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Congress sends last 2009 spending bill to Obama 10 Mar 2009 The Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress on Tuesday approved a $410 billion bill to fund most of the government through September 30, sending it to President Barack Obama despite Republican objections to the price tag... The bill also begins to roll back strict limits on travel and trade with Cuba -- a move Obama supports.



Guantanamo cases proceed despite Obama freeze --Military lawyers are still filing legal documents in other cases in anticipation that the Guantanamo 'trials' will resume as soon as Obama's freeze order expires on May 20. 10 Mar 2009 The Guantanamo war crimes trials remain officially frozen while U.S. President Barack Obama weighs how to proceed with the terrorism prosecutions but several of the cases are still very much in motion.



The chief judge in the Guantanamo court, Army Col. Stephen Henley, ordered the public release on Tuesday of a document in which five defendants boastfully repeated their claims of guilt in plotting the [Bush-Cheney] September 11, 2001 attacks. Top Obama officials meet to consider Gitmo detainees 09 Mar 2009 Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday called together several top administration officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, to consider what to do with the prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison.



The unannounced meeting of the Guantanamo Bay Detainee Review Task Force was convened at the Justice Department.Obama administration backs immunity for author of Bush torture memos By Patrick Martin 09 Mar 2009 In legal arguments before a federal court in San Francisco Friday,



The Obama administration stepped in to defend one of most notorious figures in the Bush administration, John Yoo, author of legal memoranda used to justify torture and indefinite detention without trial as part of the "war on terror." The intervention makes clear that the Obama administration opposes any serious effort to shed light on the attacks against democratic rights carried out by its predecessor or to hold any officials of the previous administration accountable for their actions.



US army brass prepare for quick getaway from Iraq 10 Mar 2009 US Military officials in Iraq have said they want a speedy withdrawal of most American troops by President Barack Obama's deadline at the end of August 2010. The second-ranking US military commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin, has said he expects to keep about 130,000 American troops in the country through the end of this year, when Iraq has a series of 'elections' planned, but then wants to make a quick exit.



Suicide attack in Baghdad kills 28 10 Mar 2009 A suicide bomber killed 28 people and wounded 28 others today during a tour by tribal leaders and security officials of a crowded market in western Baghdad, a security official said. Major-General Qassim Moussawi said the attack took place as the dignitaries, including army officers, toured a market in the Abu Ghraib district.



Some wounded soldiers 'punished for injuries' --Authorities hold sick, disabled troops to same standards as the able-bodied 10 Mar 2009 About 10,000 soldiers have been assigned to the Army's Warrior Transition units, created for troops recovering from injuries. Instead of gingerly nursing them back to health, however, commanders at Fort Bragg's transition unit readily acknowledge holding them to the same standards as able-bodied soldiers in combat units, often assigning chores as punishment for minor infractions.



Officials: Iran does not have key nuclear material 10 Mar 2009 Iran does not yet have any highly enriched uranium, the fuel needed to make a nuclear warhead, two top U.S. intelligence officials told Congress Tuesday, disputing a claim by an Israeli official.



U.S. National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Maples said Tuesday that Iran has only low-enriched uranium -- which would need to be refined into highly enriched uranium before it can fuel a warhead. Neither officials said there were indications that refining has occurred. Iran 'has no bomb-grade uranium' 10 Mar 2009 Iran has no weapons-grade uranium, US officials say, contradicting earlier reports by military commanders in Washington and Israel.



National Intelligence director Dennis Blair told US senators that Tehran had only low-enriched uranium, which would need processing to be used for weapons.Interpol examining case for arrest of 25 Israelis 10 Mar 2009 Interpol has confirmed that Iran has asked it for help in tracking down 25 senior Israeli officials involved in the recent war on Gaza.



