Saddam Hussein has been back in court in Baghdad this week for a new trial - his second - and now faces the gravest charge of genocide. But with all the problems in today's Iraq, how is this new trial being viewed in the country? With the new Saddam Hussein trial now under way in what should be one of the world's best-protected courtrooms, I paid a visit to a much more nondescript building here in Baghdad, to an organisation called the Iraq Memory Foundation. Walk into one of the rooms there and you immediately come face to face with some extraordinary works of art. One shows a hand and arm, as if they are sticking out from a mass grave. Another a representation of someone before a firing squad... a figure in relief, hooded at the top, a shoe on the foot. And another a large canvas covered with an impression of burnt trees and crops, with small hessian bomb-like objects on it, representing chemical and other bombs allegedly dropped on Kurdish villages by Iraqi planes... http://news.bbc.co.uk censor News |
Editor - 07:41:00 08-31-06 |
Mexico orders hurricane evacuations 10,000 in Baja told to leave; Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo also in path |
Hurricane John triggered evacuations and punished Mexican ports and beaches with huge sea surges, heavy rains and strong winds Thursday morning as the powerful storm swirled in the Pacific Ocean off the coast.In southern Baja California, officials said at least 10,000 people will be evacuated and tourists warned to hole up in their hotels. Jose Gajon, head of civil protection for the state of Baja California Sur, said locals living in low-lying areas around the Los Cabos beach resort will be taken to shelters, by force if necessary, before the storm pummels the region Friday. “Those who do not want to leave will be taken away by the army,” Gajon said. The sense of urgency was high in Cabo San Lucas, where fishermen and authorities were hurriedly preparing for John's arrival.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14600709/
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Editor - 07:35:00 08-31-06 |
Bush begins new push to shore up fight on terrorism, Iraq |
With midterm elections around the corner, President Bush on Thursday will launch a series of speeches aimed at bolstering support for what the White House calls the "single ideological struggle" against terrorism, including the increasingly unpopular Iraq war. Upon arriving Wednesday evening in Salt Lake City in preparation for his address to a veterans group, Bush said the United States has to remain vigilant against "an enemy that wants to harm" the country. "These are challenging times," Bush told a crowd at the Utah capital's airport. "We learned that lesson earlier this month, [and] because of our friends in Great Britain, we've stopped a terror plot against the United States." Bush also said his most important duty is to protect Americans from further attacks, stressing the way to do so is to "defeat the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home." Same Bull Shit, preached to the same believers. Some people you can fool all the time... http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/31/bush.terrorism/index.html?section=cnn_us
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Editor - 07:33:00 08-31-06 |
The US view of Iraq: we can pull out in a year: The view on the ground: unbridled savagery |
The top US general in Iraq yesterday predicted that Iraqi forces would be able to take over security in the country with "very little coalition support" within a year to 18 months. General George Casey did not say anything specific about parallel withdrawals of US troops. Instead, he said American-led coalition forces would pull back into large bases & provide support before leaving. Gen Casey's predictions earlier in the summer that the US military presence could be reduced from about 130,000 to 100,000 by the end of the year were proved overly optimistic by a surge in sectarian killing. Instead a combat brigade based in Mosul had its tour extended and was sent to Baghdad to help Iraqi troops keep a lid on the bloodshed there, & the overall American forces level rose to 138,000. US officials pointed optimistically to statistics suggesting that the military focus on the capital had helped to curb sectarian killings between Sunni & Shia groups, though in the past few days the body... http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1861640,00.html
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Editor - 22:58:00 08-30-06 |
Growing fears over North Korea nuclear test |
International concerns about a possible North Korean nuclear test increased today with reports that Kim Jong-il may have crossed the border into China to explain his military provocations to uneasy allies in Beijing.According to the South Korean media, satellites have tracked a special North Korean train, the usual form of transport for Mr Kim, entering Chinese territory. If confirmed, it would be his second trip to Beijing in less than a year - an unheard-of flurry of diplomacy for a notoriously travel-shy figurehead. The reports are impossible to verify, but they come amid growing signs of Chinese anger with Mr Kim over last month's missile tests, and regional anxiety about his next move. Earlier this month, the South Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun, requested an emergency summit with Beijing's leaders.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,,1861296,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
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Editor - 22:34:00 08-30-06 |
Taliban Militants Attack Southern Afghanistan Town |
Taliban militants attacked a southern Afghan town Thursday, sparking intense fighting with Afghan troops, the defense ministry said. The militants used mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns in the attack on Naw Zad, in volatile Helmand province around 8:00 a.m. (0330 GMT), said Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi.He said that the fighting between the Taliban and Afghan army troops was "intense," but that he had no further details about the scale of the assault or casualties. ... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,211429,00.html
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Editor - 22:31:00 08-30-06 |
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post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
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