Yegor Gaidar, Russia’s former prime minister and the architect of the country’s market reforms, last week suffered a sudden, unexplained and violent illness on a visit to Ireland, a day after Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB spy, died in London from an apparent radiation poisoning.

Mr Gaidar is now in a stable condition at an undisclosed Moscow hospital, undergoing tests. In a telephone interview with the FT, Mr Gaidar said the doctors had so far been unable to identify the cause of the violent vomiting and bleeding that he suffered during a conference in Ireland.

Anatoly Chubais, his former associate and the head of Russia’s electricity monopoly, said he suspected Mr Gaidar may have been poisoned.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1bc23f9c-7f21-11db-b193-0000779e2340.html

The Kremlin mounted a concerted campaign yesterday to point the finger of suspicion at the billionaire businessman Boris Berezovsky over the death of his friend, Alexander Litvinenko, after traces of radioactive polonium-210 were found at the London offices of the exiled Russian oligarch.

Senior figures in the Russian establishment lined up to implicate Mr Berezovsky, who employed and funded the former KGB spy.

The billionaire, who has been granted asylum in Britain, last night issued a statement mourning Mr Litvinenko’s death and saying that he had “complete faith” that Scotland Yard would conduct a “thorough and professional investigation”.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2477277,00.html#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=World

The poisoning of the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko would have required considerable scientific know-how, according to experts.

Mr Litvinenko's death on 23 November was linked to a "major dose" of radioactive polonium-210 found in his body.

Traces of radiation have since been found at five locations around London, including a sushi restaurant and hotel visited by the deceased.

But the radioactive substance implicated is as difficult to obtain as it can be to detect.

Polonium-210 occurs naturally in the environment and in people at low concentrations. But acquiring enough of it to kill would require individuals with expertise and powerful connections.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6190144.stm

U.S. REVERSES POLICY ON ISRAEL!, UDA TRIED TO KILL STONE BEFORE GERRY ADAMS ATTACK, MIDDLE EAST HEADED TOWARDS THREE CIVIL WARS- IN 1 YEAR!, TRUTH ABOUT RANGEL'S DRAFT BILL REVEALED!

The Middle East is on the verge of three civil wars -- in Iraq, Palestinian territories and Lebanon -- unless strong action is taken urgently by the international community, Jordan's King Abdullah warned on Sunday.

With President Bush heading to Amman this week to talk with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Abdullah said "something dramatic" must come from that meeting to stop violence spinning out of control in Iraq.

"I don't think we're in a position where we can come back and revisit the problem in early 2007," he said on ABC's "This Week."

But the United States must also look at the "big picture" and seek comprehensive Middle Eastern solutions involving all regional players, he said -- indicating this should include Syria and Iran.

"We're juggling with the strong potential of three civil wars in the region, whether it's the Palestinians, that of Lebanon or of Iraq," the Jordanian king said.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/11/26/213744.shtml?s=lh

Israel is ready to release many jailed Palestinians in return for a soldier seized by militants in June, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced on Monday, saying he was reaching out for peace.

In a major policy speech, Olmert offered to ease travel restrictions on Palestinians and free up frozen funds if violence against Israel ended. He repeated his readiness to give up some occupied land for an eventual peace agreement.

"We are ready and willing to pursue this path, and persevere until we reach the sought-after solution," Olmert said.  http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-11-27T230557Z_01_L23458912_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C2-TopNews-newsOne-2

The Ulster Defence Association dispatched four hit squads to hunt down convicted killer Michael Stone as he made his way to his aborted alleged attack on Stormont.

Senior UDA sources told the units to 'arrest or shoot' Stone because they feared he was planning to destabilise Northern Ireland's peace process.

Stone, 51, appeared at Belfast magistrates' court on Saturday in connection with the attempted attack at the city's Parliament Buildings on Friday morning. He was charged with the attempted murder of five people Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, two security staff and an unnamed person possession of articles for terrorist purposes, including nail bombs, an axe and a garrotte, and possession of explosives with intent to endanger life and of an imitation firearm.

