Afghan mineral wealth story raises eyebrows over timing
JIM.LOBE WASHINGTON (IPS/GIN) - The timing of the publication of a major New York Times story on the vast, untapped mineral wealth that lies beneath Afghanistan's soil is raising major questions about the intent of the Pentagon, which released the information. Given the increasingly negative news that has come out of Afghanistan–and of U.S. strategy there–some analysts believe the front-page...
Israel’s nuclear deal with apartheid South Africa
- (FinalCall.com) - Israeli President Shimon Peres denied reports May 24, that he offered to sell nuclear weapons to apartheid South Africa when he was defense minister in the 1970s. The Guardian newspaper of London published top-secret South African documents revealing that a secret meeting between then-defense minister Shimon Peres and his South African counterpart, P.W. Botha, ended with an...
CIA medics ran experiments on detainees, group charges
NEW YORK (IPS/GIN) - A major human rights organization claims it has uncovered evidence indicating that the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush conducted “illegal and unethical human experimentation” and research on detainees in CIA custody. The group, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), claims “the apparent experimentation and research appear to have been performed to provide legal...
Lawyers condemn detention without end or trial
/GIN NEW YORK (IPS/GIN) - A new U.S. government report is recommending that 48 men currently detained at Guantanamo Bay should be held indefinitely without trial because “for many of the detainees, there are no witnesses who are available to testify in any proceeding against them.” But authorities who follow the tortuous fortunes of Guantanamo say there is another...
Secret detention a problem around the world
/GIN GENEVA (IPS/GIN) - What was already an open secret, detentions in secret prisons in the fight against terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in the U.S., has been clearly documented in a report on these abuses that was discussed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. And despite the controversial nature of the report, debate on...
Critics blast U.S. for support of Israel after deadly attack on aid convoy to Gaza
CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) - Less than a week after a Gaza bound aid-convoy, the Freedom Flotilla, was raided by Israeli naval commandoes resulting in the death of several humanitarian workers, including one American, another international standoff looms as another ship headed to the region. That ship departed Ireland and was seized by Israel on June 5. The Freedom Flotilla consisted of...
U.S., Israel defy world outrage together
- WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - Even in the face of world condemnation of Israel over the killing of nine activists attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza May 31, President Barack Obama and his entire administration stood staunchly by the Jewish state, refusing to condemn to aggressive military tactics, and refused too join the international call for an independent investigation...
Is scholar linked to Sudanese rebel group?
(FinalCall.com) - Looking into the reasons for Dr. Hassan Al-Turabi's most recent arrest, his fifth since his falling out with President Omar Al-Bashir, analysis as always comes from different quarters: Political science professor at Al Neilein University Hassan Al-Sa'ori believes the detention is somehow connected to Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader Khalil Ibrahim's “failure to distort the...
Sudanese leader offers insight on politics, oil and Farrakhan
(FinalCall.com) - Prior to his recent arrest, The Final Call interviewed Dr. Hassan Al-Turabi, a Sudanese political leader, and discovered this constitutional scholar and Islamist, a former friend of President Omar Bashir and former House speaker in Sudan willing to openly and frankly speak his mind, not caring about possible consequences. As secretary general of the Popular Congress Party,...
Sudan election a good first step
-Contributing Writer- KHARTOUM, Sudan (FinalCall.com) - During two press conferences the recurring theme of European Union and Carter Center observers was, recently concluded Sudan elections “were not up to international standards”– but were a good first step for Africa's largest country. Meanwhile African Union chief Jean Ping hailed Sudan April 17 for “peacefully conducted” elections as Khartoum kicked off vote-counting...