Palestina/Izrael:
Nine Palestinians Detained in Hebron Area During Night Raids
9 Palestinaca uhićeno na hebronskom području tijekom noći (16. prosinac 2010.)
Izraelska je vojska u svojoj izjavi objavila da svu devetoricu uhićenih "sumnjiči da su teroristi", te naglasila da je u domu jednog od osumnjičenika tijekom pretresa pronađeno oružje, uključujući 1 sačmaricu. Palestinski sigurnosni izvori navode da su se uhićenja dogodila u mjestima Adh-Dhahiriya, Dura, te selu Surif. Među uhićenima je i 1 zaposlenik Prekršajnog suda u Betlehemu. Guverner Hebrona, Kamil Hamid, osudio je uhićenja. U odvojenom incidentu izraelski su kolonisti napali 1 pastira iz Nablusa i ubili 1 njegovu ovcu.
Israel Approves the Construction of New Settlements Near Beit Orot Yeshiva
Izrael odobrio izgradnju u ilegalnom kolonističkom naselju Beit Orot u istočnom Jeruzalemu (16. prosinac 2010.)
Buldožeri su u utorak, 14. prosinca, započeli s radom na infrastrukturi u okolici ješive u izraelskom ilegalnom kolonističkom naselju Beit Orot u okupiranom Istočnom Jeruzalemu. Navodno izraelske vlasti na tom području planiraju izgraditi 3 trokatne stambene zgrade s 8 domova. Gradnja bi trebala biti dovršena za godinu dana.
In A Letter Send To Turkish PM; Likud MK Says Israel Should Have Killed All Marmara Passengers
Knessetski zastupnik iz stranke Likud u pismu turskom premijeru žali što izraelska vojska nije ubila sve putnike na brodu Mavi Marmara (15. prosinac 2010.)
Izraelski su izvori u srijedu, 15. prosinca, objavili da je knessetski zastupnik stranke Likud, Dani Dannon, turskom premijeru Erdoganu poslao sarkastično pismo u kojem je izrazio žaljenje što izraelski vojnici nisu ubili sve putnike na brodu Mavi Marmara koji je u Pojas Gaze namjeravao dostaviti humanitarnu pomoć. Dannon je napisao da mu je žao što su vojnici bili vrlo disciplinirani i da su ubili samo 9 aktivista. Dodao je da bi vojnici dobili naredbu da ubiju sve koji prijete njihovoj sigurnosti, da su unaprijed znali da se na brodu nalaze "teroristi". Izraelski premijer Netanyahu je pak u međuvremenu demantirao glasine da Izrael namjerava platiti odštetu obiteljima 9 ubijenih turskih aktivista. Netanyahu je u ponedjeljak, tijekom sastanka njegove stranke Likud, izjavio da Izrael s Turskom pregovara s ciljem da Turska odustane od podizanja tužbi protiv izraelskih vojnika koji su sudjelovali u napadu i dodao da bi bilo kakva službena isprika ili isplata odštete Ankari olakšala podizanje tužbi protiv izraelskih vojnika.
Ostalo:
Wikileaks Mirrors
Wikileaks is currently mirrored on 2194 web sites
The Inhumane Conditions of Bradley Manning's Detention
Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime. Despite that, he has been detained at the U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia for five months -- and for two months before that in a military jail in Kuwait -- under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture. Interviews with several people directly familiar with the conditions of Manning's detention, ultimately including a Quantico brig official (Lt. Brian Villiard) who confirmed much of what they conveyed, establishes that the accused leaker is subjected to detention conditions likely to create long-term psychological injuries.
John Pilger: Global Support for WikiLeaks is "Rebellion" Against U.S. Militarism, Secrecy
The award-winning investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger is one of many high-profile public supporters of Julian Assange and his organization WikiLeaks. Pilger has attended Assange's court proceedings in London and has offered to contribute funds for his more than $300,000 bail. Pilger's latest film, The War You Don't See, includes interviews with Assange. Pilger says that WikiLeaks is revolutionizing journalism and galvanizing public opinion to stand up to global elites.
Afghan civilian killed, children hurt in NATO strike
NATO aircraft accidentally killed an Afghan civilian and wounded two children, the coalition said on Wednesday, the latest incident involving civilian casualties which have strained ties between Kabul and Washington. In a separate incident, three Afghan children were killed and nine people seriously wounded by a car bomb in volatile Kandahar province, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. ... Violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001, with military and civilian casualties at record levels. ... A mid-year report by the United Nations said the overall number of insurgency-related civilian casualties had risen by 31 percent in the first six months of 2010 compared with the same period the previous year. According to the U.N. report, 1,271 civilians were killed from January to June, a 21 percent rise on 2009. At least three-quarters of those deaths were attributed to the Taliban and other insurgents. ... Foreign military casualties stand at 693 for the year, by far the worst yearly toll of the war, according to figures kept by monitoring website www.iCasualties.org and Reuters. A total of 521 foreign troops died last year, when violence spiked after the launch of extensive operations against the Taliban in their southern strongholds.
Red Cross says Afghan conditions worst in 30 years
Spreading violence in Afghanistan is preventing aid organisations from providing help, with access to those in need at its worst level in three decades, the Red Cross said on Wednesday.