The loyalist, who has arthritis, hobbled into the dock on a crutch. He was remanded in custody until December 22. He will face a non-jury trial, and if found guilty could be sent back to prison for the rest of his life.

Before being led from the dock, Stone shouted: "No sell-out. No power-sharing with the sinners, they are war criminals. Ulster is not for sale, no surrender."

UDA leaders only learnt that Stone was allegedly about to carry out an attack somewhere in Belfast early on Friday morning. They were so concerned about his mental state that they sent out four terrorist units to find him. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200611/28/eng20061128_325820.html

The Bush administration is facing a foreign policy crisis in Lebanon where the Iran-backed Hizbullah and Syria threaten to topple the weakened democratic government in Beirut.

"The future of the Middle East, certainly the future of Lebanon may well be decided in the next several days," U.S. envoy to the United Nations John Bolton told BBC radio. "A successful re-emergence of democracy there is being directly challenged by the terrorist Hizbullah and those who support them, Syria, Iran and others."

The U.S. dilemma is whether or not to provide up to $200 million in military aid to Lebanon over the next year.

Officials said the State Department intends to determine the stability of the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora before the aid is sent to Beirut, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the assassination of Trade Minister Pierre Gemayel and the resulting unrest could lead to a delay in U.S. weapons to Lebanon.

"The nightmare is that we help build a military that is taken over by Hizbullah or Syria," an official said.  http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/06/front2454067.046527778.html

Hamas was quick to pick up the new tune emanating from Washington. Its leaders and Mahmoud Abbas declared a hurried ceasefire Sunday to take advantage of the US president’s willingness to broaden his Amman talks from his planned meetings with Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki to an effort to convene an international conference on the Palestinian issue. Israel’s prime minister Ehud Olmert accepted the ceasefire against military advice to capture high ground. Abdullah chipped in by saying that Palestine “is the core” of all Middle East violence.

No seasoned observer expects the truce to outlast Bush’s departure.  http://www.debka.com/index.php

You'll recall I said that Rangel would spend a fortune to draft the young into service- but hidden in his bill is even more spending- and the most gigantic government spending and bureaucracy increasing ploy since the LBJ war on poverty. Which we are still dismantling! Don't believe me- read this (thanks to Juiceman):

Charles Rangel Thinks He Owns You (Updated)

If Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel gets his way, everyone in America will be the government's slave for two years.  He doesn't call it "slavery."  He calls it a "draft."  But if you look closely at what he's demanding, it's not just military service.  It's all-purpose involuntary servitude:

WASHINGTON - Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 under a bill the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says he will introduce next year.

Rep. Charles Rangel D-N.Y., said Sunday he sees his idea as a way to deter politicians from launching wars.  . . . .

He said having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

So Charles Rangel's position is:

1.  Everyone in America should be forced by law to work for the government (or for someone approved by the government) for two years -- either for no pay or for minimal pay.

2.  The two years of work should be demanded, not due to any national emergency of any kind, but as a political stunt to influence national policy.

3.  In service of this political stunt, people should be forced to do whatever the government dictates -- even work that could be done by private employers like hospitals, seaports and airports.

In other words, Democrat Charles Rangel advocates two years of involuntary servitude -- also known as slavery -- for every adult in America. 

Serve two years of your adult life in slavery, and then you'll be freed to do what you want with your own life.  (Maybe -- until Rangel comes up with his next political stunt that demands that your freedom be sacrificed!)

Democrat Charles Rangel thinks he owns you.  It's not enough that he rakes off your tax money from every paycheck.  He feels perfectly entitled to demand that you drop whatever you are doing anywhere in America -- studying for college, learning a trade, launching a small business, starting a family -- so you can instead devote two full years of your life to promote Charles Rangel's political agenda.

Rangel doesn't care what plans anyone may have made for their own life as an adult in the land of the free.  His message is:  "Welcome to adulthood. Now do whatever the government tells you to."

Of course he's trying to make it sound positive.  You'll be "serving" this "great republic!" 

Mind you, the government telling grown men and women what kind of work they will or will not be permitted to do -- and for what compensation, if any -- is exactly the opposite of what made this republic great.

But you'll be "serving" in "hospitals!" or maybe "seaports!" or maybe "airports!"

