Joseph Barbera Dies

From The NY Times (19.12.2006) :

Joseph Barbera, an innovator of animation who teamed with William Hanna to give generations of young television viewers a pantheon of beloved characters, including Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and the Flintstones, died yesterday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 95.

A spokesman for Warner Brothers said he died of natural causes, The Associated Press reported.

Mr. Barbera and the studio he founded with Mr. Hanna, Hanna-Barbera Productions, became synonymous with television animation, yielding more than 100 cartoon series over four decades, including “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?,” “Jonny Quest” and “The Smurfs.”

Also see The LA Times (Are you all right, editors?), WSJ and Le Figaro.

Sound effects.

Tom & Jerry at Google Video.

Japan 'staged' ministerial forums

By Chris Hogg at BBC News (13.12.2006) :

Japan's PM Shinzo Abe says he will work unpaid for the next 90 days, after it emerged that officials had paid people to ask questions at public meetings. 

The government inquiry also found that at some of the meetings - held over the past five years - officials had pretended to be ordinary people.

Mr Abe, a cabinet minister at the time, was responsible for such meetings.

John Brinsley's report on the Moonie administration at Bloomberg (12.12.2006) :

Welcoming back the ex-LDP lawmakers "was a remarkably cynical thing to do," said Steven Reed, a professor of Japanese politics at Chou [sic] University in Tokyo. "It really pissed people off. What Abe's done is trade popular support for old-fashioned politics. It may not work."

Abe's popularity fell to 47 percent from 53 percent last month, the Asahi newspaper said. The Yomiuri newspaper said his approval rating dropped to 55.9 percent from 65.1 percent, while the Mainichi newspaper showed Abe's support at 46 percent, down from 53 percent last month and 67 percent in September. NHK said support fell to 48 percent, from 59 percent. No margins of error were provided.

Whatever Moonie Abe and his wife say and do seems "staged". The sex-up and cover-up cabinet.

France 24, pionnière sur le Web

Propos recueillis par Marie Simon à L'Express (06.12.2006).

Lever de rideau pour France 24, ce soir à 20h29. Cette naissance aura lieu sur Internet, un choix délibéré qui traduit la "position technique avant-gardiste" de la "CNN à la Française", explique Stanislas Leridon, directeur Internet et nouveaux médias de France 24. Un moyen pour la petite nouvelle de se démarquer dans le paysage des chaînes d'information internationale.

Continue reading "France 24, pionnière sur le Web"

Confucius et Freud trouvent une place dans les prisons

From The People's Daily (04.12.2006) :

"Les hommes, à la naissance, sont naturellement bons." Un groupe de 30 détenus entonnent chaque matin avec leur professeur un des vers les plus célèbres de Confucius, dans une prison du nord-est de la Chine.

La prison de Beijiao, à Changchun, capital de la province de Jilin, a ouvert "une salle de classe confucéenne" et des télévisions installées en circuit fermé permettre au sage antique d'enseigner.

Les détenus prennent des tours pour assister aux conférences durant le jour et pour réviser les textes la nuit. Chacun des détenus a été donné une collection de 66 pages des célèbres textes confucéens, comprenant une amorce sur la Vertu et l'Analects de Confucius et de ses disciples.

Istanbul Modern Cinema pays tribute to Samuel Beckett

From Turkish Daily News (02.12.2006) :

Istanbul Modern Art Museum Cinema will be celebrating Samuel Beckett's centennial with films based on the playwright's plays throughout December and January. The first part of the screenings, titled "Beckett on Film," consists of nine films and will run throughout December. The second part will take place in January.

The "Beckett on Film" project, the first-ever cinematic screening of all 19 of Samuel Beckett's plays, was created to bring the writer's remarkable canon of work to a wider audience through an easily accessible medium.

Each of the 19 films' directors chose the play they wished to direct and hand-picked the cast they wanted to work with. They were not allowed to change any of the text, and they had to adhere to Beckett's specific directions for each work. The result is a unique collaboration among some of the most distinguished directors and actors working today.

Urawa Reds win first Japanese championship

From Reuters.co.uk (02.12.2006) :

Urawa Reds won Japan's J-League championship for the first time after a 3-2 home win over Gamba Osaka on Saturday.

Brazilian striker Washington scored twice as Japan's best-supported side overpowered Gamba in front of a crowd of 62,000 in Saitama.

"We have been working for this for three years," Urawa's German manager Guido Buchwald told reporters. "We try to attack and play tight defence.

"The great support the team has was another factor in this championship."

