1 March 03

'RADIOACTIVE THEFT SPARKS ALERT

'The UN's nuclear watchdog[, the International Atomic Energy Authority,] has sent an emergency team to Nigeria to help find an undisclosed amount of missing or stolen radioactive "material"[, reported last month].

'The "material" — including beryllium, a cancer-causing radioactive substance — disappeared from an oil company in the southern Niger Delta oil region.

'Nigerian authorities have put all their security agencies on alert.'

(ITV Teletext, 1am GMT, p.307)

I suppose we shouldn't automatically assume that CIA-SOCOM agents stole it to provide the excuse to sink US cabalistic hooks into one more major oil-producing region ... but why not?

'TOP SAN FRANCISCO POLICE FACE CHARGES

'San Francisco's police chief and other senior police officers have been charged over the alleged cover-up of a street fight involving members of the city's force.

'Chief Earl Sanders and three more of the seven top policemen in the city have been indicted by a grand jury.

'Sanders, 65, last year became the first black police chief in San Francisco.

'Two men had claimed they were attacked by three officers for refusing to hand over a takeaway meal of steak fajitas.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.117)

We can guess that, as a black, Sanders is (much) more likely to be a "librul". Well, they can't all be set up as "paedophiles"! Presumably, they've been suspended from duty. Who have taken their places?

'IRAQ MISSILES DESTROYED

'UN inspectors have supervised the destruction of the first four of Iraq's banned Al-Samoud 2 missiles at a weapons factory north of Baghdad.

'It marked the start of a process set to eliminate around 100 Iraqi missiles over the course of a few days or weeks.

'Chief weapons inspectors Hans Blix hailed the move as "as very significant piece of real disarmament".'

(ITV Teletext, 1 March 03, p.304)

'AL-QAEDA "MOST WANTED" HELD IN PAKISTAN

'A key al-Qaeda suspect, believed to be the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, has been arrested in Pakistan, government officials have said.

'Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was indicted over a bid to blow up US airliners.

'The White House welcomed the arrest of the 37-year-old Kuwaiti in a joint operation by US [CIA] agents and Pakistan.

'Mohammed was one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants and a key al-Qaeda planner, spokesman Ari Fleischer said.'

2 March: Mohammed is described as born in Kuwait of Pakistani parents. The US calls him the no. 3 man in the al-Qaeda hierarchy. He has now been handed over to the United States "for interrogation".

Turkey's parliament speaker has nullified, on constitutional grounds, a legislature vote to vote to allow 62,000 US combat troops to open a northern front against Iraq ... (ITV Teletext, 1 March 03, p.307/1)

2 March 03

'OBSERVER[:] The US is conducting a secret "dirty tricks" campaign against UN Security Council delegations as part of its battle to win votes.'

(ITV Teletext, p.326, reviews of British papers)

'... The paper says a document leaked to it reveals the interception of phones and emails of United Nations delegates.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.148, reviews of British papers)

3 March 03

'NEW AL-QAEDA PLOT "UNCOVERED"

'Captured al-Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh [Sheikh] Mohammed was plotting attacks against commercial targets in the US and the Arabian peninsula, it has been claimed.

'US authorities said a huge amount of information on the terrorist group was found at the house in Pakistan where Mohammed and two others were arrested[ in a joint CIA-Pakistan raid in Islamabad].

'Mohammed is also believed to have details about the group's finances.'

(ITV Teletext, p.307)

What opportunities for terror-scares are provided by this CIA-staged arrest! Conveniently coinciding with the final build-up to Iraq invasion.

Other arrests of "key al-Qaeda men" have been run according to a timetable. Two a year ago, in March 2002; and one ...... on September 11, 2002. Happy anniversary!

US and UK warplanes have stepped up attacks in the Iraqi no-fly zone. Meanwhile, 14 B-52 bombers are arriving at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, in the next two days.

Britain is to stage a major bio/chem attack exercise at a London underground station within the next few weeks. All part of the Iraq-attack agitprop.

The Turkish Parliament's failure to authorize US troops on its soil leaves the troops with a ten-day sea detour from the Med to Kuwait.

Unless they go through Israel, and Jordan and/or Syria.

4 March 03

'WAR "VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL LAW"

'The [British] PM has been warned by members of his wife's legal chambers that the new resolution proposed by the US, UK and Spain does not authorise war on Iraq.

'Lawyers from Matrix Chambers, where Tony Blair's wife practises, said military action against Iraq would be a "clear violation of international law".

'A legal opinion for campaign groups said a mandate would not authorise war.'

(ITV Teletext, p.306)

'US SENDING 60,000 MORE TROOPS TO GULF

'The US is to send 60,000 more troops to the Gulf to possibly help stabilise Iraq once the fighting there is over.

'More than 200,000 troops are already poised in the region — more than enough for war to begin, officials say.

'The "follow-on" troops are not expected to be sent until any conflict has begun.

'The deployment, ordered by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, is being seen as the US acknowledging that war may only be the start of its task.'

(BBC Ceefax, 4 March 03, p.104)

When we remember that the cabal's goal is the conquest and retaining of the whole Middle East oil region, the troop numbers seem as yet wholly inadequate. We can safely expect many more to follow — if their plan continues on course.

At the end of February the website The Register reported "Evidence obtained by German hardware site tecChannel of spying by Microsoft Windows XP. When patches are downloaded, a few kilobytes of data are sent in the opposite direction over a secure SSL channel. Because the data is encrypted a simple packet sniffer can't be used to see what this data contains. ... According to tecChannel, the information sent to Microsoft includes details of all the software installed in a machine, not only Microsoft applications. ..."

('Windows Update keeps tabs on all system software', The Register, 28 Feb. 03) 'Russia will not abstain in a UN vote on Iraq, its foreign minister has said — increasing the likelihood of a Russian veto on a motion leading to war. ...

'Speaking on a BBC News Online Talking Point forum, [Igor Ivanov] said there was time to avert war "thoough political means".'

(BBC Ceefax, 4 March 03, p.104)

'The United States has no plans to take military action against Iran, the US Defence Secretary has told the BBC. ...' (BBC Ceefax, 4 March 03, p.109)

'US SENDS BOMBERS TO HELP DETER N KOREA

'The US is sending 24 B-1 and B-52 bombers to the island of Guam in the western [sic] Pacific as tension persists with North Korea.

'Pentagon officials said the move was a "prudent measure to bolster our defensive posture [they've said it!] of a deterrent".

'They denied the move was caused by Sunday's [2 March's] interception of a US spy plane by four North Korean MiGs.

'A spokesman said the order was given[ on Friday, 28 Feb.].'

(BBC Ceefax, 4 March 03, p.113)

5 March 03

'LETTERS COULD LEAD CIA TO BIN LADEN

'Intelligence services in Pakistan have intercepted hand-written letters from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden which provide new clues to his whereabouts.

'The contents, shared with the CIA, suggest the terror chief may be holed up in Pakistan's northern tribal territory close to Afghanistan.

'He may also be hiding in the capital Islamabad or nearby town of Rawalpindi.'

