No one writes with more passion, commitment and knowledge about the immense dangers of nuclear technology in all its forms than Australian physician and nuclear expert Helen Caldicott. Since writing her first book (must reading for everyone), Nuclear Madness, in 1978, Dr. Caldicott has worked tirelessly to expose the real threat this technology from hell poses to human survival. In her first book she wrote: "As a physician, I contend that nuclear technology threatens life on our planet with extinction. If present trends continue, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink will soon be contaminated with enough radioactive pollutants to pose a potential health hazard far greater than any plague humanity has ever experienced."

As a result of the communication of Fidel Castro on his state of health and the provisional delegation of his responsibilities, high ranking U.S officials have formulated more explicit statements about the immediate future of Cuba. The Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez said that "the moment has arrived for a true transition towards a true democracy" and the White House spokesman Tony Snow said that his government is "ready and eager to provide humanitarian, economic and other aid to the people of
Cuba", as was recently reiterated by President Bush.

NACOZARI, SONORA, MEXICO (8/7/06) -- Just days after conservative candidate Felipe Calderon declared himself the winner of Mexico's July 2 presidential election, the Mexican federal labor board lowered the boom on striking miners. At Nacozari, one of the world's largest copper mines, just a few miles south of Arizona, fourteen hundred miners have been on strike since March 24. On July 12 the board said they'd abandoned their jobs, and gave the mine's owner, Grupo Mexico, permission to close down operations.

(APN) ATLANTA -- US Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) is pursuing numerous legal avenues to challenge the so-called "results" of not only her recent Primary and Runoff Elections, but also the fundamental reality that the current E-voting system in Georgia does not provide us with "results" that are in any way meaningful.

SEATTLE -- Ricky Clousing, a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, and a veteran of the Iraq War who has been AWOL for a year announced today at the Veterans for Peace convention in Seattle that he will turn himself in later today at the gates of Fort Lewis and face whatever punishment the military chooses to impose.

It's well known that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld failed to protect the nation's soldiers during the invasion of Iraq. Numerous news accounts and Congressional reports have established that soldiers in Iraq fought without sufficient body armor, armored vehicles, bullets, and even food. But a multi-million dollar settlement last week between the federal government and American Amicable Life Insurance Company glaringly demonstrates that Secretary Rumsfeld failed to protect soldiers on the home front, too.

U.S. uses its muscle in contest over whether Venezuela or Guatemala will get the Latin American non-permanent Council seat. ... The race is close but Caracas is likely to win.
If so, it will represent a crushing defeat for State Department diplomacy.

Morningstar Online reviews: Tideland, Innocent Voices, Lady in the Water, Monster House, Nacho Libre

JUST one year after the decision of a panel of three judges in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia, who unanimously overturned the Miami trial of the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters and annulled the sentences handed down, the plenary of that judicial instance has just announced its decision on a reconsideration of the finding of August 9, 2005. ... Without any doubt, this ruling extends and makes indefinite the imprisonment of five men who will have completed eight years of an unjust incarceration on September 12.

Nagasaki, Japan, Aug 9 (Prensa Latina) With a minute s silence, the sounding of sirens and a new list with a thousands of names of victims, Nagasaki recalled Wednesday the 61st anniversary of the atomic attack with a condemnation to the US.

Coalition MPs met on Monday in Canberra and failed to come up with any worthwhile policy to control the spiralling petrol prices. There was a lot of talk about various alternatives such as ethanol and converting vehicles to LPG but nothing is to be done to control prices, stopping the obvious collusion between the oil companies or lowering GST and excise on petrol. More radical policies such as nationalising the oil companies or looking for alternative sources of supply outside of those controlled by British and American oil companies will not have crossed the minds of Coalition MPs. Nor is there any emphasis on the development of public transport.

The Lebanon-Israel conflict has been upgraded which shows a signal of the danger of an uncontrolled situation. Regarding this utter misery, the United States and Western Europe have defined different positions towards the cruel war which were particularly noticeable.

Under the Torrijos government, the expanding Panama Canal will not likely serve the needs of the vast majority of Panamanians. Much of the benefits will be tied to the commercial interests of the countryís accountants, bankers and lawyers, as well as their U.S. counterparts, and world trade.

The US media’s biased coverage of the crisis in Lebanon should come as no surprise. While the White House and Congress claim a “special relationship” with Israel, our news outlets are not supposed to have a “special relationship” with anyone. Their job is to fairly reports on matters; anything less is a disservice to those watching their news programs and reading their newspapers.

Unions representing thousands of scientists and other specialists employed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently complained that EPA officials are ignoring science. The unions indicated that agency administrators are allowing numerous toxic substances to be used in agricultural pesticides. This revelation comes on the heels of a survey of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists which found that the agency has become so political that it's no longer protecting public safety. While all presidential administrations, by their very nature, are political, it's increasingly clear that the Bush administration is using politics to corrupt science.