(RIA Novosti) - Iran is urging the United States to stop employing double standards and realistically assess the situation around the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, the IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.IRNA referred to Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's response to a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who said at a Tuesday meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow that sanctions against the Islamic Republic were not inevitable, the I... Read Full Story
By Nadia HijabThe whirlwind of summiteering on climate change, non-proliferation, the economy, and Iran swept the Arab-Israeli conflict off the news -- but not before Barack Obama had spoken of a "just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East." That startling turn of phrase -- used just before his trilateral with Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu - is a throwback to a much earlier era of American peacemaking.A focus on justice would be a welcome break with the sterile Oslo attem... Read Full Story
By Mike WhitneyConsumer credit is falling fast. In July, consumer credit plunged by $19 billion, followed by an August drop of $12 billion, a 5.8 percent annual rate. Credit card spending decreased by nearly $10 billion in August, while non-revolving debt, including auto loans, fell by $2 billion. Credit has shrunk for 7 consecutive months, the longest period of decline since 1991. The banks have shrugged off their commitment under the TARP program to increase lending to consumers and busines... Read Full Story
By Dave LindorffThe Democrats in Congress, and their main man Barack Obama in the White House, have taken tens of millions in legal bribes from the health insurance industry over the past year, and have obligingly been hammering out in Congress a health “reform” bill that, instead of helping people, has been designed to help the insurance industry.They started out by immediately blackballing any discussion of real health reform in the form of an expansion of Medicare to cover everyone of ever... Read Full Story
By David Michael GreenIt takes a real artist to render a crushing majority into a hapless political object.And Barack Obama is a real artist.He’s had quite an impressive week. At least for an anvil.Here’s one New York Times headline, regarding the Olympics debacle: “Chicago Is Rejected in First Round of Voting”. Impressive.Here’s another: “Jobless Report Is Worse Than Expected; Rate Rises to 9.8%”. Can you say “Bye-bye, Barack”?Ah, but he was actually just warming up. David Paterson, the gove... Read Full Story
As massive floods in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh swept through the two Indian states, destroying homes, crops and livestock, many survivors lost virtually everything, finding it difficult to restore even the simple lives they once knew. "The loss is unexplainable," comments one of GFA's field correspondents who traveled to one particularly hard-hit area of Andhra Pradesh where GFA workers are reaching out. "People have lost their whole life, their memories, homes, loved ones."Millions of peo... Read Full Story
By Ilya KramnikMedia outlets from around the world are discussing Iran's new missile tests. It is clear that the Islamic Republic is continuing to develop its missile arsenal. What capabilities have Iranian missiles reached by now?On September 27 and 28, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps conducted a series of military exercises code-named "The Great Prophet IV," in the course of which Iranian officials revealed they had conducted a series of missile tests. The Iranian media reports that the m... Read Full Story
(RIA Novosti) - Egypt has set the signing of a reconciliation pact between the rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas for October 22, an Egyptian newspaper reported.Al Ahram cited a high-placed Fatah representative as saying the two groups will gather in the Egyptian capital on October 20 to hold final talks before signing the document.Egypt plays the role of mediator between the two factions, which until recently had no direct dialogue. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said Monday that a reco... Read Full Story
By Patrick J. BuchananImpending today are two of the most critical decisions Barack Obama will ever make, which may determine the fate of his presidency, as well as the future of the United States in the Near and Middle East.The first is whether to approve Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s request for thousands more U.S. troops he says he needs to prevent “mission failure” — i.e, to stave off a U.S. defeat in Afghanistan.The second is whether Obama will start up the road of “crippling sanctions” to w... Read Full Story
