by William Blum
Everyday of Freedom is an Act of Faith for my writings ============> http://robertoscaruffi.blogspot.com for something on religions ===> http://scaruffi1.blogspot.com
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Saudi-Arabien gibt Palästinensern Mitschuld an Gaza-Krise
Saudi-Arabien gibt Palästinensern Mitschuld an Gaza-Krise
Die muslimischen Staaten sind sich uneinig über ihre Haltung gegenüber der islamistischen Hamas. Während Iran die Gruppe unterstützt und von der Arabischen Liga Aktionen gegen Israel fordert, räumt Saudi-Arabien eine Mitschuld der Palästinenser an der Gaza-Krise ein. mehr... [ Video | Forum ]
Palestinian Rockets Reach Deep into Israel
Palestinians in Gaza fired two rockets at the Israeli city of Beersheba, located 28 miles from Gaza, on Tuesday evening. The mayor of Beersheba told Israel television that one rocket hit an empty kindergarten.
(AP)
Islamic India
’People lived separately but side by side. That is now under threat’
There is growing Islamophobia in India as the BJP’s systematic policy of hate, and terrorism, claimed in the name of Islam, converge. Meanwhile Muslims’ traditional ally, Congress, in power for four years, has done little to address their poverty and disadvantage. So how will they vote in this spring’s national elections?
By Wendy Kristianasen
Pakistan Launches Assault in Northwest
Insurgents Near Supply Routes Targeted
(By Shaiq Hussain and Haq Nawaz Khan, The Washington Post)
Unpleasant Truths
by Jeffrey Herf
What a new German movie can teach America about confronting its history with domestic radicals
An Iraqi City Divided, and Defined, by Its Walls
An Hour at a Crowded Baghdad Checkpoint Reveals Pervasive Nature of Capital's Hated Barriers
(By Anthony Shadid, The Washington Post)
Behind Gaza Operation, An Uneasy Triumvirate
JERUSALEM, Dec. 30 -- Three Israeli leaders met in secret Friday to review the plan of attack, according to a government spokesman. The targets had been selected, the warplanes readied. Clear skies were forecast over the Gaza Strip.
(By Griff Witte, The Washington Post)
Operation High Risk: Is Israel Repeating Mistakes of the Past?
Operation High Risk: Is Israel Repeating Mistakes of the Past? Israel has promised a "war to the bitter end." Yet history is full of examples showing that battling an organization like Hamas is almost futile. It is a lesson Israel learned just two short years ago. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,598994,00.html
Gazprom prêt à couper le gaz à l'Ukraine
Face à cette menace et celle d'un prix du gaz fortement augmenté, l'Ukraine a promis de payer une partie de sa dette.
«Compte japonais» de Chirac: de nouveaux documents déclassifiés
Le secret défense va être levé sur treize nouveaux documents concernant un présumé compte de l'ancien président, à la demande d'un juge qui enquête sur la mystérieuse disparition d'un journaliste en 1997 en Polynésie.
Despite Deeper Strikes, Israelis Vow to Soldier On
By ISABEL KERSHNER
The ability of the civilian population to withstand heavy rocket fire, which Israel fully expected in the wake of its campaign, is a crucial part of the country’s military equation.
U.S. Presses Israel on Cease-Fire
By MARK LANDLER
The intensive diplomacy is being led by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who made a flurry of phone calls on Tuesday to Israeli and Arab leaders.
Moderate Arab States Feel Popular Anger
By ROBERT F. WORTH
The violence in Gaza has put Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia on the defensive, while Syria and Iran have drawn praise in the Arab world for their militancy.
Defiant Illinois Governor Names Pick for Obama Seat
By MONICA DAVEY
Facing corruption charges, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich named Roland W. Burris, a former state attorney general, to replace Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.
