1 November 2003

'Civil rights campaigners [Liberty] have failed to persuade the High Court that anti-terrorism laws were used unlawfully on demonstraation at an international arms show ... in east London's docklands last month. ...'

((BBC article). See also "Guardian article)

2 November 03

Fifteen US troops have been killed in northern Iraq when their Chinook helicopter crashed. It was believed to have been hit by a missile. This is the largest number of US military casualties in a single event in Iraq.

'US SAYS "GHOST SHIPS" MUST COME TO UK

'The US has insisted that four of its decommissioned warships must continue their journey to the UK for scrapping.

'The Environment Agency has temporarily blocked plans by Able UK to break up the ships in Hartlepool, County Durham.

'It said Able has not supplied correct documentation and must seek a new licence before the vessels can dock.

'Green groups had campaigned to stop the "ghost fleet" — already are halfway across the Atlantic — coming to the UK, saying it was an ecological time bomb.'

(BBC Ceefax, 2 Nov. 03)

The practising-homosexual priest Gene Rob__son has been consecrated a bishop of the US Episcopal Church. Splits in the worldwide Anglican Church now appear inevitable.

4 November 03

In Britain, the Guardian newspaper is contesting a lawcourt decision to prevent the Mail On Sunday publishing the name of a royal servant in some scandal or other.

The issue here being the (so far, rare) use of court injunctions as press censorship.

But we seem to be seeing rather a lot of information "withheld for legal reasons" lately. By the standards of a democracy, anyway.

USA[:] The World Bank agreed to provide $250m for a $3.6bn pipeline that would bring oil from the Caspian Sea region through Turkey to Western markets.'

(ITV Teletext, p.318)

The pipeline will be the longest of its kind. (BBC World Service news)

So much for Afghanistan ...

But the issue of a "Caspian oil Afghan pipeline conspiracy" was, likely, a CIA deception-operation to distract attention from the main goal of Persian-Gulf oil.

'US CONCERN OVER GEORGIA POLL COUNTING

'The US has voiced concern that counting in Georgia's parliamentary elections was stopped and then restarted.

'US ambassador to the former Soviet republic Richard Miles told Georgian officials there were inaccuracies in voter lists before counting was halted.

'Preliminary results have put the pro-government bloc ahead with 25%.

'This has brought thousands of demonstrators, calling for the government to step down, out onto the streets of the capital, Tbilisi.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.121)

Shevenadze, the former Gorbachev minister, is president in Georgia.

The US junta's "concern for democracy" is strictly limited to its regions of material interest. Transcaucasia is important both for "Caspian" oil and as the northern borderlands of the junta's projected Persian Gulf oil empire.

The junta is trying to forge (that's the word!) an alliance with the liberal opposition to the Iranian regime, too.

It seeks to manipulate, in the name of "freedom" and "democracy", the crowds in the same way that Soviet subversionists did in the name of "socialism". A CIA bigwig was proud, in 1953, when for the first time they managed to manipulate Iranian crowds against Mossadeq in the same style as the "communists". And US manipulators have learned much more at the knee of their Red enemy since then.

5 November 03

'ISRAEL "EASING WEST BANK RESTRICTIONS"

'Israel is to ease restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in West Bank towns, military authorities have said.

'It came as foreign minister Silvan Shalom announced plans for concessions to revive the peace process once a new Palestinian government was in place.

'Mr Shalom said the government was ready to carry out steps quickly and smoothly.

'The army said the blockade would be eased in all West Bank towns except Jenin and Nablus, which it considers to be militant strongholds.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.108)

'REWARD FUND TO FIGHT COMPUTER VIRUSES

'Computer giant Microsoft has set up a $5m [£3m] reward fund to help catch people who unleash damaging viruses.

'The first rewards will give payments of $250,000 (£148,000) to anyone with information about the creators of the MSBlast or Sobig viruses.

'Both these viruses struck earlier this year and wrought havoc on home and business internet users.

'The fund is backed by the FBI, US Secret Service [my emphasis] and Interpol, who will act on any leads the rewards may generate.'

(BBC Ceefax, 5 Nov. 03, p.120)

6 November 03

'[British] ID SCHEME MAY TAKE YEARS TO GO THROUGH

'A decision on when to introduce a compulsory national ID card will be put off for years, the Cabinet has said.

'Downing Street said ministers had voted to put off the decision "until later this decade" after agreeing in principle to legislate for the cards.

'But Home Secretary David Blunkett said his controversial scheme would go ahead — with proposals for a draft bill to be published early next week.

Number 10 had said the Government would proceed by incremental steps.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.115)

'Saudi security forces shot dead a Muslim militant in a raid in the capital, Riyadh ...

'The official news agency SPA quoted a ministry official ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 6 Nov. 03, p.142)

Saudi officials said that two militants blew themselves up as they were being chased through Mecca's al Sharaeh district.

(BBC Ceefax, 6 Nov. 03, p.120)

'BUSH DEMANDS DEMOCRACY IN MIDDLE EAST

'President Bush has deplored the "freedom deficit" in the Middle East and said the US must remain focused on the region "for decades". [He said it was a mistake to have backed undemocratic Mideast regimes for so long. He compared his current policy with Reagan's anti-communist crusade.]

'"Our commitment to democracy is being tested in the Middle East," he said in a televised Washington speech in defence of US democracy.

'Mr Bush said dictators in Iraq and Syria had "left a legacy of torture, oppression, misery and ruin".

'But some governments in the region were "beginning to see the need for change".'

(BBC Ceefax, 6 Nov. 03, p.113; BBC World Service news)

7 November 03

Another US Black Hawk helicopter has been shot down near Tikrit, northern Iraq, killing all six people on board.

The US has made reprisal air and ground raids in the area.

'US TERROR ALERT IN SAUDI [You can say that again!]

'The US has closed its embassy in Riyadh because of terror threats that may include chemical or biological weapons attacks. ...'

(ITV Teletext, p.307)

'... The US embassy in Riyadh said it had received "credible information" terrorists had "moved from the planning to operational phase" of attacks.

'the embassy and US consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran would close on Saturday [8 Nov.]. ...

'The embassy did not say when normal operations were likely to resume.'

(BBC Ceefax, 7 Nov. 03, p.108)

Preparations for a US conquest/US-led putsch in Saudi?

