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HeadlinesAugust 08, 2006

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Israeli Attacks Kill 69 In Lebanon

Aug 08, 2006

Israel’s attack on Lebanon intensified Monday as the international community failed again in securing a ceasefire. At least 69 people were reported killed in Lebanon.

Israel Threatens to Bomb All Cars in Southern Lebanon

Aug 08, 2006

Israel is now threatening to bomb all vehicles driven in Southern Lebanon. Israeli planes dropped leaflets ordering residents not to travel by car or truck. Israel has also warned residents of southern Lebanon not to go outdoors after 10 p.m.

Shiyyah Neighborhood of Beirut Bombed for First Time

Aug 08, 2006

For the first time Israel bombed the Shiyyah neighborhood, a southern suburb of Beirut. The strike destroyed a residential building and killed as many as 15 people. Shortly after the bombing, Democracy Now’s Ana Nogueira spoke with an attorney from the Shiyyah neighborhood named Hassan Nizam.

  • Hassan Nizam: “This area is inhabited — all the people are civilian. They came from South Lebanon. They are leaving the danger zone area to live here. This is the first time we see the fire here in this area. No Hezbollah here and no other here. This is civilian country.”

Bombing of Bridges Cuts Off Tyre From Rest of World

Aug 08, 2006

The southern Lebanese city of Tyre is now largely cut off from the rest of the world. All bridges out of the city have been destroyed. On Monday, Israel bombed a makeshift bridge that had been set up to cross the Litani River. Doctors Without Borders created a 200-yard-long human chain across the river in order to get aid into the city of Tyre. Aid workers standing in knee deep water passed more than three tons of medical supplies and gasoline across the river by hand. The Guardian newspaper is reporting Israel has also threatened to attack UN peacekeepers if they attempted to repair bomb-damaged bridges in southern Lebanon.

UN: Virtually No Supplies Being Brought Into Lebanon

Aug 08, 2006

The Washington Post’s Anthony Shadid reports for many residents of Tyre the current war has been more unsettling than Lebanon’s 15-year civil war, more devastating than the 1982 Israeli invasion, and more destructive than Israeli offensives against Lebanon in 1993 and 1996. This is United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator David Shearer.

  • David Shearer: “The situation in the country is deteriorating rapidly. Since the beginning of the war there has been virtually no supplies being brought into Lebanon with the exception of some relief supplies. That means Lebanon has been shut off from the outside world.”

Arab League Press UN For Changes to Resolution

Aug 08, 2006

On the diplomatic front, the Arab League is pressing the United Nations Security Council to make changes to a draft resolution aimed at ending the fighting. Lebanon and other Arab states opposed the U.S.-written resolution because the resolution does not require Israel to immediately pull out of Lebanon. This is the Arab League’s UN Observer Yahya Mahmassani.

  • Yahya Mahmassani: “If you’re talking about the respect of Lebanese sovereignty and integrity, the first thing you should do is get the Israelis out of Lebanese soil, get them to behind the blue line. This is the first prerequisite of respect for Lebanese sovereignty.”

Lebanon has offered to send 15,000 troops to the border region. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described it as interesting offer. On Monday President Bush held a news conference at his vacation home in Crawford Texas.

  • President Bush: “Whatever happens in the UN, we must not create a vacuum into which Hizbollah and its sponsors are able to move more weapons. Sometimes the world likes to take the easy route in order to solve a problem. Our view is it’s time to address root causes of problems. And to create a vacuum.... is unacceptable, it would mean that we haven’t addressed the root cause.”

Israel Prepares To Expand Attack on Lebanon

Aug 08, 2006

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz says Israel is preparing to expand military operations unless the United Nations quickly finds a solution. On Monday Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke via the Internet to members of the United Jewish Communities.

