DISPATCH FROM DOWN UNDER

Rumsfeld named in suit alleging torture by U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan:

Two human rights groups filed a lawsuit today against Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on behalf of eight men allegedly tortured by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

http://207.44.245.159/article8186.htm


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Report Criticizes Interim Iraq Government

Serious human rights abuses occurred under the interim Iraqi government installed by the United States after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, including torture, illegal detention by police and forced confessions, according to a State Department report.

http://207.44.245.159/article8181.htm


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U.S. wants Agent Orange suit dismissed

The civil suit, filed last year on behalf of millions of Vietnamese, claimed that American chemical companies had committed war crimes by supplying the military with Agent Orange, which contained dioxin, a highly toxic substance.

http://207.44.245.159/article8179.htm


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Iraqis Mourn Bombing Victims:

Hospital official Ali Hassoun said at least five people had succumbed to wounds overnight, raising the toll to 120 dead.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/24/iraq/main541815.shtml


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U.S. Marines hire private Iraqi force to hunt Iraqi Resistance :

U.S. Marines are using a private Iraqi security force to help them hunt down insurgents and say the tactic, while little used so far, is working.

http://tinyurl.com/4rmzc



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UK: MPs seek statement on Iraq war's legality :

The government yesterday faced demands for an early Commons statement in the light of its conflicting comments on the legality of the war against Iraq.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1427751,00.html


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Journalist Missing in Iraq Appears on Tape :

French journalist Florence Aubenas, looking pale and distraught, appealed for help on a video Tuesday in her first since she went missing in Iraq on Jan. 5.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050301/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_french_reporter_2


http://tinyurl.com/5ssuo


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War Pimp Alert
Sen. Clinton urges punishment for Syria:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called Tuesday for tougher punishment against Syria, saying the country was aggressively supporting terrorism in the "dangerous neighborhood" of the Middle East.

http://tinyurl.com/6n7kr


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U.S. is ordered to release Jose Padilla:

The judge, Henry Floyd, said Monday that the government must release the American, Jose Padilla, within 45 days from the military brig in Charleston, South Carolina, where he has been held since June 2002.

http://207.44.245.159/article8184.htm


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Attorney General Gonzales Defends Detention of Suspect Padilla :

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said today the U.S. has the right to imprison suspects in the war on terrorism ``for the duration of hostilities,''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=ahwDnIy3lffs&refer=top_world_news


http://tinyurl.com/6tk8k


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Venezuela says US lacks moral authority in human rights :

"The government that nowadays violates human rights the most both in and out of its territory is that of the United States"

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/01/content_2632518.htm


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Clarke Memo to Condoleezza Rice:

The testimony of former White House security advisor Richard Clarke to the 9/11 Commission is now thoroughly vindicated.

http://www.thesentinel.com/306486040216774.php


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Canada: Standing up to U.S. will gain us respect abroad:

It's now clear how the Bush administration sees things: Canadian sovereignty exists only at its pleasure. If we do what Washington wants, we retain our sovereignty. If we don't, all bets are off.

http://207.44.245.159/article8180.htm


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Paul Craig Roberts: The Coming End of the American Superpower:

The US economy is failing. The afflictions are serious. They could be fatal even if diagnosed and treated. America is losing the purchasing power of its currency and its ability to create middle class jobs.

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts03012005.html


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Wolfowitz on shortlist for World Bank top post:

Mr Wolfowitz is one of a small number of people being considered for the US nomination, administration insiders said.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6be27ed0-89da-11d9-aa18-00000e2511c8.html


http://tinyurl.com/6u9rb


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Homelessness Plagues Many U.S. Veterans:

Veterans account for nearly one-third of all homeless men in America, even though the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says they comprise only 13 percent of adult males in the general population.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050228/D88HL2N80.html


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Why death is no big deal

By AL Kennedy

Abdul Wali, he's dead now. He died after being interrogated by a CIA contractor in Afghanistan, but so what? Then there's Zaydun al-Samarrai. He's dead now. His cousin Marwan Hassoun is upset about this, but you can be sure he's overreacting - after all Sgt Tracy Perkins, one of the people who drowned al-Samarrai in the Tigris, was only given a six-month sentence, so it can't have been a big deal.