'AL-QAEDA "MAY USE CARGO JETS"

'Al-Qaeda may be plotting to fly cargo planes from overseas into nuclear plants, bridges or dams in the US, security officials have warned.

'A Homeland Security official said the information ... came from a single overseas source.

'the United States has also warned that Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan may attempt to kidnap American journalists working in that country.'

(ITV Teletext, p.303)

In the context of the above, consider the following claim which appeared on the Portland Independent Media Center website on 3 Nov. 03, and has been doing the rounds of the web and usenet since:-

New US attack about to happen?

'... From: the Peacewatchers at USAF's Fairford and Welford bases in the UK

'Since Saturday [1 Nov.], people in the Highlands of Scotland have been witnessing large movements of US warplanes overhead. Experienced observers say the large numbers are reminiscent of those that preceded the bombing of Iraq in 1998 and military strikes on Libya in the 1980's as well as the first Gulf War.

'At the weekend warplanes were flying over at a rate of roughly one every 15 minutes. As well as watching them from the ground the plane spotters have also been able to overhear pilots talking by listening to their radio frequencies.

'At this rate some 288 warplanes would have passed over Scotland in three days.

'It is thought that the planes have flown on a route from the US over the North Pole to bases in Europe and the Mediterranean. The size and scale of the movement suggests that the US may be preparing to strike at a country in the Middle East in the next week to ten days.

'Please pass this information on as widely as possible— the US may be planning to use the pretext of "foreign" terrorist attacks on US personnel in Iraq to attack Iran or Syria. [Or Saudi Arabia, if the US embassy and consulate closures there are anything to go by. "Assisting the regime" (i.e. certain Quisling elements of it) to "resist the terrorists", perhaps? I.e, to stage a putsch/invasion.] Please alert any sympathetic elected representatives, media representatives and other sympathetic organizations. Publicizing this military movement may prevent the air-strikes.'

(author's homepage: www.banthebomb.org

8 November 03

'The Red Cross is to temporarily close its offices in Baghdad and Basra over safety fears for staff in Iraq. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, p.106)

'Iran will allow stringent inspections of its nuclear facilities and will suspend uranium enrichment, a leading official has pledged.

'Hasan Rowhani, who heads Iran's Supreme National Security Council, made the promise ahead of a meeting by the International Atomic Energy Agency. ...'

(ITV Teletext, p.310)

'"300,000 IN IRAQ MASS GRAVES"

'Saddam Hussein's government is believed to have buried up to 300,000 opponents in 263 mass graves, an official in the US-led administration has said.

'Sandy Hodgkinson said forensic teams have been probing grave sites reported to US officials. So far, the existence of about 40 graves has been confirmed.

'"We have found mass graves with women and children with bullet holes in their heads," she said.'

(ITV Teletext, 8 Nov. 03, p.306)

And how many more will the US junta itself add to these figures — sooner or later? (Perhaps they're already using them as a cover ...)

'COUNCILLOR WANTED OVER DOWNLOADING PORN

'A [Liberal-Democrat] councillor from Bristol [England] arrested on suspicion of alleged electoral fraud is now wanted for questioning about downloading internet pornography.

'John Astley, 38, fled to Amsterdam after his arrest over two weeks ago.

'The police have revealed that during their investigation into the electoral fraud they seized a computer and disks.

'Mr Astley is fighting an extradition order and has resigned from the Lib Dem group [on the city council]. Talks continue between the UK and Holland to secure his return.'

(BBC Ceefax West, 8 Nov. 03, p.164)

Admittedly flight and resignation do not sound like the actions of an innocent man. But the Liberal Democrats? The only visible opposition, God help us, to the upcoming Labour-Tory one-party police state? And the Lib Dem who is accused of electoral fraud also happens to have porn (child-porn, what else) on his computer??

This is just a confirmation that the potential agenda of tarring political oppositionists with child-porn is being put into effect. The West police running the local subsection of Operation Ore — itself a subsection of Candyman/Avalanche — have already applied the technique to Bristol pop musician Robert Del Naja, who was involved in (organizing?) anti-Iraq-war protests. (See "The (Post-9/11) Paedophile Campaign", under 27 February, 22 March, 2003.)

Councillor on porn and drug charges", BBC News online, 15 Nov. 2003

'Washington - The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks took legal against a second federal agency Friday [7 Nov.], issuing a subpoena for documents from the military agency that protects U.S. airspace.

'The commission said it was "dismayed" at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, for not turning over document concerning its response on Sept. 11, 2001, to the hijackings.

'Commission investigators found, after being assured that NORAD had released all documents, that "a significant quantity of materials .. had not been turned over," commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste said. ...

'Friday's subpoena, combined with one issued three weeks ago to the Federal Aviation Administration, suggests an ongoing dispute about what happened the morning of Sept. 11. NORAD has said it was not notified of the hijackings until nearly half an hour after the first one occurred. The FAA has said it gave informal notice throughout the morning ...'

9 November 03

'DEATH TOLL RISES TO 17 IN SAUDI BOMBING

'At least 17 people have been killed and more than 120 injured in a bomb attack in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

'A series of explosions devastated the 200-house Muhaya compound after a booby-trapped car was detonated, the Saudi Interior Ministry said.

[The compound was said to house mainly foreign Arab workers and their families — mainly Lebanese, according to ITV Teletext (p.305).] Officials said the victims were Saudis, Sudanese and Egyptians. Five children were among the dead.

'Security officials suspect that the attack was the work of al-Qaeda, which carried out a similar strikes in May.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.107)

'The British embassy in Bahrain has warned UK citizens of a high risk of terrorism in the small Gulf kingdom. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 9 Nov. 03, p.105)

'TOP [British] POLICE CHIEF IN U-TURN ON ID CARDS

'The UK's most senior police officer has called for the urgent introduction of compulsory identity cards.

'Sir John Stevens, head of London's Metropolitan Police, said he used to be "ambivalent" about the idea. [There's nothing ambivalent about Stevens. He's been a leading terror-agitpropnik since 9/11. ]

'But, he told BBC1's Breakfast With Frost, he now saw them as "essential" in the fight against terrorism.

'The introduction of ID cards has been agreed in principle by ministers, but a decision on making them compulsory has been delayed for several years.'

(BBC Ceefax, 9 Nov. 03, p.120)

And of course Stevens is not alone. The recent call by the head of the Chief Constables' Association, for registration of everyone's DNA patterns at birth, is just one example of the fanatical extremes that establishment (presumed) former moderates are now pushing into.