HRW: US: Don't Prosecute WikiLeaks Founder
The US government should not prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for releasing classified US State Department cables as this would imperil media freedom everywhere, Human Rights Watch said in a letter today to President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. Human Rights Watch urged the US government to reject overbroad interpretations of national security that clash with the freedom of expression guarantees of the US Constitution and international law.
Sweden's Serial Negligence in Prosecuting Rape Further Highlights the Politics Behind Julian Assange's Arrest
Well, I was in Norway in March of this year at a global gathering for women leaders on International Women's Day, and heard extensively from specialists in sex crime and victims' rights in Sweden. So I knew this position taken by the male-dominated US, British and Swedish media was, basically, horsesh-t. But none of the media outlets hyperventilating now about how this global-manhunt/Bourne-identity-chase-scene-level treatment of a sex crime allegation originating in Sweden must be 'normative' has bothered to do any actual reporting of how rape -- let alone the far more ambiguous charges of Assange's accusers, which are not charges of rape but of a category called 'sex by surprise,' which has no analog elsewhere -- is actually prosecuted in Sweden. Guess what: Sweden has HIGHER rates of rape than other comparable countries -- including higher than the US and Britain, higher than Denmark and Finland -- and the same Swedish authorities going after Assange do a worse job prosecuting reported rapes than do police and the judiciary in any comparable country. And these are flat-out, unambiguous reported rape cases, not the 'sex by surprise' Assange charges involving situations that began consensually. Indeed, the Swedish authorities -- who are now being depicted as global feminist sex-crime-avenger superheroes in blue capes -- were shamed by a 2008 Amnesty International report, "Case Closed", as being far more dismissive of rape, and far more insulting to rape victims who can be portrayed as 'asking for it' by drinking or any kind of sexual ambiguity -- than any other country in their comparison group. As Amnesty International put it in a blistering attack: "Swedish Rapists Get Impunity."
US air force blocks staff from websites carrying WikiLeaks cables
The US air force has blocked employees from accessing the websites of the Guardian, the New York Times and other news organisations carrying the WikiLeaks US embassy cables. At least 25 sites that have posted WikiLeaks files had been barred, said Major Toni Tones of the US air force's space command in Colorado. Tones said the action was taken in accordance with a policy that "routinely blocks air force network access to websites hosting inappropriate materials". ... While the US defence department has issued orders against visiting WikiLeaks or downloading classified documents from the site, it has not ordered a blanket ban on visiting news organisations reporting on the contents of the classified cables. ... The air force's move follows instructions by the government that staff should not access the cables, with the Library of Congress instituting a bar on accessing WikiLeaks's website. One member of the US armed forces could be celebrated for his part in the WikiLeaks drama. Berkeley city council is considering a resolution in support Bradley Manning, the army private accused of releasing the documents.
WikiLeaks: Swedish government 'hid' anti-terror operations with America from Parliament
The secret cables, seen by The Daily Telegraph, disclose how Swedish officials wanted discussions about anti-terrorism operations kept from public scrutiny. They describe how officials from the Swedish Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a "strong degree of satisfaction with current informal information sharing arrangements" with the American government. Making the arrangement formal would result in the need for it to be disclosed to Parliament, they said.
Violent clashes erupt in Italy after Berlusconi survives no-confidence vote
Clashes erupt amid Greek protest
Striking public and private sector workers in Greece have grounded flights, shut down schools and paralysed public transport. Clashes erupted between police and protesters in Athens, the Greek capital, as demonstrations take place against a new wave of austerity measures. Greek police fired teargas at protesters who threw petrol bombs at two hotels in a square outside parliament, setting one balcony alight while others set cars ablaze. Windows of shops and a private college were smashed by rock-throwing youth who also set fire to piles of garbage that had accumulated in the city centre due to rolling strikes by municipal rubbish collectors. Protesters broke off pieces of marble from balustrades which they used as projectiles to attack riot officers. Police said nine people were arrested and another 11 detained, while three were injured. An estimated 15,000 people turned out at Syntagma Square on Wednesday, police said, hours after parliament approved a bill that will cut the salaries in public utilities. A former conservative minister was attacked by a group of about 200 activists with sticks and stones. Kostis Hatzidakis sought refuge in a nearby building with his face covered in blood, a witness said. The government condemned the attack, saying that Greek democracy "cannot be muzzled or terrorised." Another 20,000 people joined a protest in the northern city of Thessaloniki earlier in the day, which also resulted in violence when youths hurled firebombs at a central government building and vandalised several banks and stores. ... Wednesday's action comes as workers prepare to rally against austerity measure in other European countries on Wednesday, including Spain, France and the UK. In Brussels, the Belgian capital, hundreds of protesters formed a human chain around the European Commission to denounce spending cuts undertaken by governments across the region. Up to 300 people circled the glass building, holding banners reading "no to austerity, priority to jobs" and "no cuts to public spending".
Failure, Not Progress, in Afghanistan
At least 874 American troops have been killed in the war so far this year, compared to 317 for all of 2009. In the NATO hospital near Kandahar, doctors performed a major amputation once every other day in September. These statistics go hand-in-hand with the huge rise in civilian casualties, which number some 2,400 this year so far, according to the Campaign for Innocent Civilians in Conflict.
Poll: War in Afghanistan Now as Unpopular as Iraq, Obama Should Focus on Withdrawal Over Deficit
A new ABC News-Washington Post poll finds that a record 60 percent of Americans now think the war has "not been worth fighting" — a more than 20-point increase since President Obama's election two years ago.
