D8 Summit on food security kicks off in Kuala Lumpur

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:52:02 Mahi Ramakrishnan, Press TV, Kuala Lumpur

New CIA director pledges to fix spy agency's tarnished image

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:33:34 Mike Kellerman, Press TV, Washington

April 7 By-Elections 1: Change Now or Abdul Aziz Should Resign!

merdekablog.com | 23 February,2009

According to mission of the Election Commission (EC) of Malaysia, the EC strives to ensure that the citizens of Malaysia are given the opportunity to participate in the election of their representatives in the formation of the Government and to safeguard this right through free and fair elections.

However, what we have seen so far is a totally different scenario as to how the team chaired by Tan Sri Abdul Aziz bin Mohd Yusof has failed to effectively execute its mission.

Let me elaborate why.

Firstly, Abdul Aziz said the Commission decided to hold the by-elections for the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat and Bukit Selambau state seat simultaneously to keep the campaign period shorter. He said the dates were chosen taking into account the comfort and convenience of all involved, as a shorter campaign period would be less hectic for party leaders and help towards maintaining public order and security.

If the EC was indeed looking for a less hectic campaign period for the party leaders, shouldn’t the by-elections be held as soon as probably 30 days after the state and parliament seats become vacant? Isn’t that the longer the by-elections are on hold, the longer the states’ political stability is jeopardized, hence the more discomfort and inconvenience such political instability brings to the daily functions of the citizens, and even to the economics of the states?

Also, Abdul Aziz is yet to explain to the public how the EC drew the conclusion of placing the polling day on Tuesday as a comfort and convenient solution for the voters involved, especially for those who work out-of-states.

How in the world would taking a trip, say 3-4 hours from KL to Perak or Kedah, considering the voters could successfully obtain a leave in this economy crisis, be of any comfort and convenience to them, whom Abdul Aziz addressed in the EC website as the number one clients of the EC? Consequently it’s not unreasonable for the wide speculation that the decision of the EC was merely for the comfort and convenience of BN. Or was there a hidden message that such decision was made for the comfort and convenience of the EC also, due to the rising pressure from the “invisible control board” behind the Commission?

During the interview, Abdul Aziz said the Commission pushed the nomination date to almost the end of March as it thought this would allow the current political situation in Perak to cool off.

Why do we need to wait for the Perak politics to cool off prior to the by-elections? The purpose of the by-elections is to elect the representatives supported by majority of the citizens. To ensure the right candidates to be elected, shouldn’t the voters be allowed to cast their votes as early as the arisen of the dissatisfaction?

I am sure Abdul Aziz was well aware that setting April 7 as the polling date would definitely be controversial especially due to the dissatisfaction of the opposition parties and the voters who live far away from the polling stations. However the insistency of doing so by Abdul Aziz has made him the culprit of the deterioration of EC’s image. It should not be surprised of hearing someone calling the EC as a cow following the orders of BN or actually UMNO.

First off, the date of January’s KT by-election being one week apart from Chinese New Year had triggered the criticism from the public on the EC’s inconsideration of the voters who most likely won’t return KT on the polling day due to the coming public holidays. Sadly, once again we experienced the failure of the EC to consider the hardship of the voters for the incoming by-elections. It is absolutely an unfair treatment to the opposition parties whom deemed to have major supporters from the city areas. How would Abdul Aziz align the two date choices with the EC’s mission statement of giving the voters the opportunities to participate in a free and fair election?

In appointing the members of the EC, it’s specified that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong “shall have regard to the importance of securing an Election Commission which enjoys public confidence”. It cannot be more apparent that the EC has lost its public confidence as an independent authority to safeguard a parliamentary democracy.

Another function of the EC is to undertake the registration of electors and the revision of the electoral roll throughout the year. However, Abdul Aziz said the Commission had decided that the master electoral roll for 2007, combined with the list of new voters registered until the first quarter of 2008, would be used for both constituencies.

How could he assume the electoral roll as of the first quarter of 2008 being the latest electoral roll that can fairly represent the electors of the electorates? Could there not be anyone who is qualified to vote from that quarter onwards? How about those who passed away after their registration in Feb 2008? The action of keeping that no-so-updated electoral roll is deemed as a seizure of the qualified voters’ civic right of electing their representatives of choice. Also, that list eventually is again another way for phantom voters to turn out on the polling day to vote for the death ones.

