Date: 31 March 2008
Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered Since The U.S. Invaded Iraq “1,193,935"
www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html
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Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America’sWar On Iraq 4,011
icasualties.org/oif/
The War in Iraq Costs
$507,241,005,682
See the cost in your community
nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182
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A Third American War Crime in the Making
By Paul Craig Roberts
The US Congress, the US media, the American people, and the United Nations, are looking the other way as Cheney prepares his attack on Iran.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19658.htm
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Al-Sadr’s Clever “Retreat”
By Steve Soto
Al-Sadr knows that he and his forces cannot win a face-to-face battle with American forces and air power, and that attempting to engage in such a prolonged battle is a recipe for decimation and destruction of Iraqi cities.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19648.htm
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Fact Or Fiction?
Iran Brokers Call for Ceasefire;
Bush reduced to Irrelevancy in Iraq; Fighting Continues
By Juan Cole
A parliamentary delegation from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s own coalition (mainly now the Da`wa Party and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq) defied him by going off to the holy seminary city of Qom in Iran and negotiating directly with Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr and with the leader of the Quds Brigades of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Brig. Gen. Qasim Sulaymani.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19650.htm
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Iraq In The Balance
”The Iranians Are Killing Americans” Senator Lindsey Graham
By Scott Horton
The U.S.-supported venture has probably actually increased Iranian government influence in Iraq, including inside the government. Tehran sees al-Maliki as a transitional figure, not likely to last long. It is intent on building a solid and broad base of support within the Iraqi Shi’a community, and it seems to be achieving its objectives.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19647.htm
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U.S. Unsure About the Future of Iraq’s ‘Sons’
By Walter Pincus
While public attention has been focused on Shiite-vs.-Shiite fighting in Basra and Baghdad, U.S. military leaders are taking a cold second look at the future intentions of the roughly 90,000 “Sons of Iraq” — the locally recruited and primarily Sunni security forces that are armed and supported by the United States at $300 per person each month.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19649.htm
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No One is Leading
By Mark A. Goldman
The real issue is whether we are a nation of laws.. i.e., do we believe in the rule of law… or have we simply given up on the American Experiment and the Constitution itself. If we acknowledge that the war was illegal – that egregious crimes were committed in its execution – then it will follow that we must end the war. But what follows is much more than that.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19654.htm
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Toward a Humanist Foreign Policy
By Carl Coon
We need to lead by example, not threats. We need to listen to others, learn what their problems are, and exercise our talents and ingenuity toward finding solutions that help everyone to the extent possible. We need to take the dawning environmental crisis seriously and show that we’re willing to make our share of needed sacrifices.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19655.htm
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Tibet, The ‘Great Game’ And The CIA
By Richard M Bennett
The funding and overall control of the unrest has also been linked to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and by inference to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) because of his close cooperation with US intelligence for over 50 years.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19651.htm
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The Decline And Coming Fall Of US Hegemony
By K Gajendra Singh
In its backyard Latin America, USA maintained its dominance under Monroe doctrine except for defiant Cuba under Fidel Castro .But Washington is losing its sway and total control, led against it by Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and other leaders who represent and implement aspirations of their people and not of the old elites in cahoots with corporate interests in USA and Europe.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19656.htm
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Those Who Control Oil And Water Will Control The World
By John Gray
New superpowers are competing for diminishing resources as Britain becomes a bit-player. The outcome could be deadly.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19656.htm
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Paulson’s Fix for the Financial System
Less Regulation, More Power to the Fed
By Mike Whitney
It is being billed as a “massive shakeup of US financial market regulation”, but don’t be deceived. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s proposals for broad market reform are neither “timely” nor “thoughtful” (Reuters) In fact, its all just more of the same free market “we can police ourselves” mumbo jumbo that got us into this mess in the first place.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19657.htm
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As Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise, Food Stamp Use Nears Record
By Erik Eckholm
Driven by a painful mix of layoffs and rising food and fuel prices, the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach 28 million in the coming year, the highest level since the aid program began in the 1960s.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19653.htm
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215, killed, 600 injured, 155 arrested in Basra onslaught:
The Iraqi Interior istry announced on Monday that some 215 militants were killed during the past week in the attacks on the southern city of Basra within the framework of the “Charge of the Knights” operation supervised by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.
tinyurl.com/2vow8u
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At least 50 killed in another bloody day of US occupation
Six handcuffed and blindfolded bodies were found with gunshot wounds in a deserted area near Latifiya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL3154821020080331
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US occupation force admits killing 40 Iraqis in one day :
US troops killed more than 40 Iraqis in one day, including 25 ‘criminals’ who had attacked US soldiers, the military reported Monday in Baghdad.
tinyurl.com/2g3tb2
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Sadr fighters vanish from Iraq’s streets:
“The militants have disappeared from Sadr City and its neighbouring areas and my information is that Sadr’s order is being implemented everywhere,” the Baghdad spokesman for Sadr’s movement, Salman al-Fraiji, told AFP.
www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=223328
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Iraqi government vows to disarm Basra:
“Security forces will carry out orders of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to take away all weapons in Basra by the April 8 deadline,” interior ministry spokesman Brigadier-General Abdel-Karim Khalaf told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency.
tinyurl.com/28uquv
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Iraqi PM vows not to pursuit militants laying down arms :
“In appreciation of the statement and initiative of Muqtada Al-Sadr, we have instructed a ban on legal questioning on whoever lays down arms and withdraws,” Al-Maliki said in a statement.
tinyurl.com/2d4dkb
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Fact or fiction?
