Tuesday 30 November 2010

US Cable Confirms US Killed Women and Children In Yemen

By Michael Isikoff

The U.S. media paid scant attention in June when Amnesty International released a report charging that U.S. cruise missiles carrying cluster bombs had struck the village of al Majalah in southern Yemen on Dec. 17, 2009, killing 41 civilians, including 14 women and 21 children. Continue

Leaked Cable Reveals US-Israeli Strategy for Regime Change in Iran

By Larisa Alexandrovna and Muriel Kane

According to a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, in August 2007 the head of Israel's intelligence agency urged US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, R. Nicholas Burns, to join with Israel in carrying out a five-part strategy to implement regime change in Iran. Continue

Now We Know.
America Really Doesn't Care About Injustice in the Middle East

By Robert Fisk:

They will pray in their golden mosques, these kings and emirs and generals, buying more and more American weapons to protect themselves from the "Hitler" of Tehran. Continue

Chomsky On U.S./Israeli Attack on Gaza
 
 Interview With Noam Chomsky

 Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal "Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership" Continue

NATO, World Gendarme

By Fidel Castro

Obama has already admitted that his promise to withdraw U.S. soldiers from Afghanistan could be delayed and that taxes from the wealthiest contributors are to be immediately suspended. After the Nobel Prize one would have to grant him the prize for the "greatest snake charmer "ever to have existed. Continue

Fabricating Terror

By Paul Craig Roberts

The United States of America, “the city upon the hill,” “the light unto the world,” has become Nazi Germany. Continue

Religion as a Tool of Repression

By Charles Sullivan

Christian ministers teach their flock to reject the leftist ideology of Christ by exchanging radicalism for obedience and principled action for passivity. Continue

20 "militants" killed in Afghanistan's Kunar province: Afghan and NATO-led troops eliminated at least 20 Taliban militants Tuesday when conducting security patrol in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, the military alliance said.
Six U.S. occupation force soldiers killed by Afghan border cop: An Afghan border policeman killed six American servicemen during a training mission Monday, underscoring one of the risks in a U.S.-led program to educate enough recruits to turn over the lead for security to Afghan forces by 2014.
Bomb blast kills six in NW Pakistan: At least six people including two children have been killed and 18 others wounded in a bomb attack in Bannu city in northwest Pakistan.
Officials: Targets survived US missile in Pakistan: The targets of a suspected U.S. missile strike in Pakistan's northwestern militant strongholds appeared to have survived Sunday by quickly abandoning their vehicle after an unmanned aircraft missed its first shot, local officials said.
Pakistani sues US over drone strike: Kareem Khan is seeking $500 million in compensation from the US government over the death of his son and brother.
Explosion kills 4, wounds 30 in Iraq's Diyala: Four people were killed and 30 others were wounded in the blast which targeted a restaurant in Diyala's provincial capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Wikileaks confirm US role in bombings: The cable, from January 4, 2010, was authored by former US ambassador to Yemen Stephen Seche, and is the first official evidence that the United States carried out air strikes against Al Qaida in Yemen in December 2009
WikiLeaks cables: Qatar okays use of its airbase for U.S. attack on Iran: "I think that you should remove your bases from [Qatar]," Dagan told American diplomats, according to the WikiLeaks document, "[The Qataris] owe their security to the presence of the Americans]."
Iran: West behind scientist's death: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has accused Israel and Western governments of being behind the killing of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist.
Iran sets date, venue for P5+1 talks: Saeed Jalili, Iran's top negotiator in the upcoming multifaceted talks, and the six world powers will restart negotiations on December 6 in Switzerland, his office has announced.
President: Iran won't abandon N-rights: Ahmadinejad added that the Islamic Republic is always ready to enter nuclear negotiations with the West as long as Iran's rights are respected, advising the negotiating side to put away its "tyrannical" attitude.
Apartheid Israel: Israelis say Arabs citizens should be "encouraged" to emigrate: 53 percent of Israeli Jews believe the state has the right to encourage Arab citizens to emigrate, while 55 percent said Jewish cities should receive more government resources than Arab communities.
UN slams US over 'espionage' revelations: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman says organization will take up issue 'with our US counterparts on various levels'. White House: Stealing of classified information a crime, Obama 'not pleased'
U.S. opens criminal investigation against WikiLeaks founder: Julian Assange: Obama administration is 'a regime that doesn’t believe in the freedom of the press'
Ecuador offers refuge to Assange: WikiLeaks founder is welcome to find a home in the Latin American country with no conditions, minister says.
WikiLeaks: family unable to see suspect Bradley Manning: The family of Bradley Manning, a suspect in the passing of secret documents to WikiLeaks, have been unable to visit him in jail despite making the journey to America.
Wikileaks’ next target: A major US bank: He's been relentlessly revealing some of the US government's most deeply held secrets, but for his next act, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange says he will expose the corruption of a major American bank.
Ireland's Debt Servitude: The €85bn package imposed on Ireland by the Eurogroup and the European Central Bank is a bail-out for improvident British, German, Dutch, and Belgian bankers and creditors. The Irish taxpayers carry the full burden, and deplete what remains of their reserve pension fund to cover a quarter of the cost.
Banks Resisting Fannie, Freddie Demands to Buy Back Mortgages: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are facing growing resistance as they attempt to push failed home loans off their books and onto the balance sheets of banks including Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Monday 29 November 2010

