Archive for April 16th, 2009
Israel to Judaize More of al-Quds
16 Apr 09 | PTV
Israel is to demolish some 90 houses in mainly Arab east al-Quds in a move that will deprive more than 1,500 Palestinians of their homes.
Israel Backs Off from Attack on Iran
16 Apr 09 | PTV
Israel has retracted a military option against Iran just after Washington refused to back up Tel Aviv’s attack to halt Tehran’s nuclear work.
Errant Drone Attacks Spur Militants in Pakistan
Analysis by Gareth Porter
15 Apr 09 | IPS
The U.S. programme of drone aircraft strikes against higher-ranking officials of al Qaeda and allied militant organisations, which has been touted by proponents as having eliminated nine of the 20 top al Qaeda leaders, is actually weakening Pakistan’s defence against the insurgency of the Islamic militants there by killing large numbers of civilians based on faulty intelligence and discrediting the Pakistani military, according to data from the Pakistani government and interviews with senior analysts. Read the rest of this entry »
ACLU Demands Disclosure of Torture Memos
ACLU expresses concern that the US President might not publicly release the previous administration’s memos authorizing torture.
Russia: No S-300 Delivery to Iran
15-16 Apr 09 | PTV
Russia’s state arms export service has declared that the country is not delivering its advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran.
Is America the New Russia?
by Martin Wolf
13 Apr 09 | FT
Is the US Russia? The question seems provocative, if not outrageous. Yet the person asking it is Simon Johnson, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund and a professor at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In an article in the May issue of the Atlantic Monthly, Prof Johnson compares the hold of the “financial oligarchy” over US policy with that of business elites in emerging countries. Do such comparisons make sense? The answer is Yes, but only up to a point. Read the rest of this entry »
Kenya ‘Will Try Somali Pirates’
Russia Ends Chechnya Operation
Russia says it has ended its 10 year military operation in the North Caucasus Republic of Chechnya. Moscow says stability has returned to the region, torn apart by two wars since the collapse of the Soviet Union. But as Nadim Baba reports, the peace between Russia and Chechen fighters is not necessarily mutually agreed (2:15):
Moscow Against NATO-Georgia Drills
Russia calls on NATO to cancel or at least postpone its scheduled military exercises in Georgia (6:01):
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said on Thursday that the exercises were “unlikely to send the right signal to those sincerely wishing to achieve stability in the Caucasus”. Read the rest of this entry »
Netanyahu Demands Palestinians Recognize ‘Jewish State’
16 Apr 09 | Ha’aretz
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told visiting U.S. envoy George Mitchell on Thursday that his government would condition talks over Palestinian statehood on the Palestinians first recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.
Britain and France Criticize Sri Lanka Rebels
16 Apr 09 | NYT
Britain and France issued on Thursday a strongly worded criticism of the Tamil Tiger rebels for preventing civilians from leaving the small conflict zone in the north east of Sri Lanka. Read the rest of this entry »
Afghan Women Protest Marital Rape Law
16 Apr 09 | NYT
Women critical of new restrictions applying to Shiites demonstrated Wednesday in Kabul.
Thailand Political Crisis
Big demonstration and violence in Thailand left people dead and injured (10:09):
Thai anti-government protesters have said they will disperse from their stronghold, where they are surrounded by soldiers, at government offices in Bangkok.
Israel Won’t Cooperate in UN Gaza Probe
Indians Vote in Marathon Election
16 Apr 09 | AJE
Tens of millions of Indians have cast their ballots in the first phase of India’s month-long election.
Eritrea Becoming ‘a Giant Prison’
16 Apr 09 | BBC
The Eritrean government is turning its country into a giant prison, according to Human Rights Watch.
Interpreter for F.B.I. Thinks Interrogators Beat Terror Suspect
16 Apr 09 | NYT
An interpreter for the F.B.I. during an interrogation of a suspect in the terrorist bombing of the American Embassy in Kenya in 1998 now says that she heard sounds and pleading that led her to believe that the suspect was being beaten, and that she was so traumatized by the incident that she fled from the room, newly filed court documents show. Read the rest of this entry »
U.S. Housing Starts Fall 10.8% in March
16 Apr 09 | FT
New US residential building slowed sharply in March after a surprise surge the month before, dimming hopes that the real estate slump may be nearing a bottom. Read the rest of this entry »
US Says Iran Conditions Remain
16 Apr 09 | AJE
The United States has said it would welcome dialogue with Iran but has not dropped its demand for it to halt uranium enrichment activities.
Guantanamo Abuse Row Deepens
14-16 Apr 09 | AJE
A detainee at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay is claiming that tear gas was used on him and he was beaten by guards. In a phone call to Al Jazeera, Mohammad al-Qurani said the abuse continued this year, after Barack Obama, the US president, took power and promised to end abuse at the jail. Al Jazeera’s Monica Villamizar reports (3:07):
New Lawyer for Mumbai ‘Attacker’
16 Apr 09 | BBC
A new lawyer has been appointed for the sole surviving suspected gunman from last year’s Mumbai attacks, after the first was abruptly sacked at the trial.
