LONDON'S TERROR

Instead of waking up to the hangover of too much Olympic partying July 7, London woke to a daisy chain of bomb blasts. Questions were immediately raised: The bombings were designed to punish the most loyal ally of the United States for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But why now? And why were the suicide bombers teenage British citizens whose involvement in the terror cell was unknown even to their own familes? Although the media focus is on religious extremism, the London bombings -- like 9/11, last year's attacks in Madrid and Bali -- are mainly political statements, say Muslim scholars. "It must be remembered that the bombings are a new phenomenon, tangentially connected with quasi- religious issues and carried out as a political reaction by people who have exaggerated notions of their own devotion to Islam," one Pakistani analyst says. There is also fear of blowback: "What has been happening in Afghanistan and Iraq is making terrorism more popular in Muslim countries -- though this could hurt Muslims far more in the end"

Britain Avoids Mention Of Iraqi Shadow Over Train Attacks England's "Homegrown" Terrorists Looked To Pakistan London Bombs Part Of Schism Between Extremist Groups After London Terror, The Old Question: Why Do They Hate Us? London's Olympic Euphoria Abruptly Turns To Nightmare London Blasts Attack "Heart" Of Europe European Jihadist Arrests Preceeded London Attack Arab Media Condemns London Terror Attacks London Attack Comes As Support For Bush Terror War Hits New Lows

UK Seeks To Build Archive Of Internet, Phone Records
Part of emergency EU anti-terror summit after London bombings

FBI Again Targets Political, Religious Dissidents, ACLU Says
FBI's conduct "eerily reminiscent" of Hoover's pursuit of alleged Reds

FBI Spying On American Critics, Papers Show
ACLU, Greenpeace, anti-war groups and Bush critics being watched

No Reprimand For General Behind Prisoner Abuse Policies
Army Reserve General Janice Karpinsky only officer ever punished

The Forgotten General Ousted For "Coddling" Prisoners At Gitmo
Sacked in 2002 for treating captives humanely

Gays Bring "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Lawsuit
2 others suits pending, including a case called Log Cabin Republicans vs. Bush

Air Force Academy Merely "Insensitive" To Non-Evangelicals, Pentagon Says
Solution is "generic prayer," says Air Force officer who headed task force

Film Traces Sick Ground Zero Workers Still Waiting For Aid
"I went down there to help," says one worker. "Now, it seems like I am one of the victims"

Poll: U.S. Wants Tough Standards For CAFTA Pact
2 of 3 want promise of no U.S. job loss, better standards for Latin workers
Job Massacre Coming At GM
General Motors plans to cut 25,000 jobs over the next three years

G8 SUMMIT WINNERS: FADING POP STARS - LOSERS: AFRICA

200,000 marched July 2 at the 'Make Poverty History" protest in Edinburgh, Scotland in advance of the G8 summit. (PHOTO: Indymedia/UK) Intense negotiations began straightaway on the first day of the Group of Eight summit -- not amongst the G8 leaders, but between pop stars and the heads of state. British officials -- who had clearly failed to convince officials from the other G8 countries to adopt radical and substantive agreements either on fighting poverty in Africa, or on measures to contain climate change -- had clearly resorted to pop diplomacy in a last-ditch attempt. Making matters worse is that the pop music activism has taken a turn for the meek. "Twenty years ago, (Live 8's) predecessor Live Aid was collecting money and was hoping to relieve poverty by buying food. The naivete of this approach was clearly visible, even back then," a G8 activist said. In 2005 the focus has changed. "We do not want your money, we want you," was the Live 8 organizers' slogan. "Live 8 has realized that sending money will not solve the problem, and instead it is appealing to the G8 leaders to solve it. But this approach is at least as naive"

Good News: Bob Geldof, Bono, Declare G8 Triumph London Terror Derails G8 Talks G8 Deal Opens Africa For West To Dump Cheap Goods G8 Offers Africa Little, And At A Steep Price Bush Denies G8 Summit A Climate Agreement G8 Summit Starts On Weak Foot With Pop Diplomacy Concerts Are 'Hijacking' G8 Protests, Activists Say Bush Throws Cold Water On G8 Global Warming Debate

39 KILLED IN YEMEN'S WORLD BANK RIOTS

At least 39 dead in Yemen protests

Yemen Quells Fuel Riots After 3 Days
Roads still blocked outside capitol

World Bank Forced Boost In Fuel Prices
Yemen doubled prices overnight without warning

Energy Price Riots In Poor Nation
Yemen demonstrators stone police, attack gov't offices

Bush Exaggerating Rise In African Aid
Aid boost only about one-sixth of amount Bush has claimed
Zimbabwe's Eviction of 700,000 Called Illegal, Catastrophic Injustice
Urban poor forced from their homes and shops

BLOOD AND OIL: BUSH AND DARFUR
Why has the Bush administration lobbied to weaken the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act? Why has the administration sought instead to cozy up to this bloodiest of regimes? Last spring, the CIA sent one of its own jets to Khartoum to fly none other than intelligence chief Gosh to meet with intelligence officials in Washington D.C. The official reason offered by the Bush administration? Sudan was proving a "valuable ally" in the war against terrorism. The real reason may lie with the oil money that has backed George W. Bush from early in his first campaign for president

