Tens of thousands of secret American military documents have been leaked disclosing how Nato forces have killed scores of civilians in unreported incidents in Afghanistan. The classified memos also reveal the secret efforts of coalition forces to hunt down and “kill or capture” senior Taliban and al-Qaeda figures.
And they document growing evidence that Iran and Pakistan is supporting the insurgency. Although many of the claims in the documents, of which there are more than 90,000, have been aired previously, the leak to the website Wikileaks is highly embarrassing. It was condemned by the White House last night, which said the information could threaten the safety of coalition operations.
Afghanistan War Logs: 90,000 classified documents revealed by Wikileaks
Chile denies pardon for dictatorship-era crimes
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Sunday denied a pardon to people jailed for dictatorship-era crimes, a move likely to ease tensions with the opposition and rights groups over a controversial call for clemency.
Chile's Catholic Church had asked Pinera to free or lower jail sentences of military officers convicted for human rights violations as well as other criminals in a call for clemency to mark the country's upcoming bicentennial celebrations.
Court Under Roberts Is Most Conservative in Decades
When Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and his colleagues on the Supreme Court left for their summer break at the end of June, they marked a milestone: the Roberts court had just completed its fifth term.
In those five years, the court not only moved to the right but also became the most conservative one in living memory, based on an analysis of four sets of political science data.
Tony Hayward to step down from BP, reports say
British media are reporting that BP chief executive Tony Hayward is negotiating the terms of his departure ahead of the oil company's results announcement later this week.Citing unidentified sources, the BBC and Sunday Telegraph reported detailed talks regarding Hayward's future had taken place over the weekend. The BBC said a formal announcement on Hayward's exit is expected in the next 24 hours.
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Diplomat claims his Iraq Inquiry evidence was 'blocked'
Mr Ross, who appeared before the Iraq Inquiry earlier this month, alleged that "deep state" elements were preventing the inquiry from finding out the true reason for the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Mr Ross also claimed that the Iraq Inquiry panel, chaired by Sir John Chilcot, was "neither equipped, nor apparently inclined" to challenge witnesses "on the contradictions of their testimonies".
Toxic legacy of US assault on Fallujah 'worse than Hiroshima'
Dramatic increases in infant mortality, cancer and leukaemia in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, which was bombarded by US Marines in 2004, exceed those reported by survivors of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, according to a new study.
Cops Charge Irish Government With Treason
When a national police association accuses its government of what amounts to treason it is time to sit up and pay attention.
Michael O'Boyce, President of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), said at its annual conference in Limerick, at the end of April, 2010, that the Irish Government had been 'corrupted' and had been 'bought' by developers and bankers. (A garda is an Irish policeman, gardaí in the plural.)
Seven more US banks collapse on day of Europe's stress tests
More than 100 banks in the US have now collapsed so far this year after another seven were taken over by regulators late on Friday – the same day that seven European banks failed a financial health check.
With rising bad debts tied to commercial and residential mortgages, the number of US bank failures this year is expected to exceed last year's figure of 140. The largest of the seven US banks just seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – which acts as a receiver and protects depositors – was Crescent Bank and Trust Company in Georgia, with more than $1bn in assets. In all, the seven failed banks had total assets of $2bn.
V.A. Easing Restrictions On Medical Marijuana
A new Department of Veterans Affairs policy will go into effect next week allowing patients in its hospitals and clinics to use medical marijuana in states where it is legal. V.A. doctors will still not be able to prescribe medical marijuana, but patients who use it will no longer lose their access to other pain medication.
“When states start legalizing marijuana we are put in a bit of a unique position because as a federal agency, we are beholden to federal law,” said Dr. Robert Jesse, the principal deputy under secretary for health in the Veterans Department.
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