The Independent reports that Britain is facing an increased threat of nuclear attacks by al-Qa’ida terrorists, according to three counter-terrorism reviews . There was the threat from a radiological “dirty bomb”. The report suggested that bomb makers that have been active in Afghanistan could already have the ability to produce a “dirty bomb” using information available over the internet.Terrorists could transport an improvised nuclear device on the Thames and detonate it in the heart of London. Other areas thought to be vulnerable included Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow and Belfast. A counter-terrorism report said security around stockpiles of decommissioned material...
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As an act of war, the al-Qaeda attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Centre was somewhat unusual,though not unprecedented, in three respects.First, the method used was non-standard.Standard military practice is to blow things and people up by dropping bombs or firing shells and missiles on them. But flying planes right into the target has been done before. Japanese kamikaze pilots used the technique against US warships in the Pacific during World War Two. Second, al-Qaeda is a non-state actor.Such actors rarely have the capacity to carry through such a complex and costly operation.Therefore al-Qaeda must have hadfinancial...
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Workers in Colombia are amongst the poorest in the world yet live in an area rich in natural resources. Colombia’s complex and on-going war between the government’s armed forces, drug producers and traffickers, leftist guerrillas and rightist paramilitaries, with blurred distinctions between each side, continues. Trade unionists, students, activists, journalists and those accused of collaborating with any side in the conflict are potential victims, not just combatants. This is not only a civil conflict, for following the globalisation of capital we see the globalisation of the means of defending capital: war. In the late 1980s the Andean Group of...
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Earlier today, it was announced by the North Korean government that it was in the possession of nuclear weapons. It is thought that this could be a ploy to instill fear in other countries, particularly in the five countries that had been involved in disarmaments talks with N. Korea. One newspaper has been quoted about the situation by calling it “a crisis from hell”. At the same time it is thought that perhaps N. Korea is simply bluffing to gain leverage on the international community. Amidst the announcement, the US continues to reiterate the importance of restarting the 6...
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Interesting tidbit from Empire Notes The New York Times reports that, according to Spanish Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero, before leaving office in April the Aznar administration erased all records related to the Madrid bombings: “There was not a single paper, not a single piece of data in computer form or on paper, absolutely nothing in the executive offices of the presidency because there was a massive erasing,” he said during more than 14 hours of testimony before the parliamentary commission investigating the attacks. The erasure was performed by a private company, because of course corporations always perform tasks better...
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In response to the 1995 Oklahoma bombing and the threat of more terrorist activity, the lawmakers are giving the law-enforcers more power and the courts swifter and more severe punishment for those found guilty. There are those who fear this will infringe on the “rights” of the average citizen; rights guaranteed by the constitution. We have all heard the expression, “fight for your rights.” The question I have is fairly obvious: if we are guaranteed our rights, why must we fight for them? … This deserves a derisive chuckle, don’t you think? How many laws have been enacted in...
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