(ITV Teletext, p.309)

Not at the same time, presumably. Though on second thoughts, anything may be possible when you live in CIAberspace.

And Pakistani intelligence has long been an extension of the CIA.

Mohammed, the "al-Qaeda no. 3", is said to have been transferred to the US concentration camp at Bagram in Afghanistan.

'IRAQ "FACES HUGE BOMBARDMENT"

'US forces have drawn up plans to drop 10 times the bombs in the opening days of any forthcoming air campaign in Iraq that they did in the first Gulf war[ The opening days or the whole campaign?!].

'A US invasion of Iraq would combine air strikes using thousands of bombs and missiles with quick ground assaults, according to senior Pentagon officials.

'American defence chiefs have dubbed the bombardment a "shock and awe" strategy.'

(ITV Teletext, 5 March 03, p.304)

Just as Guernica was an experiment in blitzkrieg. This will be a preview of the US cabal's method of treating the world.

Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured in a suicide bus bombing in Haifa, Israel. The first such attack on Israelis for two months. (Ibid, p.309)

A few days ago the Israelis killed eight Palestinians in a raid in the Gaza Strip.

Indian leader Vajpayee and his deputy were accused of helping to rouse the Hindu rabble who destroyed the mosque at Ayodya in 1992. This helped their political careers.
(Channel 4 News, 5 March 03)

6 March 03

'13 DIE AFTER ISRAELI TROOPS ENTER GAZA

'Eleven Palestinians were killed after Israeli tanks fired two shells at a crowd of people in the Gaza Strip.

'The attack, which injured 100, came as people watched firefighters tackle a blaze in the Jabala refugee camp.

'Earlier, two other Palestinians were killed in Gaza when soldiers destroyed two houses, one belonging to a militant. ...'

(BBC Ceefax at 5am GMT, p.112)

The Gaza Strip and West Bank have been sealed off again. (BBC News 24, 6 March 03 at 5am)

'AFGHANISTAN[:] Military coroners have ruled the deaths in December of two prisoners at a US base were murders.' (ITV Teletext, 6 March 03, p.318)

'UK WOULD DEFY UN VETO — BLAIR

'Prime Minister Tony Blair has said Britain would be willing to go to war on [sic] Iraq even if there was more than one Security Council veto against action.

'Mr Blair said: "If I thought countries were applying the veto unreasonably, in those circumstances we would go ahead."

'He added: "But we are fighting very hard to get a second resolution through and I still believe we will get that."'

(ITV Teletext, 6 March 03, p.304)

And perhaps he will give Britain a bit more time before abolishing general elections too.

'Tony Blair has promised that Iraq's oil would be placed out of the hands of Britain and the US after a war.

'The [British] Prime Minister said suggestions that imminent war against Baghdad was related to oil were a "conspiracy".

(ITV Teletext, 6 March 03, p.306)

Well, at least he's got a sense of humour.

'102 DIE IN ALGERIA [passenger] PLANE CRASH ...'

(Ibid, p.310)

7 March

'GUARDIAN[:] Tony Blair faced pressure to abandon the threat of war against Iraq when 16 eminent academic lawyers warned war was against international law.'

(ITV Teletext, p.326, reviews of British papers)

Israel has opened a controlled triangle of 10 sq km near the Jabaliya "refugee camp" in the northern Gaza Strip "to protect against Hamas rocket attacks". The area contains over 60 tanks and other armoured vehicles.

A further step on the road of "Boer barbed-wire treatment" / towards ethnic cleansing?

A commentator on BBC TV said the British intelligence report of Iraq smuggling uranium from Niger (etc) was based on "forged documents".

Which were courtesy of CIAgitprop? Or are the Brits doing a little deception on their own bat?

'Mohammed ElBaradei, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Friday [7 March] his investigators and independent document eximination experts have determined the letters and other written material are "not authentic."

'The forgeries were sold to an Italian intelligence agent by a con man some time ago and passed on to French authorities, but the scam was uncovered by the IAEA only recently, according to United Nations sources familiar with the investigation. The documents were turned over to the IAEA several weeks ago.

'In fact, the IAEA says, there is no credible evidence that Iraq tried to import uranium ore from the Central African country in violation of UN resolutions. ...

'The forgeries were the work of a con man who simply saw an opportunity to make some money, the sources say.

'There is no evidence that the forgeries were part of a dirty tricks operation by the United States or any other government to discredit Iraq, even though U.S. and British officials said the documents supported their case against the Baghdad regime. ...'

('documents linking Iraq to uranium were forged', The Globe and Mail, 8 March 03)

8 March 03

The electric fence separating Kuwait from Iraq is getting decidedly moth-eaten. Yesterday it was reported that "US marines" in mufti had cut several gaps wide enough for tanks to go through. Today it is reported that private contractors are expanding the demolition, aiming to extend the number of gaps to 35 by (?)15 March.

Will they be equal to this Herculean task? The exercise as such may well be another piece of psywar against Iraq.

Meanwhile, the UN is pulling its staff back to Kuwait City from the Iraq border area.

10 March 03

THE CRACK IN THE EARTH

The worldwide divisions, both between and within nations, preliminary to what Oswald Spengler called "the second phase of maximum struggles", are already clearly visible. Spengler's phrase, used specifically of ancient China, referred to the final stage of total war (in the 2nd century B.C.) which led directly to the unification of the Chinese world under the totalitarian state of Ch'in. Its equivalent in the Classical civilization was the series of "civil wars" between contending Roman warlords (1st century B.C.), and external conquests by them (when they collaborated), culminating in the emergence of the emperor-system of rule.

In an age of weapons of mass destruction, such struggles may perforce take the form of cold wars. But perhaps only partly. Both sides had more primitive forms of WMD in World War 2 — chemical and germ weapons, and the possibility of radiological bombs. If the war was fought "with one hand tied behind the back", it was still the most destructive and costly war ever fought. Future world struggles may outstrip it in these respects, while still being fought "with restraint".

World Wars 1 and 2, and the Cold War, may be counted, for the Western Civilization, as the "first phase of maximum struggles" (though this accounting should really be taken back to the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, which mark, for the West, the onset of the phase of total war). They find their equivalent in Classical times in the Punic Wars, and in ancient China in the earlier mass wars (2nd century B.C.), in which Ch'in emerged as the leading warlord state.

It may also be remarked that in this century Ch'in adopted the totalitarian ideology of "Legalism", to the practice of which many historians ascribed its victories. Under Ch'in's mid-second-century chancellor Shang Yang, the people were arranged in groups of five and ten households, each collectively responsible for the "crimes" of their individual members, and subject to a brutal and unbending code of punishments. Legalism prescribed the total control, accounting and mobilization of population and resources in support of the state's prime goal: the imposition of its will through war and conquest. Shang Yang was Hitler and Stalin rolled into one person. After his fall, the system seems to have moderated, but came back in full force in the following century as Ch'in forged its path to final victory.

