Violence sweeps northwest Pakistan in wake of Mehsud assassination
By James Cogan

The civil war between the US-backed government of President Asif Ali Zardari and Islamist and tribal militants is escalating in the wake of the August 5 assassination of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud by a US Predator drone in South Waziristan. The killing has been followed by a series of further Predator attacks, armed clashes, murders, bombings and rocket attacks across northwest Pakistan.

On Tuesday, three missiles fired by unmanned American drones slaughtered as many as 14 alleged militants in a village just seven kilometres from where Mehsud was killed. The US military has stepped up Predator flights over South Waziristan, calculating that the tribal and Taliban leadership will be holding meetings to determine who will replace Baitullah as the head of both the Mehsud tribe and the umbrella Islamist movement in the region, Tehrik-e-Taliban.

The Mehsud and the Taliban are carrying out sweeping retaliation for the killing of their leader, targeting tribes that have collaborated with the Islamabad government against them.
On Wednesday, as many as 1,000 Mehsud tribal fighters launched an assault on the stronghold of one rival, Turkistan Bhittani, in the South Waziristan town of Jandola. Fighting raged for several hours, with the Taliban using rockets and mortars to level as many as 40 houses.

Pakistani Army helicopter gunships and ground artillery had to be called in to drive off the attackers. At least 70 members of Bhittani’s militia were killed and scores more were wounded. Taliban losses are unknown but are believed to have been substantial. The military claims at least 15 militants were killed when its artillery destroyed three vehicles attempting to leave the area. READ MORE

US Still Paying Blackwater Millions
by JEREMY SCAHILL

Just days before two former Blackwater employees alleged in sworn statements filed in federal court that the company's owner, Erik Prince, "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," the Obama administration extended a contract with Blackwater for more than $20 million for "security services" in Iraq, according to federal contract data obtained by The Nation. The State Department contract is scheduled to run through September 3. In May, the State Department announced it was not renewing Blackwater's Iraq contract, and the Iraqi government has refused to issue the company an operating license.
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"They are still there, but we are transitioning them out," a State Department official told The Nation. According to the State Department, the $20 million represents an increase on an aviation contract that predates the Obama administration.

Despite its scandal-plagued track record, Blackwater (which has rebranded itself as Xe) continues to have a presence in Iraq, trains Afghan forces on US contracts and provides government-funded training for military and law enforcement inside the United States. The company is also actively bidding on other government contracts, including in Afghanistan, where the number of private contractors is swelling. According to federal contracting records reviewed by The Nation, since President Barack Obama took office in January the State Department has contracted with Blackwater for more than $174 million in "security services" alone in Iraq and Afghanistan and tens of millions more in "aviation services." Much of this money stems from existing contracts from the Bush era that have been continued by the Obama administration.

While Obama certainly inherited a mess when it came to Blackwater's entrenchment in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has continued the widespread use of armed private contractors in both countries. Blackwater's role may be slowly shrinking, but its work is continuing through companies such as DynCorp and Triple Canopy. READ MORE

African Muslims to launch parallel probe into Darfur conflict

The Muslim leaders from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said the independent investigations into the Darfur conflict would begin immediately as a way of finding Africa's homegrown solutions to its problems.

NAIROBI, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- African Muslim leaders on Monday launched parallel investigations into Sudan's restive

Darfur region where a six-year fighting has left thousands of people dead and millions others displaced.

Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, the Muslim leaders from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said the independent investigations into the Darfur conflict would begin immediately as a way of finding Africa's homegrown solutions to its problems.

"We undertaken to talk with the major parties to the conflict and its victims and open communication channels between them in order to find out the real issues and then give our collective advice as Muslims of the region," Sheikh Hammad Kassim Mazrui, the Chief Kadhi of Kenya told journalists.

Mazrui who led other Heads of the Islamic faith from the Great Lakes region said the team would also investigate the ramifications of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Africa with reference to the Darfur conflict.

"As religious leaders with extensive experience in peace making in other parts of the region, we must take a lead and initiate missions to bring peace in Darfur and the wider region, to the exclusion of undue external interference," Mazrui said.

Nigerian riot leader killed in northeast Borno state
Nigeria`s Islamic sect leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed during a gun battle on Thursday evening.

LAGOS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's Islamic sect leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed by Nigerian military force in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, on Thursday evening, according to the Nigerian military authority.