To restore the reputation of the EC and to ensure fair, free, and clean by-elections in April, I urge the opposition leaders to appeal to Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or at least to debate in the upcoming parliament meetings, on the following agenda:

1. To allow postal votes for all voters who find difficulty of returning to their hometowns to vote on April 7;
   
2. To challenge the refusal of the EC to vacant the state seats of Changkat Jering, Behrang, and Jelapang for the by-elections;
3. To update the electoral roll to provide the opportunities to the qualified ones to participate in the by-elections;
4. To expand the postal votes to the qualified Malaysian voters who work overseas however not fall into the categories of armed forces, Police Field Force, election officials on duty, government officers serving overseas, students studying overseas, and spouses.
5. To order Abdul Aziz to step down from his position should he fail to explain how the decision regarding both nomination and polling days was taken with consideration of the interest of ALL parties involved.

Will there be improvement and reforms?

By Leslie Lau | Consultant Editor | malaysianinsider

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 – Datuk Johan Jaafar, the ex-editor-in-chief of Utusan Malaysia who was once identified as being close to former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has been designated as the new media czar for the in-coming administration of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Johan will be appointed a director of The New Straits Times Press Berhad (NSTP) and chairman of Media Prima Berhad.

Johan is expected to be appointed an executive director in NSTP, the publisher of the New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro.

He will take over from Datuk Abdul Mutalib Mohamed Razak as chairman of Media Prima, which operates all of Malaysia’s private terresterial television stations – TV3, 8TV, TV9 and NTV7 – as well as two radion stations – Hot FM and Fly FM. The group also owns outdoor advertising giants Big Tree and UPD.

Johan is expected to set the tone for the Najib administration at NSTP and Media Prima.

Umno has traditionally exerted a strong influence in the direction of both companies, which are closely linked with the party’s corporate interests.

Johan’s appointments mark the first time a former head of Utusan Malaysia, which is owned by Umno, has been tapped to helm NSTP and Media Prima.

Johan is also a well-known figure in the local Malay literary and cultural scene.

He started his career in Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) before he was appointed editor-in-chief of Utusan Malaysia is 1992. He was also subsequently appointed a director.

Johan was seen as an outsider in Utusan while he was there, and the newspaper was criticised then by right-wing conservatives in Umno as being too high-brow and elitist.

In 1998, he resigned from the Malay media group a few months before Anwar was subsequently sacked as deputy prime minister by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Before his tenure in Utusan, Johan had been a rising star in DBP and helmed the agency’s magazine division.

He was also one of the few truly bi-lingual figures in DBP, being equally adept in Malay and English.

In the last few years, he has been writing a regular column in the New Straits Times where he has been known to expound moderate views on language, race and religion.

China to decide on raising women's retirement age to 60

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:44:54 Jenny Hammond, Press TV, Shanghai

Is this Zimbabwe's Unity Government all about?

Mugabe set to party while Zimbabwe starves
Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:29:12 GMT | PressTV

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe

While millions starve in Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe's party is preparing an opulent birthday party for him.

The Times of London reported on Tuesday that the supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party have been out soliciting "donations" from corporate Zimbabwe and have drawn up a wish list.

Meanwhile, seven million citizens survive on international food aid, 94% are jobless, and cholera is spreading throughout a population debilitated by hunger.

The wish list includes 2,000 bottles of champagne; 8,000 lobsters; 100kg of prawns; 4,000 portions of caviar; 8,000 boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates; 3,000 ducks; and much else besides.

Those who prefer to give in cash, not kind, are invited to send "donations" of between $45,000 and $55,000 to a US dollar bank account in the name of the 21st February Movement, a youth organization named after the date of the president's birthday.

Zimbabwean children

Western diplomats and aid workers were shocked when shown the list. "It's just appalling. It's like they are either completely oblivious to what's happening in their country, or completely impervious and just don't care," said one.

Others said it showed that Mugabe had no intention of curtailing his excesses, even after agreeing to enter a unity government with the Movement for Democratic Change later this week.