Hunderte Palästinenser fliehen nach Ägypten
GAZA-STADT: Bei den israelischen Angriffen im Gazastreifen sind Teile des ägyptischen Grenzzauns zerstört worden. Rund 500 Palästinenser nutzten dies nach Angaben der ägyptischen Polizei zur Flucht ins Nachbarland. Wie die Behörden in Kairo mitteilten, wurden mehr als 100 von ihnen festgenommen und zurück in den Gazastreifen geschickt. Einige Palästinenser wurden nach Angaben von Augenzeugen von ägyptischen Familien vor der Polizei versteckt. Israel hat bei seinen Angriffen auf den Gazastreifen wiederholt Schmugglertunnel zwischen dem Gazastreifen und der ägyptischen Sinai-Halbinsel bombardiert. Inzwischen ließen die Luftangriffe etwas nach. Es seien lediglich zwei neue Angriffe geflogen worden, erklärte das israelische Militär. Betroffen waren erneut Regierungsgebäude der Hamas in Gaza.
New Belgian Government Sworn In
Herman Van Rompuy, an intellectual with a penchant for writing haiku, was sworn in as Belgium's prime minister, triggering hopes that he could heal some of this country's bitter linguistic divisions.
Pakistan closes Nato's Afghanistan supply route
Pakistan closes Nato's Afghanistan supply route
Route shut for an offensive backed by tanks and helicopter gunships against Taleban forces in the strategic Khyber Pass
South Korea Output Plunges by 10.7%
South Korea posted a record decline for industrial output in November, fueling calls for interest-rate cuts to bolster an export-reliant economy grappling with the global slowdown.
Warplanes Slam Hamas Targets as Pressure for Cease-Fire Mounts
Israel continued its aerial bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, as international pressure for a cease-fire mounted.
Ukraine 'paid gas debt in full'
Ukraine says it has paid its debt to Gazprom, but the Russian firm says it has not received the money.
New Belgian government 'agreed'
Belgium's political parties reach a deal on a government, after the former prime minister's resignation, reports say.
Taiwan ex-president back in jail
Judges decide to send Taiwan's former President Chen Shui-bian back to jail, as he awaits trial on corruption charges.
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Pakistan: Indian Troops Moved To Border
Foreign Minister Says India Mirrored His Own County's Moves, But Tension Could Ease
The Myth Of Putin's Popularity
A lot has been made of the recent public unrest in Russia and the brutality with which the authorities have responded. If you haven't seen the videos yet, there are plenty on youtube, including this one and this one. My fellow Power Verticalist, Brian Whitmore, has written that the protests are sign that the tacit deal -- the social bribe -- between Vladimir Putin and the Russian people is coming unraveled under the pressure of the financial crisis More
Russian Opposition Figure Detained Over Crisis Article
Police have detained an opposition politician in the Russian city of Ulyanovsk over an article on economic hardship in the region. The arrest comes amid mounting Kremlin nervousness about the financial crisis in Russia, which has sent the ruble plummeting to record lows. More
Rising Russian Public Discontent
Russia's financial crisis has reached the country's automotive industry, with the largest automaker, AvtoVAZ, announcing it has temporarily halted production because of an interruption in the supply of parts. This follows scores of demonstrations held across Russia in recent weeks to protest a planned tax hike on imported used cars, which many Russians consider a more reliable option to buying domestic. RFE/RL discussed these issues with Vyacheslav Lysakov, the head of the "Freedom of Choice" ca More
Russia Violated Prisoner's Rights, European Court Says
Russian authorities violated the human rights of a jailed oil executive who has HIV/AIDS and who was not given proper medical treatment for his condition, Europe's Strasbourg-based human rights court has
The CIA and Drugs
The CIA and Drugs
CIA-supplied trucks and mules, which had carried arms into Afghanistan, were used to transport opium to laboratories along the Afghan-Pakistan border. The output provided up to one half of the heroin used annually in the United States and three-quarters of that used in Western Europe.
In Russia, the Favorite Pastime of Draft Dodging
In Russia, the Favorite Pastime of Draft Dodging
Russia's Army relies heavily on conscripts, but Russians are working harder than ever to avoid service
By Alastair Gee
Posted December 29, 2008
Whispers: Sweets for Spies
The CIA sent out a record-setting amount of treats to agents in the war zones.
