US 'dark side' raised in Pakistani scientist case:
The 'dark side' of US counter-terrorism took center stage Wednesday in the case of a mentally ill Pakistani woman accused of attacking US officers in Afghanistan.
http://tinyurl.com/5cavvz
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Suicide bomber kills 9 in Afghanistan: -
A suicide car-bomber killed nine people and wounded 16, including two U.S. soldiers, in an attack on Thursday on a government compound in eastern Afghanistan, a government official said.
http://tinyurl.com/5nyosq
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Taliban Regains Power, Influence in Afghanistan:
The Taliban have regained control in these pockets despite seven years of American attacks and the presence of more than 50,000 U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops. There are thousands of U.S. and British troops in southern Afghanistan, but American commanders say they don't have enough forces to prevent the Taliban from controlling territory there.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122713845685342447.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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"Defense contractor" charged in US with murder over killing of Afghan civilian :
Documents say that after learning the contractor had suffered serious burns, Ayala shot and killed Salam, who was handcuffed.
http://tinyurl.com/6beghb
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Iraq: At leat 17 killed in another bloody day of US occupation:
KUT - Gunmen stormed a house and killed five members of the same family, including two children
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=460770
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UK troops to withdraw from Iraq in New Year:
Exclusive: British combat troops will start withdrawing from Iraq shortly after key local elections held at the end of January, the UK commander in Basra has signalled.
http://tinyurl.com/6nyfak
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Iraqi PM: Timeline for U.S. withdrawal could be moved up: .
According to the AP, the parliament completed a second reading of the proposal, the last step prior to the opening of debate on the security pact ahead of the Nov. 24 vote
http://www.albawaba.com/en/news/237943
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US-Iraq security pact may be in violation, Congress is told:
Passage of the US-Iraq security pact under the terms both countries' leaders have advocated could violate the constitutions of both countries, specialists told a congressional subcommittee yesterday. - They instead pressed for an extension of the United Nations mandate authorizing US troop involvement in Iraq, which expires Dec. 31.
http://tinyurl.com/5djgbb
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Army shreds documents on friendly fire deaths:
In late 2006, two American soldiers from Fort Carson died in Iraq. The army said the privates were killed by enemy action. But in October of this year, Salon revealed that the two men had in fact been killed by friendly tank fire.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Army_shreds_documents_on_friend_fire_1120.html
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Manufacturing Consent For An Attack On Iran? :
Military analysts: Iran 'has enough material for atomic bomb':
An analysis of the latest monitoring report on the country's nuclear programme concluded Iran had amassed 630kg of low enriched uranium, enough for a single weapon.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21277.htm
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Israel displays airpower it could use against Iran:
"We are prepared and ready to do whatever Israel needs us to do and if this is the mission we're given then we are ready," said Colonel Amon, who commands the Negev Squadron of F-16I "Sufas" -- multi-role strike aircraft designed to both bomb and fight other air forces over long periods and distances.
http://tinyurl.com/6e36qk
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Bush, Olmert to hold final meeting in White House:
President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, two leaders with just weeks left in office, will discuss a range of issues at the White House on Monday, including Iran's nuclear program
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/20/america/NA-US-Israel.php
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Gazans despair over blockade:
"People queue for two or three hours for bread, but sometimes there's no cooking gas or flour, so no bread. "People wait in line for UN food handouts, but sometimes there aren't any. The suffering is reaching every aspect of life."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7739063.stm
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Israelis won't ease Gaza blockade:
Gaza's largest flour mill halted operations yesterday, saying it had run out of wheat, and the U.N. said it was being forced to suspend cash grants to 98,000 of Gaza's poorest people because of a shortage of Israeli currency.
http://tinyurl.com/5ld73q
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Israel 'using food and medicines as weapons': Christian Aid.:
For almost one and a half years, 1.5 million Palestinians have endured collective punishment as a result of Israel's tight closure of Gaza.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/8011
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Top media executives protest Israel's ban on journalists' entry to Gaza:
Leaders of the world's biggest media organizations filed a protest with Israel's prime minister Wednesday criticizing the government's decision to ban journalists from entering the Gaza Strip for the last two weeks.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1039255.html
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Nobel laureate Maguire: UN should suspend Israel membership:
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire said Israel should be punished for ignoring a series of United Nations resolutions over the years.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1039394.html
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Israeli leaders make secret journey to Jordan:
Israeli leaders made a secret journey to neighboring Jordan earlier this week, listening to pleas from King Abdullah II to avert a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli and Jordan officials confirmed Thursday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081120/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_jordan
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Colombian U'wa Indigenous Leaders Visit US, Urging Investors and US Congress to Respect Human Rights:
More than 15,000 indigenous march on Bogota in Opposition to the US Colombia Free Trade Agreement
http://tinyurl.com/6gx4xh
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Judge orders Guantanamo releases:
A US judge has ruled that five Algerians held in the US prison facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for almost seven years had been illegally detained and must be freed.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/11/2008112017273323533.html
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US seeks 300 billion dlrs from Gulf states: report:
The United States has asked four oil-rich Gulf states for close to 300 billion dollars to help it curb the global financial meltdown, Kuwait's daily Al-Seyassah reported Thursday.
http://tinyurl.com/63dawb
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Jobless claims jump unexpectedly to 16-year high:
The four-week average of claims, which smooths out fluctuations, was even worse: it rose to 506,500, the highest in more than 25 years.
http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=111&sid=577993
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GM Tumbles to Lowest Since '30s, Ford Falls as Aid Plan Falters:
General Motors Corp. fell toward its lowest since the 1930s after U.S. lawmakers deadlocked on an auto-industry bailout, raising the prospect it could run out of cash before a new Congress can come to the rescue next year. Ford Motor Co. tumbled to a 28-year low.
http://tinyurl.com/56tgsn
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Chinese Automakers may buy GM and Chrysler:
Chinese carmakers SAIC and Dongfeng have plans to acquire GM and Chrysler, China's 21st Century Business Herald reports
http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2008/11/19/02867.html
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Treasury Yields Drop to Record Lows:
Treasury yields declined to record lows, with two-year notes dropping below 1 percent for the first time, as global stocks slumped and a deepening recession drove investors to the safest assets.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aucejNR4YWu4&refer=news
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Let us work towards Peace and Joy
Tom Feeley