A reliable source, who was contacted by the newspaper, revealed the list but had no interest in its publication, was hesitant about releasing it, and had himself received it from three or four separate businesses that had been approached for donations.

The organizer of the the 85th birthday celebration is Patrick Zhuwawo, Mugabe's nephew. "It's an important day for Zimbabweans to celebrate the life of our great leader and Africa's hero," he said.

"Zanu (PF) continues to receive massive donations from the corporate world, ordinary Zimbabweans, and from people from all walks of life, and we are confident that this year's celebrations will be the best."

IAEA chief calls for total disarmament

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:10:46 GMT | PressTV

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency has called on the United States and Russia to cut their nuclear arsenals and eventually eliminate all nuclear weapons.

"I am greatly encouraged that President Obama has made a firm commitment to making the elimination of all nuclear weapons a central tenet of his policies," Mohamed ElBaradei said.

ElBaradei, in a commentary to appear in Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily on Wednesday, said that there is a need for the international community to be built "on the new momentum" and for major political, diplomatic, and technical changes to be made.

He also called for reviving the Russia-US disarmament negotiations to reduce the number of nuclear warheads worldwide from the current 27,000 to between 500 and 1,000.

"Nuclear fuel production and supply should be run multilaterally," Reuters quoted ElBaradei as saying.

He also called for structural reform in the UN Security Council "so the world can rely on it as the primary body for maintaining international peace and security."

Italians Protest US Base: Report

31/01/2009 | Al Manar

Around 200 people occupied an airport in northern Italy Saturday to protest the planned enlargement of a US military base in the region, according to a television report.

Protestors cut through a fence and took over a field at Vicenza airport that is set to be used as an extension to the American base, where 2,750 soldiers are currently stationed, Italian Sky TG 24 reported.

They carried pickets with "Vicenza, city of peace" and "You destroy, we build peace" as they demonstrated against the 500-million-dollar (640-million-euro) project to double the base and house another 1,800 soldiers.

Local authorities are in favor of the extension of the base, which currently employs 1,200 Italians, but left-wing and Green parties are opposed and regularly stage demonstrations against it.

An administrative court in Veneto in November overturned a previous decision to halt the project.

Thirty Years

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:05:59 GMT T
By Kian Mokhtari

On this day in 1979 a massive tectonic shift in Iran’s social and political affairs began to occur. The giant of the region, asleep for more than 150 years, awoke to find that during its long absence complacency and negligence had blighted and warped the contours of the ancient land's identity.

Those old enough to remember the former monarchy in Iran and the society formed around its tastes and decadence, also recall that all was essentially far from well.

There was a first world mirage superimposed on the true visage of a developing country. It was almost as if a fresh coat of paint had been applied to all facets of life within a society whose fabric had long withered away.

The seemingly mighty Imperial armed force of Iran, having been almost entirely equipped by the West was unable to function without western expertise and military advisors.

There were industries of sorts, whose output consisted of the assembly under license of second grade western goods for the domestic market.

The imperial court of Iran functioned hinged on foreign interference, flattery, corruption, intrigue, jealousy and rumors. And the absolute monarch lacked the strength of character to be able to exercise any kind of control over his court, let alone the affairs of the state.

The disjointed and awkward circus was held together by a brutal secret police whose appointed leaders’ allegiance was to the US and the West.

Declassified American documents on Iran show that by 1979 the former shah’s main backer had acknowledged the status quo could not be maintained. But gripped by the fear of a Soviet invasion of Iran following a popular uprising against the monarchy, Washington kept supplying arms and providing assistance to the tottering monarch.

Yet a macabre semblance of normality was maintained in which people went about everyday life like sleepwalkers near the edge of a cliff. The artificiality of day-to-day existence in Iran amazed all those who visited the country from abroad and countless foreign journalists noted the contrast between Iran’s international media image and actual reality.

Even the Iranian manufactured boxes of tissue paper arranged carefully on fashionable Tehran restaurants’ tables did not function as they should have –although they looked every bit the part. If you tried to pull one tissue out to dry your hands one of two eventualities took place: either the tissue got jammed and ripped apart in your hand, or five pieces of tissue came out at a tug!!

