Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/afghans-riot-over-airstrike-atrocity-1681070.html

Witnesses say deaths of 147 people in three villages came after a sustained bombardment by American aircraft. Patrick Cockburn, in Herat, reports. Shouting "Death to America" and "Death to the Government", thousands of Afghan villagers hurled stones at police yesterday as they vented their fury at American air strikes that local officials claim killed 147 civilians.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8VBR608YjM

United States Army Private First Class Steven Dale Green raped, burned and murderered 14-year-old Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi. He also murdered her mother, father and 5-year-old sister in the village of Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Abeer's brother Mohammed (who survived along with his younger brother, due to being at school at the time of the killings) recalls the soldiers often searched the house. And on one such occasion PFC Steven Dale Green ran his index finger down Abeer's cheek, which had terrified the 14 year old girl.

Abeer's mother told her relatives before the murders, that whenever she caught the soldiers staring at Abeer, they would give her the thumbs-up sign, point to her daughter and say "Very good, very good." Evidently this had concerned her and she made plans for Abeer to spend night times sleeping at her uncle's (Ahmad Qassim) house.

Link: http://socialistworker.org/2009/05/08/dangerous-to-your-health

THERE ARE conflicting opinions emerging about how serious this outbreak of swine flu is, and how fast it could spread. How worried should we be? What does this tell us about the state of public health and the environment?