General Dynamics profit expected to be undented by an Iraq pullout

General Dynamics, the worst-performing stock among the five largest U.S. defense companies, may outpace competitors like Raytheon and Northrop Grumman as investors gain confidence that a U.S. pullout from Iraq will not hurt profit at the company, which is the biggest supplier of combat gear to the U.S. Army.

U.S. troops in Iraq might need armored vehicles and tanks from General Dynamics for years to come, while allies are preparing to step up purchases to modernize their own militaries, said Erik Becker, co-manager of the Waddell & Reed Advisors Core Investment fund, based in Overland Park, Kansas.

"The U.S. military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan will continue for longer than people expect," Becker said.

In addition, revenue from business jets will help the stock rise 25 percent to $105 in the next 12 months, he said. General Dynamics trailed other U.S. defense companies most of the year.

[...]

We'll see. Iraq to end contractor 'immunity'

The new code would require contractors to be subject to Iraqi law and to be monitored by the Iraqi government.
[...]

Correspondents say their behaviour has incensed Iraqis who view them as private armies acting with impunity on their soil.

The contractors are currently granted immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law by Order 17 of the Coalition Provisional Authority - the now-defunct interim body set up by the US-led coalition in the wake of the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The agreement was extended shortly before the CPA was disbanded in June 2004.

[...]

And When Will Mega War Criminal Henry Kissinger Be Arrested for his part in Argentina, Southeast Asia, the middle east?

Twelve people in Chile - including a Catholic priest - have been charged over death squad killings during the military rule of Augusto Pinochet.

It is the first time a Catholic priest has been charged over abuses committed during Gen Pinochet's dictatorship.

Luis Jorquera - whose whereabouts are not known - is accused of covering up the deaths of 28 dissidents.

More than 3,000 people were killed or "disappeared" during military rule in Chile between 1973 and 1990.

CIA DECLASSIFIES ITS UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS IN CHILE

Schneider was head of the Chilean military when Allende’s government won elections in 1970, and although opposed to Allende, he strictly opposed any military involvement in Chile’s political process, as was desired by many right wing groups. Schneider was killed in a botched abduction attempt in October, 1970, creating a somber atmosphere just days before Allende assumed power.

Colby also told Ford in the meeting, “We have another rather dirty problem: after Congress investigated ITT, they said our testimony was not clean. I don’t think we did anything chargeable, but we did skirt the abyss on some cases. There’s an old rule that dictates those who protect their sources can bend the rules.”

Colby was referring to the CIA hiding information about its financial support of leading anti-Allende forces during the 70s.

The document has been kept secret since 1973 despite the leaking of information about domestic spying in a 1974 New York Times article by journalist Seymour Hersh. It includes information on espionage programs, interrogation techniques and assassination plots on enemies.