Week Ending: Saturday 5th June 2004

Boston Protester Faces Felony Charges For Protesting Abu Ghraib Abuse
A 21-year-old college student could spend years in jail on bomb threat charges after he stood silently outside a military recruitment office dressed like an Iraqi prisoner

500,000 protest Bush's visit to Rome
Thousands filled Rome's streets Friday to protest President Bush's visit and their own country's involvement in the Iraq war

U.S. Told Saudis to Let Al-Qaida Gunmen Escape Says Official
Saudi authorities gave safe passage to three al-Qaida gunmen after the they killed 10 of the hostages they were holding at a hotel in the oil hub of Khobar, a senior security official said.

CIA chief George Tenet steps down
George Tenet has resigned as director of the CIA, citing "personal reasons".

Paris bans protests ahead of Bush's visit
Demonstrations have been banned in central Paris throughout this week to ensure no hostile protests are in evidence to disturb President George W. Bush's brief presence in the French capital on Saturday, where he will be dining with President Jacques Chirac.

Moore's 9/11 trailer goes online
The trailer for Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 has made its debut on the movie's official website.

Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy theory
The Bilderberg group, an elite coterie of Western thinkers and power-brokers, has been accused of fixing the fate of the world behind closed doors. As the organisation marks its 50th anniversary, rumours are more rife than ever.

Massive Arms Dump Blasts Hit U.S. Base in Iraq
Massive blasts rocked a major U.S. base near the Iraqi city of Kirkuk Wednesday after a guerrilla strike set an ammunition dump ablaze, but the U.S. army said there were no initial reports of casualties.

Anti-Bush film set for US release
A US distributor has been found for Fahrenheit 9/11, film-maker Michael Moore's Cannes award-winning polemic against George W Bush's presidency

Army Issues Order to Keep Soldiers from Leaving
Tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers designated to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan will be barred from leaving the military when their volunteer service commitment ends, the U.S. Army said on Wednesday.

The lying game
An A-Z of the Iraq war and its aftermath, focusing on misrepresentation, manipulation, and mistakes

Saudi security forces 'allowed kidnappers to flee'
Saudi security forces allowed some kidnappers in the bloody weekend attack on a residential compound to flee because they threatened to blow up the building

Iraqis 'will forgive jail abuse'
The people of Iraq will forgive US-led occupying forces for the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, according to a senior coalition spokesman, Brigadeer General Mark Kimmitt.

Iraqi with MI6 links is new prime minister
A former Iraqi opposition leader believed to have close links with MI6 and other Western intelligence agencies was yesterday named as Iraq's new interim Prime Minister.

Jailed - for showing dislike of US invaders
Some Iraqis have been held in Abu Ghraib prison for months for nothing more than expressing "displeasure or ill will" towards the US occupying forces.

More “Washington whispers” about possible pre-election terrorist attack
Two more pieces published in the press in recent days point to a continuing discussion within the political elite in the US about the electoral consequences of a pre-election terrorist attack.

Blair tried to block US inquiry into WMD
Downing Street attempted to block the White House from holding a bipartisan inquiry into the failure to uncover weapons of mass destruction in Iraq because Tony Blair was in "denial" about the issue, a new book discloses today.

Reuters cameraman, Mazen Dana killed in US cover-up?
Did the Pentagon order the assassination of a journalist in order to cover up secret mass burials of dead U.S. soldiers and U.S.-contracted mercenaries in the deserts around Baghdad?

US Draft dilemma
They are going to reintroduce the draft in the US. But it's such a vote loser, no one wants to mention it

S. 89—Universal National Service Act of 2003
A bill to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.