10 November 03

'SAUDI: US WARNS OF FURTHER BOMBINGS

'US officials have warned of the threat of further attacks like Saturday's bombing in Riyadh ...

'US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage joined Saudi officials in blaming the blast on al-Qaeda, after talks on the war on terrorism. [Armitage is to reach Saudi Arabia tonight.]

'President Bush has sent a message to Crown Prince Abdullah expressing his solidarity with the kingdom. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, p.107)

'US [Supreme] COURT TO HEAR GUANTANAMO CASES

'The US Supreme Court is to hear appeals by Afghan war detainees at the US military's Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba.

'For the first time it will assess whether US courts have the jurisdiction to consider appeals by inmates held at Guantanamo Bay. [The Court isn't expected to issue a ruling until next June.]

'The appeals have been lodged by two British, two Australian and 12 Kuwaiti nationals, who claim they are being held illegally.

'About 650 detainees from more than 40 countries are being held at the camp.'

(BBC Ceefax, 10 Nov. 03, p.116)

'IRAN GETS MIXED UN NUCLEAR REPORTS

'Diplomats say a confidential report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog accuses Iran of failing to disclose full details of its nuclear programme.

'But the International Atomic Energy Agency says it has found no evidence of Iranian efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

'IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei's report says since mid-October Iran has shown "active co-operation and openness".

'Iran says it is suspending its uranium enrichment with effect from Tuesday [11 Nov.].'

(BBC Ceefax, 10 Nov. 03, p.117)

Still, like the UN's similarly "reasonable" efforts in Iraq, it may well be enough for the junta to move in with guns blazing.

'The admission [allegedly] comes in a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear programme which the agency is due to consider next week. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 11 Nov. 03, p.142)

'US tariffs on steel imports are illegal, the World Trade Organisation has confirmed. ...

'The US said it "disagreed" with the ruling and would review the decision.'

(BBC Ceefax, 10 Nov. 03, p.119)

'Al-Qaeda is actively seeking to bring down the Saudi ruling royal family, the US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, has said. [He gave a little grin as he said it. As seen on British TV news.] ...

'Mr Armitage also warned of fresh terror attacks to come in the kingdom.

'He was speaking after holding talks in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Abdullah following Saturday's suicide bombing in Riyadh ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 10 Nov. 03, p.142)

] 11 November 03

British Home Secretary David Blunkett has introduced to Parliament his ten-year plan for bringing in compulsory identity cards. The first step will be to set up a National Identity Register 'to hold details of all 60 million people in Britain'.

By 2005 (or 2007) new passports and driving licences will include biometric details such as fingerprints and/or iris patterns.

In 2013 a decision will be taken on creating general-purpose ID cards. The cards will be necessary to get a job, claim Social Security benefits and National Health Service services, and to see your doctor, for example.

The scheme, it is claimed, will combat financial fraud, illegal immigration and terrorism.

'An American soldier shot dead the mayor of a highly volatile Baghdad district, the US military has confirmed. ...

'He was shot during an altercation with US troops at the local council's compound. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 11 Nov. 03, p.116)

12 November 03

The Times (London) believes that al-Qaeda will try to hide behind demonstrators protesting against President Bush during his upcoming visit to London.

(According to Jeremy Paxman on BBC Newsnight, 11 Nov. 03.)

What a pity for this newspaper that the original Pravda is still going. The Times must be more than anxious to adopt its name.

(London is being extensively "staked out" by "security operations" for the visit of Our "Fuehrer". Demonstrators will be restricted in their movements. A "think tank" has conveniently reported a "heightened probability" of terrorist attacks on London.)

VENEZUELA[:] State officials denied that Britain's foreign intelligence service, MI6, is investigating alleged al-Qaeda operations in the country.'

(ITV Teletext, 12 Nov. 03, p.318)

'25 KILLED IN IRAQ BLAST [at Italian base]

'A truck bomb has devastated the Italian military police HQ in Iraq, killing at least 25 people in Italy's single worst army loss since the Second World War.

'A vehicle [petrol tanker] rammed the gate and exploded in front of the Carabinieri building, in the southern city of Nasiriyah.

'a spokesman said 17 Italians were killed: 11 Carabinieri, four troops, a civilian and a documentary film producer. At least eight Iraqis were also killed.'

(ITV Teletext, 12 Nov. 03, p.303)

'Recently, I've attempted to access European internet sites to investigate allegations in the news [about Prince Charles] which British subjects aren't allowed to know about and have been met with electronic blocks preventing access. ...
'(H K, Isle of Islay [Scotland])'

(Letters to ITV Teletext, p.346, 12 Nov. 03)

And thus how easily they can block access to serious issues as well — perhaps without advertising it so obviously.

As if to confirm yesterday's suggestion (see above):-

'US ATTACKS NUCLEAR REPORT ON IRAN

'Washington has challenged the United Nations nuclear energy watchdog's conclusion that Iran has not been trying to develop atomic weapons.

'Under-Secretary of State for Arms control John Bolton said the International Atomic Energy Agency's assessment was "impossible to believe". [And I'll bet it is — for the junta's boys.]

'He said Iranian efforts to acquire nuclear capabilities only made sense as part of a weapons programme. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, p.111)

13 November 03

'"Bush speeds up exit strategy" is how The Daily Telegraph sums up the US's expected shift over Iraq.

'President Bush ordered the handover of power to be speeded up "following warnings from the CIA of impending disaster", the paper continues.

'The Guardian says the White House drew up "emergency plans" to accelerate the transfer of power from Iraq.

'It too talks of a "devastating CIA report warning that the guerrilla war was in danger of getting out of control. [Why? Is it running it?]'

(BBC Ceefax, 13 Nov. 03, p.148, reviews of British papers)

'More British troops will be sent to Iraq if they are needed, [British] Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said.

'He told the BBC that troop numbers were being kept under constant review. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, p.105)

14 November 03

'INDEPENDENT[:] Thousands more British troops could be sent to combat the growing rebellion in Iraq.'

(ITV Teletext, p.328, reviews of British papers)

'The Financial Times reports President Bush said the US will not pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan until Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are found.'

There shouldn't be any problem in staying, then .......

'UNPRECEDENTED" SECURITY FOR BUSH

'Security for the visit of US president George W Bush to London will be "unprecedented", according to Britain's most senior police officer.

