100,000 people on to Dublin’s streets
One of the largest demonstrations in the Irish Republic’s history brought more than 100,000 people on to Dublin’s streets in protest over the international bailout and four years of austerity ahead. Among those on the main march there was deep anger that most of the €80bn-plus from the EU and IMF will be used to shore up Ireland’s ailing banks.
House GOP Kill Global Warming Committee
House Republicans have killed the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming. Meanwhile, Republicans have introduced at least three different bills aimed at blocking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
Pentagon Budget Continues to Grow Despite Budget Cuts
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has unveiled a five-year plan that would trim about $78 billion from anticipated spending in the Pentagon budget. Despite the proposed cuts, McClatchy Newspapers reports the military budget will still increase by three percent next year to $553 billion, not including spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the past decade, the Pentagon budget has risen 65 percent when adjusted for inflation.
Israeli Troops Kill 65-Year-Old Man in Home Raid
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli troops killed a 65-year-old Palestinian civilian named Amr Qawasme in a pre-dawn house raid earlier today in Hebron. Amr Qawasme’s wife, Sopheye, said the troops stormed into his bedroom while he was sleeping. The Israeli military confirmed that Amr Qawasme was a civilian, but said the raid was justified because a member of Hamas was living in the building.