Hey, America's farmers could use a little help!  We always have a shortage of farm workers, remember?  Rangel will have the perfect solution.

Under Charles Rangel's plan, America's youth will happily
sing songs while toiling on behalf of the "great republic."

Who knows?  Maybe you'll even be allowed to "serve" the Congress of this great republic and polish Charlie Rangel's shoes!

See, central planners in the government know better than you do what are good uses of your time.

It's communism lite.  It's the two-years-of-your-life plan.  Big Brother will tell you what types of work are worthy and unworthy.

Want to work in a hospital for little or no pay?  O.K.!  Want to work at your uncle's hardware store for a fair wage instead?  Or at your dad's veterinary clinic?  Not O.K.

Want to work at an airport doing whatever the government says?  O.K.  Want to get married and start your family?  Nope.  Want to start your career as an auto mechanic, or hair stylist, or librarian?  Not O.K.  What do you think this is -- a free country? 

Want to help discover a cure for cancer?  What are you, a wise guy?

Want to be a teacher's aide?  Big Brother says O.K.  Want to just stay in college and work toward your degree?  No way, buster.  Put those plans on hold.

And if you won't cooperate with our plan for the first two years of your adult life, we could always send you to "camp."

Welcome to Charles Rangel's Great Republic Re-Education Camp

And the beauty of it is -- we don't even have a good reason to threaten your freedoms!  We just want to pull off a political stunt! (And some of us want cheap labor for our "seaports" and "hospitals" and "schools" and maybe our "fields."  Talk about pork!  If we control that much free labor and can steer it toward our political pals . . . .  The mind boggles!)  As far as we're concerned, any excuse -- no matter how thin -- will do!

Does Charles Rangel actually want all of America's youth serving in the military in order to save the country from a hostile enemy?  No!  He wants out of Iraq; not deeper in.  He calls the whole battle in Iraq "fraudulent."  He doesn't even believe there is such a thing as terrorism -- he says it's "discriminatory" to call anyone a terrorist! 

Yet Rangel says he's very "serious" about reinstating the "draft."  Rangel's idea is not to draft soldiers to fight the war on terror or any other war, but instead to take all of America's young adults hostage and occupy them with whatever busywork the government can concoct (schools! seaports! airports! hospitals!) simply to achieve a political objective.

Why, Roosevelt thought he needed a national emergency to take away the freedom of Japanese Americans during World War II.  But with Charles Rangel -- emergency-shmergency!  We, the mighty Democratic Leaders of the Great Republic, aren't even sure where we would put all of you!  Nonetheless, if we say so, you will report and you will cooperate.

You didn't know it, but you are the government's all-purpose, any-excuse-will-do slaves.

Now stand by and await Charlie Rangel's orders.

Update:  Leading Democrats are already backpedaling fast on Rangel's call for compulsory national service -- this week anyway.  Do you trust your liberties to these people? 

Update 2:  A recurring theme from the left seems to be glee in the idea that people who oppose Rangel's compulsory national service plan must be "afraid" of the military draft.  The argument is ridiculous because the vast majority of those "drafted" would be working in places like hospitals, schools, airports, and wherever else Charles Rangel and his ilk owe someone a political favor.  My objection to Rangel's plan is that it is heavy-handed, totalitarian, arrogant, presumptuous, and completely at odds with the freedom that made this country great.

Update 3:  Another recurring theme from the left seems to be that, if we accept that we currently face a national emergency due to Islamic terrorism, we have to bring back the draft.  This assumes that a large drafted army is better suited to modern warfare than the well-trained, self-selected all-volunteer army we currently have.  Many military experts agree that we are far better off with our highly-motivated all-volunteer army.  Besides, it is obvious that Rangel's proposal is not well-tailored to address the needs of the war that Islamic terrorists are waging against us.  Rangel would assign millions of adults to two years of government-mandated busywork in places like schools and hospitals.  That is not how we will win this war, and it values our freedoms far too lightly.

http://ginacobb.typepad.com/gina_cobb/2006/11/charles_rangel_.html

SDE BOKER, Israel (Reuters) - Israel is ready to release many jailed Palestinians in return for a soldier seized by militants in June, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced on Monday, saying he was reaching out for peace. 