'The £4m blitz [!] will involve all Scotland Yard's armed units and up to 5,000 police officers, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens said.

'"The bubble" — a ring of 700 of Mr Bush's own secret service agents — will also surround Mr Bush. [My emphasis.]

'The president will arrive on Tuesday [18 Nov.] for a four-day visit.'

(BBC Ceefax, 14 Nov. 03, p.104)

And Western leaders at Yalta were amused by the huge armed bodyguard with which Stalin surrounded himself ... In 1944, still a time of world war ...

'A United States federal judge [Leonie Brinkma] has revoked the right of a man [Zacarias Moussaoui] charged over the 11 September [2001] attacks to represent himself in court. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 14 Nov. 03, p.121)

15 November 03

'UK ON SECOND-HIGHEST TERROR ALERT

'Britain's security services have been put on their second highest state of alert amid intelligence of an al-Qaeda terrorist attack, the BBC has learned.

'The internal "severe general" alert is said to be unconnected to US President Bush's forthcoming visit to the UK. [A joke so obvious it isn't even funny.]

'It follows warnings about plans by al-Qaeda supporters from North Africa.

'The alert means security will be tightened at potential targets. Sources say no attack is imminent [and how do they know this?] and there is no intelligence of a specific target.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.104)

At least 20 people, including six Jews, were killed when car bombs exploded outside two synagogues in the Turkish capital Istanbul. A local group claimed responsibility, but the Turkish government said it suspected foreign forces, maybe al-Qaeda.

'TIMETABLE SET FOR IRAQI HANDOVER

'The US-led coalition in Iraq will hand over power to a transitional government by June 2004, the Iraqi Governing Council has said.

'The announcement came after Iraqi leaders met the US chief administrator, Paul Bremer, in Baghdad. ...

'The transitional body will prepare for full sovereign government by 2005, following a general election.'

(BBC Ceefax, 15 Nov. 03, p.105)

This "transitional government" will still, if the US junta can at all help it, be its puppet backed by the continuing presence of US military force.

16 November 03

'US HELICOPTERS CRASH KILLING 17

'Seventeen coalition soldiers have been killed and five wounded in a mid-air collision between two US helicopters.

'the Black Hawk helicopters — both from the 101st Airborne Division — crashed over the northern city of Mosul.

'Witnesses said one of the helicopters was hit by a missile and spun out of control into the other, sending them both down into a residential area.

'US officials said one soldier was still missing, but have not yet commented on the cause of the crash.'

(BBC Ceefax at 2am GMT, p.104)

President Bush on the Guantanamo detainees:-

"These are illegal non-combatants picked up off of the battlefield."

(Bush interviewed by David Frost for British television, broadcast 16 Nov. 03)

No matter how he tries to cover it up, the truth always comes gurgling out of Bush's mouth. (As Mark Crispin Miller remarked in The Bush Dyslexicon.)

In this case, Bush inadvertently admits that the detainees were not combatants. Of course, he meant to say "illegal combatants". But as so often before, the truth came out in yet another Bushslip.

The detainees are of course Toms, Dicks and Harrys picked up in ways that were, no doubt, little or no better than random ... assuming that the kidnappers were genuinely trying to find hostile combatants in the first place. The giant "Qaeda army of 100,000 terrorists" is of course a figment of US imperialist propaganda, a pretext to conquer — today, the Mideast oil zone, tomorrow — the world.

17 November 03

Bush's British police guard now souped up to 14,000. (Another version says 5,000 policemen will be working 14,000 shifts.) Bush's own Secret Service "bubble" described (in Guardian?) as "only" 250 agents. (This is "explained" as 250 armed agents — plus hundreds of others.) Stories say the Americans wanted a "shoot-to-kill" policy to protect him, and for the London Underground rail network to be closed, amongst other things, but British government refused.

An email said to have been received by the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi claimed al-Qaeda was behind the Turkish synagogue bombings.

Quds's editor, Abdel Bari-Atwan, seems opposed to US imperialism, but has made a useful and repeated mouthpiece for "Qaeda-at-the-gates" agitprop.

'The CIA says it cannot verify whether a tape allegedly from ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is genuine.

'The quality of the tape — broadcast on Sunday [16 Nov.] by [Dubai's] TV station Al-Arabiya — is too poor for a conclusive verdict, the Central Intelligence Agency said. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, p.116)

The voice sounded clear enough to me (from the little I heard of it on British TV news). Is the CIA backing away further from its support of the Bush regime? Its "Saddam tape" identifications were always "probable" before.

Has the CIA got a monopoly on Saddam (and Osama) voice analysis, by the way? I rarely here of other analyses ... and yet such analysis is open to the whole world to do.

'Ninety-nine "anti-coalition suspects" were arrested in the past 24 hours of operations against insurgents across Iraq, according to the US military. ...

18 November 03

The Mail newspaper (Britain) claims that mobile phone services in certain parts of London will be blocked "to prevent them being used as a trigger for a bomb" during Bush's visit. (British TV news)

And when will they get round to blocking newspapers, broadcasting and the internet on the ground they might blow Der Gross Fuehrer away? Already starting ...?

A poll by the Conservative propaganda unit YouGov claims that the largest part of its British respondents, 43%, support Bush's UK visit, and that 62% think the US is basically a force for good in the world.

Wouldn't it be nice if it were again.

... majority back Bush as support for war surges

'A majority of Labour voters welcome President George Bush's state visit to Britain which starts today, according to November's Guardian/ICM poll.

'The survey shows that public opinion in Britain is overwhelmingly pro-American with 62% of voters believing that the US is "generally speaking a force for good, not evil, in the world". ... Only 15% of British voters agree with the idea that America is the "evil empire" in the world. [I'm afraid that 100% of me agrees that it is under the current regime.] ...

'The ICM poll also uncovers a surge in pro-war sentiment in the past two months as suicide bombers have stepped up their attacks on western targets and troops in Iraq. Opposition to the war has slumped by 12 points since September to only 41% of all voters. At the same time those who believe the war was justified has jumped 9 points to 47% of voters. ...'

These figures are just in time for Bush's arrival in the UK! And published in a generally left-wing paper too. But they are at variance with other opinion polls ...

Compare one of ITV Teletext's polls, published on 20 Nov, for example:-

'A majority of 57% do not welcome President Bush to the UK, according to an ongoing poll of more than 5,000 Teletext viewers.'

