ANSELM ELDERGILL looks at the legality of the wars in the Middle East and the means used to fight them. It is said that truth is the first casualty of war, so what is the truth with regard to the legality of America’s and Israel’s wars in Iran, Palestine and Lebanon?
AT around 1pm on Friday March 28, the biggest earthquake for a generation, measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, sent shockwaves throughout south-east Asia.
Initially, the world’s media focused on Bangkok, where an unfinished tower block collapsed killing dozens, but as news from Myanmar slowly came in, it became clear that the damage there was catastrophic, particularly in the heartland regions of Mandalay and Sagaing as well as the administrative capital Naypyidaw.
Over the last week, the horror stories have rolled in: 200 monks were killed at U Hla Thein Monastery in Mandalay in the middle of their religious exams and around the country many Muslim worshippers were killed during Friday prayers as their mosques were collapsing in on them. In the town of Kyaukse, a preschool building fell and killed at least 20 children.
While ordinary Americans were suffering in the wake of 2005’s deadly hurricane, the Bush administration was more concerned with maintaining its anti-Cuba stance than with saving lives, writes MANOLO DE LOS SANTOS