In a major policy speech, Olmert offered to ease travel restrictions on Palestinians and free up frozen funds if violence against Israel ended. He repeated his readiness to give up some occupied land for an eventual peace agreement. 

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert opens the weekly cabinet meeting in Israeli Kibbutz of Sde Boker November 27, 2006. Israel will be prepared to release many Palestinian prisoners, including long-serving inmates, in return for a soldier militants seized last June, Olmert said on Monday. (REUTERS/David Silverman/Pool)

"We are ready and willing to pursue this path, and persevere until we reach the sought-after solution," Olmert said. 

Within hours of Olmert's address, Palestinian militants in Gaza fired rockets into the Israeli border town of Sderot, despite a ceasefire declared on Sunday. Nobody was hurt. 

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, part of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction, claimed responsibility for the attack, which followed the killing of two Palestinians in an Israeli raid in the West Bank, where a truce is not in effect. 

"In response to the prime minister extending his hand in peace, we see what some Palestinian factions are giving in return," Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin said. 

Both Olmert and Abbas are under growing U.S. pressure to show progress on ending decades of conflict. 

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Olmert to welcome his speech, said a State Department official. 

"I think this, combined with the announcement of a ceasefire, are certainly welcome developments, certainly potentially promising," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack of Olmert's speech. 

McCormack said Rice may meet both Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas separately while she is in the region accompanying President George W. Bush to Jordan this week. 

The European Union also hailed the "rays of hope" for Middle East peace and EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said the Quartet of Middle East peace brokers could help by setting up a mechanism to monitor the truce. 

http://thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2006/11/28/worldupdates/2006-11-28T061932Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-277965-5.asp&sec=worldupdates

Zogby admits that the poll was conducted with "face to face interviews in home" where, of course, Venezuelans know they are identified by name and can be punished if they say the wrong thing about Chavez, who is handing out about Bs 1 million per person per month as the election nears. This explains why Zogby's poll found only 8% who voted against Chavez in the 2002 election, when in fact 38% did – a 30% error. If that error were balanced against the presidential vote question, the Zogby poll would show Rosales defeating Chavez -- but Zogby conveniently decided to ignore it.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has won a commitment from all militant groups to halt rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip, his office said.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has in return agreed to halt hostilities, his spokeswoman said. The ceasefire will begin at 0600 (0400GMT) on Sunday.

BBC correspondents say the announcement is unexpected and a major development.

In the statement read by Gen Pinochet's wife on his 91st birthday, he defended his bloody 1973 coup, saying he had acted in Chile's best interests.

More than 3,000 people were killed or "disappeared" while Gen Pinochet was in power from 1973 to 1990.

He is facing indictments in two cases of human rights abuses and tax evasion.

Special to the Huffington Post

According to credible Iraqi sources in London and Amman, a secret story of America's diplomatic exit strategy from Iraq is rapidly unfolding. The key events include:

First, James Baker told one of Saddam Hussein's lawyers that Tariq Aziz, former deputy prime minister, would be released from detention by the end of this year, in hope that he will negotiate with the US on behalf of the Baath Party leadership. The discussion recently took place in Amman, according to the Iraqi paper al-Quds al-Arabi.

Second, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice personally appealed to the Gulf Cooperation Council in October to serve as intermediaries between the US and armed Sunni resistance groups [not including al Qaeda], communicating a US willingness to negotiate with them at any time or place. Speaking in early October, Rice joked that if then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld "heard me now, he would wage a war on me fiercer and hotter than he waged on Iraq," according to an Arab diplomat privy to the closed session.

Third, there was an "unprecedented" secret meeting of high-level Americans and representatives of "a primary component of the Iraqi resistance" two weeks ago, lasting for three days. As a result, the Iraqis agreed to return to the talks in the next two weeks with a response for the American side, according to Jordanian press leaks and al-Quds al-Arabi.

