04/02/14

Permalink 1,886 Killed in Iraq in March as Violence Continues to Rise

Another month has come to an end, leaving a staggering number of people dead across Iraq. Antiwar.com figures show 1,886 killed and 2,186 wounded nationwide, with 1,063 of the dead civilians or security members, and 823 militants. That was an increase over the 1,705 killed and 2,045 wounded in February, which was itself a significant rise over January’s figures, as fighting over the Anbar Province continues, unresolved but claiming enormous casualties. The United Nations, as usual, tried to pass off a dramatic undercount as the “official” figures, claiming 592 killed in March, but not counting the Anbar Province at all. Iraq’s “civilian and security” toll was 1,004, quite similar to the Antiwar.com figures, but they offered only incomplete figures on the Anbar operations, likely explaining the difference.


Permalink John McCain: Classified Senate Report on Torture 'Chilling'

The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on interrogation techniques employed by the CIA in the wake of the [Mossad's] Sept. 11 attacks includes a number of "chilling" stories of the use of torture by American officials that have not yet been released to the public, Sen. John McCain said Tuesday. The existence of the report and some of its contents, including that coercive techniques such as waterboarding did not lead to the capture of Osama bin Laden, were first reported by The Washington Post on Monday. Asked about the report, McCain said it offers further evidence of the inefficiencies of using torture on American enemies. "When you torture someone they will say anything you want to hear to make the pain stop. So I never, ever believed this bologna that, well, because of waterboarding they got information," he said. The 6,300-page report is classified, but the Intelligence Committee, headed by Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, will push Thursday for the Obama administration to declassify a 400-page executive summary, The Post reported.

Politico: Dianne Feinstein set to move on CIA report
Al Jazeera: Senate CIA torture report could throw Gitmo hearings into chaos

Eric London: CIA scandal: Leaks reveal brutal torture methods and government lies The government torture methods revealed by the The Washington Post, based on information from anonymous administration officials, include sadistic forms of inflicting pain that are associated with the most brutal police state and fascistic regimes. According to the Post, the Senate report “concludes that the CIA misled the government and the public about aspects of its brutal interrogation program for years—concealing details about the severity of its methods, overstating the significance of plots and prisoners, and taking credit for critical pieces of intelligence that detainees had in fact surrendered before they were subjected to harsh techniques.”


Permalink Amano’s praise for Nuclear Armed Israel discredits IAEA: Analyst - Video

A political analyst says Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano’s “praise” for Israel will undermine the “legitimacy and credibility” of the UN nuclear agency. In a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday, the IAEA chief turned a blind eye to international concerns about Tel Aviv’s nuclear arsenal, saying that Israel is a “valued partner” for the agency. During the meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the United Nations nuclear agency in the Austrian capital of Vienna, Amano did not say anything about Israel’s illegal nuclear arsenal and activities. Speaking to Press TV in an interview, Kaveh Afrasiabi, a political analyst, said he strongly believes that “this is double standard run amok because the praise that Mr. Amano had for… Israel is totally uncalled for.


Permalink A British Jew warns US Jewish orgs to heed rapidly-shifting world opinion

We received the note below from a British Jew. I then had a conversation on the phone with him and he said he felt the urgent responsibility to communicate the world’s opinion of Israel to American Jews before public opinion in the U.S. shifts dramatically, led by the BDS movement. I’m honoring his wish to remain anonymous. How do you describe the feeling that your life has been a lie? I think that the reason Jews are so reluctant to acknowledge what is clearly in front of them, is that shifting from ‘Israel is never wrong’ to ‘we have created a monster’ is such a terrifying realisation, self delusion is the easier path.

Jonathan Cook: Why Israelis are content to live in a bubble of denial


Permalink Dempsey: U.S. and Israel agree on "Iran threat"

Israel and the United States are now in broad agreement about the threat that Iran poses to the region and how to deal with it, the top U.S. military official said Tuesday. "I think they are satisfied that we have the capability to use a military option if the Iranians choose to stray off the diplomatic path," Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said of Israeli officials. "I think they are satisfied we have the capability. I think they believe we will use it." Acknowledging there were differences in the past, Dempsey said Israel and the United States are closer now in their assessment of the threat Iran poses and America's willingness to act. Dempsey made the remarks after [taking marching orders and] wrapping up a two-day visit to Israel, where he met with military and government officials.

Jason Ditz: Gen. Dempsey: Keeping the Military Option in Mind on Iran
VoR: [And RE: Palestine] Washington Getting Pushed Around By Israel
Peter Symonds: US and Israel in “lockstep” against Iran [02/08/12]


Permalink Aborted babies incinerated to heat UK hospitals

The bodies of thousands of aborted and miscarried babies were incinerated as clinical waste, with some even used to heat hospitals, an investigation has found. Ten NHS trusts have admitted burning foetal remains alongside other rubbish while two others used the bodies in ‘waste-to-energy’ plants which generate power for heat. Last night the Department of Health issued an instant ban on the practice which health minister Dr Dan Poulter branded ‘totally unacceptable.’ At least 15,500 foetal remains were incinerated by 27 NHS trusts over the last two years alone, Channel 4’s Dispatches discovered. The programme, which will air tonight, found that parents who lose children in early pregnancy were often treated without compassion and were not consulted about what they wanted to happen to the remains.


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