Guardian UK
Loathed by the rich

To the dismay of opposition groups in Venezuela, and to the surprise of international observers gathering in Caracas, President Hugo Chávez is about to secure a stunning victory on August 15, in a referendum designed to lead to his overthrow.

First elected in 1998 as a barely known colonel, armed with little more than revolutionary rhetoric and a moderate social-democratic programme, Chávez has become the leader of the emerging opposition in Latin America to the neo-liberal hegemony of the United States. Closely allied to Fidel Castro, he rivals the Cuban leader in his fierce denunciations of George Bush, a strategy that goes down well with the great majority of the population of Latin America, where only the elites welcome the economic and political recipes devised in Washington.

While Chávez has retained his popularity after nearly six years as president, support for overtly pro-US leaders in Latin America, such as Vicente Fox in Mexico and Alejandro Toledo in Peru, has dwindled to nothing. Even the fence-sitting President Lula in Brazil is struggling in the polls. The news that Chávez will win this month’s referendum will be bleakly received in Washington. full article

New York Times
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 – The idea of a United States independent of Middle East oil is a touchstone of Senator John Kerry’s campaign and a huge crowd pleaser, but has divided and exasperated many of his most experienced energy advisers.

Some advisers say they worry that Mr. Kerry’s focus on freeing the United States from reliance on oil from the Persian Gulf, the linchpin of the energy plan he released on Thursday, is unrealistic and misleading and that hammering away at it would erode Mr. Kerry’s credibility with business, the news media and other countries.

The advisers, who include independent analysts, former staff members from Congress and the Clinton administration, and a few industry executives, contend that Mr. Kerry’s regular jabs at Saudi Arabia in particular could be construed by many in the Middle East as anti-Arab, at a time when the United States may need the help of other Arab nations to improve the situation in Iraq. full article

Was this article written by the Kerry campaign? Kerry doesn’t talk about independence from oil: he talks about a reduction of 20% by 2020, by which point there won’t be much oil left anyway. Yeah right the anti-corporate crusader, dealing boldly with the Arabs. Blah.

New York Times
LONDON, Aug. 6 – The British Council, which promotes culture and learning around the world, has suspended one of its senior press officers after it emerged that he is suspected of being the author of a series of newspaper commentaries attacking Muslims and denouncing “the black heart of Islam.

The council, whose official patron is Queen Elizabeth II, operates as the cultural arm of British diplomacy in 110 countries. A spokesman for the organization said Friday that the press officer, Harry Cummins, was suspended from his post on July 29 after the newspaper The Guardian identified him as the likely author.

“All of us who work for the British Council are appalled that our organization should in any way be associated with the deeply offensive content of these articles,” the spokesman said.

In one article the author stated, “All Muslims, like all dogs, share certain characteristics.” Another commentary asserted, “It is the black heart of Islam, not its black face, to which millions object.” full article

No worse insult to them than having a ‘black heart’, even worse, if possible, than having a ‘black face.’

US troops surround Najaf home of Shiite militia leader
Mon Aug 2,11:49 AM ET Agence France Presse

NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) – US troops surrounded the home of wanted Shiite Muslim radical leader Moqtada Sadr in the central Iraqi holy city of Najaf, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

US armoured vehicles, backed by Iraqi security forces, cordoned off the Al-Zahra neighbourhood, where Sadr’s home is located in the eastern part of the city.

Smoke was seen rising from the area Monday amid the sound of heavy gunfire, mortar fire and rocket-propelled grenade explosions.

This article was filed Monday, and today the mainstream press reports that Sadr broke the cease fire yesterday (Thursday). Sadr is insisting that this is a unilateral US attack, and the story about the police station bombing that Sadr forces carried out yesterday is a fiction. Up to now the US has been blaming all the recent bombings on alZirqawi, the live-dead, one-legged-two-legged, right-handed-left handed Jordanian. The question then arises as to why the US would deliberately provoke a Shi’ite uprising. Maybe they just thought they could catch Sadr by surprise with all the talk of cease-fire and amnesty, and wipe his forces out, as they had intended all along. Or maybe maximum chaos is their ultimate aim, so that at the end of all this they can tell the world that Iraq is incapable of self-government.