U.S. Media Ignores Darfur Genocide, Report Shows
Michael Jackson received 50x more coverage in June

"Massacre" Charged In UN Raid On Haiti Slum
UN military officials says only gang members killed in escalating violence

Haiti Buried In Trash
Enormous piles of rubbish everywhere

Haitians Again Flee Country In High Numbers
Caribbean neighbors alarmed as refugees double since start of year

The Money Trap: Debt And Corruption
How did Nigeria and other countries fall into the present debt trap? Often loans and resources were obtained for white-elephant projects and went straight into the bank accounts of the nation's leaders

Afghanistan's War Criminals Holding Key Government Posts
Warlords move beyond regional stronghold to national control
Taliban Radio Back On The Air
"Voice of the Shari'a" heard in Afghanistan first time since 2001

Analysts See Iran Attack In The Cards
Former UN arms inspector Scott Ritter believes attack already underway

Smuggler Of Iraqi Refugees Jailed, But Controversy Lingers
Mysteries of 353 Iraqi asylum-seekers drowned en route to Australia in 2001

Bush's Iraq Speech Turned Facts Upside-Down
Echo of Vietnam War excuse: "If we don't fight them over there, we will have to fight them here"

Vietnam War Resisters Setup Toronto Office To Help Iraq War Deserters
15 American military service members have asylum requests pending

U.S. Army jeep destroyed by bomb, Vietnam 1968 - U.S. Army Humvee destroyed by bomb, Iraq 2004 "We must stay the course." That's what we heard year after year in Vietnam. It is inevitable that people who support the Woolsey bill will say it is right for U.S. to be out and it is better for Iraqis for U.S. to be out, not because the future is clear when we get out or that the future is peaceful when we get out or there will be no problems. In Vietnam we heard about a bloodbath of Catholics that would follow. That didn't happen, fortunately, but they didn't have a happy democratic future either. The point is that if we stay, the people we choose to run Iraq as collaborators will be subject to terrorism just as is happening now. We are the problem that unifies resistance forces

Iraq, Iran Move Closer
To dismay of U.S. neo-cons

GENERAL ABIZAID, I'M GLAD YOU ASKED                     by Col. Daniel Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.)

At the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings on June 23, General John Abizaid, head of Central Command, said, "Maybe it's something we're not doing right in the field... we better have a frank discussion with ourselves. I am not against the debate." Unfortunately, Abizaid and the public received no real discussion, no direction other than "stay the course" from the president on June 28. So let's start the conversation with Abizaid with an honest look at what we're doing in Iraq right now: Iraqis, having endured decades of oppression under Saddam Hussein's military, now face a new fear -- that the lessons being taught the new Iraqi army reflect not defense of the nation from enemies, but the art of occupation and oppression

CENTCOM commander Army Gen. John Abizaid

Food Shortages In Iraq
About 1 in 4 Iraqis completely dependent on public rations

Iraqi Women May Lose Rights Under New Constitution
Equal rights, "as long as it doesn't contradict sharia law"

Military Delays, Detours Make Driving In Iraq Frustrating
U.S. tanks driving over family cars a frequent complaint
Baghdad Hit By Water Crisis
Major pipeline to Baghdad sabotaged in June, July fire at water plant leads to acute shortages
Desperate Iraqis Sell Their Blood To Survive
As brokers intercept donors to buy blood directly for injured
Iraq's Poor Selling Kidneys On Black Market
Desperate, unemployed Iraqis selling organs for $2-3,000

Justice Groups Say Ongoing Payments To Kuwait Burden Iraq
"At what point will the Iraqi people no longer be penalized for the unjust act of the Saddam regime?"

U.S. Ignores Anti-American Past Of Leading Iraq Shiite Group
Linked to 1983 bombing of U.S. and French embassies in Kuwait, which killed 6

Iraq Political, Ethnic Squabbles Slow Democracy Efforts
Few signs of compromise as constitution draft deadline approaches
Baghdad Garbage Burned On The Streets
Besides burning toxic plastics, impromptu dumps appearing everywhere

Supreme Court Nominee Roberts A Cypher
Short time on Appelate Court, longer career defending government positions
Junk Food Hearing Turns Into Industry PR Event
2 out of 3 panelists picked by FTC linked to food or ad biz

Joe Conason: So Is Rove Out?
White House strategy: Split hairs that a pronoun differs from name

Plame Scandal Puts White House Under Siege
Stakes could not be higher as top officials face possible criminal indictments
Rove's Rage Doth Imperil Us All
Rove applied the rock 'em, sock 'em school of electoral politics onto life and death issues

Lobbyist Abuse Of Non-Profits Widespread
More than 100 lobbyists in same ethical gray area as Jack Abramoff
The Iowa Stranglehold
Democrats reconsider Iowa and New Hampshire's "perpetual privilege"

Joe Conason: Why Is Bush Silent On Plame Case?
Promised in 2003 he'd "get to the bottom of this"