Congratulations to Reds and their supporters. Is Buchwald going back to Germany?

25 percent of deceased consumer credit borrowers committed suicide

From Mainichi Daily News (29.11.2006) :

The Financial Services Agency (FSA) investigated the causes of the deaths of borrowers from major consumer credit companies following revelations that Promise Co. falsely reported data on life insurance policies it took out on all of its borrowers.

The results have shown that 25.5 percent of debtors with the five firms, whose causes of deaths are known, took their own lives.

The issue was raised in a session of the House of Representatives Committee on Fiscal and Financial Policies on Tuesday. Akira Nagatsuma, an opposition Democratic Party of Japan member, urged the FSA to check the exact number of consumer credit firm borrowers who committed suicide.

"Data has suggested that the number of those who killed themselves is much larger. Can't you check the exact number of those who committed suicide based on information held by the Federation of Credit Bureaus of Japan?" Nagatsuma said.

Good job, Nagatsuma-san.

Litvinenko's statement

By AP at IHT (24.11.2006).

Continue reading "Litvinenko's statement"

Murdoch's News Corps. cancels O.J. Simpson book and TV special

By AP at IHT (20.11.2006) :

After a firestorm of criticism, News Corp. said Monday that it had canceled the O.J. Simpson book and TV special "If I Did It."

"I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill- considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp.'s chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ronald Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."

A dozen Fox affiliates had already said they would not air the two-part sweeps-month special, planned for next week before the Nov. 30 publication of the book by ReganBooks. The publishing house is a HarperCollins imprint owned - like the Fox network - by News Corp.

National, local governments scrabble to shore up broken town meeting system

From Mainichi Daily News (18.11.2006) :

One local government came up with an innovative solution for dealing with apathy towards local issues and declining attendance at town meetings: Fill seats with their own employees.

A Mainichi investigation into problems with government-sponsored town meetings has found that the Aomori Prefectural Government dispatched a large number of its own workers to a meeting in Aomori in June 2004, basically making it one between government officials.

The finding comes on the heels of the discovery that staged questions were being asked at meetings, and suggests the town meetings initiative -- which is supposed to provide a chance for the government to converse directly with the local community -- is breaking down.

This is the Japanese way. The American should accuse the Japan Gov't of having insulted the town meeting system.

Anorexie : décès d'un mannequin

Du Nouvel Observateur (16.11.2006). Brazillian fashion model, Anna Carolina Reston, 18 years old, died of anorexia on Tuesday. 1.74 m tall, she weighs only 40 kg. My daughters knew her well (though I didn't).

Japon : la radio d'Etat sommée de couvrir davantage les méfaits de Pyongyang

Du Monde (10.11.2006) :

Le gouvernement japonais a ordonné vendredi au groupe d'audiovisuel public NHK de consacrer plus de temps d'antenne au drame des enlèvements de ressortissants nippons par la Corée du Nord pendant la Guerre froide.

Le gouvernement conservateur avait reçu le feu vert cette semaine du Conseil de régulation de la radio, un comité d'experts qui conseille le ministre de la Communication Yoshihide Suga.

Mais cette décision sans précédent risque de s'attirer les foudres de ceux qui estiment qu'une telle injonction violerait la liberté de la presse.

M. Suga avait annoncé fin octobre son désir d'obliger la NHK, qui consacre déjà une très large couverture aux enlèvements dans ses émissions destinées au Japon, à accorder davantage de temps d'antenne à cette question ultrasensible dans ses programmes radiophoniques destinés à l'étranger.

C'est précisément la violation:

Roger Pulvers :

First, the ruling LDP has become much more bolshie, if you will, when it comes to directly pressuring the broadcaster. A program on the excellent NHK news show "Close Up Gendai," aired on March 28, 2005, took up the issue of school authorities forcing teachers to sing the national anthem at graduation ceremonies, bringing out the teachers' viewpoints. LDP representatives in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly strongly attacked the program as "biased."

Second, in recent years major scandals have eroded the public's trust in NHK. Chief producers have been helping themselves to millions of yen by padding their budgets with fictitious expenses. One of them, was sentenced this March to five years in jail for embezzlement.

Politicians must demonstrate their support for a truly independent national broadcaster and desist from hiding their reactionary agendas behind a screen of "fairness and neutrality." NHK, for its part, must get its act together and eliminate loose management that allows for corrupt practices. But on their part, it's surely high time the Japanese people got their own act together regarding their national broadcaster. It's called "belief in freedom of expression, even when that expression may be unpopular." And it is only Act One in the long drama called democracy.