Tehran Chief Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi announced earlier that Iran had asked Interpol to issue international arrest warrants for 25 Israelis charged with committing war crimes during Tel Aviv's Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. ICC prosecutor mulls 'Gaza war crimes' probe --Luis Moreno-Ocampo tells Argentinean newspaper he is considering launching investigation into Israel's alleged use of white phosphorus shells in densely-populated areas during recent offensive 08 Mar 2009 The chief prosecutor of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) announced he may launch an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes committed during its recent military offensive in Gaza. In the interview, published Sunday, Moreno-Ocampo said he was examining complaints filed by Palestinian Justice Minister Ali Kashan in January according to which Israel used incendiary white phosphorus shells in crowded civilian areas in Gaza, contrary to international law. 'We are giving you now 100 vehicles and all of their contents, and we make no apology for what I am about to say. We are giving them to the elected government of Palestine (Hamas).' Galloway:



No jury can convict me 10 Mar 2009 UK lawmaker George Galloway, one of the organizers of the Viva Palestina, says he will not be convicted for violating the EU sanctions on Gaza.



The 'Viva Palestina' convoy handed over more than 1.5 million pounds of humanitarian aid to the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. Galloway told Press TV that the Viva Palestina campaign has also nullified the sanctions imposed by the European Union on the Gaza Strip through distributing cash in the impoverished territory. British MP kisses Gaza ground --Convoy of vehicles carrying food, medicine, and toys travels 12,000 km to enter Gaza through Rafah 09 Mar 2009 A British convoy that embarked 24 days ago on a journey aimed at aiding the Palestinian people of Gaza was allowed into the Strip through the Rafah crossing Monday.



British MP George Galloway, who was among those entering Gaza, said the convoy was only the beginning of his battle, and reinforced his comment with a flamboyant kiss to the Gazan ground. U.S. spy chief says Afghan situation deteriorates 11 Mar 2009 The security situation is continuing to deteriorate in Afghanistan, the U.S. spy chief told Senators on Tuesday. Being asked about whether U.S. is losing the war in Afghanistan during a testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair didn't answer directly, but said the situation there "is decreasing, and that is a bad trend." U.S. Halted Some Raids in Afghanistan 10 Mar 2009



The commander of a secretive branch of America’s Special Operations forces last month ordered a halt to most commando missions in Afghanistan, reflecting a growing concern that civilian deaths caused by American firepower are jeopardizing broader goals there. The halt, which lasted about two weeks, came after a series of nighttime raids by Special Operations troops in recent months killed women and children, and after months of mounting outrage in Afghanistan about civilians killed in air and ground strikes.



China accuses US Navy of breaking the law 10 Mar 2009 China has escalated a spat with America, accusing an unarmed US Navy surveillance ship of illegally monitoring the Chinese coast. Washington had complained five small Chinese ships "shadowed and aggressively manoeuvred" near USNS Impeccable in international waters around 75 miles south of China's Hainan island on Sunday. The Chinese boats, which came within 25 feet of the US ship, were all small vessels, including a naval intelligence ship, a patrol vessel, a maritime fisheries boat and two fishing boats.Obama and US commander discuss military intervention in Mexico By Bill Van Auken 10 Mar 2009 Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen briefed



President Barack Obama over the weekend on the so-called drug war in Mexico and the prospect of increased US military involvement in the conflict south of the border... In a telephone press conference conducted as he returned from Mexico, Mullen said that the Pentagon was prepared to help the Mexican military employ the same tactics that US forces have applied in counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan... In the first instance, this could mean the deployment of US manned surveillance aircraft as well as unmanned drones over Mexican territory. It could likewise suggest the deployment of Special Forces units or military "contractors." Obama's New York Times interview: Military aggression and attacks on democratic rights to continue By Barry Grey 10 Mar 2009 In an extensive interview conducted last Friday with the New York Times and published on Sunday,



President Barack Obama outlined policies on national security and foreign affairs that underscore the essential continuity between his administration and that of his predecessor, George W. Bush. The interview made clear that the new administration has embraced the basic political and ideological framework of the Bush administration to justify military aggression and illegality internationally and attacks on democratic rights within the United States--the so-called "global war on terror." Alleged sleeper agent appears in US criminal court 10 Mar 2009 Alleged al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] sleeper agent Ali al-Marri appeared in a U.S. court Tuesday to face terror charges for the first time after being held for more than five years as an enemy combatant. Al-Marri is charged with providing material support to terror and conspiracy and is expected to be sent to Illinois to enter a plea.



