Frank Freeman's Diary, June 2005

GUARDIAN[:] A new "scramble for Africa" is taking place among the world's big powers who are tapping into the continent for its oil and diamonds.'

The Washington Post confirmed that former FBI no.2 Mark Felt was the whistleblower who helped bring down Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal.

'Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein said: "Mark Felt was Deep Throat and helped us immeasurably in our Watergate coverage".

'They broke the silence after Felt, 91, told Vanity Fair magazine: "I'm the guy they used to call Deep Throat".'

They were going to make a Deep Throat movie for 9/11, but it was banned on grounds of ........ good taste.

'[British county] POLICE CHIEF RESIGNS

'The chief constable of Cambridgeshire Police has resigned following claims that he sexually harassed a woman official at a police conference.

'Tom Lloyd's decision comes a day after he apologised for his behaviour over claims he became "extremely" drunk and pestered a senior female official.

'Mr Lloyd had earlier faced criticism over his role in his force's failures in the Soham murder case.'

(ITV Teletext, 1 June 05, p.309)

This is the second police chief to bite the dust in the Soham affair. Previously the Humberside chief constable (David Westwood) was defended for some time by the Humberside Police Authority against then-Home Secretary Blunkett, who had ordered his sacking over "shortcomings" re. the case.

The Soham case, which involved the murder of two ten-year-old girls in the Cambridgeshire village, seems to have been worked up as a test-bed (possibly on behalf of John Ashcroft & Co.) for police-state methods of destroying opponents ...

'... A statement issued [today] said Mr Lloyd, 53, was resigning to safeguard the reputation of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

'According to the Daily Mail [where the allegations were apparently first published], the woman was allegedly "pestered" during a police conference in Birmingham.

'The woman reportedly made no official complaint about the alleged incident.'

(BBC Ceefax, 1 June 05, p.106)

Chief constable resigns over sexual harrassment claims
Rosie Cowan, The Guardian (UK), 2 June 05

'... Mr Lloyd, who [previously] faced severe criticism over his force's investigation of the Soham murders, resigned for his behaviour at the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) event in Birmingham last month.

'Police sources ... claimed he said sorry to the woman, who is in her 30s but has not been named, the next morning and she decided against making a formal complaint. He issued a public apology when the story appeared in the Daily Mail on Tuesday [31 May 05] ...

'... the subsequent pulicity prompted him to quit his Ł120,000-a-year post yesterday ...

'"However ill-founded or exaggerated the reporting [my emphasis], I recognise that I gave cause for concern to those present. The subsequent media attention has damaged my reputation, and I fell honour-bound to step down ..." ...

'Mr Lloyd had already come under fire in the past two years, following a damning report on his force's inquiry into the murders of the Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, and an inspectorate of Constabulary review which put his force in the worst five in England and Wales. ...

'Deep flaws in his force's vetting procedures were exposed when it emerged at the Bichard inquiry into the Soham murders that officers had not even asked Humberside police for intelligence on the murderer, Ian Huntley, who got a job as a school caretaker in Soham despite a string of sex allegations in other areas. ...'

See also "Decision to stand down is 'honourable' sacrifice", Cambridge Evening News, 2 June 05.

'At least 700 suspected terrorists have been captured [!] and 28 killed in the first four days of a major operation against the insurgency in Baghdad.

'Another 118 criminal suspects have been rounded up under Operation Lightning, which has seen 40,000 Iraqi troops descend onto the city.

'The operation has so far involved snap checkpoints, round-the-clock patrols by commandos and raids on suspect homes.'

'China's military buildup, particularly its positioning of hundreds of missiles facing Taiwan, is a threat to Asian security, defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Saturday [today]. [The man's got a sense of humour!]

'Rumsfeld rebuked China at a region al security conference here, saying it was pouring huge resources into its military and buying large amounts of sophisticated weapons despite facing no threat from any other country.

'The Pentagon chief's remarks signaled a harder line against China from the Bush administration [no surprise in this second phase of the game]] which has criticized Beijing over trade and human rights issues but not directly challenged its military buildup. ...

'[Rumsfeld also questioned China's government, saying political freedom there has not kept pace with increasing economic freedom. ...

'The defense secretary ... also pressed Beijing to use its influence with North Korea to restart six-nation talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program. ...'

