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Kids Flock to Hezbollah Shrine, Abu Ghraib to Open Museum

LibertySugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Two commemorative destinations established in the Middle East will help shape the historical consciousness of the region's newest generation. In Lebanon children flock to a shrine dedicated to Imad Mugniyah, the dead commander of Hezbollah, who is considered a martyr to some and a terrorist responsible for numerous bombings throughout the 1980s and 90s to others.

At the exhibit schoolchildren wait to see Mugniyah's bloodstained clothes, the shoes he died in, his cell phone, or the desk he sat at while he planned his attacks. Visitors also experience a multimedia exhibit chronicling Hezbollah's fight with Israel. The exhibit — which also includes a "victory bridge" made from artillery shells, a skeleton in uniform labeled "the invincible Israeli soldier" — must stay open until 1 a.m. to keep up with its popularity.

Meanwhile Iraq plans to reopen the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, where Saddam Hussein and members of the US military abused prisoners. The new Abu Ghraib prison will include a museum dedicated to exposing the crimes committed under Saddam. Stories like this make me think that efforts like Seeds of Peace, the summer camp which brings together children from enemy countries in the Middle East, are all the more important. If the forces of violence get to the next generation before those of peace, there is little hope for reconciliation in the region.

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Front Page: Julia Child Was a Spy, Inflation Hits Major High, Lebanon Bombing Kills 15

CitizenSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 06:55:03 -0700

Julia Child Was a Spy:
Newly released files show that famous chef Julia Child was a World War-II era spy. The CIA declassified 35,000 top-secret personnel files that detailed the huge spy network run by the OSS, which later became the CIA. Former OSS agents are pleased with the release of the information, a list which includes other notables like Ernest Hemingway's and Teddy Roosevelt's sons.

Inflation Hits Major High:
Consumer prices rose at twice the rate expected to post the fastest rate of growth in 17 years. Costlier energy and food made the Consumer Price Index balloon. Food alone is six percent more expensive than a year ago.

Lebanon Bombing Kills 15:
A briefcase bomb detonated in a bus packed with Lebanese soldiers on their way to work, killing 15 and wounding more than 40 people. The bombing distracted from the news from Damascus that Syria and Lebanon were to establish diplomatic relations for the first time since both won their independence from France in the 1940s. The bombing is the deadliest attack in Lebanon in more than three years.

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Propaganda 2.0? Israel Condemns Released Killer on YouTube

LibertySugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:30:55 -0700

The Israeli government, no longer willing to wait to for an Arab television interview, is sending their message to the Arab world via YouTube. Israel's government uploaded a video in Arabic and English condemning Lebanese militant Samir Qantar as "the most despicable of murderers." Qantar, released Wednesday in a prisoner swap, received a hero's welcome back in Lebanon. He had been jailed since 1979 for killing a 4-year-old Israeli girl, along with her father and two policemen. The 2-year-old sister also died, because her mother accidentally smothered her while they hid.

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Israel is trying to smother the political support for Qantar with the details of his crime sent straight to the Arab world. But the message comes with a warning, too. The Arabic video ends promising a tougher Israeli response than in 2006, if Hezbollah tries a kidnapping similar to its capture of two Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah says that Israel is sending voicemails to Lebanese mobile phones with the same retaliation threat.

YouTube sounds like a promising channel for dialogue, but I couldn't imagine receiving a voicemail from a foreign government hinting at impending military violence. Do you think a message for peace can get out using technology?

Front Page: Israel/Hezbollah Prisoner Swap, Consumer Prices Balloon, US Troops Abandon Afghan Outpost

CitizenSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:00:01 -0700

Israel/Hezbollah Prisoner Swap:
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah have completed their prisoner swap: Israel handed over five Lebanese prisoners and the bodies of 200 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters in exchange for the bodies of two soldiers, captured in 2006. Lebanon declared a national holiday to observe the swap, as now Israel holds no more Hezbollah militants.

Consumer Prices Balloon:
A telling measure of inflation rose last month at its fastest rate in 16 years. The Consumer Price Index, which tracks prices of a batch of common household products, rose 1.1 percent in June; inflation accelerated last month at nearly twice the rate in May, when the index grew 0.6 percent. It was the largest monthly gain in the inflation indicator since June 1982.
US Troops Abandon Afghan Outpost:
US troops have withdrawn from a remote outpost in northeastern Afghanistan, three days after Taliban militants tried to take over the base and left nine US soldiers dead. Though NATO has downplayed the withdrawal, Taliban militants and likely to claim victory in the move. On Sunday, the Taliban militants briefly broke through the incomplete defenses of the new post sparking hours of fierce fighting that killed nine US soldiers and many more insurgents.

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Front Page: Bomb in Sri Lanka, Lebanon Has a New President

CitizenSugar — Mon, 26 May 2008 07:35:29 -0700

Bomb in Sri Lanka: At least seven people were killed and 62 injured in a bombing on a packed Sri Lankan commuter train. The military has blamed Tamil Tiger separatists for the attack, the latest in many attacks targeting public transport. The military says it also defused two bombs found on buses over the weekend. Ten days ago a suicide bomber on a motorcycle rammed a bus carrying police officers and last month another explosion inside a bus killed more than 20 people.

Lebanon Has a New President: Michel Sleiman began his term as Lebanon's new president today. He appealed for unity in the violence-hit country. He said, "let us unite... and work towards a solid reconciliation. We have paid dearly for our national unity. Let us preserve it hand-in-hand." Sleiman's election hailed as the start of a new era, nations on different sides of the political divide seemed united in supporting him. The celebrations of his election came just days after a bitter political feud had threatened to plunge the nation into civil war.

