North American Secessionists Confront the Empire On December 13, a French-language television station in Belgium reported that the Flemish-speaking region of Flanders had declared its independence, spelling the end of Belgium as a nation-state. With pictures of the King and Queen fleeing the country and of trucks blocked at the new border, the report appeared authentic enough for the newspaper Le Soir to announce the next day that "Belgium Died Last Night." As it turns out, the report on t... (more)
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Wal-Mart stays open for searchLast Saturday afternoon, Eva Voorhees heard the clatter of feet on the roof of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Mitchell where she works in the photo department - but it wasn't the pitter-patter of reindeer.
It was the police looking for a bomb. Up front, police officers, the SWAT team and others were busy searching the store next to customers who were browsing for gifts. The police looked in jewelry counters, wrapping paper rolls, freezers, the back room where trucks unload and closet... (more)
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Saddam Execution To Be Videotaped(CBS/AP) A U.S. military officer tells CBS News that Saddam Hussein will be turned over to the Iraqi government within the next 36 hours. The officer expects that the Iraqis will execute their former leader before the start of the Eid religious holiday on Sunday, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.
Saddam's chief lawyer urged the United States on Thursday not to hand over the ousted leader to Iraqi authorities before his expected execution because he is ... (more)
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Israel admits it may have hit ambulanceTHE Israeli army has admitted its soldiers may have fired on a Red Cross ambulance during the war in Lebanon - an incident Foreign Minister Alexander Downer claimed was a hoax that had duped a gullible Australian and international media.
The claims centred on a controversial July 23 attack in southern Lebanon in which two Red Cross ambulances were destroyed, either by artillery or missiles - injuring at least six Lebanese, including one man whose leg was later amputated.
... (more)
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US to approve cloned meat The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will declare today that meat from cloned animals is safe to eat. A safety assessment released on Thursday is expected to approve the entry of products from genetically identical cattle and other livestock into the human food chain.
The FDA indicated which way the wind was blowing back in 2005. Now an article published by its scientists in the journal Theriogenology dated January 1 forms the scientific basis of the a... (more)
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Saddam's 'final message' urges Iraqis to unite against US In what may prove to be the final message from Saddam Hussein before his execution, the ousted dictator urged Iraqis to unite against the US and Iran and portrayed himself as a potential martyr.
"The enemies of your country, the invaders and the Persians, have found your unity a barrier between you and those who are now ruling you. Therefore, they drove their hated wedge among you," he said in a handwritten letter released by his lawyer yesterday.
"O faithful peopl... (more)
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The Truth About Where Your Donated Clothes End UpChristmas is one of those times of the year when many Americans clean out our closets and donate some of our used clothing to a charity. Perhaps we hope that Santa Clause will replace them with shiny new shirts, jeans, blouses and shoes. Or maybe we just want to do some good.
In New York City, AnnMarie Resnick told ABC News why her family donates clothing at Christmas time. "By the time my kids grow out of it," she said, "it is generally in good condition, and I want someone e... (more)
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Afghan child killed by NATO soldierAn Afghan child was shot and killed Wednesday when NATO forces opened fire on a car they believed was a threat.
The shooting happened about two kilometres outside the Kandahar airfield, the largest military base in southern Afghanistan.
NATO forces were travelling toward Kandahar City in a convoy when a vehicle was driving nearby. According to a statement released by NATO, the car "failed to heed warnings to stop."
A soldier then fired a shot that hit... (more)
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I spy - a pupil in the toiletsCHILDREN as young as four are being filmed in school toilets across Barking and Dagenham.
The Recorder has discovered a number of CCTV cameras have been installed in primary and secondary schools.
Officials at Barking and Dagenham Council claim there is no secrecy around the cameras, but have refused to disclose which schools are involved in the controversial scheme.
Council bosses have in the past vigorously defended pupils' identities and have even ... (more)
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A coming of age for the European currency On January 1, 2007, Europe celebrates the fifth anniversary of the launch of euro notes and coins by welcoming a thirteenth member of the eurozone – Slovenia, the tiny former Yugoslav republic. But the eurozone’s geographical expansion is modest in comparison with the rapid growth in euro notes in circulation within the region and beyond.
Earlier this month, the value of euro notes pushed through the €600bn (£402bn; $787bn) level – roughly double the ... (more)
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Wild Bees Reject Genetically Engineered Crop--Potential Major Impact on PollinationFrom Ecological Society of America Referring to a Sept. 2004 peer-reviewed article
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada
Abstract. The ecological impacts of agriculture are of concern, especially with genetically modified and other intensive, modern cropping systems, yet little is known about effects on wild bee populations and subsequent implications for pollination. Pollination... (more)
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Single Gene Could Lead to Long Life, Better Mental FunctionIf you live to 100, as roughly one in every 10,000 people do, you will likely want both your mind and body intact. Researchers have now discovered a gene that accomplishes just that, apparently protecting the brain as well as prolonging life.
The Longevity Genes Project, initiated by Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, investigates people who live exceptionally long lives.
"There's a strong family histor... (more)
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Anonymous testimony pushes limitsIn three current high-profile criminal cases, federal prosecutors have asked that the identities of Israeli government witnesses be withheld from defendants and their attorneys -- a move some legal scholars see as a highly unusual end run around the 6th Amendment.