Israel's Mossad Behind Killing of Iranian Nuclear Scientist: Report

By Al Bawaba

An Iranian nuclear scientist was killed on Monday and another university professor and his wife were hurt in two separate car blasts in Tehran. Continue

America Considering Military Options Against Iran

By Agence France Presse

“We’ve actually been thinking about military options for a significant period of time,” Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff said in an interview with CNN. Continue

US Spying On Hamas
Did The US Supply Israel With Information Enabling Murder Of Hamas Officials?

By Wikileaks US Cables

US requests "details of travel plans such as routes and vehicles used by Palestinian Authority leaders and HAMAS members." Continue

WikiLeaks exposé: Israel Tried to Coordinate Gaza War with Abbas

By Barak Ravid

Israel tried to coordinate the Gaza war with the Palestinian Authority, classified diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks said on Sunday, adding that both the PA and Egypt refused to take control of the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave. Continue

Wikileaks: Israel Assessed Abbas as Weak, Unpopular

By AFP

In meetings with US representatives, Israeli officials ranging from then-opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, to senior defense official Amos Gilad expressed doubt about Abbas's political longevity. Continue

Israel Says Turkeys Prime Minister "Simply Hates Israel"

By AMB James F. Jeffrey - American Ambassador to Turkey

"He's a fundamentalist. He hates us religiously” and his hatred is spreading. Continue

Wikileaks : US Diplomatic Cable
Honduran Coup "Illegal and Unconstitutional"

By Ambassador Hugo Llorens

November 29, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- The Embassy perspective is that there is no doubt that the military, Supreme Court and National Congress conspired on June 28 in what constituted an illegal and unconstitutional coup against the Executive Branch. Continue

Deceits, Plots, Insults: America Laid Bare

By Jerome Taylor, Cahal Milmo and David Usborne

Diplomatic communiqués released by Wikileaks shine unprecedented light on the US and how it sees the world. Continue

"They Are Coming To Kills Us"

Must Watch Video

A Radical Experiment in Empathy. Continue

The Stench of US Economic Decay Grows Stronger

By Paul Craig Roberts

On Thanksgiving eve the English language China Daily and People’s Daily Online reported that Russia and China have concluded an agreement to abandon the use of the US dollar in their bilateral trade and to use their own currencies in its place.  Continue

Cutting the Deficit: Sacrificing Workers to Save the Rich

By James Petras

The Commission Report issued November 10 proposes to slash social security payments, reducing recipients to poverty, raise the retirement age to 69 ensuring that millions of workers will die before they can retire, or enter retirement in ill health. Continue

Hope, Real Hope, Is About Doing Something

By Chris Hedges

Hope is not trusting in the ultimate goodness of Barack Obama, who, like Herod of old, sold out his people. Continue

