Six In The Morning

Rewrite History

That Way No One Will Know The Truth
The Army'sofficial history of the battle of Wanat - one of the most intensely scrutinized engagements of the Afghan war - largely absolves top commanders of the deaths of nine U.S. soldiers and instead blames the confusing and unpredictable nature of war.
The history of the July 2008 battle was almost two years in the making and triggered a roiling debate at all levels of the Army about whether mid-level and senior battlefield commanders should be held accountable for mistakes made under the extreme duress of combat.

An initial draft of the Wanat history, which was obtained by The Washington Post and other media outlets in the summer of 2009, placed the preponderance of blame for the losses on the higher-level battalion and brigade commanders who oversaw the mission, saying they failed to provide the proper resources to the unit in Wanat.

Don' Criticize Are Kangaroo Court

We Like Are Kangaroo Court
MOSCOW HAS chided the West for criticising the conviction of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man, telling it to stop meddling in a case that has fuelled major doubts about the independence of the country’s legal system.

Mr Khodorkovsky and his former partner in the now defunct Yukos oil firm, Platon Lebedev, were found guilty this week of embezzlement and money laundering, and are expected to have their current jail terms extended to 2017 in the coming days.
The United States, major European states and the European Union have expressed deep concern over a trial that is widely seen as part of prime minister Vladimir Putin’s drive to neutralise a man whose vast wealth and independence made him dangerous adversary.

The Party Has Been Banned

Communists Aren't Much Fun
IT WAS only a matter of time before Chinese authorities decided to shut down The Party , an achingly hip and archly outspoken magazine published by Han Han, a dashing racing car driver, sex symbol, novelist and the most popular blogger in the world.

Issue One of The Party , which has a less edgy title in Chinese – Solo Chorus – was China’s trendiest ever magazine, selling 1.5 million copies. It was characterised by beautiful calligraphy on plain brown paper, with lengthy articles and mostly monochrome pictures or the kind of washed-out colour photographs favoured by style bibles like Monocle or Wallpaper .

It is not an overtly political magazine, but the subtext questions some of the mores of contemporary Chinese society. The photos in the magazine are the kind of images of China you see more of in Western arthouse magazines.

Why Does The Right Wing Hate The Media?

They Just Might Tell Truth Which Is Just Wrong In Their Small Minds

The Hungarianshave been Europe's heroes twice in the last few decades. The way they fearlessly faced off against Soviet tanks in 1956 and fought for their ideals remains unforgotten. In 1989, they courageously opened the borders that separated Eastern Europe from freedom. And in the initial years following the fall of communism, many saw Budapest as a possible model for the successful development of a democracy and market economy. Hungary, the land of the Magyars, was also a land of hope.

But that seems long ago now. The rotating chairmanship of the European Union, which Hungary assumes on Jan. 1, will not represent the culmination of a successful story.

It's Not Enough That Their Son Or Brother Is In Jail

So We'll Jail The Rest Of The Family
Iran has arrested the family of a Kurdish student whose execution, scheduled to take place on Boxing Day, was delayed because of protests outside the prison in which he has been held for three years.

A source close to the family of Habibollah Latifi, 29, a student activist, said his parents and his three brothers and three sisters were arrested on Monday night.

Human rights activists fear Iran might carry out the death penalty in secret.

You Can't Make Me Go

I Wont I Wont I Wont
A delegation of three West African presidents who met with incumbent Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo to deliver an ultimatum to step down or face force has left saying more meetings were needed.

West African presidents Boni Yayi of Benin, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde met Gbagbo on Tuesday to deliver an ultimatum from the ECOWAS regional bloc to step down as leader of the world's top cocoa grower or face removal by force.

The delegation planned to travel to Nigeria to report back to the bloc's chairman, Goodluck Jonathan.

"The chairman will negotiate a date for our return, but it would be soon," Cape Verde's president said.

The foreign minister of Gbagbo's government, Alcide Djedje, when asked about the timing of the next meeting, said it would be "around January 2."