Adachi Ward scraps plan to base school budget allocations on students' test results

From Asahi.com (08.11.2006) :

Following a wave of criticism, Tokyo's Adachi Ward scrapped a plan to allocate funds to public elementary and junior high schools based on their students' academic achievement test results, officials said Tuesday.

The plan was to take effect in April and would involve grading public schools from A to D according to the results of the students' tests. The size of budget allocations would be based on those grades.

Clifford Geertz Dies

From The NY Times (01.11.2006) :

Clifford Geertz, the eminent cultural anthropologist whose work focused on interpreting the symbols he believed give meaning and order to people’s lives, died on Monday in Philadelphia. He was 80 and lived in Princeton, N.J.

The cause was complications after heart surgery, according to an announcement by the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where he had been on the faculty since 1970.

Best known for his theories of culture and cultural interpretation, Mr. Geertz was considered a founder of interpretive, or symbolic, anthropology. But his influence extended far beyond anthropology to many of the social sciences, and his writing had a literary flair that distinguished him from most theorists and ethnographers.

Willaim Styron Dies

From The LA Times (02.11.2006) :

WILLIAM STYRON, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist whose skillful explorations of evil, domination and redemption made him one of the finest writers of his generation, died Wednesday afternoon. He was 81.

The author of "The Confessions of Nat Turner," "Sophie's Choice" and "Lie Down in Darkness," Styron died of pneumonia at Martha's Vineyard Hospital, according to his daughter Alexandra Styron.

He had been in generally failing health over the last several years, she said, with a variety of ailments.

Haruki Murakami receives Franz Kafka literary prize

From The Japan Times (31.10.2006) :

PRAGUE (AP) Author Haruki Murakami was in Prague on Monday to receive a prestigious Czech literary prize.

Murakami was chosen in March by an international jury that includes prominent German literary critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki and British publisher John Calder to win the annual Franz Kafka Prize, the Franz Kafka Society said.

Author Nadine Gordimer attacked

From BBC News (29.10.2006) :

Gordimer, 83, was assaulted when three men broke into her home in Johannesburg on Thursday, taking cash and jewellery.

The author, who was locked in a store room with her maid while the burglars fled the scene, did not receive any serious injuries.

US Ready to Deploy Patriots in Japan

From Mumbai Mirror (29.10.2006) :

Tokyo: The US is considering deploying its advanced Patriot missile defence system near Tokyo after North Korea’s recent missile and nuclear tests, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

Washington unofficially informed the Japanese government it is considering putting Patriot Advanced Capability 3 surface-to-air interceptor missiles around Yokota Air Base in Tokyo’s western suburbs and around Yokosuka Naval Base, south of the capital, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported without saying how it got the information.

The added defences would cover critical US military installations on the outskirts of Tokyo.

It's obvious that Japan will be the front line of the US forces. SDF soldiers are no more than pawns.

Also see "Le déploiement de missiles Patriot envisagé à Tokyo" at Le Monde (29.10.2006).

Nara city worker uses medical excuses to work only 8 days over 6 years

From Asahi.com (23.10.2006) :

The man, who is supposed to work in the Nara city government's garbage collection section, used a number of medical excuses to take paid sick leave as well as leaves of absence over the five-year, nine-month period.

Officials in the city government's personnel section said the man last showed up for work on Dec. 23, 2005. In February, April, May and August this year, the man submitted medical records from his doctors that showed a different illness each time to take his paid sick leave.

Recording engineer develops everlasting glass CD

From Mainichi Daily News (21.10.2006) :

A Japanese recording engineer has developed the world's first glass CD guaranteed not to warp, distort and of a beautiful design, according to its maker.

Music critics who have tried out the CD said that it's outstanding and virtually like listening to a live performance.

But high quality music to last forever comes at a price -- 98,700 yen apiece to be exact -- as glass CDs have to be made by hand.

Hizbollah fired cluster rockets on civilians in Israel, says rights group

By Donald Mcintyre at The Independent (20.10.2006) :

Human Rights Watch said the Lebanese guerrilla group had launched 122mm Chinese-made Type 81 rockets on Jewish and Arab communities. These contain dozens of bomblets, known as "sub-munitions".

Israel had earned wide condemnation for its use of cluster weapons during the conflict, which left as many as a million hazardous "duds", ones that failed to explode on impact and which HRW says are still wounding three civilians a day and disrupting economic recovery. Twenty people have died since the August ceasefire.