In the West, it has been instead a "choreographed dance" between despotism and democracy, with the "partners" periodically switching positions. In the 20th century, Germany and Russia alternately menaced the "free world" with their own versions of totalitarianism. Now the positions are exchanged, with a third form of totalitarian imperialism arising in the "Anglo-Saxon world", while France, Germany and Russia take the stage to oppose it. (If we also allow that France was the first "foreshadower" of "totalitarian imperialism" during its revolutionary and Napoleonic phases.)

'CHIRAC VOWS TO VETO UN MANDATE ON IRAQ

'France has joined Russia in saying it will veto a draft UN resolution that authorises the use of force on Iraq.

'French President Jacques Chirac said he would not back force unless UN weapons inspectors said they could do no more.

'A similar line was taken earlier by Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov who said the draft resolution was an ultimatum that could not be fulfilled.

'President Bush said any Russian veto would be "more than a disappointment".'

(BBC Ceefax, 10 March 03)

'BLAIR SHRUGS OFF SHORT ATTACK

'Tony Blair has made it clear that he will not be deflected from launching a military attack on Iraq by his minister Clare Short's threat to resign. ...'

(ITV Teletext, 10 March 03, p.303)

'IRAQ "LAYS EXPLOSIVES AROUND OILFIELDS

'Iraq has placed explosives at its northern oilfields to prevent them from being taken over in the event of a US invasion, US officials have claimed.

'A US spokesman told Reuters news agency that the explosives had been placed "recently" at the Kirkuk oilfields.

'Local people say the fields have been heavily mined and booby-trapped.

'Reports from the area also claim Iraqi troops have dug a trench round the city and filled it with fuel oil and tar.'

(BBC Ceefax, 10 March 03, p.109)

Pakistani intelligence says Khalid Sheikh Mohammed [the recently-captured alleged Qaeda no. 3] told them he met bin Laden last December in "a mountainous region" ...

(BBC Ceefax, 10 March 03)

11 March 03

'INDEPENDENT[:] Some suspects in a child sex abuse internet probe could escape prosecution due to "reckless" actions by the media, a police chief said.'

(ITV Teletext, p.326, reviews of British papers)

Since the faked-up "evidence", filtered through Ashcroft's British satellite Operation Ore, mightn't stand up in court, it may be necessary merely to discredit oppositionists with charges of child-porn-abuse — which may nevertheless be a highly effective technique.

'US FIRMS IN BID TO BUILD POST-WAR IRAQ

'Several US firms have been invited to bid for a £560m [$900m] contract to rebuild a post-war Iraq.

'The White House invite has angered some UK union leaders, since no British firms were selected to compete. [And how often does the wolf invite the jackal to dinner?]

'One of the US firms invited to bid is Halliburton, where Dick Cheney was chief executive until becoming US Vice-President in [Dec.] 2000. [My emphasis. This is an oil company.]

'The tenders are for education, health and transport projects.'

(BBC Ceefax, 11 March 03, p.109)

'TERROR LAWS COME INTO FORCE AT [Fairford] AIR BASE

'Special stop-and-search powers under anti-terror laws are now in force across two counties in the West[ of England].

'A police spokeswoman said powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 had been invoked in gloucestershire and Wiltshire to enhance security around RAF Fairford.

'But campaigners at the airbase said they were concerned the law be used to stop legitimate protest.

'A Home Office spokesman said the powers had been confirmed by a minister, as required by the Terrorism Act.'

(BBC Ceefax West, 11 March 03, p.161)

'NEW "SNOOPING" PLAN REVEALED [in Britain]

'Scaled-down plans to give agencies the power to access telephone, internet and e-mail records are being detailed.

'The original "snooper's charter" would have allowed seven Whitehall bodies, all local councils and 11 quangos the right to access such private records.

'But following a Government climb-down, the new plans are expected to only include five crime-fighting bodies.'

(ITV Teletext, 11 March 03, p.308)

A second group will get more limited access (apparently just names and addresses):- all 468 UK local councils, five government departments, the Environment Agency and the Office of Fair Trading.

'US TESTS ITS SUPERBOMB IN FLORIDA

'The US Air Force has carried out the first test of its biggest conventional bomb in the US military's arsenal. [A "MOAB", said to make a mushroom cloud like an A-bomb's.]

'The 21,000lb weapon that could play a dramatic role in any attack on Iraq was dropped out of the rear of a C-130 transport plane, officials confirmed.

'A Pentagon spokesman said the test took place at Eglin airbase, Florida, but refused to say if it was successful.'

[Well, the base is still standing!]

(ITV Teletext, 11 March 03, p.306)

'North Korea says US insistence on multilateral talks about its nuclear ambitions may make a clash inevitable.'

(ITV Teletext, 11 March 03, p.318)

The US government's idea of "multilateral talks", of course, is a ploy to draw China into conflagration.

'MIDDLE EAST[:] Al-Qaeda is reportedly seeking recruits for attacks on oil fields in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the event of a US-led war against Iraq.' (ITV Teletext, 11 March 03, p.318)

A neat excuse for the US to seize the Saudi oilfields. No prizes for guessing where this story originated — CIAgitprop (see-eye-AYE-jit-prop).

'Al Qaeda plans oil field attacks', Washington Times.)

ITALY[:] Police have launched a huge raid on a suspected child pornography internet ring, placing 399 people in 53 towns under investigation.' (ITV Teletext, 11 March 03, p.318)

Added to the fatal smear of child-porn, the shock-tactic of the mass-arrest. Berlusconi doesn't just follow Mussolini; he's learning from Stalin too.

'IRAQ WAR: US MAY GO IT ALONE

'US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has signalled that Washington may be ready to go to war without Britain at its side — if necessary.

'he said that if Britain was able to participate, if and when the US decided to use force against Iraq, "that would obviously be welcomed."

'"If not, Britain would not be involved, at least during that phase, he added.'

(ITV Teletext, 11 March 03, p.303)

ITV Teletext, 12 March 03, p.303)

'A US Army Black Hawk helicopter with up to 15 people aboard has crashed in New York state, ['the home of the 10th Mountain Division,'] US Army officials have said. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 11 March 03, p.114)

The pattern is now perfect. As a year ago, we have burning trains, burning and exploding public buildings, crashing airliners, and now crashing military helicopters. The last is perhaps not surprising during military mass mobilizations. But we have yet to add military and political opposition leaders dying in 'copter crashes (as in Venezuela and Tunisia a year ago).

KOREA[:] The US is sending up to six radar-avoiding Stealth warplanes to South Korea for exercises this month.'

(ITV Teletext, 11 March 03, p.318)

'GUANTANAMO DETAINEES' APPEAL REJECTED

'A legal challenge by 16 detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has been rejected by the US Appeals Court.

'Lawyers for the two Britons, 12 Kuwaitis and two Australians argued they should be charged or released.

'But the court ruled that as foreign citizens held outside sovereign US territory, the men could not claim the protection of the US Constitution. [Which is precisely why the detainees were put there in the first place.]

'The men are among 650 captured in the US-led intervention [that's the euphemism the Soviets used for their occupation of the country] in Afghanistan.'

(BBC Ceefax, 11 March 03, p.113)

And the internees can't start getting uppity about their human rights, especially when they are soon to be joined by a flood of Iraqis, Saudis, Iranians, North Koreans ...

