Planet Fear (Free subscription) | 23/11/2009
by David Stringer LONDON - Leaked British government documents call into question ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair's public statements on the buildup to the Iraq war and show plans for the U.S.-led 2003 invasion were being made more than a year earlier, a newspaper reported Sunday. Britain's Sunday Telegraph published details of private statements made by senior British military figures claiming plans...
The Orstrahyun (Free subscription) | 23/11/2009
When Will John Howard Be Held To Account For His Iraq War Lies? By Darryl Mason I've been saying it here for years, but has any Australian journalist ever asked John Howard, "While you were in Washington DC, between Sept 11 and Sept 15, did you make a commitment to President George W. Bush that Australian troops would fight the War On Iraq?" Leaked docs reveal then British PM Tony Blair committed...
Exposing Islam. (Free subscription) | 17/11/2009
An Al Qaeda terrorist serving a life sentence for his part in planning a fertiliser bomb attack on mainland Britain is suing security services and the Government for up to £50,000 over claims he was tortured in Pakistan . Salahuddin Amin, 34, from Luton, Bedfordshire, has issued a High Court writ against MI5 chief Jonathan Evans, the incoming head of MI6 Sir John Sawers, the Home Office, the...
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 16/11/2009
Past and present heads of the Secret Intelligence Service to be questioned by Sir John Chilcot's investigation into war Past and present chiefs of MI6 are to be among the first witnesses to give evidence to the official inquiry into the Iraq war, it was disclosed today. Sir John Scarlett, who retired as director general of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) last month, will be questioned about...
Miller Muses (Free subscription) | 07/11/2009
Talk about a storm in a tweetcup! When Penelope Trunk tweeted the following, she caused an outcry: I'm in a board meeting. having a miscarriage. Thank goodness, because there's a f***ed-up 3-week hoop-jump to have an abortion in Wisconsin Now, I'm not really interested in discussing the ins and outs of abortion, or how women deal with miscarriage or the rights/or not of the unborn child vs woman's...
BBC News (Free subscription) | 01/11/2009
Known as a smooth operator, the new head of MI6 Sir John Sawers has been likened to former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan.
turenchi (Free subscription) | 16/10/2009
Nigeria has won election for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations (UN) Security Council alongside Gabon and Brazil.Bosnia and Lebanon won but will be in the rare position of being subject to scrutiny by the UN's most powerful body while serving their two-year terms because the former has never served on the council and the latter has not been a member since 1953-54.Unlike previous Security Council...
Israel Matzav (Free subscription) | 12/10/2009
Over the weekend, British ambassador to the United Nations John Sawers expressed support for the Goldstone Report. The UK ambassador to the UN, John Sawers, told Israel Army radio that the report on last winter’s Gaza war contains “some very serious details which need to be investigated by both the Palestinian authorities and the Israeli authorities.”He added that “serious information”...
The Osterley Times (Free subscription) | 12/10/2009
The government of Benjamin Netanyahu is upping the stakes considerably in it's fight to have the charges of war crimes dismissed over it's invasion of Gaza. The British ambassador to the UN, John Sawers, told Israeli radio that the report contained “some very serious details which need to be investigated by both the Palestinian authorities and the Israeli authorities.” The reaction from...
War in Context (Free subscription) | 11/10/2009
Israel appeals for solidarity among international war criminals Haaretz, October 11, 2009 Israeli officials on Sunday criticized the British Ambassador to the United Nations John Sawers for backing a controversial United Nations report into Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza last winter, saying that such support could backfire when Britain tries to conduct its own war on [...]
UN Dispatch (Free subscription) | 09/10/2009
The Security Council is considering sanctions against Eritrea for supporting militant groups in Somalia. The saga continues. The Security Council held a meeting yesterday to discuss a new report from the Secretary General on progress (or lack there of) of the peace process in Somalia. During the meeting, UK Ambassador John Sawers (who will be leaving the UK-UN mission to lead MI-5) recommended sanctions...
Military Times - News (Free subscription) | 09/10/2009
UNITED NATIONS — The Security Council voted Thursday to extend U.N. authorization for NATO’s 70,000-strong force in Afghanistan for a year, emphasizing the importance of protecting civilians just as the U.S. and international commitment to the war is under review.Britain’s U.N. Ambassador, John Sawers, said the resolution’s unanimous adoption by all 15 council members “underlines...
Truthdig (Free subscription) | 09/10/2009
While the Obama administration continues to mull over its options regarding America’s commitment to the war in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council has voted to urge “member states to contribute personnel, equipment and other resources” to the ongoing conflict. —KA BBC: The UN mandate renewal was fully expected but the resolution also stressed the need for reinforcement....
LaurenceJarvikOnline (Free subscription) | 05/10/2009
In Ann McElvoy's Sunday Times (UK) profile, illustrated with Facebook photos of John Sawers in his bathing trunks, copied from his wife's Facebook page, and headlined: "On Her Majesty's Not-So-Secret Service"... (ht Charles Crawford) In 2001 Sawers was dispatched as ambassador to Cairo — in effect a listening post for the Middle East. Then in 2003 Blair sent him to Iraq, to report on...
Spy Blog - SpyBlog.org.uk (Free subscription) | 04/10/2009
The Sunday Times has a fairly detailed article on Sir John Sawers, including criticisms of his appointment by retired incumbents and contenders for the post of Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS/MI6). There are named quotations from Sir Richard...
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