Christmas Eve Round Up News Translated and Summarised from Arabic (truncated)

Christmas in Iraq 2006 Iraqi Red Cresent workers distributing humanitarian aid to the poor in Iraq, December 23rd 2006. Note the boxes - those are boxes of food. Not very good food. But enough to survive on. What they're handing out at the risk to their own lives are survival rations. Many in Iraq depend completely on the food handouts because of the economic chaos caused by the American occupiers deciding to completely rewrite the laws governing economic activity especially anything to do with oil to suit their own economic purposes. Most of the poverty in Iraq is a direct consequence of the corrupt racist and illegal American war against Iraq and her people. The massive economic disruption caused by the resistance against the American invaders is coupled with the massive economic disruption caused by internecine strife. Most of the people who die in Iraq today die of poverty. They die of malnutrition related diseases. They die of water-borne disease. They die because the Americans fucked over the pharmaceutical system to suit their own selfish economic interests. They die because the Americans fucked over their previously free medical system to suit their own selfish economic interests. People who can't afford food or water can't afford medical treatment either. Soon they are going to start to die of cold - in fact some already have. The Iraqi Red Crescent does not know the fate of the 13 of its staff kidnapped a week ago at gun point from one ofits Baghdad offices in an area massively controlled by the Americans and their political allies in Iraq. Today December 24th 2006 the Red crescent in Fallujah held a sit-in protest to demonstrate their grief, their horror, and their outrage, at the things they see and hear and smell on a daily basis. The treatment they have to put with on a daily basis. The fear with which they live on a daily basis. markfromireland December 24th 2006. Baghdad : Director of Institute of Toxicology Assasinated :Aswat al Iraq: Ali Abdel Amir Assadi the director of the toxicology institute was murdered by gunmen in Palestine street (East Baghdad) who shot him in his car. URI: Fallujah : Workshop Orphan Care : Aswat al Iraq: There were 80 participants at day one of the workshop organised principally by the Iraqi foundation for human development and the Iraqi society for the care of orphans. The workshop is geared to increasing the coordination of the Islamic charities in Fallujah and to increasing their effectiveness. URI: Fallujah : Saqlawiyah : American Patrol Bombed : Aswat al Iraq: An American army of occupation patrol was attacked by a roadside bomb near the Saqlawiyah bridge 15 km north-west of Fallujah. No reports of casualties no comment from the American army of occupation spokesweasels as yet either. URI: Kirkuk : Huayjah : Two Brothers Shot Dead : Aswat al Iraq: Two brothers who owned shops the city centre were shot dead near the Technical Institute in Al-Huwayjah. URI: Dohuk : Survivors of Anfal Demand Compensation : Aswat al Iraq: A group representing survivors of the Saddam regime's Anfal campaign are demanding compensation from the green zone government. They say their preliminary data indicates tens of thousands of Kurds were killed or went missing during the Anfal campaign. URI: Mosul : Fuel Convoy Bombed : American Army of Occupation Patrol Attacked : Aswat al Iraq: A convoy of Turkish trucks carrying fuel (kerosene) on the road to Mosul from Dohuk governorate was attacked by a roadside bomb. One of the trucks burst into flames as a result. The driver escaped unhurt. An American army of occupation patrol was attacked by a bomber in north-east Mosul. No reports of casualties yet. URI Salahadin : Baijii : Civilian Shot By American Forces : 4 Seized in Raids : 1 Kidnapping : Aswat al Iraq: American army of occupation forces shot and killed a civilian as he was leaving a mosque in his neighborhood in the town of Baiji. Four people were arrested during raids in the city. Unknown armed men kidnapped one civilian this morning. The article on Aswat al Iraq points out that the area is under stringent "security" by occupation troops for the last two months. URI: At which point Aswat Al Iraq's server went down. It looks like they used a cheap DNS service and haven't renewed their account. Ho hum ... onward on second thoughts ... not onward ... I'm traveling, tired, cold, very pissed off, and the battery on this thing is running low needs recharging urgently, and come to that I could do with some recharging myself. Goodnight folks "peace on earth to men of good will" this grumpy middleaged Irishman aka "the charming only when feeling refreshed gorilla" needs to get some sleep. markfromireland