In Guantanamo we see the seed of the post-constitutional American world empire, first to be constructed outside of the USA, then to replace the USA itself.

12 March 03

An update on yesterday's news ...

'11 FEARED DEAD IN AIR CRASH

'Eleven people are feared dead after a Black Hawk military helicopter crashed in heavy woods [and snow] in New York State.

'Two people survived the incident but authorities have not disclosed the fate of the other 11 on board, saying only that some people are "critically hurt".

'The helicopter crashed just north of Wheeler-Sack Airfield, Fort Drum, and an inquiry into the cause is underway.'

(ITV Teletext, p.311)

'43 MORE ARRESTS [in London] IN CHILD PORN INQUIRY

'A further 43 men have been arrested in connection with a long-running inquiry into child pornography on the internet. [Is this co-ordinated with Italy? ]

'Scotland Yard said around 350 officers swooped on suspects across Greater London as part of Operation Ore.

'The men are suspected of downloading or distributing image of children.

'The operation is investigating a list provided by the FBI in the US, of more than 7,000 men suspected of using credit cards to access child porn sites.'

(BBC Ceefax, 12 March 03, p.123)

For the ulterior use to which US Attorney-General Ashcroft, his purged FBI, and their British minions are now beginning to put this massive worldwide campaign, see 'Ashcroft's Paedophile Terror' and 'The (Post-9/11) "Paedophile" Campaign'.

'Democracy cannot be imposed by the gun, EU External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten has warned Washington. ...' (BBC Ceefax, 12 March 03)

The film Akrosh (Outburst), about the Gujarat riots of last year, has been censored by the Indian Film Board.

(BBC World Service news, 13 March 03 at 1am GMT)

'N KOREA[:] Pyongyang could produce highly enriched uranium as fuel for nuclear arms in months not years, US assistant Secretary of State James Kelly said.'

(ITV Teletext, 13 March 03 at 1am GMT, p.318)

13 March 03

'The US has begun deploying B-2 stealth bombers — its most advanced war planes — within striking distance of Baghdad.

'Pentagon officials have sent four of the planes from their Missouri base to the Indian Ocean [British] island of Diego Garcia.

'The B-2s, which can evade radar, are likely to be used against heavily guarded targets at the start of the war.

'The US also plans to move about a dozen more warships, many carrying Tomahawk [cruise] missiles, to the Gulf.'

(BBC Ceefax, 13 March 03, p.108)

The US is also sending six Stealth planes to South Korea for "exercises". (See above, under 11 March.)

14 March 03

'TEN PALESTINIANS KILLED IN JENIN RAID

'Israeli troops have shot dead 10 Palestinians during a raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, according to an Israeli military source.

'Soldiers shot several gunmen who had opened fire during an operation against wanted militants, the source said.

'On Thursday[ 13 March], two Israeli guards and four Palestinians were killed in separate incidents in the West Bank.

(BBC Ceefax)

The Israeli guards were shot "accidentally" by Israeli troops.

Meanwhile, Bush is ready to unveil a new "Mid-East peace plan". Of course, this refers to Israel-Palestine, not the Gulf, but it's still and evil joke and a cynical ploy — and one designed for Tony Blair to eagerly lap up.

A US B-1 bomber has been used against Iraq for the first time. Previously, only fighters have been used.

15 March 03

Iraq has submitted a report to the UN which "proves" (according to it) that it destroyed its stocks of VX nerve gas in 1991. A similar report on anthrax is to follow shortly.

But the commander of British forces in the Gulf, Air Marshal Brian Burridge, is "sure" that Iraq still has chemical weapons, and "fears" that Saddam Hussein will use them again.

Bush has waived sanctions against Pakistan, imposed four years ago when General Musharraf seized power.

'US officials have denied the move is connected with the crisis over Iraq.

'Pakistan is one of the non-permanent UN Security Council members Bush said the move was to "facilitate the transaction to democracy and help the fight against terrorism.'

(BBC Ceefax, 15 March 03, p.111)

'ANTI-WAR PROTESTERS TAKING TO STREETS

'Tens of thousands of anti-war campaigners are to stage a protest outside the White House as the prospect of war with Iraq looms closer.

'The Washington protest coincides with marches in a number of British cities.

'marches are planned in London, Exeter, York, Leeds, Newcastle and Portsmouth.

'Protests are also being held in Spain — a key backer of the US and UK on Iraq — as well as Russia, Canada, Germany, France, Greece and Mexico.'

(BBC Ceefax, 15 March 03, p.109)

Update: one of the largest was in Milan, with 400,000 demonstrators; others were smaller than a month ago.

16 March 03

Saddam Hussein has divided Iraq into four military zones, north, centre, south and Baghdad, in preparation for war.

Pakistani authorities have captured another suspected key al-Qaeda man in Lahore. US sources claim Yassir al-Jaziri oversees communication among al-Qaeda's operatives.

(ITV Teletext, 16 March 03, p.305)

Big Brother will rule the world!

'At least 11 Indian policemen have been killed and five injured in an attack by suspected Islamic rebels on a security post in Indian-administered Kashmir. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 16 March 03, p.119)

'NINTH VICTIM OF MYSTERY VIRUS

'A ninth person has died of a mystery form of pneumonia which is not stopped by standard drugs and is being spread across the globe by air travellers.

'The World Health Organisation issued an emergency warning about the virus after cases were found on three continents.

'A young Vietnamese nurse was the latest fatality, while cases have also been reported in Europe and North America.'

(ITV Teletext, 16 March 03, p.314)

While we shouldn't automatically assume that the CIA is responsible, it is convenient to raise the temperature of the Mideast conquest campaign.

'... the WHO said the flu-like symptoms of the disease were similar to those of a sickness in the southern [Chinese] province of Guangdong last month which infected 305 people, killing five of them.' ('Alarm spreads over deadly virus', BBC News online, 17 March 03)

George Bush, Tony Blair and Spanish PM Aznar, meeting in the Azores, issued in effect a 24-hour ultimatum to the UN to back war on Iraq. Otherwise, it starts anyway, on Tuesday 18 March.

'Israeli troops have tightened the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and plan to prevent any Palestinians from entering Israel.'

(ITV Teletext, 16 March 03, p.318)

The final solution is rolling closer ...

A US peace campaigner, 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer as she tried to stop it demolishing houses in the Gaza Strip.

'The Israeli army said her death was a regrettable accident, but that the activists had been acting irresponsibly.'

(BBC Ceefax, 16 March 03, p.118)

And how long will it be before "regrettable accidents" begin to happen to anti-war demonstrators in Washington, say?

'MASSIVE ANTI-WAR DEMO PLANNED

'Anti-war protesters are to call on Tony Blair to resign over his support for action against Iraq at a "massive" demonstration planned for the capital. [Whether it will be massive remains to be seen.]

'The Stop The War Coalition announced the plans for the protest, which will be held next Saturday, after a weekend of demonstrations across the country.

'More than a million protesters joined a similar march in London last month.'