Front Page: Tornadoes Rip Midwest & South, First US Aid Lands in Myanmar, Fighting in Beirut

CitizenSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 06:57:24 -0700

Tornadoes Rip Midwest and South: Emergency crews are searching through the aftermath of violent storms that tore from the Midwest to the South and killed at least 23 people this weekend in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Georgia. In Oklahoma at least seven people were killed and officials said 150 people in the town were injured. In Missouri emergency crews are “ensuring that we have found any potential survivors or anyone unaccounted for.” The governor says at least 85 people had been injured in the storm. In Georgia, Gov. Sonny Perdue has issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in six counties. The weekend’s tornadoes are the latest in several outbreaks of violent weather this year. Twenty-two people were killed by tornadoes in four states in February, two were killed in Georgia in March, and seven were killed in Arkansas in May.

First US Aid Lands in Myanmar: The first US aid flight to Myanmar following last week's cyclone has finally landed in Rangoon. The US had to spend days negotiating with Myanmar's military government to gain permission to enter the country. The official death toll is now almost 30,000, though aid agencies fear 1.5 million could die without aid. Already more than two-thirds of the cyclone victims are yet to be reached, and agencies estimate that 100,000 have already died. Here's a list of ways to help the cyclone victims.
Fighting in Beirut: Violent fighting that has plagued Beirut, Lebanon, since Wednesday, broke out yesterday in the mountains east of Beirut. The fighting continues between supporters of the Western-backed government and followers of Hezbollah, the militant group backed by Iran. Hezbollah began withdrawing gunmen from the city Saturday evening, leading some to hope for peace after four days of street battles there. With the underlying political crisis still unresolved, the violence seems to have shifted to the eastern villages. Security officials put the toll of five days of fighting at 44 dead and 128 wounded.

Front Page: Not al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader, UN Halts Myanmar Aid, Hezbollah Seizes West Beirut

CitizenSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:55:16 -0700

Not al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader: The United States military in Iraq says a man arrested and detained yesterday in Mosul is not in fact the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, though an earlier statement from the Iraqi defense ministry said that Abu Ayyub al-Masri had been captured. An American military spokeswoman said al-Masri had not been arrested and that confusion had arisen because a man with a similar name to the al-Qaeda in Iraq leader had been detained.

UN Halts Myanmar Aid: The UN has suspended relief supplies to Myanmar today after the military government seized the food and equipment that had been sent into the country. The government had said it would accept supplies but not aid workers and would distribute the supplies as it saw fit. A statement from the Myanmar Foreign Ministry said the country is not in a position to receive rescue teams. A UN spokesman said he had never seen delays like this before in delivering relief supplies and aid officials.
Hezbollah Seizes West Beirut: After heavy gunfire broke out yesterday, armed members of the militant group Hezbollah have seized most of western Beirut, exiling supporters of the Western-backed government there. The fighting ignited after a government decision on Monday to shut down Hezbollah's telecommunication network. At least 11 people have been killed and many more injured in the city in three days of clashes.

Hezbollah Says Lebanon Has Declared War

CitizenSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:01:48 -0700

This morning Beirut, Lebanon has devolved into heavy gunfire as Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah said of statements against Hezbollah's telecommunications network, "the decision is tantamount to a declaration of war. . . on the resistance and its weapons in the interest of America and Israel." Almost immediately following the statement, the city of Beirut erupted into gun battle and the use of rocket-propelled grenades.

The US-backed government in Lebanon said on Tuesday that the military telecommunications network was illegal and a threat to state security. The subsequent violence appears mostly sectarian which brings up echoes of the 1975-1990 civil war that ravaged Lebanon.

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Most Sunnis are supporting the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. Shiites generally support the opposition led by Hezbollah, a group labeled by the US as a terrorist organization. Christians are split between the two. Flights in and out have been canceled, trapping many in the chaos.

Tensions began two days ago with a strike and has escalated into violence rapidly.

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Front Page: Strike Explodes in Lebanon, India Fires Missile, Medvedev Sworn In, Chile Volcano

CitizenSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 06:53:35 -0700

Strike Explodes in Lebanon: Explosions and gunfire heralded protests in the Lebanese capital of Beirut as opposition supporters held a one-day general strike for higher pay. Unions protested demanding the government triple the minimum monthly wage — currently $200. Tensions were fanned yesterday after the government announced it would shut down Hezbollah's private telecommunications network. Lebanon is in the midst of its biggest political crisis since the civil war, and it's been without a head of state for five months following a power struggle between the Western backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition, which is supported by Syria and Iran.

India Fires Missile: India has just test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile, Agni-III. The long-range missile is capable of hitting targets as far away as Beijing, or almost 2,000 miles, and it's capable of carrying a 1.5 ton nuclear payload. Agni means "fire" in Hindi and Sanskrit.
Medvedev Sworn In: Dmitry Medvedev was just sworn in as Russia's new president. He has promised to extend Russia's civil and economic freedoms, saying at his inauguration, "human rights and freedoms . . . are deemed of the highest value for our society." Medvedev follows Vladimir Putin's administration, becoming Russia's third leader since the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Almost immediately after the ceremony, Medvedev nominated Putin to be prime minister.
Chile Volcano: The Chaitén volcano in southern Chile erupted ash and lava a dozen miles into the air yesterday. The government has ordered the immediate and complete evacuation of everyone living within a 30-mile radius of the volcano, which began trembling last Friday. President Michelle Bachelet has visited the area and is announcing subsidies and other aid for affected families.