US to raise troop levels in occupied Iraq. The good news are that 12 000 new Yankee soldiers are not enought stop the tide of insurgency.

I don´t really like neither the US nor the insurgents to win. But the fact is that if US is to be saved from it´s aggressive tendencies and new wars are to be thwarted in the Middle East - which would create wounds as deep between the West and the Muslim countries as the Crusades - the United States must lose and it must be just hoped that afterwards the moderated forces in Iraq can take control of the country, even if that would mean civil war and the splitting of the country in Arab and Kurd parts - if not in three parts, Kurd, Arab Shiite and Arab Sunni. Sadly there are greater things in stake than the future of Iraq and the well being of it´s citizens.

US offers olive branch to Taleban.

Let bygones be bygones?

Autocrat of Russia scorns new elections in Ukraine.

Marwan Barghouti joins the Palestinian presidential race. At least there something from which to chose now and the elections are not just the coronation of Abbas and Barghouti´s candidacy could lure those people that have no confidence in Abbas to the polls. More.

Israel´s government is fragmenting again, as the secular Shinui party - second largest of the government parties - votes against the budget as a protest against subsidies to religious groups, and the budget is defeated in the Knesset, after which Israel´s premier murderer kicks them out of the government.

Signs of compromise in Ukraine, but supreme court holds the key. More.

But what happens if new elections are hold and Yutschenko wins them? Would the supporters of Yanusevitch accept this? I hardly think so. They woud cry foul. And what could Yutschenko do to appease them and get the national reconciliation ongoing? I don´t know. Let´s hope that he and his supporters know.

Iraq's civilian dead get no hearing in the United States.

Of course, in US both the media and the public have usually been unable to to report and to understand big numbers when it comes to casualties. The US indifference towards Iraqi civilian casualties is nothing new. And even if the US media would be full of the casualty statistics, I don´t think they would have much impact. In the US, death needs individual faces to be understood and acknowledged. 100 00 dead civilians are just six numbers in line to them.

Governors of Eastern Ukraine threaten to cede if the rigged election result is not upheld.

Split Ukraine 'faces catastrophe'. More.

Let´s imagine that after a joint US-Israeli air strike against Iran´s nuclear facilities Iran would then attack US troops in Iraq and win. What would the US government do? A third of the US army destroyed, would they accept a defeat, continue to fight conventionally, or use nuclear weapons? I bet they would use nuclear weapons. They are that crazy, and they know that they would be finished at homefront too if they would lose in the Middle East and not to lose face - even if the public in US would unite against their deranged leadership - they would have to act quickly. And only real way to do so would be to use nuclear weapons. Air strikes from carriers in the Red Sea and the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean(as Iran could take control of the Persian Gulf) would not accomplish that.

Official: FARC Sought Bush Assassination.

Sad thing that the plot failed. FARC has committed so many atrocities - even if it ain´t the worst participant in Colombia´s endless civil war - that it really should do something good, like killing Bush, to amend (a small amount of) it´s crimes.

The Murder of Venezuela's Top Prosecutor:Danilo Anderson and Condoleeza Rice.

Iraq: Reporters Without Borders condemns US report on killing of journalists.

Israel: Killing of Palestinian girl provides snapshot of a brutal regime.

Sharon and Abbas 'ready to meet'.

One of Britain´s leading comedians, Jack Straw, knew of the coup plot in Equatorial Guinea months before, but choose to do nothing. His ministerial colleague Blunkett, on the other hand, has chosen to model his personal life to follow the script of a Hollywood movie.

Ukraine crisis grows as MPs vote to cancel election result. More.

Barghouti pulls out of Fatah race. More.

Pity. Even if the Palestinians are in an extremely dire situation, where their very future is in jeopardy, there should be room for different voices and more than one real candidate for the voters tho chose, especially as Abbas seems rather desperate and makes promises that make him both look weak and which he simply can´t fulfill, as much as he may try.

Iraqi parties request poll delay.

These non-Shiite parties with mainly Sunni and Kurd supporters.

Clashes feared as Ukraine talks break up. More.

How to Create a WIA -- Worthless Intelligence Agency.

It´s a funny thing how people that couldn´t stand CIA ran for it´s defence when George W. and his handlers started to bully the agency.