(ITV Teletext, 20 Nov. 03, p.305/2)

The "unprecedented security operation" to protect Bush in London seems a development of similar previous operations, notably that in Salt Lake City during the Winter Olympics in 2002. That one seemed to me at the time a dry run for a Washington putsch, but when Republicans gained control of both Houses of Congress that became unnecessary (to say the least).

Isn't the UK now getting its own dry (or not-so-dry?) run for an anti-democratic putsch or repression here? There already exist contingency plans for the corralling and evacuation of whole cities in the event of "WMD terror attacks", which (as in America) could be simulated or laid on as required. Already the British "security forces" are trying to blur the line between opposition demonstrators and "al-Qaeda" by declaring a heightened state of terror-alert to accompany the visit, and Rupert Murdoch's Times has spread the story that "Qaeda attackers" may try to use demonstrators "as a cover".

And where did al-Qaeda come from? It was of course a CIA protιgι. It has been, ever since 9/11, the primary pretext for the development of the American-led Anglo-Saxon world empire and the accompanying police state needed to push the measures through.

'The United Nations has suspended work in southern and eastern Afghanistan following the killing of an aid worker. ...

'A UN spokeswoman said the move was temporary pending a security review and work in northern areas would continue. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 18 Nov. 03, p.123)

How many such "temporary" moves there have been lately! The UN and Red Cross in Iraq spring to mind ...

19 Nov. 03

Conrad Black to retire early amid probe
Martha Graybow, Reuters

'New York (Reuters) — U.S. securities regulators have sent a subpoena to newspaper group Hollinger International amid disclosures of multimillion-dollar payments to departing Chief Executive Conrad Black and other top executives, the company says.

'Hollinger also said Black, who has drawn fire from shareholders about his role following the payments, is stepping down immediately — two days earlier than expected — on the advice of his counsel.

'The company ... said Black was unable to certify its financial results, due to his resignation. ...

'Black resigned as chief executive of Chicago-based Hollinger International on Monday [17 Nov.] after the company disclosed that he and other executives collected $32 million ... in unauthorised or undisclosed payments. The company, publisher of the Daily Telegraph [of London], the Chicago Sun-Times and the Jerusalem Post [my emphasis], is exploring a possible sale. ...

'Hollinger International is controlled by the Canadian-born Black through Toronto-based holding company Hollinger Inc., which exercises control through multiple voting shares despite holding a minority of its equity. ...

'[Hollinger] Board members include such luminaries as former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Assistant Defence Secretary Richard Perle. [My emphasis.] ...'

The Telegraph is a right-wing paper which has in recent times churned out such pro-war propaganda as documents allegedly uncovered in the (wrecked) Iraqi Information Ministry "proving" (?) Qaeda connections with the Hussein regime and "showing that" rebel British Labour MP George Galloway "received big cash payments from the Hussein regime. The wrecked building was wide open, and anyone could have planted fakes there — though the documents are supposed to have been authenticated.

Interesting that that old oil warrior Henry Kissinger and the Zionist (and alleged Israeli agent) Richard Perle are on the board of Hollinger. Kissinger and Perle also share membership of the Pentagon's Defense Advisory Board, one of the central power-houses of the US junta's petro-imperialism. Perle himself resigned as chairman of the Board last March, because of his business interests. ...

20 November 03

'25 DEAD IN ISTANBUL BLASTS [at the British Consulate and HSBC Bank]

'Suicide bombers attacked UK interests in Istanbul killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 400 at the British Consulate and the HSBC bank HQ.

'British Consul General Roger Short was among 15 killed at the consulate ..., while 10 died at the HSBC building.

'A man [wow! a man!] called the Anatolia news agency to say al-Qaeda and Turkish militant group IBDA-C claimed the attacks.'

(ITV Teletext, p.302)

The attacks were obviously timed to coincide with the Bush-Blair speeches in London. And, as a result, the lads have renewed their "back-to-back, shoulder-to-shoulder" stance. Perfectly co-ordinated for the next phase of the imperial campaign, indeed. The terrorists are certainly the objective allies of the imperialists. And of course al-Qaeda is a CIA protιgι ......

'[London] Metropolitan Police officers are to go to Istanbul to assist the investigation into the double suicide blasts.

'Commissioner Sir John Stevens said 10 anti-terrorist squad officers will take over the probe because it is British territory. ...'

(ITV Teletext, 20 November 03, p.304)

21 November 03

Gen. Franks Doubts [US] Constitution Will Survive WMD Attack
John O. Edwards, NewsMax.com

'Gen. Tommy Franks says that if the United States is hit with a weapon of mass destruction that inflicts large casualties, the Constitution will likely be discarded in favor of a military form of government.

'Franks, who successfully led the U.S. military operation to liberate Iraq, expressed his worries in an extensive interview he gave to the men's lifestyle magazine Cigar Aficionado. [The interview appears in the Dec. 2003 issue.] ...

'If [such an attack] happens, Franks said, "... the Western world, the free world, loses what it cherishes most, and that is [the] freedom and liberty we've seen for a couple of hundred years in this grand experiment that we call democracy." ...

'Already, critics of the U.S. Patriot Act, rushed through Congress in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, have argued that the law aims to curtail civil liberties and sets a dangerous precedent.

'But Franks' scenario goes much further. He is the first high-ranking official to openly speculate that the Constitution could be scrapped in favor of a military form of government.

'The usually camera-shy Franks retired from U.S. Central Command ... in August 2003, after serving four decades in the Army. ...'

Perhaps Franks has himself in mind for Warlord of the Epoch. Like Marius, the first of the Roman warlords who turned their arms on their own republic from 100 BC. Except that the politics of the Roman and American transformations is reversed. Marius (an old man like Franks) was the last of the "radical demagogues" (as Spengler called them), of the Left or Populares party. The whole gang, including Franks, who have challenged the American constitutional state, including Franks, are of the Right. Will they in later years be "physically challenged by the Left, the way that Marius was by Sulla of the Right/Optimates party?

Village Voice, in an article entitled "Rummy's Kids" (21 Nov. 03), notes Franks' interview as reported by NewsMax. The article also mentions "Richard Perle, perhaps the foremost and certainly the most outspoken war hawk around [US Defense Secretary] Rumsfeld. He sits on a Pentagon advisory board and has long argued for the war in Iraq. In London this week [a puppet-master accompanying Pinocchio-Bush?], he startled observers of the diplomatic scene by saying flat out: "I think in this case international law stood in the way of doing the right thing." [My emphasis.] Brushing aside international law to support going to war is pretty much the opposite of what the Bush people have been saying all along. ...'

