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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

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almarst2002 - 06:26am Jun 11, 2003 EST (# 12462 of 12474)

The International Federation of Journalists today called on United States forces in Iraq to explain why troops arrested three journalists in Baghdad working for the Arabic television channel Al-Aalam. - http://electroniciraq.net/news/872.shtml

"These arrests are the latest in a series of incidents that raise questions over what media strategy is in place to protect journalists from harassment," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.

The Al-Aalam network, one of the most popular sources of news in Iraq since the US-led invasion, says reporters and cameramen Sami Hassan, Zoheir Mostafa and Ghuran Tofiq were detained yesterday in front of the central police building in Baghdad.

US officials have not commented yet on the reasons for the arrests, which come at a time of increasing concern about the treatment of journalists. The Somali Journalists Network on Sunday protested over the harassment by US soldiers of journalist Ali Mohammed Halane, and in April, American marines arrested another reporter of Al-Aalam. Abdol Hadi Zeighami was arrested while reporting on US tanks entering the town of Kut, around 170 km southeast of Baghdad. He was released after five hours of detention, but the film which the Al-Aalam crew had shot was confiscated.

"These actions indicate that journalists continue to be subject to unacceptable pressure," said Aidan White. "The military administration must come clean about why arrests are taking place and explain each incident. It is unacceptable to have arbitrary and unexplained actions that are tantamount to intimidation."

Controversy still rages around the killings by coalition soldiers of journalists in April. Reuters cameraman Taras Protsyuk and a reporter for the Spanish television network Telecinco, Jose Couso, died after a US tank opened fire at the Hotel Palestine in Baghdad. On the same day, Al-Jazeera television reporter/producer Tareq Ayoub was killed in a US air strike on the company's offices in Baghdad. Earlier, outside Basra, ITN journalist Terry Lloyd was killed and two journalists - Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman - remain missing after coalition forces shot up their marked vehicle.

The IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries.

almarst2002 - 06:28am Jun 11, 2003 EST (# 12463 of 12474)

UPDATE FROM ELECTRONIC IRAQ - http://electronicIraq.net/

lchic - 06:45am Jun 11, 2003 EST (# 12464 of 12474)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Duranty's work (1932) is now under review by a Pulitzer subcommittee following complaints that he deliberately ignored the Ukrainian famine of the early 1930s that killed millions.

Members of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) joined Ukrainians worldwide this year in urging withdrawal of Duranty's award.

Duranty covered the Soviet Union for the Times from 1922 to 1941, earning acclaim for an exclusive 1929 interview with Stalin. But he was eventually exposed for reporting the Communist line rather than the facts. According to the 1990 book Stalin's Apologist, Duranty knew of the famine wrought by collectivisation, but ignored the atrocities to preserve his access to Stalin.

The Times has also distanced itself from Duranty's work.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,7495,975061,00.html

Duranty would have been nominated for the prize by 'others' ...

almarst2002 - 06:52am Jun 11, 2003 EST (# 12465 of 12474)

AP Tallies 3,240 Civilian Deaths in Iraq - http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_COUNTING_THE_DEAD?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME

lchic - 06:55am Jun 11, 2003 EST (# 12466 of 12474)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

SCUDS .. Iraq .. The first casualty of war is ...

http://media.guardian.co.uk/iraqandthemedia/story/0,12823,975115,00.html

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