(ITV Teletext, 16 March 03, p.305/2)

Meanwhile, Tony Blair faces another rank-and-file rebellion among Labour Members of Parliament over his potential banditry in the Middle East.

Without a second UN resolution, the rebellion will probably be larger than the last one.

(Ibid, p.305/1)

17 March 03

'[US] EMBASSY STAFF TOLD TO LEAVE [Israel, Syria and Kuwait]

'The US has ordered its non-essential diplomats and embassy dependents out of Kuwait and major cities in Israel and Syria, fuelling fears war is imminent.

'A statement by the US State Department said the move is "a result of an overall assessment of the security situation in the region".

'The order involves diplomats in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Damascus.'

(ITV Teletext, p.305)

This could indicate that the US will attack Iraq through Israel and Syria (and/or Jordan), as well as Kuwait.

As per Sharon's invite of last autumn.

Last month the British Foreign Office advised its citizens not to travel to Iraq, Kuwait, Israel and the Palestinian territories, as well as Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. (See Feb. 2003 diary, under 19 and 21 Feb.)

Cf. also Anthony Shadid, 'Jordan to Allow Limited Stationing of U.S. Troops', Washington Post, 30 Jan. 03, p.A01.

'HEALTH FEARS OVER MoD ANTHRAX VACCINE

'Samples of anthrax vaccine have been to contain a banned substance which could threaten British troops' health, a TV documentary is to report.

'Squalene — an agent that can damage skin, nerves or cardiac tissue — was found in Ministry of Defence tablets, says ITV's Tonight with Trevor McDonald.

'The MoD said squalene occurs naturally and the amount found may stem from this.

'But expert Dr Pam Asa warns that its injection may cause lupus [i.e. skin tuberculosis] and arthritis.'

(BBC Ceefax, 17 March 03, p.110)

Efforts by the Anglo-American axis to secure a new UN resolution authorising war have been abandoned.

With immaculate timing ...

MYSTERY ILLNESS "REACHES UK'S SHORES"

'Tests are being carried out on a man in the UK thought to have contracted a severe 'flu-like bug which has killed nine people in Canada and the Far East. [For which see above, under 16 March.] ...

'The Department of Health said he became ill after flying back from Hong Kong on Saturday on KLM flights KL0008 and 2037. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 17 March 03, p.118)

Opinion polls are reporting increasing support for war, that is war without UN support, in Britain and the USA alike. The latest is an ICM poll for the Guardian, which says British support has risen 9% to 38% in the last month.

Along with the 80% (or is it now perhaps 90%?) who support identity cards, and the 99.99% who love Big Brother.

House of Commons leader Robin Cook has resigned from the British cabinet over the issue of war without UN backing. Another minister, International Development Secretary Clare Short, is "reflecting overnight" on whether she should resign too. (She's already said she would in such circumstances.)

'Iraqi troops south of Baghdad are armed with chemical weapons, Fox News has learned.

'Senior Defense and other U.S. officials confirmed that intelligence reports indicate that Saddam Hussein's troops are armed with chemical munitions.

'"The information is raw ... and hard to confirm ... but we are seeing — using different methods that Saddam Hussein has armed troops south of Baghdad with chemical weapons," one official said.

'Officials say it's hard to tell how many of these weapons are being distributed, but the intelligence reports indicate that "some chemical shells" have been provided by troops.

'Senior Defense officials say they expected the Iraqis to use these weapons ...'

('Iraq Arming Troops With Chemical Weapons', Fox News, 17 March 03)

We might expect the regime — the American regime — to spew out this propaganda at this stage in the campaign. And it has picked the right-wing Fox News Channel to convey it.

Of course, the Iraqi regime may still have bio/chem weapons. But so does the American regime ...

18 March 03

A Bush speech has given Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq or face war "at a time of our choosing". (Broadcast at 1am GMT)

In a direct threat to the world, Bush's speech warned of the danger of terrorist chemical, biological and nuclear attacks.

It is from the regime which he fronts that the danger comes. It is the creature that threatens to part enslave, part destroy, the world. In describing its phantom enemies, the American regime, as ever, describes itself.

'The US has raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level. ["Orange"] ...

'Intelligence agents believed terrorists "will attempt multiple attacks against US and coalition targets worldwide", said the US administration. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 18 March 03, p.107)

'U.S. Raises Terror Alert to Orange', Fox News, 18 March 03

And you can be sure that CIAgitprop (see-eye-AYE-jit-prop), in conjunction with its Mossad sidekicks and Iraqi National Congress puppets, are already fully-stocked-up with bio/chem materials to use and/or plant in Iraq, as well as faked documents, to "prove" their case, and whip their own populations into line.

We can guess, too, that the bestial massacres of Qaeda/Taleban prisoners-of-war in Afghanistan, supported and perhaps carried out by American and British special forces, will have been but a foretaste of similar events in Iraq — and later, in the other targets of conquest throughout the world.

'Romania's Colidianul, under the title "After the crossing of the Rubicon", says "President Bush was wrong to use the word "poker" in the Azores".

'Bush should have said "the die is cast" as Caesar did before crossing the Rubicon to occupy Rome, the paper says.

'"Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon was illegitimate as is Bush's call for war against Iraq".

'"The opposition of France, Germany and Russia will have the faith of Pompei."' [I.e. Pompey's misguided faith in constitutionalism?]

(BBC Ceefax, 18 March 03, p.147, reviews of European papers)

It is indeed part-and-parcel of the victory of force-politics, the ushering-in of the age of the proto-Caesars. Marius and Sulla were the first two contending examples; Julius Caesar himself was a later proto-Caesar who, despite his ultimate personal failure, defined the shape of the emerging Caesarism (to which he gave his name).

The UN weapons inspectors have withdrawn from Iraq.

Another reason for the US cabal to cut their mission short (apart from hot weather) is to prevent the inspectors from discovering that Iraq has no WMD.

Bush has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Saddam and his sons to leave Iraq. Saddam has dissented. But the US has said it will occupy Iraq even if they do leave, "to search for weapons of mass destruction".

'The [British] Foreign Office has advised Britons to avoid non-essential [travel] to the strongly-Kurdish area of south-eastern Turkey. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 18 March 03, p.113)

Of course, this advice (as that on Syria) could be a deception to make Iraq spread its forces thinly. (I.e. against possible invasion through Syria and/or Jordan, and through Turkey.)

The British Labour government has won a Commons vote for war on Iraq, in spite of a large "backbench" rebellion among its own MPs — the largest in any party for a century.

19 March 03

'Electronic bugging devices have been found in offices used by the French and German delegations at an EU building in Brussels, an EU spokesman has said. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, p.117)

'The discovery of the telephone tapping systems was first reported on Wednesday [26 Feb. 03] by France's Le Figaro newspaper, which blamed the US[ my emphasis].

'But EU spokesman Dominique-Georges Marro said it was "impossible at this stage" to determine who had planted the devices. ...'

('EU investigates mystery buggings', BBC News online, 19 March 03)

Cf. the US National Security Agency's plan to bug the phones and emails of UN Security Council during the USA's attempts to win a majority in the Council for an Iraq attack. See 'Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war', The Observer, 2 March 03.

