There are growing suspicions in Iraq that the official story of the battle outside Najaf between a messianic Iraqi cult and the Iraqi security forces supported by the US, in which 263 people were killed and 210 wounded, is a fabrication. The heavy casualties may be evidence of an unpremeditated massacre. A picture is beginning to emerge of a clash between an Iraqi Shia tribe on a pilgrimage to Najaf and an Iraqi army checkpoint that led the US to intervene with devastating effect. The involvement of Ahmed al-Hassani (also known as Abu Kamar), who believed himself to be the coming Mahdi, or Messiah, appears to have been accidental. The story emerging on independent Iraqi websites and in Arabic newspapers is entirely different from the government's account of the battle with the so-called "Soldiers of Heaven", planning a raid on Najaf to kill Shia religious leaders. The cult denied it was involved in the fighting, saying it was a peaceful movement. ...
http://news.independent.co.uk
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Editor - 22:30:00 01-30-07
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 NY Times: Bush signs landmark executive order increasing power over federal agencies |
Bush has given his administration a boost in how the government regulates key issues such as civil rights and the environment, The New York Times will report on its Tuesday front page. The President "signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules that the federal government develops to regulate public health, safety," privacy and other issues, writes Robert Pear for the Times. Pear reports that "in an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Bush said that each federal agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee" who will monitor the creation of process and procedures and the associated documentation. "The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency," Pear writes, "to analyze the costs and benefits of new rules and to make sure they carry out the president's priorities."...
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/NY_Times_Bush_gives_White_House_0129.html
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Editor - 22:28:00 01-30-07
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| Report: FBI conducting sweeping Internet wiretaps that mirror warantless NSA surveillance |
"The FBI appears to have adopted an invasive Internet surveillance technique that collects far more data on innocent Americans than previously been disclosed," according to a story posted Tue on ZDNet, a technology news website. Agents engaging in investigations appear to be amassing huge databases of data on thousands of Internet users, rather than eyeing the activities of particular suspects -- similar to the sweeping approach employed by the National Security Agency. The NSA wiretaps program drew congressional uproar after it was revealed the program was taking place without supervision by a court. "Such a technique is broader & potentially more intrusive than the FBI's Carnivore surveillance system, later renamed DCS1000," ZDNet's Declan McCullagh writes. "It raises concerns similar to those stirred by widespread Internet monitoring that NSA is said to have done, according to documents that have surfaced in one federal lawsuit & may stretch the bounds of what's legally permissible"...
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Report_FBI_conducting_sweeping_Internet_wiretaps_0130.html
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Editor - 22:26:00 01-30-07
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| US plans to 'fight the net' revealed |
A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations" - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile computer networks. Bloggers beware. As the world turns networked, the Pentagon is calculating the military opportunities that computer networks, wireless technologies & modern media offer. From influencing public opinion through new media to designing "computer network attack" weapons, the US military is learning to fight an electronic war. The declassified document is called "Information Operations Roadmap". It was obtained by the National Security Archive at George Washington University using the Freedom of Information Act. Officials in the Pentagon wrote it in 2003. The Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld, signed it. The "roadmap" calls for a far-reaching overhaul of the military's ability to conduct information operations & electronic warfare. And, in some detail, it makes recommendations for how the US armed forces ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4655196.stm
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Editor - 22:20:00 01-30-07
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| Montana moves to reject Real ID Act |
Several state legislatures are considering measures opposing a federal law aimed at fighting terrorism by making driver's licenses harder to get. The Montana House of Representatives expects to vote today on a bill that would make Montana the first state to ignore the Real ID law, which requires states to demand a minimum standard of proof of residency from people seeking driver's licenses. The bill passed a Montana House committee 17-0 last week and needs Senate approval. The Maine State Legislature last week became the first to approve a resolution urging Congress to overturn the law before it takes effect in May 2008. Only four of 186 Maine lawmakers voted no. "You're going to see a lot more states getting on board," said Montana state Rep. Brady Wiseman, a Democrat who wrote the bill. Other states with bills: Hawaii, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Vermont and Washington. State Rep. Jim Guest of Missouri, a Republican leading a national coalition against Real ID, said 30 states could pass measures opposing the law....
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-01-30-realID_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 20:39:00 01-30-07
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| $10b deal between Shell, Spain's Reposal and Iran may spark US sanctions |
US authorities may consider sanctions following the signing of a preliminary agreement between the National Iranian Oil Company, Royal Dutch Shell and Repsol of Spain. The proposed multi-billion dollar agreement would help commercialize Iranian gas deposits by allowing Repsol and Shell to produce liquefied natural gas from Iran's South Pars gas field, according to AFP. The deal worth some 10 billion dollars, could trigger US sanctions, a senior official said, since under the 1996 Iran-Libya Sanctions Act and the 1992 Freedom Support Act, the US can impose sanctions on companies which invest over a certain amount of money in Iran's energy sector. According to the Iranian student's news agency ISNA, the deal is worth some 10 billion dollars. Under the agreement, Shell and Repsol would each have 25 per cent of the Pars project, while the remainder would be held by the National Iranian Oil Company. ...
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Iran/209028
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Editor - 20:35:00 01-30-07
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