How to Beat Stress, Angst Through Meditation
Turning your focus inward offers more health benefits than simply relieving anxiety.
Israel vs. Hamas: Egypt in Quandary as Gaza Raids Divide the Muslim
Israel's ongoing bombing of the Gaza Strip has put Egypt in a delicate position. The government in Cairo has no interest in antagonizing Israel, but pressure is growing to allow Palestinians into the country. The attacks have split the Muslim world.
Palestinian Rocket Fire Kills Three Israelis
Shmulik Hadad
Heavy Palestinian rocket and mortar barrages rained on Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Netivot Monday, leaving three people dead and at least nine wounded. Irit Sheetrit, 39, a mother of four, was killed in Ashdod. IDF Master Sergeant Lutfi Nasraldin, 38, from Daliat el Carmel, was killed and five soldiers were injured after a shell hit their army base. Rockets also landed in Ofakim and in the Yavne area, 40 km. from Gaza. Two rockets landed in Ashkelon, one of them inside the yard of an elementary school.
(Ynet News)
White House Blames Hamas for New Mideast Violence
Deb Riechmann
The White House, calling Monday for a lasting cease-fire in the Mideast, backed Israel's air attacks in Gaza and said Hamas had shown its "true colors as a terrorist organization." "Right now the people of southern Israel are not able to live in peace," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "They have to live in bomb shelters a lot of the time. And that's unacceptable." Asked if the U.S. thinks Israel is justified in its strikes in Gaza, Johndroe replied: "The United States understands that Israel needs to take actions to defend itself."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other lawmakers also expressed support for Israel's right to defend its citizens against rocket attacks from Hamas. "As President-elect Obama has made clear time and again, no country should be forced to tolerate attacks on its people," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). "Hamas is abusing the people of Gaza by using their homes as a base for terror operations. The world should no longer tolerate a terrorist government in the Gaza Strip."
(AP)
Has Israel Revived Hamas?
The heavy-handed Israeli attacks on Gaza have proven to be a bonanza for Hamas.
Black Workers in Auto Plants Losing Ground
By MARY M. CHAPMAN
Automakers and their higher wage scales provided a route to the middle class for many African-Americans.
Ruble Continues Slow Decline
Russia allowed the ruble to fall further, bringing its losses to more than 18% since August as the economy faces growing risks of recession.
Italian Recession to Worsen
Business confidence fell to its lowest level since the index began in 1991, indicating Europe's fourth-largest economy is likely to fall into a deep recession.
15 Banken sollen staatliche Kapitalhilfe beantragt haben
15 Banken sollen staatliche Kapitalhilfe beantragt haben
Das Rettungspaket der Bundesregierung findet bei Banken offenbar doch Anklang: Immer mehr Geldinstitute haben nach Angaben des CDU-Politikers Otto Bernhardt direkte Eigenkapitalhilfe des Staats beantragt. Die Regierung wertet das als gutes Zeichen. mehr... [ Forum ]
Un enorme despliegue para reafirmar su poder disuasivo
Israel busca aleccionar a Hamas para que no vuelva a lanzar cohetes
Link corto: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1085446
Israel advierte sobre una "guerra total"
Afirmó que "lo peor está por llegar" y desplegó cientos de tanques en la frontera con la Franja; ya hay más de 360 muertos
Link corto: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1085439
Gaza toll passes 350 in 3rd day of Israeli strikes
By ETHAN BRONNER AND TAGHREED EL-KHODARY
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed "an all-out war on Hamas and its kind," as Israel carried out a third straight day of deadly airstrikes in Gaza.
Holocaust 'love story' was fake
A US publisher cancels a Holocaust memoir after its author admits he made up a key part on meeting his wife at a Nazi camp.
Monday, 29 December 2008
Chanukah: ‘Give me Judaism or give me death’
Chanukah: ‘Give me Judaism or give me death’
By Rabbi Hillel Goldberg
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