News For October 07, 2010

The Tenth Year In Afghanistan

By Steve Hynd

Today is the anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan. Welcome to the tenth year of occupation. Continue

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Barack Obama Accused of Exaggerating Terror Threat for Political Gain

By Simon Tisdall and Richard Norton-Taylor

A US terror alert issued this week about al-Qaida plots to attack targets in western Europe was politically motivated and not based on credible new information, senior Pakistani diplomats and European intelligence officials have told the Guardian. Continue

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Managed News
Inside the US/NATO Military Industrial Media Empire

By Guns and Butter

Dr. Peter Phillips of Project Censored, his keynote speech at the Sixth Annual 9/11 Film Festival. Also Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, "Are Americans Living In a Police State?" Continue

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Imperial Culture
Noam Chomsky on Fallujah

By Noam Chomsky

"We are very coreagous in condeming the attacks of others" Continue

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Nothing Has Changed Since the Yom Kippur War

By Gideon Levy

Nothing has changed in 37 years. Israel has the same arrogant hubris and the same obstinate resistance to any prospect of a peace agreement. Continue

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Deathly Silence
Obama’s Letter, Netanyahu’s Rejection, and Media’s Non-response

By MediaLens

Under international law, the settlements are illegal. But despite private agreements with the US to rein in growth, Israel has continued the non-stop expansion of its illegal settlements. Continue

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Pelosi, Lawmakers Call for Federal Probe on Mortgage Lenders

By Brady Dennis and Ariana Eunjung Cha

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on the Justice Department to investigate the nation's largest mortgage lenders on Tuesday, and Maryland joined a growing list of states seeking to halt foreclosures while they probe claims of fraudulent filings. Continue

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Little-Noticed Bill Could Make It Harder To Challenge Foreclosures
Bank Foreclosure Cover Seen in Bill at Obama's Desk

By Scot Paltrow

By Scot Paltrow

A bill that homeowners advocates warn will make it more difficult to challenge improper foreclosure attempts by big mortgage processors is awaiting President Barack Obama's signature after it quietly zoomed through the Senate last week. Continue

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The Bigot-Whisperers of the Right

By Phil Rockstroh

The idea of Beck and Palin leading a populist, pitchforks and torches style uprising in the US is sheer fantasy. Most Americans wouldn’t rally en mass unless they could bring their couches with them. Continue

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20 "militants" killed in Afghanistan: "The combined forces conducted overnight operation against Taliban hideouts in Darquad and Yangi Qala districts Wednesday night, as a result some 20 militants were killed," Tohidi told Xinhua.

8 "Taliban" killed by NATO as war enters 10th year: Thursday was the ninth anniversary of the American invasion of Afghanistan, a frustrating benchmark for those who expected a quick exit after small targeted special forces toppled the Taliban from power in 2001.

One German soldier killed by suicide bomber in northern Afghanistan: A suicide bomber targeted a German military convoy in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, officials said, killing one soldier and injuring six others.

Twin blasts kill 10 in Pakistan: At least 10 people have been killed and 15 others sustained injuries as twin bomb attacks ripped though a shrine in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi.

US Attack Kills 4 More People In Pakistan: Thursday's attack followed US and Nato apologies for a September 30 attack that left two Pakistani soldiers dead. The men were killed when Nato helicopters mistook them for insurgents they were pursuing.

CIA mum on lawsuit alleging drone targeting errors: The CIA has declined comment on allegations that its drones have a targeting margin of error of up to 40 feet, a malfunction that could be contributing to civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

No justification for US drone strikes, says Pakistan foreign ministry : “We believe that they are counter-productive and also a violation of our sovereignty,” foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters,

54 trucks torched in raid on NATO logistics in Pakistan: Firefighters in north-western Pakistan were on Thursday trying to extinguish a fire that engulfed 54 trucks carrying supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan after the latest suspected militant attack on supply convoys, police said.

How long can US troops withstand rupture of Pakistan supply lines?: Half of the supplies for US and NATO troops come through Pakistan via multiple routes, according to US military officials.

Iraq: Seven killed in series of attacks in Mosul: Seven people were killed and two injured on Thursday in a string of attacks in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, security sources said.

Twin blasts kill 5 at market south of Baghdad: Back-to-back bombings at a vegetable market south of Baghdad on Thursday afternoon killed at least five people, including a policeman who was searching for explosives, Iraqi security and medical officials said.

Russia to pay Iran $800 mln for shelved S-300 deal: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev banned the delivery of the high-precision air defence missiles to Iran last month, saying that sending them would violate sanctions adopted by the U.N.

Iranian and Hezbollah leaders to appear together at rally: "We are organising a rally in honour of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad next Wednesday at the Al-Raya stadium and we expect Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to make an appearance," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

Palestinian official: No chance of serious peace talks with Netanyahu government: Abbas will brief the Arab League's peace process follow-up committee on the state of the talks with Israel on Friday in Libya.

Israel plans 'Jewish' loyalty oath: Right-wing politicians have welcomed plans to introduce an oath of loyalty to Israel as a "Jewish" state for anyone wanting to become a citizen, a move likely to further jeopardise direct peace talks with the Palestinians.

Ecuador extends emergency rule: Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa extends emergency rule over last week's police unrest.

Lou Dobbs, American Hypocrite: Dobbs has relied for years on undocumented labor for the upkeep of his multimillion-dollar estates and the horses he keeps for his 22-year-old daughter, Hillary, a champion show jumper.

Report: White House squelched release of BP oil spill estimates: Government scientists wanted to tell Americans early on how bad the BP oil spill could get, but the White House denied their request to make the worst-case models public, a report by the staff of the national panel investigating the spill said Wednesday.

France warns citizens: ‘terror attack in Britain highly likely’: France has issued a warning to its citizens travelling to Britain saying the risk of a terrorist attack was “highly likely”.

Blow to US prosecutors as terror case witness barred: The judge in the first civilian trial of a former Guantanamo inmate has ruled that a key US government witness cannot testify, in a blow to prosecutors.

Entrapment or Foiling Terror? FBI’s Reliance on Paid Informants Raises Questions about Validity of Terrorism Cases

How Islamophobic blogs manufactured a controversy: The Media's Construction of the 'Ground Zero Mosque'
Economics 101 for deficit hawks: The same Washington policymakers who inveigh against the deficit want a strong dollar – clueless about the contradiction
Dollar set for sharp decline, Goldman forecasts: The dollar will embark on a sharp decline over the next 12 months, Goldman Sachs forecast on Wednesday, as policy makers in Washington look poised to press the trigger on another round of printing money.
Grim economy news: Jobs numbers shrank in September: U.S. employers shed more jobs in September than had been expected, according to two closely watched surveys, released Wednesday, that cast a shadow over the government's official September jobs report, which is due Friday.