There are some in the ranks of the junta who see beyond the surface-fiction of legality towards post-constitutional force-politics.

Terrorism Inc: Al Qaeda Franchises Brand of Violence to Groups Across the World
Douglas Farah and Peter Finn, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 03, p.A33

'Leaders of the al Qaeda terrorist network have franchised their organization's brand of synchronized, devastating violence to homegrown terrorist groups across the world, posing a formidable new challenge to counterterrorism forces, according to intelligence analysts and experts in the Untied States, Europe and the Arab world.

'The recent attacks in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Chechnya and Iraq show that the smaller organizations, most of whose leaders were trained in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, have fanned out, imbued with radical ideology and the means to create or revitalize local terrorist groups. They also are expanding the horizons of groups that had focused on regional issues.

'With most of its senior leadership killed or captured and its financial structure under increasing scrutiny, Osama bin Laden's network, now run largely by midlevel operatives, relies increasingly on these groups to carry out the jihad, or holy war, against the Untied States and its allies. Al Qaeda has turned to inspiring and instigating such attacks.

'One senior U.S. official [unnamed, as usual] said al Qaeda's children were "growing up and moving out into the world, loyal to their parents but no longer reliant on them." ...

'While two of the highest-profile attacks — the May 12 and Nov. 9 suicide bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — appear to be the work of al Qaeda, few other recent strikes appear to be the direct work of that organization.

'A new [apparently Turkish] group, the Islamic Great East Raiders Front, took responsibility for Thursday's car bombing in Istanbul. [Other "example", from Indonesia, Chechnya, Pakistan, Morocco and the Philippines.]

[This is all very convenient for those trying to keep up the facade of a generalized terror "organization" — for their own ulterior motives.]

'A senior FBI official [again, unnamed] said the main link among the groups appears to be their shared experiences in the al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. Approximately 20,000 people from 47 countries passed through the camps from the mid-1990s until the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, officials estimate. The camps served as sites to train and indoctrinate fighters, keys to building the future network as they returned to their homelands. ...

'Most terrorism experts, including U.S. and European intelligence analysts, said they also were seeing new similarities in the groups' communication techniques and the use of explosives.

'For example, officials said, al Qaeda members have taught individuals from other groups how to use the Internet to send messages and how to encrypt those communications to avoid detection. [Of course, such "primitive savages" couldn't have learnt this anywhere else. ;-)] Bomb and chemical-making techniques have been passed around. Investigators have found the same kind of fuse being used on different continents.

'"People noticed a flow of ideas," said one government terrorism expert. "One group will pioneer a certain kind of fuse and transfer it around." ...

[Well, now we have it. The internet is al-Qaeda! Send in the special forces to take it out ...]

'Michael Pillsbury, a Pentagon terrorism consultant, argued that the evolution of the terrorist groups is analogous to a process of corporate merger and acquisition. At a terrorism conference earlier this year at St. Andrews College, Pillsbury said regionally focused terrorism groups with their own particular agendas join with al Qaeda to learn their operational techniques or benefit from their contacts, but are not subordinate to al Qaeda. [... like franchises] ...'

Imitative of a popular US business practice, indeed. ... (So that's where Bush (or his speechwriter) got the idea for his British state-visit speech, by-the-bye.)

'US BLASTS IRAN ATOMIC "ALL-CLEAR" [from IAEA]

'The United States has accused the UN nuclear watchdog of damaging its credibility in its latest report on Iran's nuclear activities.

'The US envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency questioned findings that there was no evidence of an ongoing nuclear programme in Iran.

'But IAEA Director-General Mohammed ElBaradei has defended the report.

'A key meeting of the agency's board of governors considering the report has been adjourned until Wednesday [26 Nov.].'

(BBC Ceefax, p.123)

'America has warned that attacks on US interests abroad are more likely as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan draws to its end, due on November 25. ...'

(BBC Ceefax, p.108)

Which only underlines the fact that the current spate of "Islamist" terror attacks has occurred during Ramadan.

At least 26 people were injured when 3 men on motorbikes threw an explosive device into a mosque in Parbhani, 250 miles east of Bombay (Mumbai).

'The United States is to release 24 prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in the coming weeks.'

(ITV Teletext, 21 Nov. 03, p.308)

22 November 03

Georgian president Shevardnadze has threatened to use the army after oppositionists invaded Georgia's parliament.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov is due to meet Shevardnadze and leaders of the other parties.

US Secretary of state Colin Powell has said he'll visit soon.

'Western countries are concerned because Georgia is due to be the site of a key Caspian oil pipeline. [My emphasis.]'

(BBC Ceefax, pp.104, 105)

Are US forces in the country playing any role in "coordinating the crowd"? Has the US quietly given the opposition its backing?

'UK "DEADLY POISON ATTACK" [plot] EXPOSED [in Britain]

[Do most of these terrorists go on holiday in the summer months? It definitely seems to be their "off season".]

'Suspected terrorists in London have reportedly tried to buy half a tonne of the toxic chemical saporin with the aim of launching a deadly poison attack.

'Their plot came to light when the supplier, suspicious about the size of the order, contacted the police, according to the Financial Times.

'Saporin makes biological cells more susceptible to other toxic chemicals.

'A [London] Metropolitan Police spokesman refused to discuss the matter but said he was unaware of any charges over the claims.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.306)

23 November 03

'The Independent says sweeping measures to deal with terrorist attacks and other emergencies are to be announced.

'They will give the [British] Government power to over-ride civil liberties in times of crisis, evacuate threatened areas and restrict people's movements.

'The Times reports that British security services are hunting two cells of Al-Qaeda terrorists.

'Security chiefs believe the terrorists are preparing to carry out "spectacular" attacks in Britain.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.148, reviews of British papers —
presumably the Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Times)

The (real) leaders of the British "security" and "intelligence" services, the sidekicks of the US junta and CIA, are exploiting terrorism to overthrow civil liberties. Blair and his government, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens and the rest, are their puppets.

24 November 03

'EXPRESS[:] Al-Qaeda is preparing to launch a "spectacular" attack in Britain, security chiefs have warned ministers.'

