I.N.N. World Report

GMAC Chairman Merkin: On the Way Out

A board shakeup by GMAC'Financial Services new biggest shareholder, the Treasury Dept., is likely to dislodge Chairman  Ezra Merkin from the top spot.  Merkin, whose ties to disgraced financier Bernard Madoff have led to several lawsuits, is expected to leave the finance company in a board shakeup that will nearly cut in half the number of directors. With a $6 billion bailout package, the Treasury Dept. will become GMAC's biggest shareholder. That means there will be a clean sweep that will likely push out Merkin, along with most of the executives who were appointed  by owners General Motors  and Cerberus Capital Management. Merkin was sued by New York University for feeding funds from the college to Madoff's investment firm, which is accused of defrauding investors. NYU also accused Merkin of concealing Madoff's fraudulent practices from the university. As a university trustee and chairman of its investment committee, Merkin steered funds to Madoff.

Gazans lose last lifeline as warplanes blast tunnels

***Tunnels between Gaza and Egypt, a lifeline for Palestinians, have been blasted by Israeli warplanes. Since being blockaded by Israel two years ago, hundreds of tunnels have been carved out beneath the Gaza-Egypt frontier, providing a vital conduit to bring basic needs into the territory. Israel began its siege of Gaza after Hamas' election victory in 2006. Foodstuffs, building materials, electric equipment and medicines are all brought from Egypt through the passages - as well as weapons and ammunition. Such contraband is a source of income for Hamas, which levies taxes on the smugglers' income. The destruction of many tunnels in the Israeli offensive over the past week has meant shortages in Gaza's shops. The UN has called the Israeli blockade "collective punishment of a civilian population," describing it as a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Israel rains fire on Gaza with phosphorus shells

**The UK Times says Israel is using white phosphorus shells to screen its assault on the heavily populated Gaza Strip. The weapon can cause horrific burns but is not illegal if used as a smokescreen. As the Israeli army stormed into Gaza and the Palestinian death toll topped 500, the tell-tale shells could be seen spreading thick white smoke to cover the troops’ advance. Burning blobs of phosphorus cause severe injuries to anyone caught beneath them. The use of the weapon in the Gaza Strip, one of the world’s mostly densely populated areas, is likely to ignite yet more controversy over Israel’s offensive, in which more than 2,300 Palestinians have been wounded. Charles Heyman, a former British Army major, said: “If white phosphorus was deliberately fired at a crowd of people someone would end up in The Hague—meaning as a war criminal.” Israel has brushed aside calls for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.

Robert Fisk: Keeping out the cameras and reporters simply doesn't work

***UK Independent reporter Robert Fisk says Israel is keeping cameras and reporters out of Gaza because Israeli soldiers are killing so many innocent people that images of the slaughter would be too much to tolerate. Fisk says the result of the Israeli media ban is Palestinian voices – as opposed to those of Western reporters – are now dominating the airwaves. The men and women who are under air and artillery attack by the Israelis are now telling their own story in the media as they have never been able to tell it before. Fisk says these reports come without the artificial "balance", which television journalism normally imposes on live reporting. However, the flip side is there is no Westerner in Gaza to cross-question Hamas's version of events. Fisk says this is a victory for the Palestinian militia, handed to them on a plate by the Israelis.

Hands off Gaza!

***The World Socialist Web Site has denounced the Israeli military's assault on Gaza as a war crime. Over 500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,400 injured, including scores of women and children. The committee says that Israel, a state that possesses one of the most modern and sophisticated military machines in the world is casting itself as the victim. The committee says Israel’s claim that its attack on Gaza is a legitimate reaction to Hamas rockets is false. The committee says that prior to Israel's launching of its air war, not a single Israeli was killed by the home-made and largely ineffectual Qassam rockets fired from Gaza. The increase of such rocket firings was provoked by Israel's shattering of a cease-fire with a cross-border raid in November that killed six members of the Hamas security force.  The committee says the rocket attacks from Gaza reflect the desperation of Hamas and the Palestinian population.


FBI E-Mail Says Bush Authorized Abuse of Iraqi Detainees

***An e-mail written by a senior FBI agent in Iraq in 2004 specifically stated George Bush had signed an Executive Order approving the use of military dogs, sleep deprivation and other tactics to intimidate Iraqi detainees. The FBI e-mail--dated May 22, 2004--followed disclosures about abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison and sought guidance on whether FBI agents in Iraq were obligated to report the U.S. military’s harsh interrogation of inmates when that treatment violated FBI standards. The FBI e-mail was obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The White House had emphatically denied that any such presidential Executive Order existed, calling the unnamed FBI official who wrote the e-mail “mistaken.” The ACLU has called on Congress to demand that a special prosecutor be appointed to investigate whether the President and other officials broke federal and international laws, “including the War Crimes Act, the federal Anti-Torture Act, and federal assault laws.”

Tuesday: 10 Iraqis Killed, 12 Wounded 
In  Iraq on  Tuesday at least 10 Iraqis were killed and another 12 were wounded in the latest attacks.  The resignation of Mahmoud al-Mashhadani the parliamentary speaker allowed the passage  a measure that will allow British and other foreign troops to remain in Iraq after the current U.N. measure expires. The U.S. will operate under a separate agreement. Nineteen security officials who had been accused of a coup plot are now out on bail and facing forgery charges instead.

No evidence to convict 10,000 detainees– U.S. commander December 22, 2008 - 01:56:49
A U.S. official told Aswat al-Iraq that  U.S. forces in Iraq have detained 10,000 prisoners without evidence of their wrongdoing.   The  official  said  Us " forces have evidence to convict 2,000 detainees, who will be referred to the Iraqi judiciary. A total of 350 detainees have been convicted, and more than 100 received death sentences,” He added  that  50 detainees were teenagers .”

 El Salvador to withdraw all troops from Iraq Dec 23, 2008 17:36 ESTEl Salvador, the only Latin American country with troops in Iraq, said Tuesday it is bringing its 200 soldiers home as a U.N. mandate expires in  January. El Salvador is one of a dwindling number of countries with troops deployed in the U.S-led war in Iraq.