Archive for May 9th, 2009
Civilians Trapped in Swat Fighting
9 May 09 | AJE
Pakistan’s army says it’s now engaged in a full-scale battle to root out Taliban fighters holed up in Swat Valley. And reports from Al Jazeera sources on the ground say the fighting is spreading. About one million civilians have made homeless by the conflict. Al Jazeera’s Sohail Rahman reports on the effort underway to help them. (3:00):
Tens of thousands of Pakistani civilians in the Swat valley have been trapped amid fighting between government forces and the Taliban. Read the rest of this entry »
From the Inquisition to Us: A History of Torture
by James Mandrell
9 May 09 | LAT
The release of Bush administration torture memos proves one thing at least: When those at the highest levels of our government discussed “enhanced interrogation,” they neglected to consider the sordid history of torture. Read the rest of this entry »
How the U.S. Empire Contributed to the Economic Crisis
by Ivan Eland
9 May 09 | AWC
A few — and only a few — prescient commentators have questioned whether the U.S. can sustain its informal global empire in the wake of the most severe economic crisis since World War II. Read the rest of this entry »
Obama Wants Federal Reserve to be Finance Supercop
The Federal Reserve could become the supercop for “too big to fail” companies capable of causing another financial meltdown under a proposal being seriously considered by the White House. Read the rest of this entry »
Russia Flexes Military Muscle for Georgia
9 May 09 | PTV
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says his army would deliver a crushing response to any attack on the country amid mounting tension with NATO-aspirant Georgia.
Bibi: Israel Will Never Liberate Annexed Golan Heights
9 May 09 | PTV
Israeli hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declares that Tel Aviv will never return the occupied Golan Heights to Syria.
Venezuela Nationalizes 60 Oil Contractors
9 May 09 | PTV
President Hugo Chavez says that his government is nationalizing 60 oil contractors as he moves to assert greater control over Venezuela’s oil industry.
Sri Lanka Denies ‘War Crimes’ Claim
9 May 09 | AJE
The Sri Lankan military has dismissed claims by a leading human rights group that it has repeatedly attacked hospitals in the country’s northern Vanni region during fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels. Read the rest of this entry »
Aftermath of Renewed Fighting in Eastern Chad
The UN Security Council has condemned an offensive by rebels fighting Chad’s government in the east of the country. Heavy fighting has been raging for the past two days near the town of Am-Dam as government forces seek to halt the advance of rebels from the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR). Al Jazeera’s Tarek Bazely has an exclusive report showing the aftermath of those battles. (2:34):
Zuma Sworn in as South Africa’s President
9 May 09 | AJE
Jacob Zuma has officially become South Africa’s new president – the fourth democratically-elected president since apartheid ended 15 years ago. Zuma took the presidential oath at a ceremony in Pretoria, saying that the country was entering a new era in its history. More than 11 million South Africans voted for the ANC. Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa reports from the ceremony. (2:21):
Wonderland Wire 