IRAQ WAR APPROPRIATIONS VOTE POSTPONED A WEEK”

The House this week delayed a vote on legislation providing more than $160 billion in new money for the administration’s failed war strategy in Iraq.

BURMA: THE CRISIS AFTER THE DISASTER
PAULSON IS WRONG; CRISIS WILL DEEPEN
HUMAN RIGHTS PROTESTERS AT GOOGLE MEETING

BURMA: THE HORROR

Two from the NY Times:

Myanmar’s Biggest City Still Paralyzed After 5 Days

A Times reporter in Yangon found that basic utilities have yet to be restored and that streets were choked with fallen trees, showing how difficult recovery from the cyclone could be.

U.N. Aid Official Criticizes Junta

The United Nations relief began arriving after an excruciating delay during which the junta resisted offers of large-scale help.

Now, a closer look from a blogger via Globalvoices online:

Writes Mong Palatino:

First, an update on the situation in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis hit the country a few days ago. The death toll continues to rise. The official report on the number of casualties is way below international estimates. The government is still placing the number of dead people around 23,000 while international aid groups believe the figure could now reach 100,000.
Golden Colour Revolution hints the death toll could be worse:

“According to an undisclosed interview with one government official, death toll is reaching 600,000 so far and 100,000 still missing. According to his figure, 180,000 were killed in Lutbutta township alone. 90,000 in Phyar Pone Township; 80,000 in Bogalay Township; 50,000 each in KywanGanKone, DayDaYae and MawKyane Township.Authorities. Army and its thugs are throwing away dead bodies to the nearby river. Even in Ye Way Cemetery in Yangon City, dead bodies are cremated in batch without proper identification. Emphasizing to Phyar Pone Township, authority declared an Emergency Act.”

Bangkok Dazed received an e-mail from an expat friend living in Yangon, Myanmar. Below is a short description of how people in the residential city are coping with the situation:

“In our house we were trapped when tress around the house fell over after 11 hours of strong winds at 200-240 knots. The mess is terrible everywhere, with all electricity down and no water for days. Our home/office phone lines are down including all power lines. I am here today at the internet café. This area on Mahabandoola Street is open again in downtown Yangon, as they had underground wiring and cables. All the rest of us who live in residential areas and in the city are left with no power. We are looking at 3 to 6 months, or maybe 1 year to get power again! To add more stress, all food and water has gone up 3 times the price. As each day goes by, the price of generators go up; we paid $2,000 for a generator that is usually priced at $900 to $1,200. So it’s really bad. All of us are unhurt, but we are still coping with this situation.”

Now, let’s discuss the status of the relief work in Myanmar. The ruling Junta is still restricting the movement of international relief groups. Soe Moe enumerates the services and goods needed by Myanmar today:

“It’s been 6 days since the cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar and the situation is getting worse day by day due to the decomposed animals and human lying around the effected areas. Recent days, we had witnessed the generosity of the world as the humanitarian aid in millions of dollars. But it is very sad to find out that Burmese government is hesitating to grant visa to UN aid workers and NGOs in the name of politics. It is not the time for politics during the time of humanitarian crisis. And it is very sad to hear on news that the western nations are willing to provide the aid needing by the cyclone Nargis victims while Burmese government is refusing to accept them.
“Today first UN aid plane has landed in Yangon International Airport after 2 days delay due to the visa issues. And more planes are waiting permission from Burmese government to land in Yangon. Italy, Thai, India and Indonesia aid planes had been allowed to land in Yangon. We have seen the death toll increasing dramatically over the days.

“What we desperately need is experience aid works and rescue units to help the survivors, to dispose the dead bodies properly and to control the deadly diseases. We need helicopters to go to the most remote areas where the aid is greatly needed. In Burmese air force, we have limited numbers of helicopters and they won’t be able to help those from remote areas. US military is offering aid mission. The US airbase in Thailand is ready to send its helicopters and ships to Burma for search and rescue mission. And again, Burmese generals are not going to accept the offer because they are Americans. This is not the time for like or dislike. This is the time to save as much people as we can.”

The blogger is also horrified to see the dumping of corpses in the rivers:

WAR CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON. The US and Iran? Georgia and Russia? And Lebanon vs Hezbollah:

Hezbollah: Lebanon has declared war on us:

“The decision is tantamount to a declaration of war … on the resistance and its weapons in the interest of America and Israel,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a news conference aired live on television Thursday.

IRAQ: The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq has been arrested, an Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman tells The Associated Press.

ISRAEL AT 60: JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert admitted on Thursday that he accepted campaign donations from an American businessman but denied that they were bribes and said he would only resign if he were indicted.