'Two further suspected cases of the potentially fatal global pneumonia virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome have been reported in Britain.

'The latest cases — involving a London man who returned to the UK from Taiwan via Hong Kong and an unnamed patient in Swansea — bring the UK total to three. ...'

(ITV Teletext, 19 March 03, p.310)

'The Foreign Office has issued a global alert to British nationals of a heightened risk of terrorist attacks, during military action against Iraq. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 19 March 03, p.110)

20 March 03

Baghdad said there had been an airstrike on Basra airport.

US F-117A Stealth fighters dropped (c. 2:30am GMT) "bunker-busting" bombs on a site on the outskirts of Baghdad, in an apparent attempt to assassinate Saddam Hussein. They were acting on a "tip-off" from CIA boss George Tenet. The attempt failed.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer announced (c. 2:45 GMT) that war on Iraq has begun.

'The US has issued an alert to its citizens worldwide warning of potential terrorist attacks during military action on Iraq. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 20 March 03 at 4am GMT, p.110)

But it's worth remembering that global terrorist activity since 9/11 has not been significantly higher than before.

'Terrorism: A Gulf Between Fear and Fact', Business Week, 16 Jan. 03

See Jan. 2003 diary, under 20 Jan.

40 Tomahawk cruise missiles have been fired at Baghdad.

But the US has announced only limited strikes for the next two or three days. The "Shock and Awe" blitzkrieg has yet to materialize.

21 March 03

US special forces are said to be conducting a "clandestine" operation to seize the main Iraqi oilfields around Kirkuk in the north-east. Meanwhile, British Royal Marines were involved in taking the smaller oilfields in the extreme south-east.

When the Nazis invaded northern France in 1940, Mussolini's Italy took the opportunity to secure a piece of south-eastern France : an event Churchill called "the day of the jackal". The positions of the new wolf and jackal have now been delineated.

"Shock and Awe", the sharp, mega-intense blitzkrieg, seems to be getting under way in Baghdad (and perhaps elsewhere). Three hundred cruise missiles are said to have been fired, and even (if the British TV commentator on the spot can be believed) 21,000lb fuel-air-explosive MOABs have been used.

This is a lesson not just for the Iraqi regime (look what happens when you set fire to oil wells), but for the whole world. It teaches that resistance to the American world empire will be crushed like a bug, wherever and whenever it arises.

1,300 arrests were made in San Francisco, where thousands took part in a civil disobedience campaign. Demonstrations occurred across the United States.

'In Italy, highways and rail lines were blocked, while Paris also saw protests.

'More than 100,000 people protested across Greece, and rallies were held in the Far East, Australia and Egypt.'

(BBC Ceefax, 21 March 03, p.110)

I think we in the West have as yet little idea of the intransigent ferocity with which opposition here, as well as in the rest of the world, will be repressed. Totalitarianism is as much a part of the modern Western soul as libertarianism.

'IRAQ WAR BREACHES WORLD LAWS — CHIRAC

'The US and the UK have "breached international legality" by declaring war on Iraq, the French President says.

'Jacques Chirac also told an EU summit that France would oppose a new UN resolution that would allow the US and Britain to administer post-war Iraq.

'"That would justify the war after the event," he told reporters.

'The UN was the only body that could be responsible for rebuilding the country, Mr Chirac argued.'

(BBC Ceefax, 21 March 03, p.116)

22 March 03

'RAIDS ROCK BAGHDAD AS AIR WAR ESCALATES

'US and UK forces have pressed on with a massive aerial assault on Baghdad, in a major escalation of the war.

'Sustained air attacks resumed at dawn, with at least three huge explosions reported to have shaken the city.

'The Pentagon said 1,000 cruise missiles were fired on Friday[ 21 March], with presidential palaces and government buildings among key targets. [This may refer to the total for Iraq : another report spoke of 320 cruise missiles targeted on Baghdad.]

'The main northern city of Mosul and the oil centre of Kirkuk were also hit.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.104)

The Iraqi information minister said 250 civilians have been hurt in the bombing. [And three killed.] (Ibid, p.105)

'RAF Tornados have taken part in a series of huge air strikes on Baghdad. ...' (Ibid, p.107)

'Eight giant B-52 bombers have returned to their base at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after taking part in the massive aerial assault on Baghdad.

'... fired cruise missiles ...

'Thousands of anti-war campaigners are expected to stage a demonstration outside the base this afternoon ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 22 March 03, p.108)

'Iraq has denied reports that its forces have set oil wells on fire ...

'Iraqi state television said troops had set fire to oil-filled trenches' to try to hide the targets.

(Ibid, p.109)

One-thousand Turkish troops were reported to have moved into northern Iraq, with 5,000 more to follow, ' despite US opposition'. (Ibid, p.110)

'Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take part in a national anti-war rally in central London later.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.114, at 8am GMT)

'Dozens of people are reported dead in clashes between soldiers and rival gangs of ethnic militants in Nigeria's oil-rich western Niger Delta. ...'

(Ibid, p.117)

A child-porn probe into Robert Del Naja, 36 — "3D", frontman of dance-music group Massive Attack — has been dropped.

'Avon and Somerset [west of England] Police said there was "insufficient evidence" to charge the performer.

'The star ... has insisted the allegations were baseless.'

(Ibid, p.118)

Ashcroft's followers can't — yet — convict with fraudulent "evidence".

It will be sufficient, for the time being, for them to tar the reputations of their targets with unsubstantiated, then withdrawn, accusations of this most appalling of crimes.

A smear campaign is a large part, perhaps necessarily the main part, of the operation.

23 March 03

'NO BANNED WEAPONS FOUND, SAYS PENTAGON

'No chemical or biological weapons have yet been found in Iraq, a Pentagon official has said.

'General Stanley McChrystal told a news conference "no caches of weapons of mass destruction" have been unearthed.

'No banned Scud missiles have yet been found, he added.

'General McChrystal warned that resistance from Iraqi forces would increase as US-led ground troops press on towards Baghdad.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.115)

I would be surprised if, at the end of the campaign of conquest, the US government admitted that it had still found no bio/chem weapons. If Iraq has none, they will surely have to invent them.

24 March 03

'"[Chemical ]WEAPONS SITE" EXAMINED [in Iraq]

'Experts are examining a facility found 100 miles from Baghdad which could be used to manufacture chemical weapons, US officials have confirmed.

'Around 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, are reported to have been captured by the 3rd US Infantry at the site of the facility near An-Najaf.

'One soldier was hurt by a booby trap at the camouflaged 100-acre complex, which is surrounded by electrical fence.'

(ITV Teletext, p.303)

'Chemical factory reports played down', femail.co.uk, 24 March 03;

'Huge chemical weapons find', Mirror online, 24 March 03.

'SADDAM "AUTHORISES CHEMICAL ATTACK"

'Republican Guard forces defending Baghdad have been authorised by Saddam Hussein to use chemical weapons if other defences are failing, reports say.