Fourth, detailed email transmissions dated November 16 reveal an active American effort behind the scenes to broker a peace agreement with Iraqi resistance leaders, a plot that could include a political coup against Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Fifth, Bush security adviser Stephen Hadley carried a six-point message for Iraqi officials on his recent trip to Baghdad:

include Iraqi resistance and opposition leaders in any initiative towards national reconciliation;general amnesty for the armed resistance fighters;
dissolve the Iraqi commission charged with banning the Baath Party;
start the disbanding of militias and death squads;
cancel any federalism proposal to divide Iraq into three regions, and combine central authority for the central government with greater self-rule for local governors;
distribute oil revenues in a fair manner to all Iraqis, including the Sunnis whose regions lack the resource.

Prime Minister Al-Maliki was unable to accept the American proposals because of his institutional allegiance to Shiite parties who believe their historic moment has arrived after one thousand years of Sunni domination. That Shiite refusal has accelerated secret American efforts to pressure, re-organize, or remove the elected al-Maliki regime from power.

The Backstory HERE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20061122/cm_huffpost/034675

Leaving Iraq? Not so fast
Early signs indicate that Democrats will be very cautious about redeployment, and they want to make sure W. takes the blame.

By Mark Benjamin

CIA VERSUS THE WHITE HOUSE CONTINUES, TERROR FIGHT COULD LAST DECADES- TONY BLAIR, SERBIA THREATENS U.N. OVER KOSOVO, RUSSIA JAILS ANOTHER REPORTER, SINN FEIN DRAGGING FEET WITH POLICING?

Could the U.S. Have Prevented 9/11 Fifteen Years Ago? A New Book Says Yes

The fight against terrorism could last 30 years or more, according to a report published by a British think tank that specialises in international security.

"There is every prospect of the 'war on terror' extending for 30 years or more," said the report by the Oxford Research Group.

"What is required is a complete re-assessment of current policies but that is highly unlikely, even with the recent political upheavals".

The US Democrats triumphed in legislative elections on November 7 in which they reclaimed the House and the Senate, at the expense of President George W. Bush's Republicans.

"Most people believe that the recent elections mark the beginning of the end of the Bush era but that does not apply to the war on terror," said Professor Paul Rogers, who wrote the report, in a statement.

"In reality there will be little change until the United States faces up to the need for a fundamental re-think of its policies".

The report showed that the United States is now faced with a dilemma: if it withdraws from Iraq, insurgent groups will be able to operate freely in the biggest oil reserve in the world.

"If it stays, though, then US soldiers become an increasing magnet for radical factions, with Iraq becoming a training ground for new generations of paramilitaries, just as Afghanistan was in the 1980s against the Soviet occupying forces," the report said.  http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061120/wl_uk_afp/britainattackssecurity

A "potentially explosive" stand-off between two rival groups of Muslims has developed in Britain's largest jail, independent watchdogs warned today.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) at Wandsworth jail in south London said there was a "schism" among Muslim prisoners over the prison's newly-appointed imam.

The board's annual report said there was evidence some Muslim inmates were applying "pressure" on fellow inmates to "adopt more militant lifestyles and belief systems".

There were also "very worrying" implications of rocketing use of illegal mobile phones by prisoners, it went on. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=417513&in_page_id=1770

 Gerry Adams was warned last night that it would take "several political lifetimes" to devolve policing and justice to Northern Ireland if Sinn Fein continued to hang back from supporting the police force.
The warning came from Peter Robinson, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionists, after the cross-party Programme for Government Committee, regarded as a model for the future make-up of a revived executive, met for the first time at Stormont.
The MP for East Belfast insisted it was now up to the republican party to move first to create community confidence in policing and justice matters being handled by power-sharing ministers.
Ahead of today's attempt by the government to rush through all stages of the agreement drawn up at the St Andrews summit last month, Mr Robinson said: "At the rate Sinn Fein are going, it will be several political lifetimes. They really have to get down to it…they have to create the political confidence that these issues can be dealt with."
While the DUP wants the republicans to endorse the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein has pointed out it cannot change its policy towards the force without a specific date for the transfer of policing and justice powers. In addition, it argues there will also have to be an agreement on the type of ministry that will handle such matters.
Despite the apparent impasse, Mr Adams, Sinn Fein's president and MP for West Belfast, emerged from the talks with an upbeat message. "It's inch by inch, but given that some people used to say 'not an inch' that's, I think, quite appropriate," he said.
The ponderous pace of the talks underlies the delicacy of the political process. Yesterday's meeting should have taken place in October, but it was postponed because of a row over policing.
Ian Paisley, DUP leader, decided not to attend. His son, Ian Paisley Jnr, insisted his father was not going to engage in any "spin-generating stunt" of shaking hands with Mr Adams.
The Northern Ireland Office had wanted an official photograph to record the occasion, but this was rejected.
Already, the agreement has been watered down for the sake of political expediency.
This Friday was to have been the deadline for the DUP and Sinn Fein to appoint their First and Deputy First Minister - Mr Paisley and Martin McGuinness respectively - with an assembly vote endorsing the decision.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/74899.html