Shame they didn't find any "Iranian nukes" there. It would have made a great excuse to invade Iran! Oh well, it may be too early to say ...

On 4 June 05 I posted a message to the usenet, via Google Groups. By today it could no longer be found on Google Groups. I have reposted the message in the same way (to different newsgroups). What will be its fate?

Political censorship (under whatever pretext) seems to be taking hold, somewhere along the line.

Blair says he has secured a deal, from the publicly-reluctant Bush, on aid/debt-relief for Africa.

Some Brit has been arrested on charges of hacking into the Pentagon's computers and doing $750,000-worth of damage. The man, apparently self-taught, is "the greatest hacker in history" or something.

The charges relate to 2001 and 2002. He began soon after 9/11, apparently because he believed that the US government was staging a great cover-up ...... of UFOs.

Which sounds like some of the neo Nazi junta's disinforming/ridiculing tactics; but we'll wait and see. Do they intend to use this case to further justify the advance of the police state and clamp down on the internet, etc?

'Biggest hacker' fights extradition
Owen Bowcott, The Guardian (UK), 9 June 05

'A Briton accused of carrying out "the biggest military hack of all time" appeared in a London court yesterday and vowed to resist attempts to extradite him for trial in the United States.

'US prosecutors have alleged that Gary McKinnon, 39, from Wood Green, north London, hacked into more than 90 American military computers. His supporters say the proceedings are politically motivated.

'Mr McKinnon believed the US government was hiding evidence that would prove the existence of UFOs and wanted to demonstrate the inadequacies of America's security systems. [The 2001 anthrax attacks too were "an attempt to expose security shortcomings". That was the cover story they eventually managed to spew out.] He was arrested under the Computer Misuse Act three years ago but was never charged in this country [Britain].

'The 20 counts he faced yesterday allege that he caused "unauthorised modifications", stole computer files, obtained secrets that might have been "directly or indirectly useful to an enemy" and interfered with maritime navigation equipment in New Jersey.

'The computers targeted in 2001 and 2002 — before and after al-Qaida's 9/11 attacks [my emphasis] — belonged to the US army, navy and airforce, as well as the Defence Department and the space agency Nasa. Most of the offences carry prison terms of five years each.

'Known online as Solo, Mr McKinnon had, according to earlier US indictments, broken into several computers at the Pentagon as well as private networks run by six separate companies. He supposedly stole 950 passwords from one military system and prevented naval email traffic being routed across the internet for a month.

'By usurping privileges built into the systems and installing a remote control programme, he allegedly gained access to "almost every administrative function" on many of the computers he hacked.

'The US investigation was carried out with the aid of the UK's national hi-tech crime unit. Mr McKinnon was arrested on Tuesday night [8 June 05] ... and delivered to Bow Street magistrates court yesterday morning [9 June 05]. ...

'Among those in court was FBI official Ed Gibson, whose aid the case had been followed closely by the US authorities. "These (hacking attacks) occurred just before and after 9/11," he said. [My emphasis.] "It was poor timing.[!!!] The military knew someone was getting access before the 9/11 attacks, but they didn't know who." ...

'After the hearing, his solicitor, Karen Todner, questioned why Mr McKinnon had not been tried in Britain under the Computer Misuse Act.

'"This decision is being driven by the US government," she said. ...

'Ms Todner said that he eventually could face a total of up to 70 years in a US jail.'

The whole thing reeks of an American deception/agitprop operation, and underlines once more how 9/11 is key to their schemes.

Bush aide 'edited climate papers'
BBC News online 'A White House official edited government reports in ways that played down links between global warming and emissions, the New York Times reported.

'Philip Clooney removed or adjusted descriptions of climate research that had already been approved by government scientists, the newspapers [sic] said.

'The White House denied Mr Clooney, a former oil industry advocate, watered down the reports.

'The reports were "based on the best available science", [White House] spokesman Scott McLellan said.

'Mr Clooney is chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, which helps devise and promote the administration's policies on environmental issues.

'The administration of George W Bush has consistently questioned the need for quick action on climate change, and the US has not yet ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at cutting down greenhouse gas emissions.

'Before working at the White House, Mr Clooney was a lobbyist at the American Petroleum Institute, the largest oil industry trade group.

