Bush finally stops stonewalling Justice Department inquiry on NSA domestic spying and grants the necessary security clearances to investigators:
- Bush Gives Clearances for N.S.A. Inquiry (New York Times)
Report from some members of Congress puts current price tag of Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts at $3.5 billion over the next decade when “[h]igher oil prices, treating wounded veterans, and the cost to the economy of pulling reservists away from their jobs have been taken into accountâ€:
- ‘Hidden Costs Raise’ US War Price (BBC News)
in the ongoing inquiry into the recent Blackwater shooting incident in Iraq FBI agents have already concluded “use of deadly force rules†were violated in at least 14 of the 17 civilians killed:
- F.B.I. Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause (New York Times)
Human Rights professor Alison Brysk draws on a number of historical and contemporary examples, ranging from uprisings in Algeria, Northern Ireland and Palestine, to the current “War on Terror†to conclude that torture is immoral, ineffective and counterproductive:
- Torture Doesn’t Work (Christian Science Monitor)
“We cannot meet, we cannot rally, and when we try to bring the people to the streets they are gassed, beaten and shot at with rubber bullets. This is not only a military dictatorship, it is a classic police state.â€â€”Benazir Bhutto, head of the Pakistan People’s Party
- Musharraf’s Electoral Farce (Washington Post)
Controversial fatwas and close links with the Egyptian government have some calling for the resignation of the Grand Mufti of Egypt:
- Egypt’s Mufti Rejects Criticism (BBC News)
Bombing in Philippine House of Representatives kills former Muslim militant-turned-lawmaker Wahab Akbar; with no clear suspects at the moment, terrorism or routine political rivalry are main suspected motivations for assassination:
- Motive for Muslim MP’s Murder Unclear (Adnkronos International)
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