Japan's top court backs worker invention

By AP at IHT (17.10.2006) :

TOKYO In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of Japan on Tuesday recognized the intellectual property rights of employees who invent products, ordering Hitachi to pay ¥163 million to a former worker.

The court backed a January 2004 decision by the Tokyo High Court that awarded the payment, equivalent to over $1.3 million, to Seiji Yonezawa, who invented technology for reading compact discs and digital video discs while working at Hitachi, a court official said.

Japan once embraced a tradition of worker loyalty, under which employees were guaranteed a job for life but were not rewarded on the basis of performance. But intellectual property lawsuits by employees have increased steadily in recent years.

Un manuscrit d'Albert Camus vendu 575 000 $

By AFP at Cyberpresse (13.10.2006) :

Le manuscrit autographe du Mythe de Sisyphe d'Albert Camus a été vendu au prix record pour cet écrivain français de 404 000 euros (575 000 $) lors d'une vente mercredi et jeudi chez Sotheby's à Paris de la collection de livres et manuscrits Fred Feinsilber.

Un exemplaire de L'Homme révolté, avec une dédicace au poète René Char, a été adjugé 85 200 euros (120 000 $) lors de cette vente de quelque 500 lots (livres, photographies, gravures) qui a totalisé 7,88 millions d'euros (11,2 millions $), a indiqué un communiqué vendredi de la maison d'enchères.

Orhan Pamuk Nobel Laureate

The Guardian and Le Monde.

Here is his interview at Le Monde (03.11.2005).

Continue reading "Orhan Pamuk Nobel Laureate"

China Unblocks Wikipedia

From E&P (11.10.2006) :

The online interactive reference site Wikipedia announced Tuesday that the site had apparently been made accessible in China, after being blocked for just over a year by the country's government

Archbishop Repudiates Expulsion

By Caryle Murphy at Washington Post (28.09.2006) :

A Roman Catholic archbishop dismissed from the Church on Tuesday for consecrating four married men as bishops said yesterday that he does not accept his excommunication and will work to have the Vatican lift its requirement that priests be celibate.

"We do not accept this excommunication and lovingly return it to His Holiness, our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, to . . . withdraw it and join us in recalling married priests to service once again," Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo said in a written statement read for him at a news conference at Imani Temple in Northeast Washington.

Milingo, 76, who was archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, for 14 years, clashed with the Vatican once before, when he married a Korean acupuncturist in a 2001 mass ceremony presided over by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

'Tokyo Rose' dies in U.S.

From Mainichi Daily News (27.09.2006) :

CHICAGO -- Iva Toguri D'Aquino, who was convicted and later pardoned of being World War II propagandist "Tokyo Rose," died Tuesday of natural causes, said her nephew, William Toguri. She was 90.

Tokyo Rose was the name given by soldiers to a female radio broadcaster responsible for anti-American transmissions intended to demoralize soldiers fighting in the Pacific theater. D'Aquino was the only U.S. citizen identified among the potential suspects.

In 1949, she became the seventh person to be convicted of treason in American history and served six years in prison. But doubts about her possible role as Tokyo Rose later surfaced and she was pardoned by President Gerald Ford in 1977.

Roumanie et Bulgarie dans l'UE en 2007

"La Bulgarie et la Roumanie seront bien les deux prochains pays membres de l'Union européenne. La Commission européenne l'a annoncé mardi 26 septembre. La date d'entrée des deux pays est prévue pour le 1^er janvier 2007," — Le Nouvel Observateur (26.09.2006).

Israeli army attacks Palestinian Banks and money exchange shops, stealing millions

From IMEMC (20.09.2006) :

The Israeli army invaded several cities in the West Bank and broke into money changers' shops and banks, confiscating some 1.5 million USD, on Wednesday morning. The seizure of cash comes after months of seige by the Israeli authorities, who are attempting to 'starve out' the Palestinian people for the results of their democratic election in January.

Army invaded, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem and Ramallah, almost at the same time.

In Jenin, at least 30 military vehicles invaded the city and surrounded a money exchange shop that belongs to Mohammad Nassar.

Gov't to OK Internet access via power lines

By Kyodo at Yahoo! News (13.09.2006) :

The government plans to enable high-speed Internet access via existing power lines instead of telephone or cable TV lines, government officials said Wednesday.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will revise a ministry regulation and start accepting applications for the Internet access known as power line communications within this year, the officials said.

Abe, LDP sued over history text approval

From The Japan Timse (15.09.2006) :

A group of people Thursday filed a lawsuit against Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and the Liberal Democratic Party with the Tokyo District Court, claiming they broke the law by intervening in the approval process for a revisionist history text.