http://207.44.245.159/article8189.htm


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Iraqi Judge in Saddam Tribunal Shot Dead:

Gunmen in Baghdad shot and killed a judge working for the Iraqi special tribunal set up to try Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants, Interior Ministry officials said Wednesday

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7784463


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Suicide bombers kill 10 in Baghdad :

Would-be recruits and soldiers were queuing by the entrance to the base at the disused Al-Muthanna airport when a white Toyota Corolla sped to the gates and exploded, eyewitnesses said.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/135281/1/.html


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Official: Pentagon Must Try Harder To Stop Iraq Blasts :

The Pentagon is not trying hard enough to defeat the makeshift roadside bombs that are the leading killer of U.S. troops in Iraq, the commander of American forces in the Middle East said Tuesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050301/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_improvised_weapons_2


http://tinyurl.com/6t4cw


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Angry Iraqis demand resignations after massive Hilla bombing :

Some 300 people gathered in front of provincial governor Walid Janabi's offices in Hilla calling for him and others responsible for security to step down.

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=37823


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'We are living in a state of constant fear' :

"It is all these things around us," says Fatima. "The Americans, the booby-traps. No security, I can't let the kids go play outside because of car bombs and fighting."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1428207,00.html


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Journalist Hersh slams Bush and the Iraq war:

The Pulitzer Prize winner said the president's plans in the region go beyond Iraq and include bringing the administration's brand of pro-American democracy to Iran and Syria.

http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2005030122


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US court ruling saves teen killers from execution

The US Supreme Court has ruled it unconstitutional to execute people who committed murder when juveniles, deciding it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/03/02/1109700545043.html


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SOCIAL SECURITY
Critics May Force Change In Social Security Plan
Bill Frist, the Senate's top Republican, says that a vote on President Bush's bid to restructure Social Security may be pushed off until next year and might not involve the individual accounts for which the White House has been lobbying.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64253-2005Mar1.html?referrer=email


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MEDICAID
Governors at Odds With Bush Over Medicaid
The National Governors Association winter meeting concluded yesterday with the state leaders, President Bush and Congress far apart on how to control the rapid rise in Medicaid spending.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63985-2005Mar1.html?referrer=email


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Heads roll at Veterans Administration

Mushrooming depleted uranium (DU) scandal blamed

"Out of the 580,400 soldiers who served in the first Gulf War, 11,000 are now dead! By the year 2000, there were 325,000 on Permanent Medical Disability. This astounding number of 'Disabled Vets' means that a decade later, 56% of those soldiers who served have some form of permanent medical problems!" The disability rate for the wars of the last century was 5 percent; it was higher, 10 percent, in Viet Nam.

http://207.44.245.159/article8172.htm


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Warlord brought into Afghan government

One of Afghanistan's most notorious warlords is to serve as chief of staff to President Hamid Karzai with responsibility for the country's armed forces.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,1428600,00.html


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UK attempt to eradicate Afghan opium fails

Afghanistan is on the verge of becoming a "narcotic state" with its biggest annual crop of opium since the overthrow of the Taliban, the United Nations drug control board warns today.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,1428288,00.html


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Halliburton being investigated for antitrust violations, conspiring on bids
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=139


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McKenna starts as envoy to U.S. amid testy feelings on missile defence

WASHINGTON (CP) - Canada's new ambassador to the United States, Frank McKenna, said Wednesday that American officials are clearly upset about the missile defence decision and acknowledged it could cause strains in

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/


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Iraqi power-sharing talks falter over Kurdish demands for more land

BAGHDAD (AP) - Talks aimed at forging a coalition government faltered Wednesday over Kurdish demands for more land and concerns that the dominant Shiite alliance seeks to establish an Islamic state, delaying the planned first meeting of Iraq's new Parliament.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2005/03/01/946132-ap.html


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