In his first visit to the Afghan capital, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain warned Monday that the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda would be a generation-long one, and he said NATO had to refocus on its commitment in Afghanistan until the job was done.

“Now is the right time, with the Riga summit coming up, for NATO to bring into sharp focus the need for us to stay with the Afghans in their journey of progress, and rediscover within ourselves the belief and the vision that took us here and should keep us here until the job is done,” he said, speaking at a news conference with President Hamid Karzai in the gardens of the presidential palace. (NATO leaders are to meet in Latvia on Nov. 28-29.)

Mr. Blair visited British troops based in Helmand Province, in the south, where they have fought intense battles with resurgent Taliban forces this summer, and then held talks with Mr. Karzai and cabinet officials in Kabul.

He pledged Britain’s strong commitment to the task, despite recent difficulties, and said the world had no alternative to taking on the fight.

“Here, in this extraordinary piece of desert, is where the future of world security in the early 21st century is going to be played out,” Mr. Blair told troops at Camp Bastion, the main British base in Helmand.

“We know we went through a very difficult period two or three months back,” he said later in Kabul. “But as a result of the work that is being done not just by American and British, but also by Afghan forces, there is a sense of the country moving forward again.

“We’ve got the same alternatives we had five years ago: You either stick with it till the job is done, or you don’t and you leave it to another generation to sort out. And I’m not prepared to do that.”  http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/sf/nyt11_21_6_2.htm

Iran has developed and tested a trigger device for a nuclear bomb, Israeli agents stationed there have told the White House, according to a report published in The New Yorker Monday morning.

According to the report, written by Seymour M. Hersh, the White House received the information but did not pass it on to the CIA.

The report also stated that in the past six months, Israel and the United States had been working together to support a Kurdish resistance group known as the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan.

The group had been conducting clandestine cross-border forays into Iran, as "part of an effort to explore alternative means of applying pressure on Iran," Hersh said he was told by a government consultant with close ties to the Pentagon civilian leadership. The government consultant reportedly said Israel was supplying the Kurdish group with "equipment and training." The group had also been given "a list of targets inside Iran of interest to the US." An Israeli government spokesman denied that Israel was involved.

The Israeli intelligence presented a stark contrast to recent CIA estimates on Iran's nuclear program, which claimed that Teheran was far from attaining a nuclear bomb.

The New Yorker article seemed to suggest that there was a difference of opinion between the CIA, the White House and the Pentagon regarding the progress of Iran's nuclear weapons program.
The CIA's opinion was based on technical information gathered from satellites and other hi-tech devices that suggested high levels of radiation had not been detected.

However, the White House and the Pentagon dispute the CIA's findings. Pentagon officials have urged that the Israeli intelligence be given due consideration and said data gathered by satellites and ground sensors was insufficient. They added that more emphasis should be given to information supplied by agents.

"We live in an era when national technical intelligence" - data from satellites and on-the-ground sensors - "will not get us what we need. HUMINT [human intelligence] may not be hard evidence by that standard, but very often it's the best intelligence we can get," said a Pentagon consultant.