'The New York Times said he made dozens of changes t reports issued in 2002 and 2003, and many appeared in final versions of major administration climate reports. ...'

'Germany's federal appeals court has upheld the acquittal of Abdelghani Mzoudi, a Moroccan who was accused of links to the 11 September attacks.

'He was acquitted in February 2004 of charges that he helped the 11 September 2001 hijackers who attacked the US.

'The appeals court ruled on Thursday [today] that there was insufficient evidence to justify a retrial.

'Hamburg authorities still want to expel Mr Mzoudi from Germany. But his lawyers say the asylum option is still open.

'Another Moroccan, Mounir al-Motassadek, was jailed in connection with the 11 September hijacks, which were carried out by the Hamburg cell of al-Qaeda. But his conviction was later quashed and a fresh trial was ordered. ...

'Testimony at Mr Mzoudi's trial showed that he was a friend of lead hijacker Mohamed Atta and other members of the Hamburg cell.

'Mr Mzoudi denied any knowledge of the plot, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.

'Acquitting him in February 2004, the judge described him as a "fringe figure" and said he was being freed because of insufficient proof against him — not because the court was convinced of his innocence.'

'Ministers were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had bo choice but to find a way of making it legal.

'The warning, in a leaked Cabinet Office briefing paper, said Tony Blair had already agreed to back military action to get rid of Saddam Hussein at a summit at the Texas ranch of President George W Bush three months earlier.

'The briefing paper, for participants at a meeting of Blair's inner circle on July 23, 2002, said that since regime change was illegal it was "necessary to create the conditions" which would make it legal.

'This was required because, even if ministers decided Britain should not take part in an invasion, the American military would be using British bases. This would automatically make Britain complicit in any illegal US action.

'US plans assume, as a minimum, the use of British bases in Cyprus and Diego Garcia," the briefing paper warned. ...

'The paper was circulated to those present at the meeting, among whom were Blair, Geoff Hoon, then defence secretary, Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, and Sir Richard Dearlove, then chief of MI6. The full minutes of the meeting were published last month in The Sunday Times. [See May 2005 diary, under 1 May 05.]

'The document said the only way the allies could justify military action was to place Saddam Hussein in a position where he ignored or rejected a United Nations ultimatum ordering him to co-operate with the weapons inspectors. But it warned this would be difficult. ...

'The briefing paper is certain to add to the pressure, particularly on the American president, because of the damaging revelation that Bush and Blair agreed on regime change in April 2002 and then looked for a way to justify it.

'There has been a growing storm of protest in America, created by last month's publication of the minutes in The Sunday Times. [See May 2005 diary, under 1 May 05.] A host of citizens, including many internet bloggers, have demanded to know why the Downing Street memo (often shortened to "the DSM" on websites) has been largely ignored by the US mainstream media. [They've had plenty of practice. When it comes to 9/11 ...]

'The White House has declined to respond to a letter from 89 Democratic congressmen asking if it was true — as Dearlove told the July meeting — that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" in Washington. ...

'John Conyers, the Democratic congressman who drafted the letter to Bush, has now written to Dearlove asking him to say whether or not it was accurate that he believed the intelligence was being "fixed" around the policy ...

'He and other Democratic congressmen plan to hold their own inquiry this Thursday [23 June 05] ...

'Frustrated at the refusal by the White House to respond to their letter, the congressmen have set up a website — www.downingstreetmemo.com — to collect signatures on a petition demanding the same answers.

'Conyers promised to deliver it to Bush once it reached 250,000 signatures. By Friday [17 June 05] morning it already had more than 500,000 with as many as 1m expected to have been obtained when he delivers it to the White House on Thursday [23 June 05].

'AfterDowningStreet.org, another website set up as a result of the memo, is calling for a congressional committee to consider whether Bush's actions as depicted in the memo constitute grounds for impeachment. ...

'The complaints of media self-censorship have been backed up by the ombudsmen of The Washington Post, The New York Times and National Public Radio, who have questioned the lack of attention the minutes have received from their organisations.'

'Six bombs have exploded in Iran, killing at least 10 people, days before the presidential election.

'Four blasts targeted public buildings in the south-western city of Ahwaz, killing at least eight people and wounding more than 70 others. [In April, the Iranian government blamed Qatar's al-Jazeera TV for fomenting riots in this area. See April 2005 diary, under 19 April.]

