4 June 2008
'ISRAELI WARNING OVER NUCLEAR IRAN
'Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Iran's nuclear programme must be stopped by "all possible means".
'Speaking during a visit to Washington, he said Tehran must be made to see it would suffer devastating repercussions if it pursued atomic weapons.
'The US and others have accused Iran of building a nuclear arms capability. Tehran says its programme is peaceful.
'Mr Olmert's visit to the US comes as he faces pressure at home over corruption allegations, which he denies.'
(BBC Ceefax, p.110)
6 June 08
The price of crude oil has jumped to $139 a barrel.
10 June 08
'[UK] TAXPAYER "LOST £90m" IN SALE
'The MoD "behaved like an innocent at a table of card-sharps" when it sold off part of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, MPs have said.
'The taxpayer lost out on about £90m in the part privatization of QinetiQ to private equity firm the Carlyle Group, the public accounts committee reported.
'The 2003 sale was held when the market for technology stock was weak and the MoD made a series of errors, it added.'
(ITV Teletext, p.315)
12-13 June 08
Carlotta Gall and Eric Schmitt, "Pakistan Angry as Strike by U.S. Kills 11 Soldiers", New York Times, 12 June 08
and
Candace Rondeaux, "U.S. Military Released Video Footage of Airstrike in Pakistan", Washington Post, 13 June 08
17 June 08
'US INTERROGATION POLICY CONDEMNED
'A US Senate intelligence committee has criticised military officials for the manner in which they developed interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo Bay.
'Pentagon lawyers testified to the Armed Services Committee that methods such as waterboarding were based on training given to soldiers on resisting torture.
'Chairman Sen Carl Levin said they had then "twisted the law to create the appearance of legality".
'The White House responded by saying all detainees had been treated humanely.'
(BBC Ceefax)
20 June 08
Israelis 'rehearse Iran attack'
BBC News online
'Israel has carried out an exercise that appears to have been a rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, US officials have told the New York Times.
'More than 100 Israeli fighter jets took part in manoeuvres over the eastern Mediterranean and over Greece in the first week of June, US officials said. ...'
24 June 08
'US COURT BACKS GUANTANAMO DETAINEE
'A US court has for the first time rejected the classification of a prisoner held in Guantanamo Bay as an "enemy combatant".
'Huzaifa Parhat, a Chinese Muslim, has been held since he was captured in Afghanistan in 2001.
'He is now free to seek immediate release in a US district court.
'Earlier this month, a US Supreme Court ruling gave foreign Guantanamo Bay detainees the right to challenge their detention in civilian courts.'
(BBC Ceefax, p.107)
'TELEGRAPH[:] A quarter of the [UK's] adult population faces an "anti-paedophile" test in an escalation of child protection policies, a report reveals.'
(ITV Teletext, p.321, reviews of British papers)
Cf. my essay (now needing a title update) "Ashcroft's Paedophile Terror".
'But the increase in child protection measures is so great it is "poisoning" relationships between the generations, according to respected sociologist Professor Frank Furedi ... [i]n a report for think tank Civitas ...'
(Christopher Hope, "A quarter of the adult population faces an "anti-paedophile" test in an escalation of child protection policies, according to a report", Telegraph, 26 June 08)