They allege that Abe and the LDP pressured the education ministry in 2001 to endorse the textbook, which was edited by nationalist scholars at the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform.

The plaintiffs also are asking that Abe and the LDP to be ordered to publish a letter of apology in Japanese and Korean newspapers.

CIA Learned in '02 That Bin Laden Had No Iraq Ties, Report Says

By Walter Pincus at Washington Post (15.09.2006).

Top court rejects AUM founder Asahara's appeal against death sentence

From Mainichi Daily News (15.09.2006) :

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a special appeal by AUM Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara against the death sentence for the sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 and other crimes.

The death sentence on 51-year-old Asahara for 13 crimes is now finalized as Japan's top court dismissed his appeal.

Shameless LDP motherf*ckers

From Asahi.com (13.09.2006) :

The J.League club is not complaining about the field at Nissan Stadium, its home turf. Rather, the team finds it unacceptable that the Liberal Democratic Party's Yokohama branch promoted the ruling party and engaged in other propaganda activities during the Marinos' match Sept. 9 against local rival Kawasaki Frontale.

One section of Nissan Stadium was filled with about 2,000 LDP supporters, as well as lawmakers and prefectural and city assembly members elected from the Yokohama and Kawasaki districts. They waved banners featuring the LDP logo and the names of LDP members, the sources said.

Bush acknowledges CIA prisons exist

By Brian Knowlton at IHT (07.09.2006) :

President George W. Bush acknowledged Wednesday that 14 of the most notorious terrorism suspects had been held and interrogated in secret CIA camps, but said that they had been moved to the Guantánamo Bay detention center to face eventual trial, with the legal protections provided by the Geneva conventions.

Bush said that the International Committee of the Red Cross would be allowed to meet with the men at the U.S. base in Guantánamo, on the Cuban coast.

"Those charged with crimes will be given access to attorneys, who will help them prepare their defense, and they will be presumed innocent," he said.

Continue reading "Bush acknowledges CIA prisons exist"

Sri Lanka : la Mission d'observation accuse l'armée du meurtre des employés d'ACF

From Le Monde (30.08.2006) :

La Mission scandinave d'observation du cessez-le-feu au Sri Lanka (SLMM) a accusé, mercredi 30 août, les forces gouvernementales du meurtre de 17 employés locaux d'Action contre la faim (ACF), le 4 août à Muttur, dans le nord-est du pays. "Ce meurtre [...] est considéré comme une grave violation de l'accord de cessez-le-feu par les forces de sécurité au Sri Lanka", annonce la SLMM dans un communiqué.

Goldman willing to fund Olympic bid by Fukuoka

From Financial Times (25.08.2006) :

Goldman Sachs, the US investment bank, is planning to put its own money into a bid by the south-western Japanese city of Fukuoka to host the 2016 summer Olympic games.

Goldman, which is advising Fukuoka on the commercial viability of hosting the games, said it was prepared to commit its own funds to help pay for the infrastructure development and was confident the project would pay “sizeable returns”.

“Based on our analysis, we are prepared to commit capital to this project,” Masanori Mochida, president of Goldman Sachs Japan, told the Financial Times.

“This project will have very sizeable returns, so Goldman Sachs is confident we can get interest from real estate investors, institutional investors and real estate investment funds,” Mr Mochida said.

Inquiry Opened Into Israeli Use of U.S. Bombs

By David Cloud at The NY Times (25.08.2006) | Map.

Lieutenant Watada Should Be Prosecuted, Article 32 Hearing Finds

By Sarah Olson at TruthOut (25.08.2006).

Suicide soldier 'feared need to shoot children'

From Scotsman.com (25.08.2006) :

A TEENAGE soldier may have killed himself because he was worried he might have to shoot child suicide bombers in Iraq.

Jason Chelsea told his parents that, during pre-deployment training, he had been told he might have to shoot suicide bombers as young as two.

After taking a drug overdose, he told his mother Kerry on his deathbed: "I can't go out there and shoot at young children. I just can't go to Iraq. I don't care what side they're on. I can't do it."

Military recruiters cited for misconduct

By Martha Mendoza (AP) at Yahoo! News (20.08.2006) :

More than 100 young women who expressed interest in joining the military in the past year were preyed upon sexually by their recruiters. Women were raped on recruiting office couches, assaulted in government cars and groped en route to entrance exams.

