Japan's ruling party concedes crushing defeat, Cuba, Narendra "Nero" Modi, Obama's Afghan trade-off

Obama’s unspoken trade-off MARC W. HEROLD

Japan's ruling party conceded a crushing defeat Sunday after 54 years of nearly unbroken rule as voters were poised to hand the opposition a landslide victory in nationwide elections, driven by economic anxiety and a powerful desire for change. Japan's ruling party concedes crushing defeat

HAVANA, Aug 31 (IPS) - With a good job as a professional in Cuba’s public sector, Mariela Sánchez takes advantage of the flexible hours to take on another, part-time job and collaborate with a specialised publication. CUBA: Will Legalising Multiple Jobs Bring Real Change for Women? By Dalia Acosta

NARENDRA MODI, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, is likely to be examined by the Special Investigation Team headed by R.K. Raghavan, the former head of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswamy only exposed himself to ridicule when, in the midst of an election campaign, he issued a show-cause notice to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, on December 22, 2008, for calling Modi a merchant of death (“maut ka sau dagar”). He was ignorant of the fact that Modi had earned that certificate from the Supreme Court itself.Justices Doraiswamy Raju and Arijit Pasayat of the Supreme Court advisedly mentioned Nero in their judgment in the Best Bakery case, delivered by Justice Pasayat, on April 12, 2004: “Those who are responsible for protecting life and properties and ensuring that investigation is fair and proper seem to have shown no real anxiety. Large number of people had lost their lives. Whether the accused persons were really assailants or not could have been established by a fair and impartial investigation. The modern-day ‘Neros’ were looking elsewhere when Best Bakery and innocent children and helpless women were burning and were probably deliberating how the perpetrators of the crime can be saved or protected.” The Nero here is the one at the apex of power, like the emperor himself. (Zahira Habibullah Sheikh vs State of Gujarat (2004) 4 SCC 158; page 1,987). A G Noorani


Dick Cheney left little on the table during a taped interview Fox News Sunday, accusing the Obama White House pursuing an "intensely partisan" investigation into the use of torture under the Bush administration. Calling the "enhanced interrogation techniques" used on terrorist suspects "absolutely essential," the former vice president deemed any decision to launch an probe into the possible illegal use of these EITs an "outrageous political act" and a "direct slap at the CIA." ..."Instead, they're out there now threatening to disbar the lawyers who gave us the legal opinions -- threatening contrary to what the president originally said. They're going to go out and investigate the CIA personnel who carried out those investigations." Saying the move to launch an investigation "offends the hell out of me," Cheney accused Obama of succumbing to the political pressure of his progressive base. Cheney Accuses Obama Of Launching "Intensely Partisan" Torture Investigation By The Huffington Post News Editors.

Let him have his say...before the war crimes tribuanl ~ t

As the palette of artificial sweeteners has grown and manufacturers have honed the skill with which they blend them to mimic sugar taste, debate has swirled around whether these sensory stand-ins really help people consume fewer calories and avoid weight gain. The Brain May Not Be Fooled By Sugar Substitutes

Fox News has once again shifted into blatant, anti-Democratic advocacy mode with its promotion of the "Tea Party Express." Despite their "we report, you decide" motto, I couldn't find any instance where the network told its viewers that the organizer of the Express is an anti-Obama, anti "Democrat-Congress" PAC, founded by Republicans, with a history of smearing Democrats. Regular readers probably remember how Fox News did its best to promote the Tax Day Tea Parties. Fox Nation's current top headline announces, "All Aboard The Tea Party Express!" More about the unfairness and imbalance after the jump.... Fox News Blatantly Urges Audience "All Aboard The Tea Party Express!" By Ellen