Mohammed Yerima, director of information of Nigerian Military Force, told Xinhua that the wanted sect leader Yusuf was killed during a gun battle on Thursday evening.

Nigeria's Television Authority (NTA) also reported that the sect head's body was recognized by local residents.

The sect leader, who stirred up the four-day riot in northeast Nigeria states, was said to have told his men never to retreat, but he caused about 300 deaths of his men in their gun fight against the military and police on Wednesday.

Nigeria's Borno State Governor Ali Sheriff vowed to catch Yusuf and bring punishment to him.

The military destroyed Yusuf's camp and conducted a house-to-house search to ensure that they cleared all his men hiding around the place.

Saleh Maina, military officer commanding of three Armored Division, said the army and the police had taken over the area, noting that there was no escape route for Yusuf and his men.
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Majority of Americans now oppose Afghan war: poll
BY JOHN BYRNE

Support ‘cratering’ among liberals

On the eve of Afghanistan’s historic presidential election, a newly released poll shows Americans’ support for the war is fading.

Among liberals, the decline in support is even faster — support for the war among progressives has plummeted 20 percent since January.

The eight year conflict, which began after the US routed the Taliban from the country in 2001, has bogged down American forces and resulted in hundreds of servicemember deaths. In recent months, the Taliban have seen resurgent success. A US effort to capture Osama Bin Laden has failed.

Only a quarter of Americans say more US troops should be sent to the battle zone. Obama’s new commander for Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, has hinted that he may need more troops to beat back insurgent forces.

“When it comes to the baseline question, 42 percent of Americans say the United States is winning in Afghanistan; about as many, 36 percent, say it is losing,” the Washington Post’s Jennifer Agiesta and Jon Cohen write Thursday. “The new poll comes amid widespread speculation that Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, will request more troops…That position gets the backing of 24 percent of those polled, while nearly twice as many, 45 percent, want to decrease the number of military forces there.”

Obama recently sent 17,000 more troops to the region. Critics of Bush Administration policy say the war effort suffered as a result of diverting tens of thousands of troops to Iraq from Afghanistan. READ MORE

Holt on anthrax mailings: Investigate the investigators
BY DANIEL TENCER

Until the US holds a “broader inquiry” into the investigation of the 2001 anthrax mailings, US House Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) won’t be satisfied that there isn’t a mass killer on the loose in his home town.

Holt — whose 12th Congressional district of New Jersey includes a postal facility from which some of the anthrax letters were mailed during the 2001 biological terrorism scare — says that the FBI “suffers from a credibility gap” because of the many mistakes made by the bureau during its long investigation into the first serious case of biological terrorism on American soil.

“If the technical and scientific procedures [used by the FBI] are as flawed as the non-technical procedures, they certainly deserve a look,” the Frederick, Md., News-Post quoted Holt as saying.

At the FBI’s request, the National Academy of Sciences has convened a 15-member panel to review the scientific soundness of the FBI’s eight-year-long investigation into the anthrax mailings. According to Elie Dolgin at Nature magazine, the FBI believes the scientific review of its own investigation to be “unprecedented.” READ MORE

U.S. - Insane Food Bill 2749 Passes House On 2nd Try. HR 2749: Totalitarian Control Of Our Food Supply
By A collective of food-farm citizens
Farm Wars

A new food safety bill is on the fast track in Congress-HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The bill needs to be stopped. HR 2749 gives FDA tremendous power while significantly diminishing existing judicial restraints on actions taken by the agency. The bill would impose a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme on small farms and local artisanal producers; and it would disproportionately impact their operations for the worse. HR 2749 does not address underlying causes of food safety problems such as industrial agriculture practices and the consolidation of our food supply. The industrial food system and food imports are badly in need of effective regulation, but the bill does not specifically direct regulation or resources to these areas.

To read a detailed account of the bill, go to The Farmer-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (Read the section on tracing. That is NAIS, isn't it? highly disguised yet triggered by the word "trace." )

Alarming Provisions: Some of the more alarming provisions in the bill are:

* HR 2749 would impose an annual registration fee of $500 on any "facility" that holds, processes, or manufactures food. [isn't this every home in the US, every garden?] Although "farms" are exempt, the agency has defined "farm" narrowly. [What is the definition?] And people making foods such as lacto-fermented vegetables, cheeses, or breads would be required to register and pay the fee, which could drive beginning and small producers out of business during difficult economic times. [Yes. There are laws against this corporate-size-destroys-the-little-guy policy, aren't there? Are home bread or cheese or lacto-fermented vegetable makers who make for their own families included in this?] READ MORE

Venezuela's Chavez to visit Iran: report
www.chinaview.cn

TEHRAN, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan Ambassador to Tehran David Velasquez Caraballo said on Tuesday that President Hugo Chavez is to visit Tehran soon, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Chavez will make a two-day visit to Tehran in the first week of September, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Referring to the U.S. plots against Venezuela and its South

American allies, Caraballo said "the United States does not want South American states to lean towards the East," said Fars.

