Mediawatch World Apr 01: Brig. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, S-E Silk Route, UK Immigration, Baghdad Bob to Baghdad Bush, Minghella, RealNews

The Iranian general who helped broker an end to nearly a week of fighting between Iraqi government forces and Shiite Muslim militiamen in southern Iraq is an unlikely peacemaker. Brig. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, who helped U.S.-backed Iraqi leaders negotiate a deal with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr to stop the fighting in Iraq's largely Shiite south, is named on U.S. Treasury Department and U.N. Security Council watch lists for alleged involvement in terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear and missile technology. Iranian who brokered Iraqi peace is on U.S. terrorist watch list By Warren P. Strobel and Leila Fadel


The landlocked country of Laos inaugurated a new highway that will allow a north-south land route connecting Southeast Asia and China to operate year-round, the Asian Development Bank said. The opening of Route 3 Monday fills in the last stretch of road for what is supposed to be an all-weather route that at its full length connects Singapore to Beijing, the bank said in a news release. The inauguration of the highway, which links China's Yunnan province with northern Thailand via Laos, was attended by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda. All-weather Silk Route

After an exhaustive nine-month inquiry, an all-party Lords committee explodes a nuclear bomb beneath the Government's case for mass immigration. For more than a decade, ministers have been telling us the unprecedented influx of foreign settlers has been essential to the health of the British economy. But in a point-by-point analysis, the distinguished Lords Economic Affairs Committee tears that argument to shreds. "Our general conclusion" finds the report, "is that the economic benefits of positive net immigration are small or insignificant". At last, the truth about immigration

We all remember "Baghdad Bob", right? He was Saddam Hussein's laughable, not funny press secretary back in March of 2003. As Saddam's sickening "empire" drowned like a bug in a flood as America's grotesquely over powered war machine swept away Saddam's regime, Baghdad Bob appeared on TV every night with a straight face declaring fictitious victories Saddam had not won that day. We Americans have our own version of Baghdad Bob. His name is Baghdad Bush. The Baghdad Boys -- Bob and Bush -- love to proclaim non-existent victories. Baghdad Bob gave the world the staggeringly delusional declaration "Iraq has won a crushing victory" just before Saddam's statues were torn down. Bush gave the world "Mission Accomplished" Baghdad Bob and Baghdad Bush - Bill Cusack

The writer and director Anthony Minghella died last week at the age of fifty-four. I felt I knew him well, although I knew no biographical information about him until I began reading his obituaries. He was the type of director who imparted quite personal feelings and predilections to giant-scale movies based on prestigious novels--a rare thing to achieve. He did this so successfully that one felt one understood his consciousness, his interests, and especially his empathy, simply by watching his work: his films delineate themselves but also delineate a kind of negative-space portrait of the man himself. His life details and circumstances, once you learn them, surprise one not at all. Minghella was one of five children of Italian parents, immigrants to the Isle of Wight who ran an ice cream factory. He was a trained classical pianist, a playwright, a director of opera, and a producer and mentor to other filmmakers (with Sydney Pollack). All this makes sense. Anthony Minghella's Talent - Asad Raza

From Paul Jay of the RealNews

Iraq ruling elite needs US troops to stay in power Sabah al Nasseri: Gov. attack on Sadr movement meant to prevent their election victory view "We are your new Winter Soldiers" Camilo Mejia, chair of Iraq Vets Against War on GI resistance view Bush asks for more NATO troops in Afghanistan President Bush joins other NATO leaders for summit in Romania, with hopes of more troops for Afghanistan