Well, we always wanted stories from data: now we've got it. In spades. With bells on. The Wikileaks' Afghanistan war logs are a fantastic victory for investigative data-based journalism, not only here at the Guardian but at the New York Times and Der Spiegel too.It's also datajournalism in action. What we wanted to do was enable our team of specialist reporters to get great human stories from the information - and we wanted to analyse it to get the big picture, to show how the war really is going. It's been a busy month for those of us who work with data at the Guardian; this is how we got here.
Well, we always wanted stories from data: now we've got it. In spades. With bells on. The Wikileaks' Afghanistan war logs are a fantastic victory for investigative data-based journalism, not only here at the Guardian but at the New York Times and Der Spiegel too.
It's also datajournalism in action. What we wanted to do was enable our team of specialist reporters to get great human stories from the information - and we wanted to analyse it to get the big picture, to show how the war really is going.
It's been a busy month for those of us who work with data at the Guardian; this is how we got here.
Tensions between the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan were further strained today after the leak of thousands of military documents about the Afghan war.As members of the US Congress raised questions about Pakistan's alleged support for the Taliban, officials in Islamabad and Kabul also traded angry accusations on the same issue.Further disclosures reveal more evidence of attempts by coalition commanders to cover up civilian casualties in the conflict.The details emerge from more than 90,000 secret US military files, covering six years of the war, which caused a worldwide uproar when they were leaked yesterday.The war logs show how a group of US marines who went on a shooting rampage after coming under attack near Jalalabad in 2007 recorded false information about the incident, in which they killed 19 unarmed civilians and wounded a further 50.
Tensions between the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan were further strained today after the leak of thousands of military documents about the Afghan war.
As members of the US Congress raised questions about Pakistan's alleged support for the Taliban, officials in Islamabad and Kabul also traded angry accusations on the same issue.
Further disclosures reveal more evidence of attempts by coalition commanders to cover up civilian casualties in the conflict.
The details emerge from more than 90,000 secret US military files, covering six years of the war, which caused a worldwide uproar when they were leaked yesterday.
The war logs show how a group of US marines who went on a shooting rampage after coming under attack near Jalalabad in 2007 recorded false information about the incident, in which they killed 19 unarmed civilians and wounded a further 50.
Barack Obama today said the disclosures about the mishandling of the Afghanistan war contained in leaked US military documents justified his decision to embark on a new strategy.Speaking on the White House lawn after a meeting with Congressional leaders to discuss funding for the war and other issues, the US president deplored the leak, saying he was concerned the information from the battleground could jeopardise the lives of US soldiers.But he went on to say that the material, which catalogues a series of blunders, revealed the challenges that led him to announce late last year a change in strategy that involved sending an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.
Barack Obama today said the disclosures about the mishandling of the Afghanistan war contained in leaked US military documents justified his decision to embark on a new strategy.
Speaking on the White House lawn after a meeting with Congressional leaders to discuss funding for the war and other issues, the US president deplored the leak, saying he was concerned the information from the battleground could jeopardise the lives of US soldiers.
But he went on to say that the material, which catalogues a series of blunders, revealed the challenges that led him to announce late last year a change in strategy that involved sending an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.
the information from the battleground could jeopardise the lives of US soldiers.
Not nearly as much as being there for no reason does in the first place.
Buried among the 92,000 classified documents released Sunday by WikiLeaks is some intriguing evidence that the U.S. military in Afghanistan has adopted a PR strategy that got it into trouble in Iraq: paying local media outlets to run friendly stories. Several reports from Army psychological operations units and provincial reconstruction teams (also known as PRTs, civilian-military hybrids tasked with rebuilding Afghanistan) show that local Afghan radio stations were under contract to air content produced by the United States. Other reports show U.S. military personnel apparently referring to Afghan reporters as "our journalists" and directing them in how to do their jobs.Such close collaboration between local media and U.S. forces has been a headache for the Pentagon in the past: In 2005, Pentagon contractor the Lincoln Group was caught paying Iraqi newspapers to run stories written by American soldiers, causing the United States considerable embarrassment.
Buried among the 92,000 classified documents released Sunday by WikiLeaks is some intriguing evidence that the U.S. military in Afghanistan has adopted a PR strategy that got it into trouble in Iraq: paying local media outlets to run friendly stories.