"We want peace but we are fully prepared to confront potential attacks in a bid to prevent developments like U.S.-Colombia military agreement," Fars quoted Caraballo as saying.

Chavez and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have both described themselves as opponents to the U.S. imperialism on the world stage.

The Venezuelan president has developed strong ties with the government of Iran, in particular in energy production, economic, and industrial cooperation. He has visited Iran several times since Ahmadinejad took office in 2005.

According to Caraballo, President Chavez will also make a tour to Russia, Libya and Syria.
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Israel Seeks to Block Iran Relations in South America
Zionist FM Avigdor Lieberman tells Latin American nations who not to be friends with

By MATTI FRIEDMAN
Associated Press Writer

(AP) -- Israel's foreign minister is heading to South America on a mission partly aimed at stemming Iranian "infiltration" on the continent, a senior diplomat said Monday.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's 10-day visit to Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Colombia comes at a time of rising Iranian influence in Latin America.

Venezuela and Bolivia have close ties to Iran, and Israeli and U.S. officials have expressed concern about Islamic militant activities, some of them connected to Iran, in the lawless region where the borders of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet.

The visit is meant to "emphasize the high importance the Foreign Ministry ascribes to Latin America," a statement from the ministry said.

Iran underscored its interest in the region on Monday when the country's ambassador to Brazil, Moshen Shaterzadeh, announced President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Brazil on his first foreign trip since winning election. He did not give a date.

Lieberman was set to leave late Monday. During his trip, Lieberman will tackle the Iranian issue with South American leaders, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said, and chiefly the activities of the Iranian-backed Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.

"Israel, along with many others, is concerned about Iran's infiltration into Latin America, primarily through Hezbollah, and this will definitely be an issue discussed between the Israeli foreign minister and his counterparts," Ayalon said. READ MORE

The Secrets of China's Economy: The Government Owns the Banks rather than the Reverse
by Ellen Brown
Global Research

“The banks -- hard to believe in a time when we’re facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created -- are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. They frankly own the place.” -- U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Democratic Party Whip, April 30, 2009

While the U.S. spends trillions of dollars to bail out its banking system, leaving its economy to languish, China is being called a “miracle economy” that has decoupled from the rest of the world. As the rest of the world sinks into the worst recession since the 1930s, China has maintained a phenomenal 8% annual growth rate. Those are the reports, but commentators are dubious. They ask how that growth is possible, when other countries relying heavily on exports have suffered major downturns and remain in the doldrums. Economist Richard Wolff skeptically observes:
We now have a situation in the world where we have a global capitalist crisis. Everywhere, consumption is down. Everywhere, people are buying fewer goods, including goods from China.

How is it possible that in that society, so dependent on the world economy, they could now have an explosive growth? Their stock market is now 100 percent higher than at its low -- nothing remotely like that hardly anywhere in the world, certainly not in the United States or Europe. How is that possible? In order to believe what the Chinese are saying, you would have to agree that in a matter of months, at most a year, no more, they have been able to transform their economy from an export-based powerhouse to a domestically focused industrial engine. Nowhere in the world has that ever taken less than decades.”

How can China’s stimulus plan be working so well, when ours is barely working at all? The answer may be simple: China has not let its banking system run roughshod over its productive economy. Chinese banks work for the people rather than the reverse. So says Samah El-Shahat, a presenter for Al Jazeera English who has a doctorate in economics from the University of London. In an August 10 article titled “China Puts People Before Banks,” she writes:

“China is the one leading economy where the divide – the disconnect between its financial sector and the world normal Chinese people and their businesses inhabit – doesn’t exist. Both worlds are booming again and this is due to the way the government handled its banks. China hasn’t allowed its banking sector to become so powerful, so influential, and so big that it can call the shots or highjack the bailout. In simple terms, the government preferred to answer to its people and put their interests first before that of any vested interest or group. And that is why Chinese banks are lending to the people and their businesses in record numbers.” READ MORE