In a sense pre-Islamic Revolution Iran can be likened to its domestically produced boxes of tissues. On the surface all was good and well until you had to delve into it in some way; and then the can of worms would come alive.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is not about bravado and image. Its leaders do not have their suits tailored in London’s fashionable Savile Row. Iran is not about pomp and ceremony of a fake imperial court with no imperial power.

Iran is about what you see today, it is a nation throbbing with capable and educated youth trying to make their way in the world. What you see on Iranian cities’ streets is what you get. And to some that in itself is the greatest achievement of the revolution.

The Islamic Revolution has managed to put Iran’s soul back into its body. And Iran is doing just fine living in its own skin.

Benn: Pro-Israeli BBC policy, disgraceful

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:25:53 GMT | PressTV

Tony Benn

The following is an exclusive Press TV interview with the prominent British socialist politician, activist, and former labor minister, Tony Benn, over publicly-funded BBC's controversial decision not to broadcast a charity appeal aimed at collecting aid to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Press TV:Are you surprised the BBC has not overturned its decision?

Benn: Yes I am. I though they would, because the case is so overwhelming. See, the BBC have tired to pretend that if they broadcast this humanitarian appeal it will look as if they are siding with the Palestinians against Israel. Of course, it has nothing to do with it. It is a humanitarian issue: 1,330 people have been killed, 460 of them children and man of them women.

The devastation shocked the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon when he was there. To me it is a disgraceful decision, and I had hoped that they would reverse it, because two government ministers have called on them to broadcast it.

Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York, the two most senior English Archbishops [have called for it]. [BBC Director-General] Mark Thompson himself, I believe, went to see [former Israeli defense minister Ariel Sharon, a few years ago. It is quite unlike what everyone would expect of the BBC.

Press TV: Well, they of course are saying that it is because it would risk their objectivity to air this appeal, and now Sky has jumped on that bandwagon so to speak as well. Is there not something to their defense?

Benn: The opposition to the BBC is so strong, almost all the newspapers today, that I don't remember an occasion that it has been so strong.

One political thing that you have to mention is that the BBC said that it did it to avoid controversy, but the BBC has launched a huge controversy about their own behavior, and I mean, coming back to your earlier item on the news, the opposition to Israeli policy in Britain is higher that I have ever known it. Support and sympathy for the Palestinian is higher that I have ever known it.

So this war is not going to have helped Israel in any way, and they will find more and more people that are now understanding the argument that the Palestinians have made that they are an occupied country and they have not even been recognized by the United Nations.

Press TV: When you speak of that large public disgust over the war on Gaza, and we have seen a massive demonstrations, unprecedented almost, what could be behind this public outrage. It obviously is not because of the broadcasting of news from a well-known establishment like the BBC?

Benn: Yes, there is no doubt that the news coverage of the war in Gaza, although the Israelis would not allow any correspondents to go to Gaza, they banned any movement of television units and so on, but the coverage that we have had has indicated the destruction and brutality of what Israel has done.

From that point of view, which stirred even more opposition to the war, then [what] occurred at the beginning of the Iraq war, because Iraq was a long way away, and people did not know much about it.

But everybody knows about Israel and Palestine, so it had produced a really dramatic shift of opinion in support of Hamas and the Palestinians.

Press TV: What is about the Israel and Palestine issue that gets organizations like the BBC so touchy? We have had these appeals for many places, for Africa, in the Congo after the tsunami. Never a mix of political and humanitarian issues there.

Benn: Well that is a very good question to ask. I share the views that have been expressed that the coverage by the BBC has been ant-Palestinian pro-Israeli.

For example, whenever a Palestinian is killed the BBC always says a "Palestinian militant." They never talk about Israeli militants, its always Palestinian militants.

Very little recognition by the BBC that Hamas won the election in Palestine three years ago, and is therefore in that sense, the established government of Palestine. Jimmy Carter, the former American president went to Gaza last year, and he made it absolutely clear that Israel was an apartheid state.

I think what is happening is that the BBC is left behind, and now that Bush is gone, the British government is seeming to have a little more courage, although [US President Barack] Obama has not been clear yet about the policy he will adopt towards the Palestinian case.

