November 10, 2008 :: Denver Lessing :: No Comment Yet
A new report —drawing from “More than a half-dozen officials, including current and former military and intelligence officials as well as senior Bush administration policy makers, [who] described details of the 2004 military order on the condition of anonymity because of its politically delicate nature”— says the United States has conducted more than a dozen secret special forces raids, across borders around the globe to target Al Qaeda or other terrorist-linked sites, since 2004.
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August 19, 2008 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Pres. Pervez Musharraf, the former general who seized power in a military coup, and whose rivals have now won back control of Parliament, was facing impeachment for allegedly violating the constitution in the course of his efforts to control the political environment through use of the military. Facing what looked like near certain impeachment, Pres. Musharraf has announced his resignation in a nationally televised address, turning over the reins of power, and hoping to escape conviction.
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March 25, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
25 March :: Yousaf Raza Gillani, newly appointed Pakistan PM of coalition gov’t frees judges deposed, detained under Musharraf’s martial law decree; Gillani was once jailed by Musharraf over corruption allegations when he seized power… US Dept. of Justice yesterday announced approval merger of two satellite radio giants XM and Sirius, leading to potential […]
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March 9, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
9 March :: Sharif, Zardari form coalition gov’t in Pakistan, calling into quesiton the viability of Pres. Pervez Musharraf, politically; Musharraf has lost substantial support for his hardline attempts to reform the nation’s government structure in his favor, declaring martial law, throwing out judges who ruled against him, detaining lawyers and muzzling the press; former […]
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February 17, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
17 February :: Kosovo to declare independence from Serbia today, according to reports from Pristina, EU agencies; EU officials said “around 1,900 international police officers, judges, prosecutors and customs officials and approximately 1,100 local staff will be based in headquarters in Pristina or located throughout the judicial and police system in Kosovo”, according to CNN, […]
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January 18, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
18 January :: LA Times quotes unnamed CIA operative as saying US concurs with Pakistan on Bhutto killer; the official is quoted as saying “There are strong indications that Baitullah Mahsud was behind the Bhutto assassination”, adding “There is certainly no reason to doubt that Mahsud was behind this”, though Mahsud has publicly denied involvement, […]
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January 10, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
10 January :: Suicide bomber strikes Lahore, Pakistan, killing at least 23 riot police and injuring dozens of other people, raising fears that political crisis in troubled nuclear state could result in prolonged campaign of violence… Concerns about integrity of US election process spread as more states take action to bar use of touchscreen voting […]
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January 8, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
8 January :: Son of Benazir Bhutto calls for UN-led investigative commission to determine responsibility for his mother’s assassination, saying Pakistan gov’t lacks “transparency” required to conduct an effective and credible investigation… New Jersey’s state legislature has officially apologized for practicing slavery, the first state north of the Mason-Dixon line to do so, though it […]
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January 5, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
5 January :: WSJ reporting “After a week of political stalemate and bloodshed, Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki said Saturday that he was prepared to form a government of national unity with the opposition, easing tensions between the two side and potentially setting the stage for negotiations to end violence that has so far killed at […]
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January 2, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
2 January :: Crude oil prices hit record $100, before falling to $99, amid claims of high demand, violence in oil producing countries, driving prices higher; the rapidly weakening dollar is also considered to be a factor in the rising prices… US Justice Dept. launches criminal probe of CIA destruction of hundreds of hours of […]
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January 1, 2008 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
1 January 2008 :: Le Monde has acquired a document that outlines irregularities recorded by observers of the Kenyan presidential poll, appearing to demonstrate fraud amounting to the altering of millions of votes: according to Le Monde, the report shows that opposition leader Raila Odinga led by as much as one million votes, a lead […]
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December 31, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
31 December :: Reports suggest Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party now seeks to mount firm opposition to Musharraf rule, creating concerns of unrest, political instability as troubled nation seeks return to democratic government; WSJ reports new PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari “yesterday repeatedly referred to the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), a party affiliated with Mr. Musharraf […]
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December 30, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
In the wake of the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party leader Benazir Bhutto, stability seems to be the key goal among top rivals in secular political leadership. The PPP has announced that in keeping with Ms. Bhutto’s wishes, her son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, a 19-year-old student at Christ Church College, Oxford, will take the helm […]
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December 28, 2007 :: admin :: One Comment
Fmr. Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto, whose father was executed in the process of a military coup in the 1970s, and who has said she remained “broken” by what had happened to her during 5 years in military prison, was assassinated Thursday, while campaigning to restore free elections to her country. She had been the […]
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November 23, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
23 November :: Discovery of skin-cell property that allows stem-cell behavior hope for researchers, conservative candidates; the discovery means research into curing diseases through stem-cell treatments need not be held back by ban on research that destroys human embryos, conservative candidates in US need not face criticism for opposing life-saving research… Pakistan has been suspended […]
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November 20, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
20 November :: US military to turn over AP photographer to Iraqi authorities for prosecution, accusing him of links to terrorist groups; AP says no such links have even been demonstrated, Iraq native —who won Pulitzer Prize with team of AP photographers— was detained by US after offering shelter to people fleeing a bombing raid […]
