Angered by Fatal Raid, Shiites Exit Unity Talks :: from www.uruknet.info :: news from occupied Iraq - ch

Angered by Fatal Raid, Shiites Exit Unity Talks :: from www.uruknet.info :: news from occupied Iraq - ch: "BAGHDAD — As coffins of shooting victims rolled past wailing mourners, Iraq's dominant Shiite Muslim political alliance Monday condemned the United States for a weekend raid that left at least 16 people dead in a Shiite neighborhood and said it was for now dropping out of U.S.-guided talks aimed at forming a unity government.

Shiite political leaders and U.S. military commanders gave wildly contradictory accounts of the Sunday evening raid in northeast Baghdad, evidence of a growing rift between the United States and the Shiite-led government that came to power after the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein.

The raid also widened a split between the Sunni Arab-led Defense Ministry, which oversees the Iraqi troops who took part in the operation, and the Shiite-dominated police force. Rivalry between the two security forces has fueled apprehension that the sectarian violence could drag them into a civil war."

The Australian: US asked to cede Iraq control [March 28, 2006]

The Australian: US asked to cede Iraq control [March 28, 2006]: "IRAQ'S ruling parties have demanded US forces cede control of security as the government investigated a raid on a Shiite mosque complex that ministers said involved 'cold blooded' killings by US-led troops"

Reuters AlertNet - U.S. troops defend raid, say Iraqis faked "massacre"

Reuters AlertNet - U.S. troops defend raid, say Iraqis faked "massacre": "BAGHDAD, March 27 (Reuters) - U.S. commanders in Iraq on Monday accused powerful Shi'ite groups of moving the corpses of gunmen killed in battle to encourage accusations that U.S.-led troops massacred unarmed worshippers in a mosque."

Top News Article | Reuters.co.uk

Top News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "Related Pictures

By Omar al-Ibadi

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's ruling parties demanded U.S. forces cede control of security on Monday as the government launched an inquiry into a raid on a Shi'ite mosque that ministers said saw 'cold blooded' killings by U.S.-led troops."

CNN.com - Strike hits UK schools, transport� - Mar 28, 2006

CNN.com - Strike hits UK schools, transport� - Mar 28, 2006: "LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Up to 1.5 million local government workers went on strike across Britain on Tuesday, closing thousands of schools and disrupting travel in a growing row over pensions."

How President Bush has unified Latin America

How President Bush has unified Latin America: "Has Latin America ever had such a unifying figure?

At political rallies, his visage is held aloft as a beacon to regional independence and self-determination. He's helped forge new trade partnerships to spur economic growth and alleviate poverty. And his leadership has fanned a gale-force electoral trend that's sweeping the hemisphere to topple one pro-Washington government after the next."

CNN.com - Half-million protesters peacefully clog L.A. streets - Mar 26, 2006

CNN.com - Half-million protesters peacefully clog L.A. streets - Mar 26, 2006: "LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- They surprised the police, and maybe themselves, their T-shirts turning block after block of downtown Los Angeles streets white in a demonstration so massive that few causes in recent U.S. history have matched it.

Police said more than 500,000 people marched Saturday to protest a proposed federal crackdown on illegal immigration."

CNN.com - Immigration legislation sends protesters to city streets - Mar 24, 2006

CNN.com - Immigration legislation sends protesters to city streets - Mar 24, 2006: "Thousands of people across the country protested Friday against legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants, with demonstrators in Phoenix, Los Angeles, California, and Atlanta, Georgia, staging school walkouts, marches and work stoppages.

Congress is co"

Maureen Farrell: Apocalyptic Times

Maureen Farrell: Apocalyptic Times: "A few years ago, a Time/CNN poll found that that more than a third of Americans search the news for signs of the Apocalypse. Since Sept. 11, they've not had to look very hard. In the immediate aftermath of World Trade Center attacks, for example, the Associated Press reported on Satan's visage in the smoke clouds, an incident Peggy Noonan wrote about in the Wall Street Journal. 'If you are of a certain cast of mind, it is of course meaningful that the face of the Evil One seemed to emerge with a roar from the furnace that was Tower One,' she wrote, before reminding readers that a cross emerged unharmed amid the falling concrete and wreckage."

CNN.com - Family beheaded over 'witchcraft' - Mar 19, 2006

CNN.com - Family beheaded over 'witchcraft' - Mar 19, 2006: "GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) -- A tea plantation worker and his four children were beheaded in India's remote northeast by a mob which accused them of practising black magic, police said on Sunday.

Sixty-year-old Amir Munda, who was also a traditional healer, his two sons and two daughters were killed by angry villagers after a kangaroo court held them guilty of spreading a mysterious disease which killed two people and left many others ill over the last two weeks."

CNN.com - French�PM in bid to deflect strike - Mar 20, 2006

CNN.com - French�PM in bid to deflect strike - Mar 20, 2006: "PARIS, France -- French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin is meeting employers and students to defend new youth job laws amid massive protests and the threat of a general strike.

After weekend protests that organizers said saw 1.5 million people take to the streets around the country, union leaders set a deadline of Monday evening for the government to withdraw or suspend the First Job Contract (CPE) law.

De Villepin has refused to back down over the law, which allows employers to dismiss workers under the age of 26 without a reason during a two-year trial period. He says it will help cut youth unemployment of 23 percent, more than twice the national rate."

Y! News

Y! News: "PARIS (AFP) - French authorities announced 300 arrests after street protests over youth job reforms turned violent overnight, with the threat of more unrest hanging over marches planned for the weekend.

French President Jacques Chirac said the government was 'open to dialogue' and called for negotiations to 'begin as soon as possible', after the scenes of violence, the worst since the protests began."

Telegraph | News | Students march in Paris as the unrest spreads

Telegraph | News | Students march in Paris as the unrest spreads: "Thousands of students marched through Paris and blockaded universities across France yesterday as their revolt against the government over a controversial new youth employment law intensified.

Dominique de Villepin, the prime minister, has staked his reputation, and possibly his job, on a measure that aims to cut rampant youth unemployment with two-year contracts that enable employers to sidestep rigid French labour laws and fire them without reason.
Students protest in Paris"

CNN.com - Officials: Internet makes it easier in Japan to commit suicide - Mar 10, 2006

CNN.com - Officials: Internet makes it easier in Japan to commit suicide - Mar 10, 2006: "TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Six young Japanese were found dead from asphyxiation in a minivan Friday, charcoal stoves still smoking beside them -- apparently the latest victims of a surge in suicide pacts arranged over the Internet."

CNN.com - Police battle punk fans at California concert - Mar 5, 2006

CNN.com - Police battle punk fans at California concert - Mar 5, 2006: "SAN BERNARDINO, California (AP) -- Rioting broke out Saturday night at British punk band concert, injuring several people and destroying two police cars, officials said.

Some in the crowd of about 1,500 at the 'British Invasion 2K6' show pelted police with rocks and bottles, forcing the officers to withdraw, police spokesman Sgt. Rick Lindsey said."