A six-month Associated Press investigation found that more than 80 military recruiters were disciplined last year for sexual misconduct with potential enlistees. The cases occurred across all branches of the military and in all regions of the country.

"This should never be allowed to happen," said one 18-year-old victim. "The recruiter had all the power. He had the uniform. He had my future. I trusted him."

U.S. military-backed international school planned in Okinawa Pref.

By Kyodo at Yahoo! News Asia (19.08.2006) :

The military-sponsored English education program was proposed by Wallace Gregson, who used to serve as the U.S. military's Okinawa area coordinator. He now lives in the United States.

With the help of the two governments, as well as teachers and the business community in Okinawa, Gregson has created a nonprofit organization to establish such an international school in Okinawa.

Is Wallace Gregson this man?

U.S. Guitar Makers Rock Japan Market

By AP at Money MSN (15.08.2006).

Le fils de l'écrivain israélien David Grossman tué au Liban

By AFP at Yahoo! Actualités (13.08.2006).

David Grossman's son was killed in Lebanon. As this coverage points out, David Grossman, A.B. Yéhoshua and Amos Oz, "avaient souligné qu'ils ont approuvé 'l'offensive militaire israélienne défensive' contre le parti libanais Hezbollah." I knew it and was afraid that they and their families wound be targeted.

Web 'enemy' China forces Wikipedia clone to close

By AFP at Taiwan Times (11.08.2006) :

A Chinese online encyclopedia has closed down due to government pressure as China continues to crack down on Internet information it sees as dangerous, an international rights group said.

e-Wiki, a collaborative Internet encyclopedia modeled on the hugely successful Wikipedia, closed itself down late last month, Reporters Without Borders said in a statement received yesterday.

"Une encyclopédie libre chinoise s’autocensure sous la pression des autorités" at RSF (07.08.2006).

Half of U.S. Still Believes Iraq Had WMD

By Charles J. Hanley at AP/CommonDreams (07.08.2006) :

-- Do you believe in Iraqi "WMD"? Did Saddam Hussein's government have weapons of mass destruction in 2003?

Half of America apparently still thinks so, a new poll finds, and experts see a raft of reasons why: a drumbeat of voices from talk radio to die-hard bloggers to the Oval Office, a surprise headline here or there, a rallying around a partisan flag, and a growing need for people, in their own minds, to justify the war in Iraq.

People tend to become "independent of reality" in these circumstances, says opinion analyst Steven Kull.

Haditha report to suggest Marines shot Iraqis

By Robert Burns at AP/Chicago Sun-Times (02.08.2006).

The Secretive Fight Against Bioterror

By Joby Warrick at Washington Post (30.07.2006) :

On the grounds of a military base an hour's drive from the capital, the Bush administration is building a massive biodefense laboratory unlike any seen since biological weapons were banned 34 years ago.

The heart of the lab is a cluster of sealed chambers built to contain the world's deadliest bacteria and viruses. There, scientists will spend their days simulating the unthinkable: bioterrorism attacks in the form of lethal anthrax spores rendered as wispy powders that can drift for miles on a summer breeze, or common viruses turned into deadly superbugs that ordinary drugs and vaccines cannot stop.

日本も真似するだろうな。もう研究してるかな。調べてみるか。

Beeves of Mass Destruction

From "Farm ministry officially lifts ban on U.S. beef" by AP at The Japan Times (28.07.2006) :

The agriculture ministry on Thursday formally approved the resumption of U.S. beef imports following a ban in January due to concerns about mad cow disease, a ministry official said.

The ministry's mad cow advisory committee approved resuming imports, and the government planned to officially announce the move later Thursday, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity per ministry protocol.

The lifting of the ban, imposed after Japanese inspectors checking a veal shipment found banned parts believed to be at risk for mad cow disease, would remove a key source of friction between Tokyo and Washington.

It would also give U.S. beef exporters access once again to what had been one of their most lucrative markets.

Israel to Occupy Area of Lebanon as Security Zone

By Greg Myre & Helene Cooper at The NY Times (26.07.2006).

"Israel to establish 'killing zone' on Lebanon border" at IMEMC (26.07.2006).

Une peinture de la mythologie perse mise au jour à Bamiyan par des Japonais

By AFP at Yahoo! France Actualités (25.07.2006) :

Une peinture murale représentant une créature ailée de la mythologie perse a été découverte sur les ruines des bouddhas de Bamiyan (Afghanistan), montrant l'influence de la civilisation perse sur le bouddhisme dans la région, a annoncé mardi un institut de recherche japonais.

