In the News: Dec-11

When Iraq's Middle Class Flee, They Often Get Poor - 11 Dec 2007 at 9:08am - Some Iraqi refugees in Syria are stuck in a no-man's land. Those who may want to return home to Iraq cannot do so, as Iraq's central government says it can't cope with a large influx of Iraqis. Aid organizations say refugees slip into severe poverty because they're mostly middle class professionals who lack the skills to thrive in a black-market economy.

New Details in CIA Waterboarding - 11 Dec 2007 at 8:59am - WASHINGTON (AP) -- The CIA's waterboarding of a top al-Qaida figure was approved at the top levels of the U.S. government, a former CIA agent said Tuesday as agency director Gen. Michael Hayden prepared for questioning by congressional panels about the destruction of videotapes of terror suspect interrogations.

Graham: Senate Intel Panel Had No Early Word on Tapes - 11 Dec 2007 at 9:02am - From 2001 to 2003, the Senate Intelligence Committee was not briefed on details of the CIA's interrogation tactics, and heard no mention of videotapes of the interrogations, says Former Sen. Bob Graham. The Florida Democrat chaired the panel from 2001 through 2003. The panel questions CIA Director Michael Hayden about the videotapes today.

Iraq rejects permanent U.S. bases: adviser - 11 Dec 2007 at 9:17am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq will never allow the United States to have permanent military bases on its soil, the government's national security adviser said.

Waterboarding useful but torture: ex-CIA interrogator - 11 Dec 2007 at 10:47am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - CIA officials extracted valuable information from a terrorism suspect after he was subjected to waterboarding, a simulated drowning technique that has been condemned as torture, a former CIA interrogator told U.S. new media.

U.S. military in command changes in Iraq - 11 Dec 2007 at 1:18pm - WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military in Iraq is undergoing its biggest changeover in senior commanders since Gen. David Petraeus launched a new counterinsurgency strategy nearly a year ago.

U.S. refuses 'Any Wounded Soldier' mail - 11 Dec 2007 at 2:22pm - BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Hundreds of thousands of holiday cards and letters thanking wounded American troops for their sacrifice and wishing them well never reach their destination. They are returned to sender or thrown away unopened.

Thought for the day:
The world owes all its onward impulses to men ill at ease. The happy man inevitably confines himself within ancient limits. -Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 - 1864)