Don Eberly, Architect Of Bush's Compassionate Conservatism
Behind the right's so-called family values agenda

Joe Conason: John Bolton, Man Of Danger
Besides lack of diplomacy, his State Dept. failures left world more dangerous

MEXICO NEWSPAPER UNDER SIEGE

Over 1000 marched in Oaxaca July 21 to demand the government intervene in the blockade of Noticias Since mid-June, reporters and editors for Noticias de Oaxaca, the largest circulation newspaper in the Mexican state, have been under siege by armed thugs. Local and state government officials, often charged with corruption by the newspaper, have refused to intervene. The latest crisis came July 21, when the offices were stormed by masked men believed to be plainclothes cops as state police stood by. Computers and telephones were smashed as reporters were dragged into the streets and beaten. Yet the paper continues to publish, despite the threats and logistical problems - editions are printed in another town and carted into Oaxaca, where even newspaper vendors are attacked and papers confiscated

Oaxaca Newspaper Stormed By Masked Men Noticias Reporter Describes Attack On Newspaper Besieged For Three Weeks, Mexico Journalists Keep Newspaper Running Mob Takes Over Mexico Newspaper, Holds Reporters

Killings Of Guatemala's Women Recalls Brutal Civil War
"Death to the bitches, I'm back" read a sign next to one of 1,700 women murdered in the past five years

Latin America Drifting Left, Maybe Out Of U.S. Control
Forecast of more hostile governments in 8 countries after next year's elections

Drop In India IQ Leads To Ban On Non-Iodized Salt
Ends "cottage salt" industry that Gandhi supported for self-sufficiency

Bush Welcomes India Into Nuclear Weapons Club
Unilateral move by Bush risks destabilizing Non-Proliferation Treaty

Pakistan To Open Special Schools For Child Ex-Camel Jockeys
After Arab ban on using boys as young as four in traditional sport

Israeli Soldiers Getting Away With Murder, Report Finds
Over 1,600 Palestinian civilians, including at least 500 children, killed 2000-2004

Nepal Civil War Forces Children Into Cities To Work
Many said they were forced to leave their villages due to threats from Maoists

In the local Communist Party building for the Ukranian village of Pripyat, portraits of once-prominent Politburo members lie scattered on the floor. There are empty chairs, books by Lenin, and posters bearing Communist slogans, all too radioactive to be taken away as souvenirs. Not far away is a ghostly amusement park, its large Ferris wheel a vivid shade of yellow, as though it had been painted yesterday. Erected just days before the April 26, 1986 disaster, it has never carried a single passenger. Pripyat lies about 12 miles from Chernobyl. Despite the risks, several hundred people still choose to live in the contaminated villages that dot the 30-kilometer exclusion zone surrounding the abandoned nuclear power plant

Pressure Grows On Bush Over Global Warming
Even Schwarzenegger confronts president: "The debate is over"
Track Rocket Propellant Cleanup, GAO Says
Major science coverup of Bush admin

Monsanto Allegedly Hid GM Research That Showed Health Risks
German court uncovers research that maize caused kidney damage in rats
Corn Ethanol Takes More Energy Than It Makes, Study Finds
As Congress debates requirement to double the amount of ethanol
Spend $100 Million Now To Prevent Bird Flu Pandemic, Experts Say
WHO warns Asian bird flu threatens pandemic that might kill millions
Just 5 Percent Of Power Plants Cause Much Of Air Pollution
And produce only 14 percent of electricity from major plants

Bioprospecting Moves To The Deep Sea
Great expense of exploring ocean depths restricts research to Big Pharma

U.S. Positioned To Control Most Oil In Central Asia
Deals with former Soviet republics seek to block out Russia, China

China Leaps Forward In "Game Of Empire"
Using the fear, resentment from American greed for oil to form alliances

A stamp with a black, Sambo-like cartoon character released by the Mexican government is a marker of the country's blindness toward its own racial ills

Thomas Friedman's Muslim Problem
Jihadism is not a "Muslim problem" any more than IRA bombings were a "Catholic problem"

Shooting the Messenger: Not the Time to Make a Stand for Journalism Ethics
Blowback as many Americans become angry with the press, not the government

Joe Conason: Judy Miller Vs. The Ethical Media
Honor comes late, reluctantly, and undeserved

Postage Stamp Highlights Mexico's Hidden Racism
Racism against dark-skinned people rarely acknowledged

Carter Tried To Stop Bush's Energy Disasters -- 28 Years Ago
Carter's solution systematically destroyed by Reagan, Bush I, and Dubya

Judith Miller, Anti-Hero
When you play with the devil, sometimes you get burned

MOLLY     IVINS Why The Mystery Over John Roberts? Union Upheaval Past Time For Some Reality Based Discourse GOP Attacks When The Attack-Meister Is Attacked Spinning The Rove Saddam's Body Count "Duke" Cunningham, Poster Boy Of Corruption Here's To Everybody Seizing Homes In The Name Of Progress Haven't We Had Enough Of Rove's Crap?