Time to undo the damage and mend fences: Hillary Clinton

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:30:11 GMT | PressTV

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the new administration needs to undo all the damage Bush has done to restore the US image worldwide.

Clinton told reporters on Tuesday at the State Department that US President Barack Obama is committed to engaging in diplomacy with the international community rather than pursuing unilateral initiatives passed off as preemptive measures, AFP reported.

Commenting on the change of government in Washington, Clinton said, "There is a great exhalation of breath going on around the world as people express their appreciation for the new direction that is being set and the team that is being put together by the president."

Clinton also stated that under Obama the United States will take a new course on foreign policy and refrain from militarism and the Bush administration's scorn for international bodies when it comes to negotiations.

"We have a lot of damage to repair," Clinton said, adding, "That's not rhetoric. That is our commitment. That's how we are proceeding." [watch video]

Sky News joins BBC against Gaza appeal

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:25:45 GMT | PressTV

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has repeatedly denied a humanitarian crisis underway in the Gaza Strip.

Britain's Sky News is refusing to broadcast a humanitarian fundraising appeal for Gaza, following in the footsteps of the BBC.

The 24-hour television news channel said Monday that airing the appeal would put the network's objectivity at risks.

"We have to, as an international channel, focus on our primary role and that is to report the story and not become the story", Adrian Wells, Sky News's head of foreign news, said.

Sky News domestic rival the BBC had earlier announced it would not broadcast a charity appeal on behalf of the war-hit people of Gaza, saying it would conflict with its policy of "impartiality" as well as reservations about the possibility of efficient aid delivery.

The BBC decision sparked widespread criticism.

British lawmakers, celebrities and religious leaders have also condemned BBC's move calling it a "wrong decision".

A group of anti-war activists occupied the Glasgow offices of the BBC for two hours on Monday to protest the broadcaster's anti-Gaza decision.

The appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a group comprised of respected aid charities like the British Red Cross and Oxfam, has emphasized that it has no political agendas and only aims to ease the humanitarian crisis in the impoverished strip.

Relief workers say the humanitarian situation in Gaza is at its worst with over 1.1 million people -- about 80 percent of the residents of Gaza -- dependent on food aid.

At least 1,330 Palestinians were killed and 5,450 others injured during the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

British protesters briefly occupy BBC

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:06:23 GMT      |      PressTV
 

BBC under fire for refusal to show Gaza charity appeal - London protests on Saturday

An anti-war group has occupied the Glasgow offices of the BBC in protest at the broadcaster's decision not to air a Gaza fundraising appeal.

 

 The British Stop the War Coalition said it had about 100 people in the foyer of the BBC's Glasgow offices on Sunday, occupying the place for nearly two hours.

 

 The occupation follows criticism from lawmakers, celebrities and religious leaders.

 

 They believe the BBC's decision not to air an advertisement from the Disasters Emergency Committee, a group of charities that includes the Red Cross, Oxfam, and Save the Children, was wrong.

 

British actress Samantha Morton, who joined several celebrities at a central London fundraiser for the British Aid Agency Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), said she was embarrassed to earn money from a corporation that would take such a "disgusting" decision. 

 

"I'm so appalled. It's a public service. People have the right to raise money in this way, on the television for people that are in need. It's not a political thing," the 31-year-old Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee said on Sunday.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and another senior church leader have also called on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to air the charity appeal.

Meanwhile a parliamentary petition signed by more than 50 lawmakers -- which is to be introduced in the House of Commons on Monday -- seemed likely to add more pressure on the broadcaster to run the ad.

 

 The BBC claims it rejected the advertisement because of concerns that showing it might harm its reputation for "impartiality".

The corporation also added that it is unsure the money raised would reach those in need in the impoverished Palestinian enclave.

However, rival channels ITV, Channel 4 and Five have said they will show the DEC charity appeal. Sky said it had yet to decide.

The BBC, which is funded by an obligatory license fee paid by every British household with a television set, has previously given airtime to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

Appeals have raised millions of US dollars for people affected by war and natural disasters in Congo, Myanmar and elsewhere. 

MPs up pressure on BBC over Gaza boycott

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:54:49 GMT     |    PressTV

Seven people were reportedly arrested by the police during  the rally outside the BBC's Broadcasting House in  central London.