Several reports from Army psychological operations units and provincial reconstruction teams (also known as PRTs, civilian-military hybrids tasked with rebuilding Afghanistan) show that local Afghan radio stations were under contract to air content produced by the United States. Other reports show U.S. military personnel apparently referring to Afghan reporters as "our journalists" and directing them in how to do their jobs.Such close collaboration between local media and U.S. forces has been a headache for the Pentagon in the past: In 2005, Pentagon contractor the Lincoln Group was caught paying Iraqi newspapers to run stories written by American soldiers, causing the United States considerable embarrassment.
I lack the background knowledge about Afghanistan and Pakistan to put the new information in full perspective, not to mention lacking the time to read more than a little of the vast data dump. Therefore only these points about the still-emerging significance of what's now on public record:1) "Everyone" knows this already. People who have been very close to this story say that little of the information is "new," in a fundamental sense. See the Atlantic Wire's summary here, Mother Jones here and here, and (splenetically and amusingly) Andrew Exum here. Fine.2) But not everyone actually did. Notwithstanding #1, information that may be old news to insiders may seem a revelation to the broader public. Whether from George W. Bush or Barack Obama, presidential speeches about Afghanistan have not emphasized the mixed loyalties of the Pakistani security services, the frustrations of dealing with tribal leaders and corrupt officials, the extent of civilian casualties, and other items that, according to insiders, "everyone" already knows. At this stage it's impossible to say whether a vast, somewhat hard-to-digest compilation of raw reports, released in the middle of summer, will mean that "everyone" in a broader sense comes to share this insider perspective.
The real concern about the wikileaks has nothing to do with sources or soldier safety, but eroding public support: The disclosure of a six-year archive of classified military documents increased pressure on President Obama to defend his military strategy as Congress prepares to deliberate financing of the Afghanistan war. The disclosures, with their detailed account of a war faring even more poorly than two administrations had portrayed, landed at a crucial moment. Because of difficulties on the ground and mounting casualties in the war, the debate over the American presence in Afghanistan has begun earlier than expected. Inside the administration, more officials are privately questioning the policy.
The real concern about the wikileaks has nothing to do with sources or soldier safety, but eroding public support:
The disclosure of a six-year archive of classified military documents increased pressure on President Obama to defend his military strategy as Congress prepares to deliberate financing of the Afghanistan war. The disclosures, with their detailed account of a war faring even more poorly than two administrations had portrayed, landed at a crucial moment. Because of difficulties on the ground and mounting casualties in the war, the debate over the American presence in Afghanistan has begun earlier than expected. Inside the administration, more officials are privately questioning the policy.
The disclosures, with their detailed account of a war faring even more poorly than two administrations had portrayed, landed at a crucial moment. Because of difficulties on the ground and mounting casualties in the war, the debate over the American presence in Afghanistan has begun earlier than expected. Inside the administration, more officials are privately questioning the policy.
We can adapt this to say that a war which is not being won is being lost and a public that is no longer being convinced we can win is realising that we've lost. keep to the Fen Causeway
David Cameron has described Gaza as a "prison camp" during an official visit to Turkey. The prime minister said it is a situation which must not be allowed to remain, writes Felicity Spector for Channel 4 News.
Posters depicting the portrait of Gamal Mubarak, son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, have emerged on Cairo streets, sparking debate on the possible launch of an unofficial election campaign. Campaign posters supporting the presidential candidacy of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's son are popping up across Cairo, local media is reporting. The posters, depicting the portrait of 47-year-old Gamal Mubarak, were signed by "the Popular Coalition for the Support of Gamal Mubarak," a previously unknown group, reported Al-Masry Al-Youm, an Egyptian daily.
The US Defence Department is unable to properly account for $8.7 billion in Iraqi oil money tapped by the U.S. for rebuilding the war ravaged nation, according to an audit. This came in an audit report released by the US Special Investigator for Iraq Reconstruction on Tuesday. The report offers a compelling look at continued laxness in how such funds are being spent. The audit found that shoddy record keeping by the Defence Department left the Pentagon unable to fully account for 95 per cent of a total of $9.1 billion it withdrew between 2004 and 2007 from a special fund set up by the UN Security Council.