Six foreign occupation troops killed by Afghan policeman: The officer opened fire on foreign troops training the policemen in the Pachi Ragam district of Nangarhar province, said Ahmad Zia Abdul Zai, the provincial governor's spokesman.
Pakistani to sue CIA over drone attacks: A Pakistani tribesman says he will sue President Barack Obama's administration and CIA officials for killing his son and brother in a non-UN-sanctioned strike.
Three killed in central Iraq violence: Three people were killed and nine others injured in separate bomb and gunfire attacks in Baghdad and the province of Babil in south of Baghdad on Sunday, an Interior Ministry source said.
Iran Scientist Killed by Bomb Worked on Atomic Project: Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar accused the U.S. and Israeli intelligence services of being behind the attack on Shahriari. Iran had also blamed Ali-Mohammadi’s killing on the U.S. and Israel.
US threatens Iran with military action: Mullen made the remarks following Iran's announcement that the Bushehr nuclear power plant in south of the country has started to generate electricity.
Israel primed to attack a nuclear Iran: US embassy cables show security service has told Washington 'all options' are on table if Iranian bomb looks inevitable
Iran obtained missiles from North Korea: leaked US documents: – US intelligence believes Iran has obtained advanced missiles from North Korea capable of striking Europe, according to US documents leaked by WikiLeaks and cited by the New York Times on Sunday.
Russia offered Israel $1 billion for drone technologies to cancel deal to supply Iran with S-300 missiles: Russia offered Israel $1 billion for advanced drone (automatic aircraft) technologies, and in addition offered to cancel the deal to supply Iran with S-300 missiles, according to an official cable published Sunday via WikiLeaks.
Leaked cable: Israel consulted PA prior to attack on Gaza: Israel approached the PA and Egypt about potentially assuming control of the Gaza Strip following a theoretical "defeat" of Hamas before Israel's winter war on Gaza, a leaked US diplomatic cable revealed Sunday.
U.S. embassy dubbed Putin, Medvedev ‘Batman and Robin’ - Wikileaks: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev “plays Robin” to his strongman Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s “Batman,” the U.S. embassy in Moscow said, according to documents leaked to international media on the whistleblowing Wikileaks website.
GOP Rep. asks Clinton to declare WikiLeaks a ‘foreign terrorist organization’: GOP Rep. asks Clinton to declare WikiLeaks a foreign terrorist organizationA key Republican Congressman from New York has a new definition for the word "terrorism" that doesn't require the use of violence or even fear.
War criminal: Liberman Condems Wikileaks: “Wikileaks’ deliberate disclosure of these diplomatic cables is nothing less than an attack on the national security of the United States, as well as that of dozens of other countries. By disseminating these materials, Wikileaks is putting at risk the lives and the freedom of countless Americans and non-Americans around the world.
North Korea places missiles on launch pads: North Korea has placed surface-to-surface missiles on launch pads in the Yellow Sea, Yonhap news agency said, as the United States and South Korea began military drills and China called for emergency talks.
Mosque 'arson' after US bomb sting: Officials warn against retribution as mosque attended by man arrested over foiled Oregon attack is partly destroyed.
Americans turn off cable TV as online grows: US cable operators lost 741,000 basic video customers in the third quarter of the year, the biggest decline since it started tracking the segment in 1980.
Cancun climate change summit: scientists call for rationing in developed world: Global warming is now such a serious threat to mankind that climate change experts are calling for Second World War-style rationing in rich countries to bring down carbon emissions.
Default! Say the people: Irish negotiators raised defaulting but 'Europe went completely mad'
Barack Obama imposes public sector pay freeze: US president calls for sacrifice from workers in effort to cut huge deficit as Republicans ready to fight to extend Bush tax cuts

Sunday 28 November 2010

News For November 28, 2010

Wikileaks: Yemeni President Agreed To Cover up US Attack in Yemen
Cables Shine Light Into Secret Diplomatic Channels

By SCOTT SHANE and ANDREW W. LEHREN

“We’ll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours,” Mr. Saleh said, according to the cable sent by the American ambassador, prompting Yemen’s deputy prime minister to “joke that he had just ‘lied’ by telling Parliament” that Yemeni forces had carried out the strikes. Continue

Saudi King: US Should Plant Chips in Gitmo Detainees.

By Full US Embassy Cable

The King, proposed implanting detainees with an electronic chip containing information about them and allowing their movements to be tracked with Bluetooth. This was done with horses and falcons, the King said. Continue

Pakistan - China - Iran
Wikileaks Cables: Key Issues

By BBC

Pakistan stand-off: The cables show the US has been attempting to remove highly enriched uranium from a research reactor in Pakistan since 2007.
Continue

US Embassy Cables Leak Sparks Global Diplomacy Crisis

By David Leigh

More than 250,000 dispatches reveal US foreign strategies • Diplomats ordered to spy on allies as well as enemies • Hillary Clinton leads frantic 'damage limitation' Continue

WikiLeaks Under Attack; No Comment From State Department

By Chris Good

Scanned front page of Monday's Der Spiegel quotes officials calling Ahmadinejad 'Hitler'. Continue

Israel Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran
WikiLeaks: Netanyahu Warned U.S. Iran 'Months Away' From Nuclear Bomb

By Haaretz Service

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in 2009 that Iran was months away from achieving military nuclear capability, classified documents released by WikiLeaks on Sunday quote a State Department official as saying. Continue

Oceans of Blood and Profits for the Mongers of War

By Robert Fisk

Coming soon to a war near you; oceans of blood, bodies torn to shreds, of course. But bring your credit card. Or a cheque book. It's big business. And there may be profits.
Continue

FBI Thwarts Own Car Bomb
Will Americans recoil in yet more contrived fear?