Cette peinture datant du VIIe siècle, qui représente un Simurgh, fabuleuse créature ailée de la mythologie perse, a été mise au jour par des chercheurs nippons qui ravalaient les murs de la caverne, a précisé l'Institut national de recherche pour les biens culturels.

"C'est la première fois qu'une image aussi nette de cette créature est mise au jour", a affirmé à l'AFP un chercheur de l'institut.

"Cette découverte nous renseigne sur l'influence de la civilisation perse sur le bouddhisme de Bamiyan. Cela montre aussi l'influence du peuple Sogd (nord de l'Afghanistan)", dont le territoire s'étendait aux frontières des actuels Ouzbékistan et Tadjikistan, a-t-il ajouté.

日本の調査隊がバーミヤン遺跡で、７世紀ごろの絵画を発見。

L'état de santé d'Ariel Sharon s'est dégradé

By AFP/Reuters at Le Monde (23.07.2006).

シャロンの容態が悪化。

Afghanistan close to anarchy, warns general

By Richard Norton-Taylor at The Guardian (22.07.2006).

Israel building prison for Lebanese captives

From Ynet News (22.07.2006) :

Preparing for an extended ground operation: The IDF has started constructing a temporary detention center designed to hold the Lebanese prisoners that will be captured during army operations in Southern Lebanon, Ynet has learned recently.

A truck convoy carrying barbed-wire fences, containers, and mobile showers and toilets started unloading equipment at the Filon military base near Rosh Pina Friday, and construction works at the place are already underway. According to plans, the structure should be able to hold up to hundreds of Hizbullah prisoners at any given time.

U.S. Plan Seeks to Wedge Syria From Iran

By Helene Cooper & David Sanger at The NY Times (23.07.2006).

Israeli Soldiers Push Deeper Into Lebanon, Seize Village

By Ken Ellingwood at The LA Times (23.07.2006).

Bar Association Task Force Urges Congress to Push for Judicial Review of Bush Signing Statements

By Elizabeth Weiss Green at US News/TruthOut (21.07.2006).

Israeli troops set to invade Lebanon to create missile 'buffer'

By Gethin Chamberlain at Scotman.com (22.07.2006).

U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis

By David Cloud & Helene Cooper at The NY Times (22.07.2006) :

WASHINGTON, July 21 — The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.

The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.

Hirohito visits to Yasukuni stopped over war criminals

At The Japan Times (21.07.2006) :

Emperor Hirohito expressed strong displeasure in 1988 over Yasukuni Shrine's decision in the late 1970s to include Class-A war criminals on the list of people honored there, sources said Thursday, citing a memorandum by a former Imperial Household Agency official.

"That's why I have not visited the shrine since," the Emperor, known posthumously as Showa, told former Imperial Household Agency Grand Steward Tomohiko Tomita, according to a memorandum written by Tomita that was obtained by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

The sources said the Emperor was referring to his decision not to visit after the shrine decided in 1978 to honor the 14 Class-A war criminals, confirming Thursday's Nikkei article.

靖国問題は、ますます面白くなりそう。墓から蘇った昭和天皇が、ひと暴れするのかな。それとも、このメモが偽物かどうかで揉めるのかな。

Dutch Court OKs 'Pedophile' Political Party

By Mike Corder (AP) at AccessNorthGa.com (17.07.2006) :

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- A Dutch court refused Monday to ban a political party whose main goal is to lower the age of sexual consent from 16 to 12. The judge said it was the voters' right to judge the appeal of political parties.

The party has only three known members, one of whom was convicted of molesting an 11-year-old boy in 1987. Widely dubbed the "pedophile" party, it is unlikely ever to win a seat in parliament. The group would need around 60,000 votes, and pollsters estimate it would get fewer than 1,000.

奇しくも、山本圭一にお誂えのニュース。山本はオランダへ行くべし。

In Ga., Reed out and McKinney in runoff

By Shannon McCaffrey (AP) at News Yahoo! (19.07.2006) :

Two of Georgia's most controversial political candidates got a cool reception from the voters, who rejected former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed and left U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney facing a runoff.

Reed was unable to overcome his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and conceded defeat to state Sen. Casey Cagle in Tuesday's Republican primary for lieutenant governor.

CIA gave secret funds to pro-U.S. Japanese politicians in '50s-'60s

From Mainichi Daily News (19.07.2006) :

Ahead of the May 1958 elections for Japan's House of Representatives, the administration of President Dwight Eisenhower authorized the CIA "to provide a few key pro-American and conservative politicians with covert limited financial support and electoral advice," the document said.