'Several US TV networks say intelligence sources indicate [my emphasis] Saddam has effectively drawn a line on a map of the capital[ — around Baghdad, ITV Teletext].

'He has reportedly given permission for a chemical attack to be launched if invading forces were to cross it.

'The reports have not been confirmed by Washington.'

(BBC Ceefax, 24 March 03, p.106)

As with the "chemical weapons plant" above (today), the US government is relying on "unofficial" terror-rumours to provide continuing justification for their invasion of Iraq.

'Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the [US] Justice Department and the FBI have dramatically increased the use of two little-known powers that allow authorities to tap telephones, seize bank and telephone records and obtain other information in counterterrorism investigations with no immediate court oversight, according to officials and newly disclosed documents.

'The FBI, for example, has issued scores of "national security letters" that require businesses to turn over electronic records about finances, telephone calls, e-mail and other personal information, according to officials and documents. The letters, a type of administrative subpoena, may be issued independently by FBI filed offices and are not subject to judicial review unless a case comes to court, officials said.

'Attorney General John D. Ashcroft has also personally signed more than 170 "emergency foreign intelligence warrants," three times the number authorized in the preceding 23 years, according to recent congressional testimony. [My emphasis.]

'Federal law allows the attorney general to issue unilaterally these classified warrants for wiretaps and physical searches of suspected terrorists and other national security threats under certain circumstances. They can be enforced for 72 hours before they are subject to review and approval by the ultra-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. ...

'The use of national security letters has been accelerated in part because Congress made it easier to use and apply them. The USA Patriot Act, a package of sweeping terrorism legislation passed after the Sept. 11 attacks, loosened the standard for targeting individuals by national security letters and allowed FBI field offices, rather than a senior official at headquarters, to issue them, officials said.

'The records that can be obtained through the letters include telephone logs, e-mail logs, certain financial and bank records and credit reports, a Justice official said. ...'

('U.S. Steps Up Secret Surveillance', Washington Post, 24 March 03, p.A01)

'SCOTS MAY PIONEER THE USE OF ID CARDS

'Scotland looks certain to become the first part of Britain to introduce an ID swipe-card scheme, if Labour retains power in the Scottish Parliament elections on May 1.

'The party is to pledge in its election manifesto to introduce a form of ID card within the next four years. Ministers are prepared to face opposition from civil liberties groups and opposition parties, including the Liberal Democrats who have shared power with Labour since 1999.

'The cards, known as entitlement cards, would contain information about a person's age and medical records covering blood type, prescribed drugs and allergies, as well as information allowing people to access local authority facilities such as libraries and leisure centres.

'Although they would not include information about a criminal record, there are plans, if Westminster agrees, to include social security and unemployment benefit information, two areas reserved to Westminster and not devolved.

'Scots would not be required to carry the cards at all times or use them against their will but they could be incorporated into new-style driving licences. [In the USA people are opposed to national (Federal) driving licences for the very reason that they would be ID cards.]

'A Scottish Labour spokesman said the cards would "replace the various bits of paper which govern the relationship between a person and the State", adding: "It is not about snooping or spying".'

(The Times, 24 March 03, p.15)

I can see some latter-day Bravehearts rising up against this new Sassenach oppression, perhaps crying "FREEDOM!" as their guts are sliced out with razor-edged ID cards.

25 March 03

Intelligence officers of the Scots Dragoon Guards claimed that an embryonic uprising in Basra, Iraq's second city, was being attacked by Iraqi troops. Iraq denied there was an uprising.

26 March 03

'SINGAPORE SCHOOLS SHUT IN ILLNESS FEARS

'Singapore is shutting all its schools for the first time since the 1940s, after two of the state's residents died from a mystery flu-like illness.

'Seventy-four people in the state have now been infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

'The illness spread from southern China, where 792 people have been affected and 31 have died.

'Cases have also been reported in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Canada and Germany.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.117)

'NEW POWERS OVER DNA SAMPLES [in Britain]

'Police will have new powers to take fingerprints and DNA from anyone they arrest under new Home Office proposals.

'all the samples will be kept forever, which would stop suspects "getting away with lying" about who they are, Home Office minister Lord Falconer said.

'The move is condemned by the human rights group Liberty, who said it would "treat everyone who has even been wrongly arrested as guilty by implication".'

(ITV Teletext, 26 March 03, p.312)

27 March 03

One thousand US paratroops have been dropped into Kurdish-held northern Iraq to build up the northern front.

Hong Kong has joined Singapore in closing its schools because of the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). (British Channel 4 News, 26 March 03)

I'm studying the document Rebuilding America's Defenses, produced by the US neo-conservative think-tank Project for the New American Century in September 2000. The Project, founded in the spring of 1997, has the backing of such current US regime hawks as Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Cheney. "Rebuilding America's Defenses" lamented the post Cold-War decline of the armed forces, and put forward recommendations to reverse this. The object being to cement America's position as the dominant world power.

Two hostile critiques (which I read first) point out that Iraq conquest was an aim of this group, regardless of whether Saddam Hussein was in power. John Pilger's essay also notes the document's comment that transforming America's military-strategic position was likely to be a long one, "absent [i.e. without] some catastrophic and catalyzing event — like a new Pearl Harbor" (my emphasis).

Neil Mackay, 'Bush planned Iraq "regime change" before becoming President', Sunday Herald, 15 Sept. 02'

John Pilger, Two years ago, a project set up ..., pilger.carlton.com, 12 Dec. 02

("The Plan : Were Neo-conservatives' 1998 Memos a Blueprint for Iraq War?", ABCNEWS.com, 10 March 03)

28 March 03

Richard Perle resigned yesterday (presumably as chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Advisory Board) because of a conflict with his business interests. (British Channel 4 News)

Brian Whitaker, 'Unfinished business : Richard Perle's resignation highlights questions over US economic involvement in postwar Iraq', The Guardian, 28 March 03.

'100,000 MORE US TROOPS ON WAY

'Up to 100,000 more US troops will move into the Gulf in coming weeks as part of a "rolling" commitment to destroying the Iraqi regime, US officials said.

'They said the influx had "always been part of the plan" and denied they were sparked by unexpected Iraqi resistance.

'There are currently about 90,000 US ground troops inside Iraq and a total of 250,000 US military personnel in the Gulf, according to US officials.'

(ITV Teletext, 28 March 03, p.306)

Or the rest could be for other Gulf countries.

'SOHAM POLICEMAN JAILED FOR CHILD PORN [in Britain]

'An ex-policeman who worked on the Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman murder probe has been jailed for six months after admitting child pornography charges.

'Anthony Goodridge, 34, of Ely, Camb[ridgeshire], was jailed at Ipswich Crown Court after admitting possessing more than 300 indecent images of young girls.

'Goodridge worked as an exhibit officer during the Soham murder investigation.

'He was dismissed by Cambridgeshire Police this month.'

(BBC Ceefax, 28 March 03, p.119)

For more on this case, and the Soham case itself, see 'Ashcroft's Paedophile Terror' and 'Diary of the Terror'.