By Tony Cartalucci

The United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claims to have thwarted their own car bomb Friday, November 26, 2010 at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon's Pioneer Courthouse Square. Continue

The Day the Dollar Died

Video

A hypothetical look at how the collapse of the US dollar may affect the world. Continue

The American Ruling Class

Video

This "astonishing," "coruscating" satire poses the question: Is it better to rule the world, or to save it? Continue

NATO soldier, 12 Afghan police forces killed in blasts: At least 12 Afghan policemen were killed Saturday when two suicide bombers wearing police uniforms attacked their headquarters in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.
Senior provincial official, three others killed in Afghanistan: A senior member of a provincial council and three others were killed in separate attacks in eastern and northern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said.
US Kills 3 People In Pakistan: : The drones struck a vehicle in Hasan Khel village, about 20 miles east of Miranshah in the North Waziristan tribal district, Geo News reported.
Airport worker shot dead by US soldiers: US troops killed an Iraqi airport employee today as he drove near a military convoy on his way to work.
Iraqi leader: No need for U.S. troops after 2011: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday that an agreement requiring U.S. troops to leave by the end of 2011 will stand because Iraqi forces are capable of taking care of the country's security.
South admits firing first shells in row with North Korea : South Korea has admitted it fired artillery shells that triggered an early morning clash with North Korea.
Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: Saudi Arabia urges US attack on Iran to stop nuclear programme: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear programme, according to leaked US diplomatic cables that describe how other Arab allies have secretly agitated for military action against Tehran.
Wikileaks: Intelligence Directives Blur Lines Between Diplomacy and Spying: — The United States has expanded the role of American diplomats in collecting intelligence overseas and at the United Nations, ordering State Department personnel to gather the credit card and frequent-flier numbers, work schedules and other personal information of foreign dignitaries.
US embassy cables: browse the database: Use our interactive guide to discover what has been revealed in the leak of 250,000 US diplomatic cables. Mouse over the map below to find stories and original documents by country, subject or people
Der Spiegel: US officials called Ahmadinejad 'Hitler': according to the German daily, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy is the emperor who has no clothes. The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, is "motivated by paranoia", the report says.
UK fears for citizens in Muslim countries over WikiLeaks: Britain has expressed its fear for the wellbeing of its citizens in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and other Muslim countries following "anti-Muslim" comments expected to appear in documents slated to be published Sunday evening by the WikiLeaks website, the Sunday Times reports.
How 250,000 US embassy cables were leaked: From a fake Lady Gaga CD to a thumb drive that is a pocket-sized bombshell – the biggest intelligence leak in history
The job of the media is not to protect power from embarrassment: It is for governments – not journalists – to guard public secrets, and there is no national jeopardy in WikiLeaks' revelations
FBI apparently set up US teen blamed for fake car bomb: Teenager was apparently set up by federal law enforcement officials who posed as radical Islamic fighters and lured the young man into a plot he believed would lead him to detonate a car bomb at an Oregon Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
Court asked to order probe of Gitmo psychologist: A court was asked Wednesday to force an investigation into whether an Army psychologist developed abusive interrogation techniques for detainees at Guantanamo Bay and should be stripped of his license.
A billion people will lose their homes due to climate change, says report: British scientists will warn Cancún summit that entire nations could be flooded
Thousands protest against Irish bailout: More than 100,000 people gather in Dublin to demonstrate against four-year austerity plan to reduce debts
Iceland Is No Ireland as State Free of Bank Debt, Grimsson Says: Iceland’s President Olafur R. Grimsson said his country is better off than Ireland thanks to the government’s decision to allow the banks to fail two years ago and because the krona could be devalued.
China, Russia Quit Dollar: - China and Russia have decided to renounce the US dollar and resort to using their own currencies for bilateral trade, Premier Wen Jiabao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin announced
FDIC's Bair fears federal debt will be 'next crisis': 110 Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairwoman Sheila Bair would seem to have enough to worry about, with 149 bank failures so far this year and 860 more banks on the agency's "problem" list.
U.S. new-home sales down 8.1% for October: Sales fell in most regions, declining by 23.9% in the West, by 20.4% in the Midwest and by 12.1% in the Northeast. In the South, the month’s sales increased 3.1%.
The American Ruling Class: Video - This "astonishing," "coruscating" satire poses the question: Is it better to rule the world, or to save it?