'Hours later, a bomb exploded in the capital Tehran killing two people. Three other bombs were defused.

'Bombings have been rare in Iran since the war with Iran ended in 1988. No group has claimed responsibility.'

Are US black operators behind the trouble in their next oil target, specifically the south-western province of Khuzestan? (For Jazeera's impeccable Anglo-Saxon origins, see Qatar.)

Newspaper reports say up to 5,000 British troops may be sent to Afghanistan, where unrest has increased in recent months. The Ministry of Defence refused to comment on numbers.

Around 300 people have been arrested in the south-western UK counties of Avon and Somerset, for routine crimes such as burglary. Three hundred police officers were employed in the operation.

These mini mass arrests, with their shock value, are good practice for the future genuine article. Stalin must have raised a smile in Hell.

'Reporter Michael Smith of the Sunday Times of London scored an international scoop this weekend with a story about a sensational Iraq war document [see above, under 12 June 05] provided by an anonymous high-level official source who, like Mark W. Felt of Watergate fame [see above, under 1 June 05], seems to have taken up a mission of helping an investigative reporter probe allegations of misconduct and cover-up.

'The document, a British government briefing paper from July 21, 2002, informed Prime Minister Tony Blair's cabinet ministers eight months before the invasion of Iraq that Blair had already committed Britain to supporting an American-led attack and that "they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal." [My emphasis.]

'The eight-page document labeled "PERSONAL SECRET UK EYES ONLY," whose authenticity has been confirmed by British government sources, also served as the basis of a Page 1 story in the Sunday Washington Post. ...'

A similar document, dated 23 July 2002, was previously exposed by the Sunday Times on 1 May 05. See href="may05.html">May 2005 diary under that date.

'Chinese bloggers posting their thoughts via Microsoft's net service face restrictions on what they can write.

'Weblog entries on some parts of Microsoft's MSN site in China using words such as "freedom", "democracy" and "demonstration" are being blocked. ...

'The restrictions operate on the free online Spaces area of the MSN China site where many people have created journals or weblogs.

'China recently introduced stringent regulations that require all blog owners to register their web journal with the state by 30 June. ...

'Microsoft is not alone in co-operating with the Chinese authorities to police what people can do online.

'Both Yahoo and Google have been criticised for similar activities and restricting what people can search for and read online.

'It is not just Chinese bloggers that are restricted in what they can write about or call their blog.

'Some net writers in the US have discovered that MSN Spaces in the US also censors blog names, though albeit in a way that is easy to get around.'

Yes, for us in the West, with our long history of freedom and democracy, it's trickier. Newsgroups are patrolled by token of child pornography, or terrorism. The Anglo-Saxon police-state enthusiasts hope ultimately to use these proxy means to fasten their own political censorship on the world. ...

The G8 countries are to agree to create a worldwide register of paedophiles. Drawing on internet child porn, identify makers and victims where possible. Interpol is involved.

'Former Chief Economist for the Department of Labor during President George W. Bush's first term Morgan Reynolds has made waves in the past few days after writing a detailed article stating that the official explanation for the collapse of the twin towers and Building 7 was bogus.

'United Press International picked up on the story today and this forced a response from the Texas A&M University, at which Reynolds holds the Professor Emiritus — an honorary title bestowed upon select tenured faculty, who have retired with ten or more years of service. ...

'[Reynolds] stated that the official explanation of the [9/11] attack was "full of holes, everywhere you look it just doesn't hang together." ...'

Al-Jazeera has broadcast excerpts from a new Qaeda video, featuring Ayman al-Zawahri, Qaeda's no.2 man.

Video images of Zawahiri are always good-quality — in contrast to Osama's last video, in October 2004.

The US ambassador (ambassador!) to Afghanistan recently said that Bin Laden and Taleban leader Mullah Omar are not in Afghanistan. The news item said that he thereby implied they were in Pakistan.

A British soldier has died in a live firing exercise in Canada, the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed.

'The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency has said he has an "excellent idea" where Osama Bin Laden is hiding.

'But CIA director Porter Goss did not say when the world's most wanted man would be caught, nor his location.