Defense attorneys in all three cases have argued, with mixed results, that allowing U.S. prosecutors to keep the witnesses' identities secret -- as demanded by Israel to protect its agents -- violates their clients' cons... (more)
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Five Years of Infamy: Close Guantanamo!On January 11, 2002, the first detainees from Afghanistan arrived at the prison in the US Naval Base, Guantanamo, Cuba. In the succeeding five years, Guantanamo has symbolized to the world the Bush administration's abandonment of international and domestic law, and the development of a policy of inhumane treatment and use of torture. These claims have been linked to military and CIA operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and in an unknown number of secret prisons.
More than 775 detai... (more)
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It smells like cake, but it just might be a bio-weaponThe "Dresdner Stollen," a Christmas treat made exclusively in the eastern German city, has its supporters around the world. But anti-terrorism laws in the US make it harder for Americans to get their fruitcake fix.
In its 550-year existence, the Dresdner Stollen has become a regular part of German Christmases as well as those of other people around the world. But none of its bakers is willing to cough up the cake's recipe.
"It has to be partially handmade and have a... (more)
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Japan Passes Landmark Patriotism LawsTOKYO - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government on Friday successfully pushed through landmark laws requiring Japanese schools to encourage patriotism in the classroom and elevating the Defense Agency to the status of a full ministry for the first time since World War II.
Both measures are considered cornerstones of Abe's conservative agenda to bolster Japan's military status and rebuild national pride in a country that had long associated patriotism with its imperialist past. The ... (more)
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The Rape of Iraq Let's stop using the word war to describe our action in Iraq. While it is terribly true that we are killing and maiming and destroying and being killed and maimed and morally destroyed we should shelve the word war. It constructs a righteous cause and compels a rhetoric of winning. Winning sets figures of contest and domination and triumph and prevailing victory and honoring those who died in the cause, "We are committed to winning. It is our only ... (more)
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US tries to assure allies that extraordinary renditions are over The US is telling its overseas allies that it has stopped "extraordinary renditions" and needs their help to empty Guantánamo's prison cells. But human rights groups dispute this assertion and a question mark hangs over 200 "war on terror" detainees who could be held indefinitely without trial.
European diplomats say Washington is reacting to pressure from parliamentary investigations, lawsuits from former prisoners, and calls by friendly governments, including the UK, to ... (more)
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Gerald Ford's Role in the JFK Assassination Cover-Up Members of the Warren Commission present their report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
L-R: John McCloy, J. Lee Rankin (General Counsel), Senator Richard Russell, Representative Gerald Ford, Chief Justice Earl Warren, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Allen Dulles, Senator John Sherman Cooper, and Representative Hale Boggs. Credit: LBJ Library photo by Cecil Stoughton
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 22 1963, in Dallas's downtown Dealey Plaza, a large... (more)
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Afghan heroin supply on rise across AmericaLOS ANGELES - The amount of high-quality heroin throughout America is surging because of an increasing supply from Afghanistan, and with it the fear that record-breaking poppy harvests after the U.S. invasion are fueling more addictions and overdose deaths back home.
Heroin-related deaths in Los Angeles County soared from 137 in 2002 to 282 in 2004 before dropping to 239 in 2005, still a jump of nearly 75 percent in three years, a period when other factors contributing to overdos... (more)
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Killing children is no longer a big dealMore than 30 Palestinian children were killed in the first two weeks of Operation Days of Penitence in the Gaza Strip. It's no wonder that many people term such wholesale killing of children "terror." Whereas in the overall count of all the victims of the intifada the ratio is three Palestinians killed for every Israeli killed, when it comes to children the ratio is 5:1. According to B'Tselem, the human rights organization, even before the current operation in Gaza, 557 Palestinian minors (below... (more)
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The shocking truth about the baby factoriesThis is the first picture of the British woman with the Romanian baby she stole. And as this investigation reveals, countless other children are being bred to order in Mafia-run baby farms:
The Baby Factory is run with brutal efficiency. As soon as an order has been placed, a woman is chosen to produce a baby. Only the beautiful girls are selected to join the production line.
The customers will, the owners of the factory know all too well, pay a higher price for an ... (more)
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Rumsfeld denies making claims Iraq had WMDsWASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld tried to rewrite history last week when he denied making prewar claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
Rumsfeld's latest effort at backtracking on his prewar statements came Thursday at a contentious public forum in Atlanta when he faced a handful of hecklers and an anti-war questioner in the audience, who charged that he had lied about Saddam having weapons of mass destruction, which was President Bush's chief r... (more) SEC. RUMSFELD: Not at all. If you think -- let me take that, both pieces -- the area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forces control is substantial. It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.
Secretary Rumsfeld Remarks on ABC "This Week with George Stephanopoulos", Sunday March 30, 2003, as posted on the Department of Defense website |
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ID card call to 'stop bullying' All secondary pupils in Scotland should be given ID cards in an effort to stamp out bullying, according to a teaching union.
The Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) says many schools already have card systems in place for school lunches and libraries.
It believes adding a picture would stop pupils missing meals because they have been bullied into handing over cards.
However, the Green Party described the proposal as "deeply troubling".... (more)
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Yes, oil from Venezuela THERE'S BEEN a lot of controversy lately over whether Citizens Energy Corp. should distribute -- and the poor should accept -- discount heating oil from Venezuela while that country is under the leadership of President Hugo Chávez.
But those who have no problem staying warm at night should not condemn others for accepting Venezuela's oil. Rhetoric means little to an elderly woman who has to drag an old cot from her basement to sleep by the warmth of the open kitchen stov... (more)
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