"The recipient Japanese candidates were told only that they were getting support from American businessmen," said the document released by the U.S. Department of State, noting that the program continued during subsequent electoral campaigns into the 1960s.

The Eisenhower administration also authorized the CIA to institute another "covert program to try to split off the moderate wing of the leftist opposition in the hope that a more pro-American and "responsible" opposition party would emerge," according to the document.

Pretrial hearing for Watada set for mid-August

By Gregg K. Kakesako at Star Bulletin (14.07.2006).

The psychedelic genius who really did drop out

By Peter Paphides at Times Online (12.07.2006) :

SYD BARRETT, the fragile “genius” who founded Pink Floyd but disappeared to live as a recluse 30 years ago, has died from complications relating to diabetes, his family announced yesterday.

Alan Barrett said of his 60-year-old brother: “He died peacefully at home. There will be a private family funeral in the next few days.”

Pink Floyd issued a statement saying: “The band are naturally very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett’s death. Syd was the guiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire.”

寂しいっす……。

"Barrett's 'extraordinary legacy' " by Joe Boyd at BBC News (11.07.2006).

Lay's death robs many of closure

By Greg Burns at Chicago Tribune (05.07.2006).

Israeli strike on Gaza power plant will cost US

By Adam Entous at Reuters/Yahoo! News (01.07.2006) :

Israel's bombing of Gaza's main power plant could end up costing its closest ally, the U.S. government, because it partially insured the project for up to $48 million, officials involved in the project said on Saturday.

U.S. officials would not say whether Washington would ask Israel for reimbursement.

Israel bombed the power plant on Wednesday at the start of an offensive to try to get Palestinian militants to free a captured soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit.

A Western aid official involved in the matter said Israel's decision to hit the power plant was a surprise in large part "because it was American-owned."

Japan’s premier follows dream to Memphis

By Caroline Daniel and David Pilling st Financial Times (30.06.2006).

大馬鹿野郎のメンフィス詣で。世界の恥さらし。

Growing Up Gitmo

By Lara Setrakian at ABC News (29.06.2006) :

Omar Khadr isn't your average Guantanamo detainee. A Canadian citizen of Arab descent, Khadr was taken into U.S. custody when he was 15 years old on charges of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan. Now 19, Omar has spent four years of his teenage life growing up at Gitmo.

And now that the Supreme Court has ruled that trying Guantanamo Bay detainees in military tribunals violates U.S. and international law, it's unclear when, or if, he'll get the chance to argue for his freedom.

BOJ chief's shady investment handled by fund partnership exclusively for him

At Asahi.com (29.6.2006).

Say Hello to voice phishing

By John Leyden at The Register (26.06.2006).

またもや新手のフィッシング。気をつけようね。

ところで、あいかわらずココログが重い。「反映中」のままフリーズ、またはプロキシ・エラー。更新はされているけど、意気阻喪。ユーザーを減らそうとする魂胆かい、と勘ぐりたくなる。

Osim to be appointed Japan's next manager

At Mainichi Daily News (24.06.2006).

グループ・リーグで敗退した途端、次期監督の交渉ですか。ジーコよりオシムのほうがいいとは思うけど、さぁ。

Four dissidents sentenced up to 19 years in prison for anti-government poems

At International Freedom of Expression eXchange (21.06.2006). Via Poetry Hut Blog.

Veteran Critic of White House Turns on 'Gullible' Press Pack

By Andrew Buncombe at Independent/CommonDreams (21.06.2006).

Politicians smell votes in Sweden's file-sharing debate

By Ivan Ekman at IHT (18.06.2006).

Au forum de Shanghaï, Russes, Chinois et Iraniens font contre-feu à Washington

By Marie Jégo et Bruno Philip at Le Monde (16.06.2006).

Japan's Top Banker Owned Stake in Scandal-Hit Fund

By Martin Fackler at The NY Times (15.06.2006).

"Bank of Japan Scandal Last Thing Japan Needs" by William Pesek, Jr. at Bloomberg (16.06.2006).

"Fukui under fire, says policy depends on economy" at Reuters (16.06.2006).

"Fukui says BoJ unaffected by personal scandal" by David Pilling at Financial Times (16.06.2006).

"Fukui snubs opposition call to resign over investment in Murakami fund" by Tetsushi Kajimoto at The Japan Times (16.06.2006).

US Seen as a Bigger Threat to Peace Than Iran, Worldwide Poll Suggests

By Ewen MacAskill at The Guardian/CommonDreams (15.06.2006).