Independent UK
The separate presidential campaigns and very different visions of America of George Bush and John Kerry converged on the same Iowa town of Davenport yesterday.

But the politicians were in large measure upstaged by local criminals who took advantage of police preoccupations with the candidates’ security to stage no less than three separate bank robberies. full article

In the immortal words of Bob Dylan: “Steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king.”

Independent UK
Even by the previous standards of Bushisms, this was one for the ages.

Signing into law a new $417bn (£229bn) defence spending bill, the famously tongue-twisted 43rd President of the United States solemnly declared yesterday that his administration “will never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people”.

The gaffe came as President George Bush was warming to his favourite theme of the terrorist threat faced by the US.

“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we,” he said. “They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” full article

Independent UK
The Palestinians of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip began to count the cost of a month-long Israeli invasion as the troops finally pulled out yesterday, leaving a trail of anger, despair and devastation behind them.

More than 42,000 olive, citrus and date trees had been uprooted, according to the local council. Altogether, 4,405 acres of orchards, vineyards and vegetable fields were flattened.

Officials accused the army of demolishing 21 houses and damaging a further 314. Five factories and 19 wells were also destroyed. They said the loss could reach as high as £70m. full article
In a world of abominations, why does this one seem especially sickening?

There was a Reuters story Sunday that suggested American troops raided Sadr’s compound and initiated this. Allawi was talking about including Sadr in the government a couple of weeks ago. I think Sadr was set up, and this situation an excuse for imposing martial law. As for the US, the more chaos the better. Now it seems they are initiating a Shi’ite uprising.

Iraq set to use martial law in terror fight
Independent UK
The interim Iraqi government last night looked increasingly prepared to impose martial law on sections of the country as coalition and Iraqi forces fought fierce battles with armed insurgents loyal to the radical Shia cleric Muqtada Sadr. full article

Al-Sadr Militia Battles U.S., Iraq Troops
Guardian UK
NAJAF, Iraq (AP) – Militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s militia battled U.S. and Iraqi troops Thursday in the holy city of Najaf, sparking clashes in other Shiite areas that killed at least 20 Iraqis and a U.S. soldier. An al-Sadr spokesman threatened a “revolution” unless American forces agree to a new cease-fire.
full article

Clashes Threaten to Reignite Shi’ite Rising in Iraq
Reuters
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) – Followers of rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr shot down a U.S. helicopter on Thursday in the Iraqi city of Najaf and two were killed by British troops in Basra in clashes that threatened to reignite a Shi’ite uprising.

The fighting in Najaf was the heaviest in the city since a rebellion by Sadr’s followers in April and May. The city is home to the holiest shrines in Shi’ite Islam, and most Iraqi Shi’ites react with outrage when clashes erupt near the sacred sites. full article

Guardian UK
Writers, politicians and film-makers from more than a dozen countries have offered their support to the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, who faces a referendum this month on his future.

The group have signed a manifesto saying that, if they were Venezuelan, they would vote for Chavez in what will be a volatile contest. The manifesto is being launched as opponents of Mr Chavez claim he has “kidnapped” the electoral council responsible for overseeing the vote.

Signatories include the Argentinian Nobel peace prize winner Adolfo Perez, the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano, the musician Chico Buarque and the architect Niemeyer, both from Brazil, and British film-makers Ken Loach, Alex Cox and Mike Hodges, writers Harold Pinter and Eric Hobsbawm and politicians Tony Benn and Ken Livingstone. full article

Guardian UK
John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president, published a list of about 200 entrepreneurs supporting his run for the White House, in an effort to reassure voters of his moderate credentials. Guardian UK