  • Ehud Olmert: “I know you are all thinking we are fighting against Hizbollah. But let’s face it, the State of Israel is fighting against the Iranians and the Syrians, who are using the Hizbollah in order to attack Israel from the north. This is a very difficult war, for the first time almost in the entire life of the state of Israel not just the soldiers fight, the entire country fights ”

Seven UK Protesters Search U.S. Plane for Israel-Bound Weapons

Aug 08, 2006

In Britain, seven anti-war protesters were arrested Monday after trying to get on a plane at a British airport to search for US weapons being transported to Israel. Three people boarded a military plane. Four others were arrested at the airport. The activists were part of the anti-nuclear group Trident Ploughshares. No weapons were found by the group,

24 Die in Baghdad Car Bombings

Aug 08, 2006

In Baghdad, at least 24 people have died in a series of car bombings and shootings. In northern Baghdad, gunmen stormed a bank and killed five people. A pair of roadside bombs exploded in the Al Arabi market killing at least 10 people.

Pentagon: Every Army Division in Vietnam Committed War Crimes

Aug 08, 2006

The Los Angeles Times has revealed that U.S. forces committed far more massacres during the Vietnam War than has ever been publicly acknowledged. A once secret Pentagon task force determined that every army division that operated in Vietnam committed war crimes. The paper uncovered official government documents that detail 320 incidents of Vietnam war atrocities that were confirmed by army investigators.

Thousands Protest Outside Mexico’s Electoral Court

Aug 08, 2006

In Mexico, presidential contender Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is continuing his protests to demand a full recount in last month’s presidential election. On Monday, thousands of his supporters demonstrated in front of Mexico’s electoral court. Lopez Obrador has vowed civil disobedience will intensify if a ballot-by-ballot recount is not conducted.

17 Aid Workers Killed In Sri Lanka

Aug 08, 2006

The French organization Action Against Hunger has suspended its operations in Sri Lanka after 17 of its aid workers were murdered on Friday. The French charity said it wanted to send a team to investigate the killings but that government soldiers prevented them from entering the town. The rebel Tamil Tigers and government forces have blamed each other for the killings. The aid workers were all ethnic Tamils. Over 440 people have died in the past two weeks in the Trincomalee district. A car bombing earlier today killed two people.

BP Shuts Down Largest Oil Field in U.S.

Aug 08, 2006

The oil company BP has shut down the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska after discovering an oil spill. The oil field is the largest in the country and provides 8 percent of the nation’s crude-oil production. Industry experts say the oil field might stay closed for several weeks. On Monday, oil prices surged by nearly three percent.

Lieberman Faces Lamont in Conn. Democratic Primary

Aug 08, 2006

In political news, voters in Connecticut are heading to the polls today for the closely watched Democratic primary between incumbent Senator Joseph Lieberman and Ned Lamont. We’ll have more on the race in a few minutes. In Georgia, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney is facing Hank Johnson in a run off.

NY Senate Candidate Barred From TV Debate

Aug 08, 2006

Meanwhile in New York, a controversy is emerging in the race between Senator Hillary Clinton and Democratic challenger Jonathan Tasini. The local news station New York One has refused to set up a debate between the two candidates because Tasini hasn’t spent enough money on the race. The channel, which is owned by Time Warner, requires that candidates poll at least 5 percent and have spent or raised $500,000. Tasini is polling at 13 percent but his campaign has only raised $150,000.

Court: Tom Delay’s Name Will Remain On Ballot

Aug 08, 2006

In political news, the Republican Party has lost a bid to have Tom Delay’s name removed from the ballot in November. Delay withdrew from the race after he won the Republican primary.

2,000 Miners Go On Strike in Chile

Aug 08, 2006

In Chile, over 2,000 workers have gone on strike at the world’s largest privately-owned copper mine. The Escondida mine produces about eight percent of the world’s copper. Daily production has dropped by almost two-thirds because of the strike.

July 2006: Second Hottest July On Record in U.S.

Aug 08, 2006

New government records show that last month was the second hottest July on record in the United States. Last month’s heat wave broke more than twenty three hundred daily temperature records across the country.

PR Company Tied To Online Video Mocking Al Gore

Aug 08, 2006

Meanwhile a new video has appeared online mocking Al Gore’s fight against global warming and his film “Inconvenient Truth”. In the short video Gore appears as a sinister figure who brainwashes penguins and bores movie audiences by blaming the Mideast crisis and Lindsay Lohan’s shrinking waist size on global warming. The video is purportedly the work of a 29-year-old video-maker in Beverly Hills. But the Wall Street Journal has revealed the video appears to actually be the work of the public relations and lobbying company DCI Group. The company’s clients include Exxon Mobil.

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