4 March 2010
John Simpson talks about the children with birth defects he saw in Fallujah
Doctors in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are reporting a high level of birth defects, with some blaming weapons used by the US after the Iraq invasion.
The city witnessed fierce fighting in 2004 as US forces carried out a major offensive against insurgents.
Now, the level of heart defects among newborn babies is said to be 13 times higher than in Europe.
The US military says it is not aware of any official reports showing an increase in birth defects in the area. >>>>>
'Systematic investigation' needed on Falluja birth defects
4 March 2010
BBC world affairs editor John Simpson has discovered is a high incidence of deformities among children in Falluja, the Iraqi city which was the scene of fierce fighting during the 2003 invasion. >>>>>
Iraq inquiry urged to challenge Brown
4 March 2010
A lawyer for relatives of troops killed in Iraq in lightly armoured trucks Thursday urged an inquiry into the war to challenge Gordon Brown on his funding of forces, a newspaper reported.
The appeal on the use of the vehicles, which critics say were vulnerable to roadside bombs used by Iraqi insurgents, came a day ahead of Brown's appearance before the probe into the 2003 US-led invasion.
Brown was chancellor of the exchequer at the time of conflict.
Jocelyn Cockburn, a lawyer acting for relatives killed in the vehicles, told The Times that answers must be provided about why complaints from frontline troops were not acted upon. >>>>>
Former Afghanistan commander accuses ministers over 'shameful' compensation for injured soldiers
04 Mar 2010 Soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan are being denied proper compensation following a "shameful" decision by Government ministers, a former commander of British forces discloses today
Colonel Richard Kemp
More than 100 soldiers severely wounded in the conflicts between 2001 and 2005 have received paltry payouts. The compensation is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds less than that paid to their colleagues injured later in the wars.
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Colonel Richard Kemp, the former Commander of British forces in Afghanistan, today accuses ministers of betraying their "moral obligations" towards those facing a lifetime of disability following their service. >>>>>
State Crimes Against Democracy
4 March 2010
New research in the journal American Behavioral Scientist (Sage publications, February 2010 {Abstract}
) addresses the concept of "State Crimes Against Democracy" (SCAD). Professor Lance deHaven-Smith from Florida State University writes that SCADs involve highlevel government officials, often in combination with private interests, that engage in covert activities for political advantages and power. Proven SCADs since World War II include McCarthyism (fabrication of evidence of a communist infiltration), Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (President Johnson and Robert McNamara falsely claimed North Vietnam attacked a US ship), burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist in effort to discredit Ellsberg, the Watergate break-in, Iran-Contra, Florida's 2000 Election (felon disenfranchisement program), and fixed intelligence on WMDs to justify the Iraq War.1 >>>>>
'State Department blocked Blackwater investigation'
Mar 3, 2010
A security official at the US Embassy in Iraq said he believes State Department colleagues tried to block any serious probe of the 2007 massacre of 17 Iraqi civilians by employees of the private military firm Blackwater.
According to a court testimony made public on Tuesday the official, David Farrington, told prosecutors that State Department officials handling evidence at the crime scene wanted to ensure the Blackwater guards would avoid punishment.
Also in Tuesday's testimony, Kenneth Kohl, the lead prosecutor in the case against Blackwater, said he had evidence that the inquiry into the affair was tainted. >>>>>
Britain's Brown To Appear Before Iraq Panel
March 4, 2010
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown testifies Friday before the Iraq Inquiry, a public panel in Britain taking evidence about the country's involvement in the Iraq war. Brown was finance minister when Britain went to war in Iraq. Steve Inskeep talks to Michael White, political editor at The Guardian, about the panel, which is expected to report its findings after a general election in June.
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