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November 17, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
17 November :: Bank of England governor warns coming year will be hardest economically for Great Britain, with credit problems, banking tightness and housing slump contributing to general tightening of purse-strings, possible consumer slowedown as well; Bank gov. Mervyn King said it will be 2009 “before growth picks up and inflation is brought under control”, […]
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November 13, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
In many parts of the world, people are presently facing the question, on a societal scale, of whether or not free and open democracy can coexist with measures taken to protect against extremism. The question is an old one and goes to the root of whether it is possible, as a matter of natural law, […]
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November 13, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
13 November :: New report by Congressional Joint Economic Committee says wars in Iraq, Afghanistan have already cost taxpayers $1.5 trillion over last 6 years, including long-term cost rises related to oil, veterans’ healthcare, borrowing… Bhutto again under house arrest, calls for Musharraf to resign office, form interim “coalition of interests” to govern in run-up […]
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November 11, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
11 November :: German chancellor Angela Merkel and US pres. George W. Bush have declared their mutual intention to press for a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions; both leaders say they believe diplomacy and economic measures can be effective in persuading the Islamic republic to abandon its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons capability; speculation […]
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November 10, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
10 November :: Pakistan gov’t announces plans to lift state of emergency within one month, saying it was declared to fight radical fundamentalist militia allegedly spreading from country’s northwest border provinces… NY Times reports “The Pakistani police allowed the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to leave her house today, but blocked her from visiting the home […]
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November 9, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
9 November :: Musharraf’s forces in riot gear have surrounded home of Bhutto’s home, alleging suicide bombers are waiting to strike, no one being allowed in or out; move is aimed at preventing her holding massive rally in Rawalpindi; after she attempted to leave, she was prevented by gov’t forces, she has been placed under […]
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November 8, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
8 November :: Musharraf forces beat and tear-gassed demosntrating lawyers before taking them into custody; reports suggest intimidation has been widespread, with int’l press reporting security forces “charged” a group of more than 1,000 lawyers chanting anti-Musharraf slogans in Lahore; deposed supreme court chief Chaudry calls on lawyers to step up demonstrations nationwide, as demands […]
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November 7, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
7 November :: Benazir Bhutto has called on Pakistan pres. Musharraf to restore constitution, fix date for elections, step down as army chief, or she will lead mass demonstration in Lahore, march with thousands of supporters to Islamabad to repeat demands; police used force to put down pro-Bhutto rally outside parliament building in Islamabad… In […]
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November 5, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
5 November :: Foreign envoys aim to force Musharraf to keep promises to US, UK, to hold elections in January, step down as military chief or face drop in Western support… As reports say as many as 3,500 dissidents have been arrested in Musharraf’s 2nd military takeover, the Pakistani president has said on state television […]
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November 4, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
4 November :: Pakistan pres. Gen. Pervez Musharraf declares martial law, suspends constitution, fires chief justice, raising ire of world leaders; opposition politicians, top lawyers, including Chief Jutice Muhammad Iftikhar Chaudhry’s personal lawyer, were detained in raids across the country… “U.S. officials are considering granting Guantánamo Bay detainees substantially greater rights as part of an […]
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November 2, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
2 November :: 60 Minutes reveals WMD intel fraud, Iraqi emigré known as ‘Curve Ball’ by spy agencies said to have lied to officials about involvement in WMD work in Iraq in order to get asylum in Germany; US later used his false claim as support for invasion of Iraq; program to air Sunday in […]
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October 22, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
22 October :: 36-year-old Republican Bobby Jindal wins Louisiana governorship, becomes first Indian-American governor in US history, youngest currently serving; observers say Jindal, a “staunch conservative” who converted to Catholicism as a teenager, is a rising star in the party, to watch on the national stage; TIME reports “An Ivy League-educated Rhodes Scholar, he was […]
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October 19, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
19 October :: US att. gen. nominee Mukasey has told Senate panel he believes so-called ‘unlawful combatants’ are not entitled to Geneva Conventions protections, a view contravened by existing law and jurisprudence; US Supreme Court has already ruled the Conventions govern US treatment of prisoners, not which prisoners enjoy protections; HRW reports “In Hamdan v. […]
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October 18, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
18 October :: Ex-PM Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan, is greeted by hundreds of thousands of supporters in Karachi, having traveled from across the nation, Bhutto has been in talks with Musharraf to form ‘national unity’ gov’t, stave off ascent of radical clerics; two bombs ripped through massive crowd marching with Bhutto through Karachi, reportedly […]
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October 7, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
7 August :: Brain-eating amoeba found throughout Tucson, AZ, water supply, authorities say no need to worry, as chlorination kills parasite; at least 6 young men and boys have been killed by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba this year in warm lakes, according to NIH researcher for recreational water-born diseases; scientists say rising temperatures may mean […]
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September 30, 2007 :: admin :: No Comment Yet
30 September :: US pres. George W. Bush has approved $25 million in fuel aid for North Korea, as part of a February deal to shut down nuclear facilities, dismantle weapons and allow IAEA inspections; the Yongbyon reactor was shut down in July… Six-party talks to negotiate North Korean denuclearization have been suspended for two […]
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