Truthout roundup 7/9 - w/updates

Russia threatens use of "military resources" in response to US/Czech missile defense deal; judge tells Department of Justice to give Guantanamo detainees their day in court; in Darra Adam Khel, Pakistan soldiers refuse to fight Taliban; G8 Leaders enjoy 18-course meal while discussing world food crisis; Independent UK calls G8 climate deal "just more hot air"; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org

US Draws Russian Fire, Signing Missile Defense Deal
http://www.truthout.org/article/us-draws-russian-fire-signing-missile-defence-deal Agence France Presse: "US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed Tuesday what she called a 'landmark' missile defense deal with the Czech Republic, drawing immediate condemnation and threats from Russia. The accord permits the siting of a tracking radar station on Czech soil as part of an extended US missile shield that Washington says is necessary to ward off potential attacks by so-called 'rogue' states such as Iran. Moscow immediately threatened to respond with 'military resources' to what it sees as a threat on its doorstep from the proposed system."

Judge Tells DoJ: Guantanamo First
http://www.truthout.org/article/judge-tells-doj-guantanamo-first The Associated Press: "A federal judge overseeing Guantanamo Bay lawsuits ordered the Justice Department to put other cases aside and make it clear throughout the Bush administration that, after nearly seven years of detention, the detainees must have their day in court. 'The time has come to move these forward,' Judge Thomas F. Hogan said Tuesday during the first hearing over whether the detainees are being held lawfully. 'Set aside every other case that's pending in the division and address this case first.' The Bush administration hoped it would never come to this. The Justice Department has fought for years to keep civilian judges from reviewing evidence against terrorism suspects."

Pakistani Soldiers Won't Confront Taliban
http://www.truthout.org/article/pakistani-soldiers-wont-confront-taliban Saeed Shah, of McClatchy Newspapers: "The Taliban fighters were sitting in the back of a pickup, parked right outside the army fort in Darra Adam Khel, a wild town in Pakistan's troubled northwest that's famous for its arms bazaar. The Islamic militia, linked with al Qaida, has controlled Darra for about six months. Wrapped in head scarves, with just their eyes showing, and bristling with weaponry, its members patrol the streets and impose their own austere rules. They've become such a routine sight in the town that no one pays them any attention."

James Chapman A Summit That's Hard to Swallow
http://www.truthout.org/article/a-summit-thats-hard-swallow James Chapman, of The Daily Mail: "Just two days ago, Gordon Brown was urging us all to stop wasting food and combat rising prices and a global shortage of provisions. But yesterday the Prime Minister and other world leaders sat down to an 18-course gastronomic extravaganza at a G8 summit in Japan, which is focusing on the food crisis. The dinner, and a six-course lunch, at the summit of leading industrialised nations on the island of Hokkaido, included delicacies such as caviar, milkfed lamb, sea urchin and tuna, with champagne and wines flown in from Europe and the US."

The Independent UK A Worthless Gust of Hot Air
http://www.truthout.org/article/a-worthless-gust-hot-air The Independent UK: "The leaders of the world's eight largest economies committed themselves to 'avoiding the most serious consequences of climate change'. They also set themselves a goal of halving global emissions by the middle of the century. It is hard to fault the target. But how is it going to be achieved? There is no detail in the communique; no medium-term targets; no commitment to agreeing a legally binding successor to the Kyoto protocol at Copenhagen next year. There is not even agreement on the date from which CO2 cuts will be measured. By far the biggest problem, though, is the lack of detail on the method. These leaders can set all the long-term goals they like, but without realistic means of achieving them, any document they produce will simply be a gust of hot air."

Waxman Threatens Mukasey With Contempt
http://www.truthout.org/article/waxman-threatens-mukasey-with-contempt Laurie Kellman, for The Associated Press, reports: "A House panel threatened to cite Attorney General Michael Mukasey with contempt of Congress unless he produces documents from an FBI interview with Vice President Dick Cheney regarding the leak of a CIA agent's identity."

J. Sri Raman A Raw Deal for India
http://www.truthout.org/article/a-raw-deal-india J. Sri Raman, for Truthout, writes that the connection between the US nuclear industry's "quiet rehabilitation" and the US-India nuclear deal "could not have been lost on close observers."

Obama: Iranian Missile Test Calls for Talks
http://www.truthout.org/article/obama-iranian-missile-test-calls-talks Mark Silva, of The Baltimore Sun: "Sen. Barack Obama, asked today about his response to Iran's test-firing of a missile reportedly capable of reaching Israel, maintained that the demonstration calls out for stepped up, direct U.S. diplomacy with Iran."

Six Die in Attack on US Post in Turkey
http://www.truthout.org/article/six-die-attack-us-post-turkey Alan Cowell and Sebnem Arsu, for The New York Times, report: "A group of unidentified gunmen opened fire on Turkish security guards outside the United States Consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday, the Turkish authorities said, and at least three police officers and three assailants were killed. Officials said that a fourth assailant escaped."

Hard Like Iron
http://www.truthout.org/article/hard-like-iron Sylvie Kauffman reports for Le Monde on the Australian government's sudden revision of foreign investment review policy with respect to Australia's raw materials extractive companies: current targets for Chinese direct investment.