Iranians help reach Iraq cease-fire :
Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni lawmaker who oversaw mediation in Baghdad, said representatives from al-Maliki’s Dawa Party and another Shiite party traveled to Iran to finalize talks with al-Sadr.
www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-03-30-iraqnews_N.htm
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Poll: Americans call Iran, Iraq, China top enemies :
Iran topped the list, with 25% naming it when asked which country is the greatest U.S. enemy, according to the Gallup Poll. Iraq came next at 22%, then China with 14%.
www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-31-poll-enemies_N.htm
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Iran asked to quit UAE isles:
The 20th Arab League Summit ended here yesterday with a renewed call on Iran to end its occupation of the UAE islands of Abu Moussa, Greater and Lesser Tunbs.
tinyurl.com/26nvzf
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Three NATO occupation force soldiers among 18 killed in Afghanistan:
Three NATO occupation force soldiers, three Afghan security guards and 12 Taliban militants were killed in separate attacks in the volatile southern Afghanistan, officials said on Monday.
tinyurl.com/ysm7zj
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Pakistan: Give up pro-US stance first’:
Taliban set terms for talks with govt: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan vows to continue jihad against US: Warns tribal elders against meeting American officials
www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/March08/31/08.htm
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Musharraf swears in Pakistan cabinet full of foes:
There is strong speculation the new government will force U.S. ally Musharraf, who came to power as a general in a 1999 coup, to quit within weeks or months.
tinyurl.com/2zz72g
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Israeli occupation force attack on Gaza kills two militants:
Palestinian medics said yesterday they had recovered the bodies of two Palestinian militants killed in an Israeli air attack in the northern Gaza Strip.
tinyurl.com/yrtnye
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Hamas chief invites Abbas for talks, says Israeli soldier alive:
“We invite Mr Mahmud Abbas to come to Gaza to talk directly without any conditions… to work together to find a solution to the problems in Gaza and the West Bank,” Meshaal said, speaking from an undisclosed location in Damascus.
www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=223273
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The Beginning of Legal Apartheid? : Palestinians Fear Two-Tier Road System :
“They took our land to build this road, and now we can’t even use it,” Mr. Abu Safia says bitterly, pointing to the highway with one hand as he drives with the other. “Israel says it is because of security. But it’s politics.”
tinyurl.com/2hk7xh
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NKorea Threatens South With Destruction:
``Our military will not sit idle until warmongers launch a pre-emptive strike,’’ said an unidentified KCNA military commentator. ``Everything will be in ashes, not just a sea of fire, if our advanced pre-emptive strike once begins.’’
www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7423300
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Fact or fiction?
China Publishes ‘Evidence’ Linking Dalai Lama To Unrest -AFP:
The official Xinhua news agency released a nearly 2,000-word article it said proved the Tibetan spiritual leader and his government-in-exile were behind the protests against China’s rule of the Himalayan region.
tinyurl.com/2ap2ny
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Desperate Mugabe refusing to give in:
ROBERT MUGABE was desperately clinging to power last night, despite his looming defeat in Zimbabwe’s presidential election, by blocking the electoral commission from releasing results and threatening to treat an opposition claim of victory as a coup.
tinyurl.com/2hnscd
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Secret spying in U.S. caused fears at outset:
NSA program upset the FBI and brought a flurry of tensions
tinyurl.com/yr2bbb
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Police arrest anti-war protester, 80, at mall:
An 80-year-old church deacon was removed from the Smith Haven Mall yesterday in a wheelchair and arrested by police for refusing to remove a T-shirt protesting the Iraq War.
tinyurl.com/yrdpzb
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NEWS FOR 30/03/08
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The Smart Way Out of a Foolish War
By Zbigniew Brzezinski
The “unipolar moment” that the Bush administration’s zealots touted after the collapse of the Soviet Union has been squandered to generate a policy based on the unilateral use of force, military threats and occupation masquerading as democratization.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19646.htm
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Survival Sex
“God Punish Those Who Stole Iraqs Dignity”
3 Minute Video Report
As a result of the Iraqi invasion many Iraqi girls have fled the violence to Syria. In order to survive and support their families many girls resort to prostitution.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19644.htm
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Halliburton Poisoning US Occupation Forces in Iraq ?
