23.02.2002

Slobo-googling
The pro-war rightwingers of the blogsphere have begun ´googling` the signers of this petition.
Matt Welch started it all. This has led to posts like these from Damien Penny and David Janes. There is even a Slobogoogle blog set up just for this purpose!
Hermit Bosnian convinced war still on
This story reads like an Emir Kosturica movie...
Pashtuns flee to Pakistan fearing country's descent into violent chaos
"AS many as 20,000 Afghan Pashtuns are reported to have flooded across the Pakistan border crossing at Chaman in the last few days in an ominous re-run of the mass exodus which followed ethnic purges and outright civil war in the 1990s, following Russian occupation.

News of the outflow of refugees comes on the day a leaked CIA assessment warns that the country is in danger of disintegrating into "violent chaos" as rival warlords jockey for power and calls for direct international intervention to prevent disaster."

Israel's colonial war
Aijaz Ahmad: "In seeking to topple Yasser Arafat, disorganise the Palestinian Authority and force as many Palestinians as possible to leave Palestinian territory, Israel is trying to consolidate a racist settler-colonial state modelled on the classical colonialisms of the 19th century."
Philippines: Gov't-NDF talks snagged
"Peace talks with the communist National Democratic Front (NDF) has hit another snag with the government insisting the two panels should now focus their discussion on the provisions of a draft final agreement."
US helicopter crash raises questions of VFA violation
The chopper flew in violation of the Visiting Forces Agreement, Liza Masa (Bayan Muna rep.) states.

MILF protests attempts to link them with Abu Sayyaf.

22.02.2002

News on Nepal
Today the CPN (M) has called a 'bandh', or general strike, in Nepal.
Here is a picture from the streets of Kathmandu.
This is a report on the battle in Acham.
This is an interesting interview with former brigadier-general of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) Dipta Prakash Jung Shaha about the RNA and their counterevolutionary war against the CPN (M).
'This time, Bob, it's personal'
Barrie Collins at spiked! writes: "Mbeki is right. The real issue for the West is not the accountability of the Zimbabwean government to its people, but the West's dissatisfaction with the Zimbabwean government's lack of compliance with its demands. Since the end of the Cold War, the USA and the UK have got used to a high degree of compliance on the part of African governments - and they are no longer prepared to tolerate those that insist doing things their own way. Faced with less than full compliance on the key issues of land reform and military withdrawal from the Congo, the international community is bringing out the big stick."

20.02.2002

Norwegians revive historic dispute over Western Isles
Liberate Orkney and the Shetlands from the EU - make Norway pay 58000 florins of the Rhine!

Update: Iain Murray also comments on this story.
Afghans insist Paras not shot at
"Afghan police have said a British paratroop team which opened fire on a family taking a pregnant woman to hospital - killing one and injuring four - was not shot at first."
U.S. air strikes back Afghan leader
"U.S. forces appear to have opened a new phase in the war in Afghanistan with two bombing raids over the weekend that Afghan commanders in the area said were aimed at clashing militias rather than at the Taliban or Al Qaeda."

War-monger and fellow Norwegian Fredrik Norman links to a couple of stories on the US, Iran and Afghanistan. It's obvious the US will use it's military presence in central-Asia to pressure Iran. This is in direct conflict with European interests, which helps explain this Der Spiegel cover.
Current dry spell due to bombing in Afghanistan
"ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: The current dry spell in the arid areas is a direct result of nuclear detonations in Pokhran (India) and Chaghi (Pakistan), and the recent bombings in Afghanistan, an agricultural expert, Dr Zafar Altaf, told Dawn.

"The current dry spell is more of an environmental problem than Al-nino phenomena," Dr Altaf, who recently retired as the federal secretary, Food and Agriculture, said."
Video games raise concerns over racism
The ADL thinks open-source is bad because nazis can use the programs too...

18.02.2002

The war on terror never ends
Spot-on comic by Peter Bagge.
NATO to makes plans for coup in case of war
At least they are open and honest about it...

"[...]if Norway is attacked, NATO generals likely would take direct control of the situation and dispatch troops at the ready. These would likely include a so-called NATO Composite Force, made up of American and German field batallions that already have supplies stored in Norway, a NATO marine brigade made up largely of Americans and a British-Dutch amphibian force with helicopters."
Moat around US embassy in Oslo?
In this Norwegian-language article you can see a picture of an architect-drawing of the US embassy in Oslo with a moat!

Update!
English language article on US embassy in Oslo, without moat picture.