Nexus - 0225 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

... GLOBAL NEWS ... NEWS TOBACCO DEFENCE GOES UP IN SMOKE give evidence at the inquest, despite telling every official he could find. 3) A secret FBI document leaked to The Independent newspaper (UK), reveals that vital prosecution evidence—that the airline bomb began its fatal journey in Malta—is flawed. It says there is absolutely no docu- mentary evidence that the suitcase contain- ing the bomb was on Flight KM180 from Malta to Frankfurt. This confirms an offi- cial Maltese Government investigation which concluded that no such suitcase was placed on the flight. 4) Finally, to cap off this item, we have the case of the missing body. The police surgeon who issued death certificates for 59 victims of the Lockerbie bombing has vowed to continue his fight to solve the mystery of why Scottish police claim they have details on only 58 bodies. He believes that a body may have been removed from the site of the crash, adding to claims that a team of American agents came to Lockerbie and tampered with the evidence in an attempt to cover up the cause of the disaster. Despite this growing evidence, Libya continues to be punished by the United Nations embargo—an embargo which was renewed only recently. (Sources: The Guardian Weekly, w/e 29 January 1995; The Weekly Telegraph, 1-7 & 8-14 February 1995; The Sunday Telegraph, 5 February 1995; New Dawn #29, Jan/Feb/Mar 1995; NEXUS, vol.2#8, June- July 1992) West Virginia and Minnesota have also filed class-action suits against the tobacco companies for the cost of welfare health care. If all are successful, the companies would be facing damages of at least AUDS$5 billion from just those four states. (Source: The Weekly Telegraph #189, 1995) In a landmark decision, a judge in companies for the cost of welfare health Mississippi rejected the traditional "free care. If all are successful, the companies will" defence of tobacco companies, poten- would be facing damages of at least tially opening the floodgates to billions of _AUD$S billion from just those four states. dollars in damages for the costs of dealing (Source: The Weekly Telegraph #189, 1995) with smoking-related illnesses in cases mounted by four US states. LOCKERBIE — CRACKS IN THE The decision gives the go-ahead to a COVER-UP lawsuit, mounted by the State of An increasing number of news reports Mississippi, claiming compensation for are emerging through UK and European taxpayers’ money spent on the health care papers alleging that Iran—not Libya—is to costs of smokers too poor to carry their blame for the Lockerbie bombing. own medical insurance. 1) In January, a declassified report by Lawyers for the tobacco industry had the National Security Agency (NSA) refers sought to dismiss the case on the grounds to Ayatollah Ali Akbar Mohtashemi (a for- that smokers knew the risks and chose to mer Iranian interior minister, and founder smoke. That defence has won numerous _ of the Islamic Hizbollah militia in Lebanon individual cases brought by smokers or in the 1980s), paying $10 million "to bomb their relatives. Pan Am flight 103”. But the judge ruled that since the state The report, released in America under case—a "class action"—was being brought the Freedom of Information Act, was com- on behalf of taxpayers who footed the med- piled by a US Air Force signals intelligence ical bills, the defence of smokers’ free will unit during the Gulf War and states that was irrelevant. Mohtashemi paid the money "in retaliation The ruling came on the same day Florida for the US shoot-down of the Iranian filed a AUD$1.8 billion suit against R. J. Airbus" over the Persian Gulf in July 1988. Reynolds and Philip Morris, in a replica of Other observers suspected that the Mississippi case. Florida passed a law Mohtashemi paid for the bombing as part last year to prepare the ground for just such of an underground drug war with the CIA. an action. 2) The drugs link with Lockerbie was This law removes the "blame the smok- also given considerable airing in Time er" defence, allows the use of statistical Magazine (19 April 1992), when it released evidence linking smoking to health prob- information alleging that Lockerbie was an lems, and allows courts to impose judge- American ‘drug sting’ operation gone ments against the tobacco companies based wrong. on market share rather than percentage of Still on the subject of drugs, shortly after fault. The two companies named have _ the Lockerbie explosion, one local farmer filed a case in the State Supreme Court found in his field a suitcase full of drugs. seeking to have the new law declared Although he handed it in to police, he was unconstitutional. amazed that he was nevescalled upon to ternationa, AUSTRALIAN AMERICAN FRENCH LOCKERBIE — CRACKS IN THE COVER-UP An increasing number of news reports are emerging through UK and European papers alleging that Iran—not Libya—is to blame for the Lockerbie bombing. 1) In January, a declassified report by the National Security Agency (NSA) refers to Ayatollah Ali Akbar Mohtashemi (a for- mer Iranian interior minister, and founder of the Islamic Hizbollah militia in Lebanon in the 1980s), paying $10 million "to bomb Pan Am flight 103”. The report, released in America under the Freedom of Information Act, was com- piled by a US Air Force signals intelligence unit during the Gulf War and states that Mohtashemi paid the money "in retaliation for the US shoot-down of the Iranian Airbus" over the Persian Gulf in July 1988. Other observers suspected that Mohtashemi paid for the bombing as part of an underground drug war with the CIA. 2) The drugs link with Lockerbie was also given considerable airing in Time Magazine (19 April 1992), when it released information alleging that Lockerbie was an American ‘drug sting’ operation gone wrane "DREAMLAND"/AREA 51 SUED OVER VIOLATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS Jonathan Turley is a young Washington, D.C. lawyer with impossibly high expecta- tions. He is intent upon suing the US Federal Government over what is known as "Dreamland", or "Area 5]"—a facility the government says does not exist. For almost five decades, Area S51 near Groom Lake in Nevada has been the keeper of the darkest black of America's military secrets. The SR-71 Blackbird was designed and a prototype built there. Some will swear that UFOs are also built there. Lawyer Turley has taken on a very prick- ly issue. He is suing Defense Department Secretary William Perry, National Security Advisor Anthony Lake, and Air Force Secretary Sheila Widnall. The basis of Turley's suit is that Area 51—which does not appear even on detailed maps—is set up to operate outside of the laws of the United States; and that it is in violation of Vane, INDIAN lover 90 | SQUEEZED oe gene — AMERICAN FRENCH 8 ¢ NEXUS APRIL - MAY 1995 AUSTRALIAN