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Anne Penketh / Independent:
Ex-envoy to Uzbekistan goes public on torture — Britain's former ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, has defied the Foreign Office by publishing on the internet documents providing evidence that the British Government knowingly received information extracted by torture in the "war on terror".
Discussion:
LENIN'S TOMB
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Dana Priest / Washington Post:
Covert CIA Program Withstands New Furor — The effort President Bush authorized shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, to fight al Qaeda has grown into the largest CIA covert action program since the height of the Cold War, expanding in size and ambition despite a growing outcry at home and abroad …
National Review:
NRO's 2006 Crystal Ball — EDITOR'S NOTE: Another year, more predictions. Every year some brave souls here at National Review Online look into their crystal balls and see what they see for the upcoming year. Enjoy their self-sacrifice. And Happy New Year! — WARREN BELL
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MEMRI:
Bahraini Women's Rights Activist Ghada Jamshir Attacks Islamic Clerics for Issuing Fatwas Authorizing Sexual Abuse of Infants — The following are excerpts from an interview with Bahraini women's rights activist Ghada Jamshir, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on December 21, 2005.
Rob Stein / Washington Post:
Stomach Bug Mutates Into Medical Mystery — First came stomach cramps, which left Christina Shultz doubled over and weeping in pain. Then came nausea and fatigue — so overwhelming she couldn't get out of bed for days. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse …
Ben Curtis / Associated Press:
Egyptian Police Kill 10 Sudanese in Cairo — CAIRO, Egypt - Egyptian police turned water cannons on Sudanese war refugees and beat them with sticks Friday, brutally clearing out a squatters camp in a city park. At least 10 people were killed, the government said.
Jason Straziuso / Associated Press:
AP: U.S. Teen Runs Off to Iraq by Himself — BAGHDAD, Iraq - Maybe it was the time the taxi dumped him at the Iraq-Kuwait border, leaving him alone in the middle of the desert. Or when he drew a crowd at a Baghdad food stand after using an Arabic phrase book to order.
Bull Moose:
Year End Musings — The Moose rambles during his holiday repose. — There is a legitimate and important debate underway on the authority for the President's eavesdropping program. There are strong arguments that the President should have sought authorization from the FISA Court for the surveillance.
Sharon LaFraniere / New York Times:
Women's Rights Laws and African Custom Clash — LAMONTVILLE, South Africa - In theory, what happened to 14-year-old Sibongile in this hilly, crowded township outside Durban in November could not happen today - at least, not legally. — On a broiling Saturday morning, as more than a dozen women looked on …
Stephanie Strom / New York Times:
Senators Press Red Cross for a Full Accounting — The Senate Finance Committee began an inquiry into the American Red Cross yesterday, seeking a broad range of information about its governance, its handling of money donated for disaster relief and its compensation policies.
Jeff Jacoby / Townhall.com:
Slurs fly from the Left — Nothing brings out racist slurs like an ambitious black man who doesn't know his "place." So when Maryland's lieutenant governor, Michael Steele, announced his candidacy for the US Senate recently, the bigots reared up. On one popular website, The News Blog …
Eric Schmitt / New York Times:
General Retreats on Rumsfeld Rift — ABOARD A C-32 JET, over the Persian Gulf, Dec. 29 - It was a rare moment last month when Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, publicly contradicted his boss, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. On Thursday, however, General Pace essentially said never mind.
Josh White / Washington Post:
Policymakers Rise on Rumsfeld's Ladder — In New Order of Succession, Service Secretaries With Limited Roles Move Down — There is a new pecking order at the Pentagon should Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld not be able to perform his duties, one that favors his inner circle and pushes …
Discussion:
War and Piece
David Barboza / New York Times:
Nick's Cultural Revolution — SHANGHAI, Dec. 28 - When Nickelodeon's popular "Kids' Choice Awards" program came to China last month, the producers were forced to make some serious modifications. There would be no voting on favorite burp. Nor would children judge which movie character was the best at breaking wind.
Discussion:
Simon World
The Experience Tdaxp / tdaxp:
The Majestic International Community — Dr. Demarche of the American Future has asked "What is the international community?" … The Glittering Eye, Mark from ZenPundit and Callimachus at Done with Mirrors have given their take, so here's mine: — The international community is that society …
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