'He told Time magazine there were "week links" in the US-led war on terror. His remarks follow recent US criticism of Pakistan's role in hunting suspects.

'Bin Laden, wanted for the 9/11 attacks, is widely believed to be in Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan. ...'

Porter Goss was one of those at the breakfast meeting with Pakistani intelligence chief Mahmoud Ahmad on 9/11. Ahmad has been blamed for indirectly financing the 9/11 attacks. ("9/11 Breakfast Meeting ...") ....

The UK government is to introduce measures to end jury trials in "certain complex fraud trials". Attorney-General Goldsmith says this will apply to around 20 cases a year, and is not the beginning of an attack on the jury system in general.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, visiting Jordan on a Mideast tour, has said that in future the US will back democracy in the Middle East, rather than the stability, as has been its policy for the last 60 years.

Condoleezza Rice, now at the 80-nation conference on Iraq in Brussels, has reiterated the old theme of complaining about foreign fighters in the country from Syria, Iran, etc.

The last of three Saudi terrorist leaders has been killed or captured near the jolly old Syrian border in Iraq.

Saudi Arabia is, of course, (for the next few years anyway) the "etc" in the above (22 June 05). 24 June 05

'A former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under President Reagan stepped back into the political spotlight this week, expressing doubt about the official 9/11 story and claiming "if they lied to us about Ruby Ridge, Waco and weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, why should we believe them now."

'Paul Craig Roberts, listed by Who's Who in America as one of the 1,000 most influential political thinkers in the world, has evolved over the years into a major Bush-basher as well as neo con critic. Roberts said he hasn't changed his political ideology or jumped from the Republican-conservative ship but "just can't respect a party leadership who doesn't respect the truth." ...

'Expressing doubt about the government's official version of 9/11 but deferring detailed criticism to the experts, Roberts' concerns come on the heels of recent criticism leveled by Morgan Reynolds, a former chief economist in the Bush I administration.

'Reynolds is the highest-ranking official so far to step forward and criticize the government account of 9/11, calling the story "bogus" and saying the WTC likely fell from a contolled demolition. [See above, under 16 June 05.] ...

'Roberts said the recent statements made by Reynolds ... reveals just how flimsy and unbelievable the government story comes across.

'"This is not some kind of conspiracy nut or kook talking. He is a man with extremely qualified credentials, whose opinions I respect," said roberts referring to Reynolds' comments which have been highly pubicized across the country. ...

'"I guess the real story about 9/11 is about what the people are actually saying. I've gotten hundreds of emails in response to my columns and many of them talk about not getting the truth from the government or the media about what really happened at the World Trade Center. I know many qualified engineers and scientists have said the WTC collapsed from explosives. In fact, if you look at the manner in which it fell, you have to give their conclusions credibility." ...'

An outsider, and hardliner, the former mayor of Tehran Mahmoud __________, has won the final round of the Iranian presidential election. He got an unexpected landslide 62% to rival Rafsanjani's 35%.

When the United States descends into lawlessness (including possible faked presidential elections last year), how easy it is for tin-pot countries to retrogress into lawless-plus mode.

The election of an apparent Islamic hardliner plays into the hands of the Anglo-Saxon petro-imperialists who seek to seize Iran.

The new Iranian president says he will continue negotiations with the EU over Iran's nuclear programme. But he has called the existing Iranian negotiators' performance "cowardly".

An Israeli soldier, ______ Taysir, has been found guilty of the "manslaughter" of British peace activist Tom Hurndall two years ago.

Hurndall was "protecting Palestinian children from Israeli tanks" at the time of his shooting. He was in a coma for nine months before dying. His sister says there has been a systematic cover-up of the case.

Such shootings are the unofficial policy of the Israeli armed forces. Most notice is taken in the West when they are used against notable outsiders rather than Palestinians.

Taysir (an Israeli Arab) has been made a scapegoat. Even so, he has only been convicted of manslaughter.

The UK identity cards bill is to get its second reading in the House of Commons tomorrow (Tuesday). It is a sad commentary that Geoff Hoon has been accused of deliberately timing it to coincide with the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar. That battle was a defeat of a European dictatorship.