'STOP HELPING IRAQ, RUMSFELD WARNS SYRIA

'The US has issued a strong warning to Syria to stop sending military equipment to Iraqi forces.

'US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Syria would be held accountable for such "hostile acts".

'Equipment sent across the border had included night vision goggles[, important for house-to-house fighting], he said.

'Mr Rumsfeld also warned that any Iranian military personnel who interfere with US-led operations in Iraq would be treated as combatants.' [Apparently, this was a reference to the Revolutionary Guards.]

(BBC Ceefax, 28 March 03, p.116)

Syria and Iraq denied the accusations.

Trying, in his dummy Rummy way, to spread the campaign of conquest.

The UN Security Council has unanimously approved the resumption of the Iraqi oil-for-food programme.

29 March 03

'Israeli officials are attempting to find whether there is a possibility of resuming negotiations with the Palestinians after two years.' (ITV Teletext, p.318)

The dissimulation before the storm?

'HONG KONG[:] After 58 cases of a mystery flu bug [SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, of course] were reported in a day, global health officials called the territory the most severely affected area.' (Ibid.)

'DOCTOR LATEST VICTIM OF MYSTERY DISEASE

'the doctor who first identified the mystery respiratory disease sweeping the Far East has died of illness.

'World Health Organisation expert Dr Carlo Urbani, 46, first diagnosed Sars in an American businessman [!] in November[ 2002].

'The Italian doctor died in Thailand after becoming infected while working in Vietnam.

'Sars has killed at least 55 people and another 1,485 have been infected, with the worst outbreak in China[ Guangdong province].'

(BBC Ceefax, 29 March 03)

'NEW WAVE OF PEACE PROTESTS IN UK CITIES

'Another wave of anti-war protests has taken place across the country.

'The biggest rally was in Edinburgh, with about 5,000 taking part. More than 1,000 protesters marched in Sheffield.

'Protests took place in many other towns and cities, including Cardiff, Swansea, Exeter, Birmingham and Oxford, as well as outside BBC TV Centre in west London.

'The Stop the War coalition, which organised the protests, said they show opposition to war remains strong.'

(BBC Ceefax, 29 March 03)

'"CHEMICAL WAR PROTECTION" FOUND AT [Iraqi] BASE

'US Marines claim to have found a large quantity of equipment to protect against the effects of chemical warfare at an Iraqi military complex.

'The discovery was made near the town of Nasiriyah, scene of fierce resistance from Iraqi forces earlier in the week.

'Marines also found part of a suspected chemical decontamination chamber.

'US officials say troops near Nasiriyah have found bodies in a shallow grave; their origin has not been established.'

(BBC Ceefax, 29 March 03, p.106)

So where does such evidence leave the Anglo-Americans??! Oh, but of course, we're the good guys!!!

30 March 03

'HUGE DEMONSTRATIONS CONDEMN IRAQ WAR

'Hundreds of thousands of people across Asia and Europe have taken part in demonstrations against the war in Iraq.

'More than 250,000 protesters gathered in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. In the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, tens of thousands marched on the US embassy.

'In Spain, thousands of protesters joined rallies in Barcelona, Saragossa, Madrid and Puerto de Santa Maria.

'Protests were also held in Turkey, the Czech Republic, India and Bulgaria.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.115)

Hundreds of thousands also demonstrated against the war in Morocco. (British TV news)

'Up to 30 people were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded pedestrian mall in the Israeli coastal town of Netanya, police said. ...

'The militant group Islamic Jihad has said it carried out the attack.'

(BBC Ceefax, 30 March 03, p.110)

'RUMSFELD DENIES OVERRULING WAR PLANNERS

'... The New Yorker magazine says he ignored Pentagon advice that more troops would be needed before beginning the ground war, and insisted on cutting the numbers. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 30 March 03, p.119)

— Myers and Franks backed up Rumsfeld's claims.

Perhaps the US regime is repeating the "slow-peddle" technique it used in the Afghan war (to the puzzlement of USAF commanders), in the hope of creating more time to inflame the rest of the Arab and Muslim world, as a pretext to spread the war.

31 March 03

'REPORTER SACKED OVER IRAQI TV INTERVIEW

'US TV network NBC has sacked one of its veteran reporters for telling Iraqi TV the early part of the US-led war had failed in the face of Iraqi resistance.

'The network had earlier defended Peter Arnett, saying he gave the interview as a professional courtesy and that his remarks were simply analytical.

'But NBC has since [said] Mr Arnett was wrong to give the interview at a time of war.

'The New Zealand-born journalist was a prominent reporter during the Gulf War.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.116)

'213 MYSTERY BUG CASES IN BLOCK OF FLATS

'Eighty-eight more people from a single Hong Kong apartment complex are suffering from a deadly pneumonia virus, health officials have said.

'It brings the number of cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) in the apartment block to 213.

'Officials said residents in the block in the Amoy Gardens complex on the Kowloon peninsula had been quarantined. [They are arresting any who try to escape.]

'The illness has so far killed 15 people in Hong Kong and 59 worldwide.'

(BBC Ceefax, 31 March 03, p.142)

'POWELL ISSUES WARNING TO SYRIA AND IRAN

'Syria and Iran must stop supporting terrorism, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has warned.

'Addressing a Jewish lobby group in Washington, Mr Powell said that Syria could either back Iraq's "dying regime" or embark on a "more hopeful course".

'Turning to Iran, Mr Powell said it "must stop its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction".

'He also reaffirmed the administration's determination to oust Saddam Hussein.'

(BBC Ceefax, 31 March 03, p.142)

'IRAQ SITE "USED TO MAKE RICIN POISON"

'A senior US general has suggested that an alleged terrorist compound in northern Iraq was used to manufacture poisons, including ricin.

'The site was used by the Ansar al-Islam group, which the US claims is closely linked to al-Qaeda.

'The Pentagon's senior commander General Richard Myers did not reveal any finds.

'But he said the camp contained many tunnels, and the search of the site could take a week.'

(BBC Ceefax, 31 March 03, p.142)

'US anger at Syria — suspected of arming Iraq — is justified, says The Times. [I.e., suspicion = conviction now.] But "words need to be chosen carefully" to avoid destabilising the region. [On the contrary, this is the game that Rumsfeld et al have been playing all along.]

'It says a bitter blame game erupting inside the Pentagon "threatens Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's future.

'"Knives come out for Rumsfeld", concurs The Guardian, "as the uniforms vent their frustration" at his war strategy.'

(BBC Ceefax, 31 March 03, p.148, reviews of British papers)

The commission to investigate 9/11 "intelligence failures" has held its first meeting, in New York (31 March). Mayor Bloomsberg expressed fear [or hope?] that funding was inadequate.

(BBC News 24, 1 April 03 at 1:55am BST)

Sneaking in like a thief in the night, under the sound and fury of the Iraq war, this event was hardly noticed in the news. The US cabal would no doubt like to bury it altogether, but the best they can hope for is to hide it under the campaign of empire-formation.

ITV Teletext news online                  BBC News online

Sign Guestbook       View Guestbook       Archive, Feb. 2002 — Feb. 2003            Diary index            Home