on president's rule : Evo Morales, Bolivia's president, has agreed to hold a vote of confidence on his rule amid a power struggle between his government and wealthy provinces.

John Pilger: Destroying the best of Britain : In his latest column for the New Statesman, John Pilger describes how the New Labour government is destroying one of the the venerable features of "communal decency" in Britain - the local post office. Economies need to be made, though not in the pursuit of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Crude, pump prices keep rising: Oil hits record high of $126 a barrel ahead of summer driving season

U.S. House Passes Anti-Foreclosure Bill Facing Bush Veto Threat: The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to let a federal agency insure up to $300 billion in mortgages to help homeowners avert foreclosure, a day after the White House threatened to veto the measure.

08/05/08

A Human Rights Crime

By Jimmy Carter

The world must stop standing idle while the people of Gaza are treated with such cruelty. Continue

Lebanon Descends Into Chaos

Rival Leaders Order General Strike

By Robert Fisk:

You could hear gunfire crackling across Beirut all morning. To top it all, soaring price increases – even of basic food – is creating a little revolution in the hearts of many Lebanese. Continue

Neocons and the Truth: Bitter Enemies to the End

By Glenn Greenwald

This isn’t just a matter of documenting guilt with regard to what happened with Iraq. The Washington Post’s David Ignatius today became just the latest establishment spokesman to warn (or celebrate) that “judging from recent statements by administration officials, there is also a small, but growing, chance of conflict with Iran.” Continue

Wanted Terrorist Honored In Miami

By Carol J. Williams

A dinner with 500 fellow Cuban exiles honors the militant and former CIA operative, now 80 and still wanted in Venezuela on terrorism charges.
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer. Continue

Brutal Attack By Philadelphia Police
 
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 Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey who saw the video, said, "On the surface it certainly does not look good. Click to view

Iraq: At least 31 killed as US occupation grinds on: A parked car bomb exploded near a police patrol in the Mansour neighborhood of Baghdad, killed seven people, including three policemen, police said. The attack wounded 19 civilians.

At least 7 killed in Sadr City<