British Members of Parliament have filed a motion condemning the BBC's refusal to broadcast an appeal on behalf of the people of Gaza.

The motion - to be tabled on Monday - has so far received the support of 51 lawmakers from across the House of Commons.

The move comes after the BBC rejected pleas from government officials to air an appeal, which aims to raise millions of dollars for the thousands without food, medicine and shelter in Gaza.

The BBC, which is funded by an obligatory license fee paid by every British household with a television set, is required by its charter to be impartial.

While the BBC does not screen commercial advertising, it does broadcast charity appeals.

Nearly 5,000 people demonstrated in front of the BBC's Broadcasting House in central London on Saturday over the British broadcaster's stance. Seven people were reportedly arrested.

Veteran Labour parliamentarian Tony Benn, who spoke to 200 protesters outside Broadcasting House, criticized the British Broadcasting Corporation saying it sought to appease Israel by refusing to broadcast the humanitarian appeal.

"To deny the help that the aid agencies and the UN need at this moment in time is incomprehensible and it follows the bias in BBC reporting of this crisis, which has been widely criticized," said Benn, who is president of the Stop the War Coalition.

The channel has so far resisted pressure and is standing firm on its decision not to show the advert for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

Rival channels ITV, Channel 4 and Five are to show the DEC charity appeal. Sky, however, says it is still considering the request.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which brings together many major charity groups including the British Red Cross, Save the Children and Oxfam, is scheduled to launch its two-minute appeal on Monday.

The BBC argued on Saturday that the situation in Gaza may not allow for aid delivery; adding that running the advert might dent the corporation's reputation for impartiality.

Britain's Culture Secretary Andy Burnham defended the BBC's choice on Sunday, saying that the publicly-funded channel is "right to make its own judgment" over whether to air the charity appeal. 

Deciphering Obama's message to the Middle East

Bio

Leila Fadel is the chief of the Baghdad bureau of McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered the war in Iraq for Knight Ridder and now McClatchy on and off since June 2005, as well as the 34-day war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006. She has lived in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia and speaks conversational Arabic. Her Iraq reporting won her Print Journalist of the Year honors from the Houston Press Club.

Gareth Porter is an historian and investigative journalist on US foreign and military policy analyst. He writes regularly for Inter Press Service on US policy towards Iraq and Iran. Author of four books, the latest of which is Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam

Deciphering Obama's message to the Middle East

From Baghdad, Leila Fadel joins Gareth Porter to discuss Obama's inaugural message for Middle East ears

What will Obama do in Iraq? Pt 2/2

From Baghdad, Leila Fadel joins Gareth Porter in DC to discuss Obama's message for Middle East.

Obama Signs Death Warrant for Guantanamo.

22/01/2009 | Al Manar

US President Barack Obama Thursday ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay prison within a year and banned the use of torture in terror interrogations in a dramatic repudiation of his predecessor George W. Bush.

The signing ceremony in the Oval Office was the latest graphic sign of Obama's vow to trigger fundamental political reform and will ultimately mean big changes in how the United States handles Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects.

Obama signed executive orders on the controversial camp, requiring US investigators to stop short of abusive methods -- which critics equate to torture -- and requiring a review of the case of the only "enemy combatant" on US soil, Qatari national Ali al-Marri.

"The message that we are sending around the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism," Obama said. "We are going to do so vigilantly; we are going to do so effectively; and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals," the new president said in a signing ceremony inside the Oval Office. "I think the American people understand that we are not, as I said in the inauguration, going to continue with a false choice between our safety and our ideals."

Obama did not however resolve the question of what to do with terror suspects who have been in Guantanamo for years, some without being charged or facing trial or if and how many would ultimately be prosecuted or released.

Guantanamo Bay, which still contains more than 240 terror suspects is seen by critics of the Bush administration as a potent symbol of abuses and constitutional infringements they say were committed under the war on terror. More than 800 men and teenagers have passed through Guantanamo since it was opened on January 11, 2002, and around 245 remain there.