(ITV Teletext, 24 Nov, 03, p.328, reviews of British papers)

'Switzerland's Le Temps .... Its editorial calls the [overthrow of Shevardnadze by the Georgia opposition] "too well choreographed to be spontaneous".

'It believes the handover of power was "probably the subject of a top-level areangement between the Kremlin and the White House".

'Spain's La Razon also suspects US involvement, noting that the US and other Western countries have already invested millions in an oil pipeline.'

(BBC Ceefax, 24 Nov. 03, p.148, reviews of European papers)

And (to repeat), were US forces in Georgia used as a cover for, let us say, "liaison" with the erstwhile opposition?

'BUSH APPROVES $400bn DEFENCE BILL

'President George Bush has signed a defence spending bill that tops $400bn for the first time since the Cold War.

'The President said the US armed forces were engaged in a great and historic task to confront terrorism.

'The money includes an average 4.15% pay rise for US troops, as well as controversial funding for research into new types of nuclear weapons.

'In a ceremony at the Pentagon, Mr Bush said the US faced enemies who measured progress by chaos, fear and death. [These enemies are internal. They are Bush's puppet-masters.]'

(BBC Ceefax, 24 Nov. 03, p.112)

[US] Congress Expands FBI Spying Power
Ryan Singel, Wired News, 24 Nov. 03

'Congress approved a bill on Friday [21 Nov. 2003] that expands the reach of the Patriot Act, reduces oversight of the FBI and intelligence agencies and, according to critics, shifts the balance of power away from the legislature and the courts.

'A provision of an intelligence spending bill will expand the power of the FBI to subpoena business documents and transactions from a broader range of businesses — everything from libraries to travel agencies to eBay — without first seeking approval from a judge.

'Under the Patriot Act, the FBI can acquire bank records and Internet or phone logs simply by issuing itself a so-called national security letter saying the records are relevant to an investigation into terrorism. The FBI doesn't need to show probable cause or consult a judge. What's more, the target institution is issued a gag order and kept from revealing the subpoena's existence to anyone, including the subject of the investigation.

'The new provision in the spending bill redefines the meaning of "financial institution". The wider definition explicitly includes insurance companies, real estate agents, the U.S. Postal Service, travel agencies, casinos, pawn shops, car dealers and any other business whose "cash transactions have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax tax or regulatory matters".

'Justice Department officials tried earlier this year to write a bill to expand the Patriot Act. A draft — dubbed Patriot II — was leaked and caused such an uproar that Justice officials backed down. [It's not clear to me that they have in fact "backed down" ...] The new provision inserts one of the most controversial aspects of Patriot II into the spending bill.

'Intelligence spending bills are considered sensitive, so they are usually drafted in secret and approved without debate or public comment.

'Chris Schoeder, a Duke law professor and former assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel at the Justice Department, said the re-insertion shows that "people who want to expand the powers of the FBI didn't want to stop after Patriot II was leaked.

'"They are going to insert these provisions on a stealth basis", Schoeder said. "It's insidious." ...'

25 November 03

UK COULD VETO EUROPEAN UNION CONSTITUTION

'Britain might not reach an agreement with its European Union partners about a new constitution, the Government has said for the first time.

'It signalled it was ready to veto the idea [!] unless it gets its way on issues like tax, defence and social security. [I.e, for national independence in these areas — especially tax.]

'A senior Government source said that, while the constitution was "highly desirable", it was not essential.

'EU foreign ministers are preparing to finalise the constitution later this week.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.107)

— Apparently Gordan Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was the source of this statement. He spoke to this effect on Channel 4 News.

This "stand", so soon after the state visit of George Bush, suggests the British government has been put up to it by Bush — or rather Bush's puppet-masters — with the aim of dislocating and disrupting the EU's path. In favour of the Atlantic Axis, of course.

(And the fact that Gordan Brown announced it may indicate that the US junta has marked him as a successor to the embattled Blair.)

A leading British justice has condemned the injustice of Guantanamo. (Channel 4 News, 25 Nov. 03)

'UK JUDGE SPEAKS ON DETAINEES

'One of Britain's most senior judges has condemned the Untied States for a "monstrous failure of justice" over the holding of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

'The Law Lord, Lord Steyn, said the prisoners at the base on Cuba are being held in "utter lawlessness".

'He dismissed the Government's attempts to assist the detainees and challenged ministers to publicly condemn the holding of all prisoners at the base.'

(ITV Teletext, 25 Nov. 03, p.308)

'POLICE "FOIL TERROR STRIKES ON LONDON"

'Several terror attacks planned to be launched on London have been foiled, police have said.

'Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Trotter has refused to disclose when or who had been involved in the "significant" arrests.

'But he added" "We have most definitely foiled attacks on London." ...'

(BBC Ceefax, 25 Nov. 03, p.114)

26 November 03

'MAIL[: British Foreign Secretary] Jack Straw angered Tony Blair by saying that Britain might veto the new EU constitution.'

(ITV Teletext, p.328, reviews of British papers)

'TELEGRAPH[:] BBC chief Greg Dyke attacked American reporting of the Iraq war and derided news organisations which "bang the drum" for one side or the other.'

(Ibid.)

The tranche of proposed legislation for the final session of the current British Parliament contains the proposals for extended "anti-terror" powers and a national ID system ...

'QUEEN'S SPEECH SETS OUT BLAIR PLANS

'Police and ministers are to get new powers to deal with terror incidents and other emergencies.

'Plans announced in the Queen's Speech mean that in a "catastrophic incident" the police could evacuate danger areas and requisition specialist equipment.

'They would also be able to restrict public access to "sensitive sites" if there was a serious terror threat.

'Some of the measures have already been attacked by civil rights campaigners but ministers insist they are needed.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.125/2)

'... There were plans [in the Queen's Speech] for a Civil Contingencies Bill designed to streamline local and national responses to a possible terrorist outrage ...'

ITV Teletext, 26 Nov. 03)

27 November 03

And if you needed an appetiser for the Civil Contingencies Bill ...

'ARRESTED MAN "AL-QAEDA" SUSPECT

'A man, 24, [Sajid Badat,] arrested in Gloucester was suspected of having links to al-Qaeda, the [British] Home Secretary has said.

'David Blunkett said there had been a prompt response to concerns the man may have been "part of a wider network".

