contributions

by Paul Rogers
As the court appearance of Saddam Hussein reinforces Iraq’s tense political and security situation, Israeli’s military assistance to the Iraqi Kurds adds a potent element to the precarious regional power-balance. The situation in Iraq is complex and dynamic. The many different developments now underway in the country are hard to track, let alone analyse. But three clear trends can be discerned that suggest the possible course of events in the coming months.
First, United (…)

The International organization "Save The Children" called on the Danish government to mediate immediately with the coalition forces in Iraq in order to release children detained in the Iraqi jails.
The chairman of the organization’s branch in Denmark ( Red Barnette ) Neals Hurdal said that some of those children were exposed to bad treatment and their basic rights were violated.
The call of the organization was made after a German TV station on Monday screened a documentary film talking (…)

By JIM KRANE
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The Iraq insurgency is far larger than the 5,000 guerrillas previously thought to be at its core, U.S. military officials say, and it’s being led by well-armed Iraqi Sunnis angry at being pushed from power alongside Saddam Hussein.
Although U.S. military analysts disagree over the exact size, dozens of regional cells, often led by tribal sheiks and inspired by Sunni Muslim imams, can call upon part-time fighters to boost forces to as high as 20,000 - an (…)

"I believe they were people who knew what they wanted. They had passed by the gypsum copy of the Black Obelisk. This means that they must have been specialists. They did not touch those copies." Dr. Dony George, Head of the Baghdad Museum.
By Ghali Hassan
"Information Clearing House" The American-led invasion and occupation of Iraq is an orchestrated and premeditated armed robbery. The widespread looting of the nation of Iraq, following the collapse of the Ba’athist regime, was not (…)

One thousand Tunisian lawyers say they are ready to defend ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in his trial for genocide and crimes against humanity.
Fawzi Bin Murad, president of the National Committee for Defending Saddam Hussein, said Wednesday "more than a thousand Tunisian lawyers are ready to travel to Baghdad to defend Saddam Hussein’s right for a fair trial and for defending himself properly."
He said a team from the Tunisian committee will travel to Amman, Jordan, soon to (…)

From the Los Angeles Times
A senior Defense Department official conducted unauthorized investigations of Iraq reconstruction efforts and used their results to push for lucrative contracts for friends and their business clients, according to current and former Pentagon officials and documents.
John A. "Jack" Shaw, deputy undersecretary for international technology security, represented himself as an agent of the Pentagon’s inspector general in conducting the investigations, sources said. (…)

http://jill.jazzkeyboard.com/qarticles.html Here’s a collection of computer humor directly from Microsoft. Well, ONE of them is a parody. The links were accumulated from colleagues, Usenet and web searches, but mostly from "googlewhacking" the Knowledge Base. Enjoy! (Links open new browser windows.) Jilly PS last night my recycle bin showed it had stuff in it but it did not. When I tried to empty the already empty bin, I got this error haha. Q320554: Microsoft Sidewinder (…)

by Lisa Ashkenaz Croke
Hours after U.S. officials declared Iraq a "sovereign" state, the case of a single Iraqi prisoner stood as a reminder that the question of which government now has jurisdiction over Iraqi detainees – the United States or the Interim Government of Iraq – is far from settled.
In addition to potentially affecting the fates of thousands of Iraqis currently in U.S. custody, the case raises significant questions about how the Geneva Conventions should be applied in Iraq (…)

In new Delhi’s first response to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib jail, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh said there can be ‘‘no condoning of such heinous acts’’ and reiterated that the question of sending troops to Iraq ‘‘does not arise’’. ‘‘To expect me to compromise on this issue is being unfair to me and my contribution for the last 51 years. A compromise on sending troops is inconceivable...No one has asked for troops and even if asked, India will not send troops,’’ he (…)

The last remains of some of mankind’s earliest cities have virtually disappeared through unprecedented looting triggered by the US-led invasion of Iraq (news - web sites), experts said.
Lawlessness and instability have accelerated a process that started in the 1990s but has now reached critical levels, with dozens of archaeological sites plundered to extinction in the past year .../...
– http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...