WANTED for war crimes & crimes against Humanity - Arrest Warrant

Arrest warrant: 

Tzipi  Livni 

For violations of the Rome Statute & 4th Geneva Convention

On the 12th of July 2006, the suspect along with her accomplices ordered the aerial bombardment and artillery assault on residential areas in Lebanon. For 34 days she authorized troops to make 12,000 aerial sorties, to fire 100,000 artillery shells, damaging 350 schools and completely destroying 15,000 residential houses in Lebanon. 130,000 homes were partially damaged. The attacks destroyed water sources, hospitals, power stations and other infrastructure essential to human life. 900,000 people were forced to leave their homes and remain without shelter for many days. Some 1,200 people were killed, and 4,400 were wounded: approximately 30% of the dead, about 360, were children under the age of 13.

On 27th December 2008, the suspect and her accomplices ordered an aerial, ground and naval attack on densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. The attacks again damaged houses, hospitals, schools and important infrastructure, and killed more than 1,200 people, including hundreds of children. 200,000 people became refugees as a result of the suspects’ orders.

Attacking innocent people, shooting indiscriminately into residential areas, causing injuries, destroying essential infrastructure such as water, electrical plants and hospitals are all prohibited under International law and are therefore defined war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Description of the suspect: a white woman, 50 years old, above average height, blonde hair.

Anyone who has information about the suspect when she is outside of the Israeli borders, report immediately to:

* All calls will be treated in confidence

Publish on Israeli website : wanted.org.il 

FULL SPEECH of Barack Obama on Inauguration Day 2009

Barack Obama's Speech after swearing in.

Barack Obama is the forty-fourth and current President of the United States of America. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama was the junior United States Senator from Illinois from January 3, 2005, until his resignation on November 16, 2008, following his election to the presidency. He was sworn in as the forty-fourth President of the United States on January 20, 2009, in an inaugural ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. He worked as a community organizer, and practiced as a civil rights attorney in Chicago before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. He also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, Obama was elected to the Senate in November 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004.

As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, Obama helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During the 110th Congress, he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for U.S. military personnel returning from combat assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

source : youtube

Meanwhile, George W. Bush, who became the "former" US President whose term was among the worst, left the White House for the last time as US president Tuesday, accompanying his successor Barack Obama to Capitol Hill for Obama's inauguration. Obama and Bush arrived at Congress 10 minutes later, on the final countdown to the Democrat's historic inauguration as the first black US president.

Following the ceremony, Bush left the Capitol by helicopter for Andrews Air Force base just outside Washington and from there head back to his native Texas aboard a US Air Force jet.
source : al Manar

Paul: No such thing as an independent Israel

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 14:03:57 GMT | Courtesy : PressTV By Jihan Hafiz, Press TV, Washington

Former US presidential candidate Ron Paul The following is an exclusive Press TV interview with US congressman Ron Paul, a unique conservative politician who wants an end to US military presence on foreign soil, advocates US withdrawal from the UN, NATO and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and opposes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Ron Paul, House representative of the 14th district of Texas, believes that US foreign policy must be reformed to avoid conflicts around the world. The interview was conducted outside the Foreign Relations Committee. Press TV: What is your opinion on the idea of the US blocking Iran's oil exports and preventing its gasoline imports from reaching the country (based on H. Con. Res. 362 previously sought by US congressmen)? Paul: I think it is an outrage I think it is a blockade. It is the use of force to stop the inflow of petroleum products and people and goods, banking, trains, cars, trucks, cargos. It's all prohibited. How can we stop that without the use of the navy and without the use of force? This idea is not a blockade it is just pure silliness on their part [US senators and congressmen]. If we bomb them, that's the start of hostilities. They (US policy makers) are never willing to take anything off the table, which includes a nuclear-first strike. So, if they do that do you think the Iranians are going to sit still? They are going to react! The opposition said that, well, we don't want them to block the Strait of Hormuz [the Persian Gulf waterway which allows the passages of a third of the world's daily oil supply]. They ought to change their policy because they are more likely to get the Strait of Hormuz blocked if we persist on this. If we do any bombing or we put on a blockade, it's going to lead to big trouble. Press TV: There has been a lot of speculation that Israel may act on its own and conduct an independent air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Do you think that's possible? Paul: I don't think there is such a thing as an independent Israel doing anything, because I think no matter what they do its our money, its our weapons, and their not going to do it without us approving it and if they get into trouble we're going to bail them out, so there is no separation between the two. Press TV: During your line of questioning at the Foreign Relations Committee you mentioned the Seymour Hersh article, which was among the articles that revealed that the Congress had awarded the Bush administration hundreds of millions of dollars for a covert operation to overthrow the Iranian government. Why did you mention those stories? Paul: Well it's something that I have known about and heard about and it does go on. It goes on all around the world. To me it was a surprise that it was news, because we have been doing that and people do talk about it. I think it's an outrage. How would we react if somebody did it to us? We would be infuriated, willing to go to war. The fact that somebody came and tried to undermine our government.

