Category Archives: 7. QUICK SCANS

Uri Avnery, in his usual entertaining style, tells the inside story of Netanyahu’s “Monday Surprise”, in which the Israeli Prime Minister’s plan to call for an election suddenly changed into the formation of a new coalition with the centrist Kadima … Continue reading →

Gareth Porter gives useful background about the opposition to nuclear weapons by the religious authorities in Iran. Uri Avnery writes about the brutality of the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. The Palestinian leader Dr. Mustafa Barghouti emphasises the importance … Continue reading →

On TomDispatch, Tom Engelhardt writes about the USA’s covert military activities against Iran, prefacing an article by Juan Cole warning that Washington’s policy of blockading Iran could lead to a global disaster. Also, an article by Michael Klare explains why … Continue reading →

The US is demanding that Iran close down its new uranium enrichment facility at Fordow (near Qom), and that it surrenders all uranium enriched to 20% purity. In the New Statesman, Richard Holloway reviews Roger Scruton’s Gifford Lectures: The Face … Continue reading →

Libya is in a mess (especially for women). Paul Rogers is still worrying about the consequences of an attack on Iran by Israel. In a protest against the ongoing ‘War on Terror’ Afghanistan and Iraq veterans are planning to ceremoniously … Continue reading →

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that Israel’s plan to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities has been put on hold until next year. The newspaper also says that the Civil Administration in the occupied West Bank has secretly allocated 10% of its … Continue reading →

US Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman are calling on the US president to supply arms to Syrian opposition groups, but Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has rejected any foreign intervention in Syria. In Cuba, Pope Benedict has called … Continue reading →

The Guardian reports that former officials of the IAEA are accusing its present head, Yukiya Amano of pro-Western bias over Iran. Israel’s defence minister Ehud Barack says Israel and the U.S. disagree on what would be a realistic timetable for stopping … Continue reading →

US Senators McCain, Lieberman and Graham want to ‘sustain success in Afghanistan’ and are asking President Obama to resist calls for further troop reductions. In the House, Representative Markey says the US nuclear weapons budget is insane. At CounterPunch Gareth … Continue reading →