'Police arrested the man at his Barton Street home under anti-terrorism laws and have evacuated the nearby area while they search for explosives. [They later claimed to have discovered a small quantity at a nearby house.]

'Scotland Yard said officers had now evacuated and were searching two properties in Blackburn, Lancashire.'

(BBC Ceefax, p.105)

'... In a separate operation, a 39-year-old was held at house in Manchester.'

(ITV Teletext, 27 Nov. 03, p.303)

... Local police were backed by MI5 and the London Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard), of Sir John Stevens and Andy Trotter fame.

Home Secretary Blunkett was criticised for prejudicing the case by speaking publicly on the matter. [But this, surely, is the whole point: terror-propaganda in aid of the Anglo-American police-state and imperial projects — of which Blunkett is one of the mouthpieces.]

(British TV news)

28 November 03

'TERROR BILL "THREATENS DEMOCRACY" [in Britain]

'Draft plans for Britain's response to major terrorist attacks and natural disasters have "potential dangerous flaws", a parliamentary committee says.

'An all-party committee set up to examine the draft Civil Contingencies Bill warned the powers could be used to undermine human rights and democracy [THAT, my dears, is the whole point of it.].

'Committee chairman Dr Lewis Moonie MP said the Bill, contained in the Queen's Speech, was "one-size-fits-all".'

(BBC Ceefax, p.106)

And, in an amusing little aside of how "anti-terrorism" is to become a tool-of-all-trades:-

'PIRATE DVDs "FUND TERRORISM"

'People who buy pirated DVDs of hit Hollywood films could be helping fund terrorist groups including the al-Qaeda network, police have warned.

'New cinema releases available on market stalls and elsewhere often arrive in the UK from the Far East and Pakistan.

'Counterfeiting specialist Det[ective] Con[stable] Colin Cushley said: "This is becoming the preferred option of persons involved in organised crime and terrorism".'

(ITV Teletext, 28 Nov. 03, p.305)

'Plumbers' Are Under Investigation in Cheney-Gate
Jeffrey Steinberg, Executive Intelligence Review, 28 Nov. 03

'The triumphant neo-conservative claim trumpeted throughout the U.S. media on Nov. 14 — that links between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda had been "conclusively proven" by a memo from Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith to the Senate Intelligence Committee — rapidly went the way of all previous such cooked claims from Vice President Dick Cheney's faction in Washington. But more, this claim had, by Nov. 17-18, boomeranged into its opposite: a Defense Department denial of the claim itself, an eruption of official demands to investigate who passed this classified document to the waiting neo-con press; the key revival of the Intelligence Committee probe which had been shut down on Nov. 7 "to save Cheney's neck"; and the escalation of "Cheney-gate" itself, by the exposure of what appear to be "plumbers'" operations to steal sensitive documents from the Cheney faction's opponents. ...'

Just so long as Americans don't think they can get away comfortably with just another Watergate — while ignoring the "elephant in the living room" of 9/11 (and the anthrax attacks, etc).

'IRAQ[:] Ex-Iraqi Air Force General Abed Hamed Mowhoush, captured last month near the Syrian border, has died during interrogation in US custody at Qaim.'

(ITV Teletext, 28 Nov. 03, p.318)

29 November 03

Matthew Taylor, "Disbelief and anger greet arrest of devout Muslim", The Guardian.

Sajid Badat, from Gloucester. See above, under 27 Nov.

'GUARDIAN[:] The [British] attorney general is to probe whether the Home Secretary's comments about the arrest of an alleged terrorist are in contempt of court.'

(ITV Teletext, 29 Nov. 03, p.328, reviews of British papers)

Three more houses have been searched, in apparent connection with the current Qaeda-style scare, in Birmingham. Also, six men of North African origin have been arrested in Sussex.

Glitch takes BBC off air
Matt Wells, The Guardian, 29 Nov. 03

'BBC engineers were last night trying to discover why an electrical fault force the shutdown of the corporation's London news centre and the postponement of the relaunch of its 24-hour news channel.

'News programmes were shifted from Television Centre in west London to Westminster when the power failure hit yesterday morning. The Today programme and Radio 5 Live were force off air for a time.

'BBC executives said their contingency plans worked smoothly, but admitted that questions would be asked about why backup power was also knocked out. It was announced that the relaunch of News 24, due on Monday [1 Dec.], would be put back by a week.

'The problem began at 7.52am with the apparent meltdown of a device that conducts electricity to circuits in the BBC's backup electrical supply. That caused a failure in the main power system and also prevented the last-resort diesel generators from working.

'The Today programme on Radio 4 and the Breakfast programme on Radio 5 Live fell off air immediately, and the presenters rushed to backup studios. Radio 4 was taken over by a continuity announcer until 8.05, while two minutes of silence on Radio 5 were followed by a pre-recorded interview.

'Staff were back at Television Centre by mid-afternoon.'

Accidents, and coincidences (the events concur with the current "Qaeda purge") happen. But the BBC, and Radio 4's Today in particular, aren't exactly flavour of the month with the Blair government. Remember Andrew Gilligan ... vis-a-vis David Kelly ...

30 November 03

Fourteen foreigners have been killed in Iraq over the weekend. Seven Spanish intelligence officers were killed in an ambush, and in separate incidents, two Japanese diplomats, two US soldiers, two South Koreans and a Colombian.

Japan is currently considering sending a contingent to Iraq. Japan and the Spanish Defence Minister have both said they won't be deterred by terrorism.

(BBC Ceefax)

A man arrested in Turkey in connection with the recent car-bombings there has confessed to responsibility.

Perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised at this ...

'US TROOPS KILL 46 IRAQIS STAGING AMBUSH

'... the US military said.

'At least 18 Iraqis were wounded and eight captured as US troops repelled simultaneous ambushes on convoys in the central Iraqi city of Samarra.

'Many of the attackers wore uniforms of the Fedayeen, a militia loyal to Saddam Hussein, said Lt Col William MacDonald of the 4th Infantry Division.

'Five US soldiers and a civilian with them were injured.

'Witnesses said a US tank had fired indiscriminately during the fighting, killing at least two factory workers.'

(BBC Ceefax, 30 Nov. 03, p.104)

'GEORGIA[:] former president Eduard Shevardnadze accused multi-billionaire philanthropist George Soros of funding the uprising that forced him to resign.'

(ITV Teletext, 30 Nov. 03, p.318)

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