On Tuesday, he answered affirmatively when a federal magistrate asked the Qatar native whether he understood the counts against him. Candidate for top U.S. intel analyst withdraws 10 Mar 2009



The Obama administration's candidate for a top U.S. intelligence post withdrew from the running on Tuesday after some lawmakers protested about remarks he made in the past on Israeli "oppression" of Palestinians, and about China. The office of Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said Charles Freeman, who had been picked to head the National Intelligence Council, had asked not to proceed. U.K. Men From Birmingham Plead Guilty to Terrorism Offenses 09 Mar 2009 Four men from Birmingham in central England admitted terrorism offenses today following a police investigation into activities overseas.



Three of the men, Mohammed Nadim, Shabir Mohammed and Shahid Ali, were charged with "engaging in conduct with the intention of assisting in the commission of acts of terrorism," West Midlands Police said in an e-mailed statement.Madoff to Plead Guilty in Largest U.S. Ponzi Scheme 10 Mar 2009 Bernard Madoff, the New York money manager accused of leading the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history, will plead guilty later this week to 11 criminal charges, his lawyer told a federal judge. Madoff will admit he directed a fraud that prosecutors alleged began in the 1980s.



Statician says US joblessness near Depression highs 09 Mar 2009 The U.S. unemployment rate would be 19.1 percent, close to the level during the Great Depression, using the methodology that prevailed 80 years ago, according to Shadowstats.com. According to the official Labor Department figures, the jobless rate jumped to a 25-year high of 8.1 percent in February. Ranks of homeless kids climb 10 Mar 2009 In and out of classrooms, sleeping in shelters, shielded by parents, homeless children can seem invisible to society at large. A national study released Monday finds that one in 50 children in America is homeless.



They're sharing housing because of economic hardship, living in motels, cars, abandoned buildings, parks, camping grounds or shelters, or waiting for foster care placement. Heatwave deaths will quadruple in cities like London by end of the century, say climate experts 10 Mar 2009 Global warming will leave city dwellers sweltering and send heat-related deaths soaring, British scientists have warned. A study by researchers at King's College London and the Met Office predicts the number of heat-related deaths will quadruple in cities such as London by 2080.



Climate change must be tackled before global poverty, says Prince Charles 10 Mar 2009 The Prince of Wales has delivered a fierce attack on those who doubt climate change and said it must be tackled before world poverty... "How can we begin to address poverty if we haven't first ensured our planet is habitable?" he said. The Prince said Chile was witnessing "the terrifying effects of global warming, including the shrinking of nearly 90 per cent of your glaciers. Ladies and gentlemen, in the light of such evidence, and so much more from across the globe, I find it incomprehensible that there are those who doubt the science of climate change."



Mission Accomplished: Exxon aims for big role in Iraq's oil sector 09 Mar 2009 Exxon Mobil Corp is in constant dialogue with Baghdad to create the investment climate that would allow it to become a significant player in Iraq's energy sector,



Exxon's chief executive said on Monday. The world's largest publicly traded company is in the race for contracts to work on Iraq's biggest oilfields. UN accuses Britain of condoning torture --UK hid illegal acts and breached basic human rights of detainees in US rendition programme, report finds 09 Mar 2009 Britain has been condemned in a highly critical United Nations report for breaching basic human rights and "trying to conceal illegal acts" in the fight against terrorism. The report is sharply critical of British co-operation in the transfer of detainees to places where they are likely to be tortured as part of the US rendition programme.



The report accuses British intelligence officers of interviewing detainees held incommunicado in Pakistan in "so-called safe houses where they were being tortured".Don't Rely on Bush's Signing Statements, Obama Orders --Bush broke all records, using signing statements to challenge about 1,200 bill sections over his eight years in office. 10 Mar 2009 Calling into question the legitimacy of all the signing statements that former President [sic] George W. Bush used to challenge new laws,



President Obama on Monday ordered executive officials to consult with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. before relying on any of them to bypass a statute. But Mr. Obama also signaled that he intends to use signing statements himself if Congress sends him legislation that has provisions he decides are unconstitutional.