4 Minute Video
This 4 minute video describes how Halliburton is poisoning the troops in Iraq through their water supply.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19645.htm
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At least 39 killed as US occupation grinds on:
A U.S. helicopter airstrike killed 12 suspects in clashes in northern Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
www.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUSL3062424820080330
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35 killed, 113 wounded in Nassiriya clashes;
“The security casualties hit seven deaths and 44 others wounded, while the civilian casualties reached 28 deaths and 60 wounded as a result of mortar shells and missiles fired by the gunmen,”
tinyurl.com/yw46qq
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U.S. Air Raids Kill 23 In Baghdad :
At least 23 people were killed Sunday in U.S. air raids targeted at Shiite strongholds in Baghdad, an Iraqi Ministry official said.
tinyurl.com/yorgyq
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7 al-Qaeda fighters, 2 police killed in Mosul :
“The raiding force engaged with people inside the house,” Abdul-Sattar said, noting “seven corpses of gunmen were found inside.”
tinyurl.com/2gabpv
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Sadr orders fighters to stand down :
“We want the Iraqi people to stop this bloodshed and maintain Iraq’s independence and stability,” al-Sadr said in a statement released on Sunday. “For that we have decided to withdraw [al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army] from the streets of Basra and all other provinces.”
tinyurl.com/39l4j7
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Mahdi Army keeps the arms:
Press conference on Iraqi TV right now by the Sadrists, they insist that Mahdi Army still keeps its arms and will not hand them over to the government.
tinyurl.com/2cen66
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Iraqi gov’t lifts curfew after 4 days :
The office of Baghdad’s chief military spokesman says the round-the-clock curfew will end at 6 a.m. A vehicle ban will stay in place in three Shiite militia strongholds in the capital.
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080330/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_curfew
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Iraq fighting underscores power struggle :
The Sadrists believe the goal was to weaken their movement before provincial elections this fall. Al-Sadr’s followers expect to make major gains in the regional voting at the expense of al-Maliki’s Shiite partners in the government.
tinyurl.com/yulhwq
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CIA director says Iraq government may need U.S. help occupation for “years”:
The CIA director says it could be “years” before the Iraqi government might be able to function without the help of American forces.
www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8090378&nav=menu102_2
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42 Killed in southern Afghanistan:
Afghan and NATO forces killed more than 40 insurgents in a joint air and ground battle in southern Afghanistan, a security official said Sunday. Separately, two soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition died after hitting a roadside bomb.
tinyurl.com/2y7ykx
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Eight Taliban killed in southern Afghanistan: police ;
The rebels were killed late Saturday in a raid launched after militants had ambushed the trucks ferrying supplies to foreign military bases in Zabul province, a police official said.
news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080330/wl_asia_afp/afghanistanunrest
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Farmers are being forced to sell their daughters.
“I never imagined I’d have to pay for growing opium by giving up my daughter,” says Shah.
www.newsweek.com/id/129577
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CIA: Afghanistan, Pakistan border region ‘danger’ to US:
The situation in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan where al-Qaeda has established a safe haven presents a “clear and present danger” to the West, the CIA director said Sunday.
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3525486,00.html
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Pakistani Taliban ready for talks with new government :
The Pakistani Taliban welcomed on Sunday the new government’s readiness to negotiate an end to a spreading conflict in Pakistan, but vowed to carry on fighting American forces in neighbouring Afghanistan
archive.gulfnews.com/world/Pakistan/10201599.html
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CIA chief: Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons :
CIA Chief Michael Hayden said he estimated that Iran was continuing in its efforts to develop nuclear weapons, but refused to disprove the recent US Intelligence report, which stated that the Islamic Republic suspended its nuclear program in 2003
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3525489,00.html
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Dick Cheney has his sights set on Iran:
Dick Cheney is making the same type of broad accusation that he made in the run-up to the Iraq war. This time, his target is Iran
tinyurl.com/24bwsz
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Thousands march to mark Land Day, warn of fascist threat:
On Land Day Israeli Arabs annually protest the seizure of their lands and the demolition of their homes.
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3525433,00.html
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Study: 60% of Israel’s poor are ultra-Orthodox and Arabs :
The Israeli Arab sector has not experienced any significant economic improvement over the past decade. – The report also surmises that the likelihood of an Israeli Arab finding employment has dropped over the last decade
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/969922.html
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Arab peace offer ‘under review’ :
The Arab initiative of 2002 offers Israel peace and normal relations with all Arab countries in return for withdrawal from all territory captured in the 1967 war.
tinyurl.com/37rmkg
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In Case you missed it:
The Arab Peace Initiative, 2002 :
Official translation of the full text of a Saudi-inspired peace plan adopted by the Arab summit in Beirut, 2002.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17308.htm
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Syria ready for US military action:
SYRIAN Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said overnight Damascus is prepared for all scenarios in its worsening relationship with Washington, including the use of US military force.
www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23458165-5001028,00.html