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SIR Gerald Kaufman, the veteran Labour MP,UK - On Israel & Gaza Massacre

Text : I was brought up as an orthodox Jew and a Zionist. On a shelf in our kitchen, there was a tin box for the Jewish National Fund, into which we put coins to help the pioneers building a Jewish presence in Palestine. 

I first went to Israel in 1961 and I have been there since more times than I can count. I had family in Israel and have friends in Israel. 

One of them fought in the wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973 and was wounded in two of them. The tie clip that I am wearing is made from a campaign decoration awarded to him, which he presented to me. 

I have known most of the Prime Ministers of Israel, starting with the founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Golda Meir was my friend, as was Yigal Allon, Deputy Prime Minister, who, as a general, won the Negev for Israel in the 1948 war of independence. 

My parents came to Britain as refugees from Poland. Most of their families were subsequently murdered by the Nazis in the holocaust. My grandmother was ill in bed when the Nazis came to her home town of Staszow. A German soldier shot her dead in her bed. 

My grandmother did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza. The current Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploits the continuing guilt among Gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians. The implication is that Jewish lives are precious, but the lives of Palestinians do not count. 

On Sky News a few days ago, the spokeswoman for the Israeli army, Major Leibovich, was asked about the Israeli killing of, at that time, 800 Palestinians-the total is now 1,000. She replied instantly that "500 of them were militants." 

That was the reply of a Nazi. I suppose that the Jews fighting for their lives in the Warsaw ghetto could have been dismissed as militants. 

The Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni asserts that her government will have no dealings with Hamas, because they are terrorists. Tzipi Livni's father was Eitan Livni, chief operations officer of the terrorist Irgun Zvai Leumi, who organized the blowing-up of the King David hotel in Jerusalem, in which 91 victims were killed, including four Jews. 

Israel was born out of Jewish terrorism. Jewish terrorists hanged two British sergeants and booby-trapped their corpses. Irgun, together with the terrorist Stern gang, massacred 254 Palestinians in 1948 in the village of Deir Yassin. Today, the present Israeli government indicates that they would be willing, in circumstances acceptable to them, to negotiate with the Palestinian President Abbas of Fatah. It is too late for that. They could have negotiated with Fatah's previous leader, Yasser Arafat, who was a friend of mine. Instead, they besieged him in a bunker in Ramallah, where I visited him. Because of the failings of Fatah since Arafat's death, Hamas won the Palestinian election in 2006. Hamas is a deeply nasty organization, but it was democratically elected, and it is the only game in town. The boycotting of Hamas, including by our government, has been a culpable error, from which dreadful consequences have followed. 

The great Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban, with whom I campaigned for peace on many platforms, said: "You make peace by talking to your enemies." 

However many Palestinians the Israelis murder in Gaza, they cannot solve this existential problem by military means. Whenever and however the fighting ends, there will still be 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza and 2.5 million more Palestinians on the West Bank. They are treated like dirt by the Israelis, with hundreds of road blocks and with the ghastly denizens of the illegal Jewish settlements harassing them as well. The time will come, not so long from now, when they will outnumber the Jewish population in Israel. 

It is time for our government to make clear to the Israeli government that their conduct and policies are unacceptable, and to impose a total arms ban on Israel. 

It is time for peace, but real peace, not the solution by conquest which is the Israelis' real goal but which it is impossible for them to achieve. 

They are not simply war criminals; they are fools.