'Former MI5 agent David Shayler, who previously blew the whistle on the British government paying Al Qaeda $200,000 to carry out political assassinations, has gone on the record with his conviction that 9/11 was an inside job meant to bring about a permanent state of emergency in America and pave the way for the invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and ultimately Iran and Syria. ['Ere! What about Saudi Arabia? ...]

'David Shayler joined MI5 in October 1991 and worked there for five years. He started at F Branch (counter-subversion) in January 1992, and worked in T Branch (Irish terrorism) from August 1992 until October 1994. He left the organization in 1996.

'Shayler appeared on The Alex Jones Show to kick off what will be a wider public campaign to educate the public on 9/11 issues and government corruption. ...

'Shayler said that his suspicions were first aroused about 9/11 when the usual route of crime scene investigation was impeded when the debris was immediately seized and shipped off to China.

'"It is in fact a criminal offence to interfere with a crime scene and yet in the case of 9/11 all the metal from the buildings is shipped out to China, there are no forensications done on that metal. ..." [Shayler is repeating what has been publicly said much earlier by, for example, Eric Hufschmid (in his book Painful Questions).]

'"The more I look at it, you realize that it's not incompetence. There were FBI officers all over the country, Colleen Rowley is obviously the one who managed to get a congressional hearing, but there was plenty of evidence certainly."

'"There are so many questions that need to be answered, protocols being overridden within national defense, people actively being stopped from carrying out investigations. ...

'Shayler elaborated by saying the evidence suggests the attack was originally meant to be much wider in scope and was an attempt at a violent coup intended to decapitate the entire government as a pretext for martial law.

'"So you're looking at a situation in which you almost have a coup d'etat because you've got to bear in mind that there were weapons discovered on planes that didn't take off on 9/11. Now people have obviously postulated that they were going perhaps to attack the White House, Capitol Hill. That looks to me like an attempt to destroy American government and declare a state of emergency, in fact a coup d'etat, a violent coup d'etat." [They didn't do so badly as it turned out. And, as with Guy Fawkes, there would have been the problem of the plot being discovered, because right-wing conspirators would have felt the urge to warn Republicans in Congress, for example.] ...

'Shayler was forthright in his assertion that the attack was planned and executed within the jurisdiction of the military-industrial complex.

'"They let it happen, they made it happen to create a trigger to be able to allow the invasion of Afghanistan, the invasion of Iraq and of course what they're trying to do now is the same thing with the invasion of Iran and Syria." [And, of course, ultimately the grand oil prize of Saudi Arabia for which the "9/11 hijackers'" card will be played amongst other things. Why does "the dissident" Shayler only mention the obvious, already much-discussed targets of Iran and Syria?]

'Shayler ended by questioning the highly suspicious nature of the collapse of the twin towers and Building 7, the first buildings in history, all in the same day, to collapse from fire damage alone. [The writer should have said here Building 7 only.] ...

I saw the movie The Long Kiss Goodnight (US, 1996) on British TV tonight. It refers to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and how a CIA agent obtained a pass for one of the terrorists. The CIA's fictional plot is now to (again) truck-bomb the WTC, (?)causing an estimated 4,000 fatalities, and "blame it on the Muslims". The object is to increase funding.

We have to wait till 2000/1 for the pilot episode of The Lone Gunmen, for an airliner to become the tool of destruction (otherwise, the "plot" remains the same.)

'[UK] Ministers have won a Commons vote over their controversial ID card plan but their majority was cut from 67 to 31.

'Tories, Lib Dems and 20 rebel Labour MPs are thought to have voted against the bill's second reading.

'Earlier Home Secretary Charles Clarke told MPs ID cards will help counter, not create, a Big Brother society. [Slavery is freedom.]

'Tory David Davis said Labour's legacy would be "surveillance from cradle to grave". Lib Dems said the plans will not help fight terrorism.'

'The United Nations says it has learned of serious allegations that the US is secretly detaining terrorism suspects, notably on American military ships.

'The special rapporteur on torture Manfred Nowak said the accusations were rumours at this stage, but urged the US to co-operate in an investigation.

'The comments come five days after the UN accused the US of stalling on their requests to visit Guantanamo Bay.'

George Bush has appeared on US TV to appeal for support for a continued troop presence in Iraq. Speaking from Fort Bragg (home of the Green Berets), he said that Iraq is a World War 3 battleground against al-Qaeda.