The White House reportedly was refusing to reveal to the CIA the source of the Israeli information, the location of the site of the experiments, or the number of tests that had been carried out.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378437589&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

Charlie Rangel and other liberals want a return to the draft on the basis of some ahistorical notion that it will prevent future wars. (See here for some background on all the wars conscription hasn’t prevented.) For one thing, as Scott points out below, no draft would ever be imposed without all sorts of loopholes and exemptions the powerful and politically connected could exploit – and if Charlie Rangel is so convinced the conscription of “fortunate sons” would do the trick, then why not propose a targeted draft? Children of elected officials only…

Not that I would support that, either. It’s quite legitimate to ask why – if this war is so critical to America’s well-being – Jenna, Barbara, Chelsea, et al. (not to mention the children of pro-war pundits) aren’t “serving.” But there’s no justice in forcing Jenna, Barbara, Chelsea, et al. to go kill or die because their parents are a**holes.

The draft should be opposed on first principles of individual rights. Besides, the utilitarian antiwar argument for conscription avoids unpleasant fundamental truths. There’s no quick procedural fix for American militarism. Radical cultural changes are necessary to shift this country from an aggressive, imperial posture to a defensive, noninterventionist one. Switzerland is a peaceful country with no expansionist tendencies; Israel, not so much. Mandatory military service in both countries is a rights violation, of course, yet it leads to very different results because Switzerland and Israel have very different societies. Anyone want to guess which of those two societies American elites (and, it must be said, many, many regular folks) believe we should be more like? 

 http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2006/11/20/militarism-manichaeanism-conscription-peace/

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warned NATO members on Sunday of serious consequences if they unilaterally recognize the independence of the Serbian southern province of Kosovo.

"The fact that NATO bombed Serbia without the UN Security Council's approval is its huge mistake, big enough for the last and this century," Kostunica told a meeting of his ruling Democratic Party of Serbia.

Any new, even the slightest, mistake of the NATO regarding Kosovo would have serious consequences, the prime minister warned.

Serbia announced a new constitution earlier this month, which enshrines Kosovo as an "inalienable" part of Serbia. The document, unanimously adopted by the Serbian parliament on Sept. 30, was officially confirmed in the national referendum on Oct. 28 and 29.

Still, Kostunica said he was confident that "NATO countries would not recognize Kosovo's independence unilaterally, without a relevant UN Security Council decision, or in violation of such a decision."

Technically still a part of Serbia, Kosovo, a place with ethnic Albanians taking up about 90 percent of the population, has been kept under the UN administration since 1999 in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

NATO launched a 78-day bombing campaign on former Yugoslavia in 1999 without the approval of the UN Security Council under the pretext of seeking an end to the ethnic conflicts in Kosovo.  http://english.people.com.cn/200611/20/eng20061120_323321.html

Ethiopia and Eritrea on Monday rejected a proposal put forward by an independent boundary commission as a way around a four-year impasse over the demarcation of their shared border.

The Horn of Africa neighbors fought a 1998-2000 war over a frontier area of dusty villages and scrubby plains during which 70,000 people were killed.

Although a 2000 agreement ended the conflict, the peace process ground to a halt after Ethiopia rejected the border as set out by the boundary commission in April 2002 while Eritrea refused to consider any changes.

In hopes of ending the deadlock, the commission said earlier this month that it would demarcate the border on maps and leave the two countries to establish the physical boundary themselves. It invited both sides to a Nov. 20 meeting in The Hague to discuss procedure.

Ethiopia, however, said it would not recognize any demarcation of the contested border, telling the commission its plans would be illegal and "must be rejected."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N20455106.htm

A Moscow court has jailed a journalist for five years in connection with his reporting on the Chechnya conflict.

Boris Stomakhin was highly critical of Russian policy in Chechnya. He was found guilty of extremist activity and inciting religious hatred.

Mr Stomakhin edited the publication Radical Politics and contributed to Kavkaz Centre, a website that backs the Chechen separatist cause.

The ruling said his articles supported anti-Russian "terrorists".

Mr Stomakhin pleaded not guilty and his lawyers say they will appeal.

The verdict against him said his articles "approved the actions of criminals and terrorists, aimed at the destruction of Russia's state system".

Russia's Itar-Tass news agency described Mr Stomakhin and his mother, whom he supports, as invalids.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6165756.stm