The US Defence Department is unable to properly account for $8.7 billion in Iraqi oil money tapped by the U.S. for rebuilding the war ravaged nation, according to an audit.
This came in an audit report released by the US Special Investigator for Iraq Reconstruction on Tuesday.
The report offers a compelling look at continued laxness in how such funds are being spent.
The audit found that shoddy record keeping by the Defence Department left the Pentagon unable to fully account for 95 per cent of a total of $9.1 billion it withdrew between 2004 and 2007 from a special fund set up by the UN Security Council.
Iraq reconstruction funds 'missing'
I love this shit. "missing" ... like it's in a gymbag in some bus terminal waiting to be found. Yachts are expensive, the really good ones anyway. In the end, might makes right. Nothing has changed since the caveman.
A Lufthansa cargo plane has crashed at King Khaled International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Saudi state television reports. There were no casualties on the German-owned plane, the kingdom's civil aviation authority said. But the plane's two pilots were being treated in hospital, Lufthansa said in a statement quoted by Reuters. The Saudi civil aviation authority has been trying to put out a fire on the plane, reports said.
A Lufthansa cargo plane has crashed at King Khaled International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Saudi state television reports.
There were no casualties on the German-owned plane, the kingdom's civil aviation authority said.
But the plane's two pilots were being treated in hospital, Lufthansa said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
The Saudi civil aviation authority has been trying to put out a fire on the plane, reports said.
What a good thing you're around to make the smart comments, Mr Twank!
A heat ray gun developed by the US military has been withdrawn from Afghanistan, army chiefs have confirmed. The Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal weapon that heats up the skin "intolerably" but, according to tests, causes no permanent damage. Its invisible beam is designed to repel enemies and disperse violent crowds, causing anyone targeted to immediately move away. US military commanders in the country have had the weapon at their disposal but have now decided against using it. The weapon was never actually deployed in a 'real life' scenario.
A heat ray gun developed by the US military has been withdrawn from Afghanistan, army chiefs have confirmed.
The Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal weapon that heats up the skin "intolerably" but, according to tests, causes no permanent damage.
Its invisible beam is designed to repel enemies and disperse violent crowds, causing anyone targeted to immediately move away.
US military commanders in the country have had the weapon at their disposal but have now decided against using it.
The weapon was never actually deployed in a 'real life' scenario.
My guess is that they discovered that power distance square relationship made it worthless unless it was cranked, and when cranked, it was no longer so innocent at any range...perhaps even to the application engineer...but the likelihood that it would "causes no permanent damage" at close range is ludicrous. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
Also known as "Right-wing pundit". Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi
A decision by Israel's Supreme Court to double a 15-month jail term for a policeman who shot dead an unarmed Palestinian driver suspected of stealing a car has provoked denunciations from police commanders and government officials.Yitzhak Aharonovitch, the internal security minister, condemned the judges for "sending a terrible message to police officers."On the advice of police lawyers, the accused policeman, Shahar Mizrahi, had appealed his conviction last year in the expectation that the ruling would be overturned by the Supreme Court.
Honduras - The transnational NIKE Corporation reached an agreement with the largest labor union of Honduras to create a fund to help laid off workers to the tune of $1.54 million. Two maquiladora (assembly enterprises) that contract for NIKE closed their doors in January 2009, while owing $2 million in salaries and benefits to 1800 workers.
Honduras - The Center for Constitutional Rights has released a letter sent to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opposing easy readmission into the OAS for Honduras. CCR is a highly credible institution; its opinion that "The human rights situation in Honduras is dire and has continued to deteriorate" represents a consensus of international human rights organizations.
Panama - The police chief of Bocas del Toro, Didier Degracia, said today that the "intention was not to hurt anyone seriously" during the violent repression of {banana worker] protests, but they had to shoot birdshot because "there were many strikers". He added that those who participated in the protest marches "maintained high levels of discipline, determination and strategies for the struggle". Much saner observations came today from former consul of Panama in London, Kevin Harrington, who visited Changuinola and surrounding areas.
The Nation - Here is the US policy in a nutshell: we pay Mexicans to kill Mexicans, and this slaughter has no effect on drug shipments or prices.