'The US military says hostile fire probably brought down a helicopter which crashed in eastern Afghanistan.

'A search is under way for the 17 crew members of the Chinook helicopter in the province of Konar. It is not known if there are any survivors. [Later reports say at least 16 are dead, the largest single US loss in Afghanistan. It is thought to be the result of a rocket-propelled-grenade attack.]

'The hardline Taleban militia — driven from power by US forces in 2001 — has claimed it downed the helicopter. ...

'"The helicopter was transporting forces into the area as part of Operation Red Wing, which is part of the enduring fight to defeat al-Qaeda militants and deny them influence in Konar province, a military statement said. [Konar is next to Pakistan.] ...

'The governor of Konar province, Asadullah Waffa, ... said the attack was the work of well-funded militants who had entered Afghanistan planning to spread chaos before September's parliamentary elections. ...'

On the contrary, this "orchestrated attack on Iraq and Afghanistan" by the fantasy terrorist enemy is part of US preparations to invade Iran.

'Italy is preparing to request the extradition of 13 purported CIA officers accused of kidnapping a terrorism suspect and secretly transporting him to Egypt, an Italian court official aid yesterday.

'Prosecutors have also asked for the help of Interpol in tracking down the suspects, all identified as United States citizens, said the official.

'In announcing the arrest warrants, the Milan prosecutor's office said it will ask for American and Egyptian assistance in the case.

'The terrorist suspect, an Egyptian preacher known as Abu Omar, was spirited away in 2003, allegedly as part of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" programme in which terror suspects are transferred to third countries without court approval, subjecting them to possible torture.

'The order for the arrests in the transfer of the cleric was a rare public objection to the practice by a close US ally. [Alas poor Berlusconi! His friendship's muddied since US troops killed an Italian secret-service agent in Iraq.] It brought renewed call yesterday by left-wing opposition parties for the government to answer questions in parliament on whether Italian officials were involved.

'One of the suspects described as playing a key role was named in the judge's order as the former Milan CIA station chief, Robert Seldon Lady. [My emphasis.]'

'A man who was sexually abused as a child by a Roman Catholic priest has been awarded damages of more than Ł600,000 at the High Court.

'The man, known as A, was abused by Father Christopher Clonan over a 10-year period from the age of eight when the priest worked in Coventry. [Has this statement been proven to criminal-trial standard? Apparently not, because Clonan is said to have fled to Australia and subsequently died (?committed suicide).]

'It is believed the case could result in further claims totalling millions of pounds against the Church. [My emphasis.]'

In which case this is another instance where the British puppet is monkeying its American slave-master. No matter how genuine individual cases, the paedophile attack on the Catholic Church is being orchestrated as a general moral and financial attack on the institution.

There is no direct ulterior motive in Britain, where only 10 percent of the population is Catholic. But in the United States, the Church is the largest single denomination — with 65 million members. Is this is an attack by Protestant fundamentalists of the John-Ashcroft ilk, or really an attack on religion in general?

'The White House says it is enacting 70 new measures to fight international terrorist groups and prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

'They include the power to seize the property of people whom the US deems to be helping the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

'The measures were recommended by an independent commission that reported earlier this year.

'The Silverman-Robb Commission handed its report to President George W Bush in March. ...

'Another measure calls for the establishment of a national counter-proliferation centre. ...

'Within [the FBI] there will be another new intelligence body called the National Security Service. It will assume responsibility for intelligence work within the US.

'Americans have long resisted the growth of domestic intelligence agencies like those in Europe, believing they pose a threat to civil liberties. ...'

'WASHINGTON — President Bush ordered changes Wednesday [29 June 05] intended to break down old walls between foreign and domestic intelligence activities by creating a new security division within the FBI that will fall under the overall direction of John Negroponte, the head of national intelligence.

'The directive by Bush is aimed at consolidating the power of Negroponte, whose authority over the FBI had been ambiguous. It also sets in motion a major restructuring designed to dissolve the barriers that have often kept the CIA and the FBI at arm's length, and elevates intelligence operations to a new prominence within the FBI, which has remained firmly oriented toward traditional law enforcement, even since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. ...

'The White House left it to Negroponte to carry out the overhaul, which will almost certainly be met with reluctance within the FBI and the 14 other agencies he oversees. ...'