Friday 26 November 2010

News For November 26, 2010

The US of A Breaks the Soviet Record

By Glenn Greenwald

Even for the humble among us who try to avoid jingoistic outbursts, some national achievements are so grand that they merit a moment of pride and celebration: Continue

Talking to the Taliban about Life After Occupation

By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad asks Taliban leaders past and present what kind of regime they would run – and whether there is a chance of negotiated peace. Continue

More Than a Bribe
Obama Surrenders Palestinian Rights
By Ramzy Baroud

Mind-boggling. US generously hands Palestinian rights to Israel on a silver platter, and the far-right mentality, which now governs Israeli mainstream politics and society, still finds it unacceptable. Continue

"Racists and Hypocrites When it Comes to Palestinians"

Video

Some stinging remarks about U.S. professors and Palestine from University of Illinois law school professor Francis Boyle. Continue

Putin Ditches Dollar, Backs Euro
Putin - Euro should be World's Reserve Currency

Video and Text

Russia and Germany should dramatically increase their economic co-operation. That's the message from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to some of Germany's top industrialists at a business forum in Berlin. Continue

Global Poverty Doubled since 1970s: UN

By Agence France-Presse

The number of very poor countries has doubled in the last 30 to 40 years, while the number of people living in extreme poverty has also grown two-fold, a UN think-tank warned. Continue

Obama Administration Weighs Indefinite Detention

By Dina Temple-Raston

It is starting to look like the president who campaigned on closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay may end up doing something wholly different: signing a law that would pave the way for terrorism suspects to be held indefinitely. Continue

The Endless Thanksgiving
Next Up: a "Flat Tax" for the Rich
By Michael Hudson

The danger the United States faces today is that the government debt crisis scheduled to hit Congress next spring (when Republicans are threatening to vote against raising the federal debt limit as the government deficit soars) will provide an opportunity for the wealthy to give a coup de grace on what is left of progressive taxation in this country. Continue

Such a Well Behaved Herd of Sheep

By Marti Oakley

This has nothing to do with making us safer, national security or protecting America. - It has everything to do with conditioning you to accept a full body assault as long as the persons doing it are wearing a government badg. Continue

Five "militants" among six killed in Pakistan: A security official and five militants were killed Friday in a clash at a security checkpost in Pakistan's Orakzai tribal region.
US Kills 4 More People In Pakistan: U.S. pilotless aircraft fired three missiles at a vehicle suspected of carrying militants in Miranshah of North Waziristan,
US military presence in Quetta: Pakistan denies allowing drone strikes: The spokesman did not comment when asked about media reports suggesting that Pakistan’s military leadership had permitted the US to maintain the presence of its Marines in Quetta
New leaks may harm Pakistan, warns US: The United States is reported to have warned Pakistan that it tops a list of countries that may be affected by a leak of secret documents by a whistleblowers’ website. US officials warned that the documents may also contain “unpleasant facts” about US policies in the Pak-Afghan region.
Three civilians killed in blast in southern Afghanistan: Three civilians including two children were killed in a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan's province of Kandahar on Friday, the NATO military said in a statement.
Air strike kills 3 "militants" in Afghan province: Air raid against Taliban militants killed three and injured another in the eastern Ghazni province on Friday, provincial police chief Zerawar Zahid said.
WikiLeaks may show US has helped terrorist group: Several of the documents set to be published by WikiLeaks this weekend are believed to show the US has been helping Turkey's Kurdish separatist movement the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers Party. - The documents also say US forces in Iraq have given weapons to the PKK.
3 Iraqi civilians killed, 15 injured in Talafar, W. Mosul: - Three Iraqi civilians were killed with 15 others injured Thursday in a bombing near a market for selling poultry at Tel Afar city, western of Mosul, northern of Iraq.
America's Latest $3 Billion Bribe to Israel: The danger in this latest American bribe is that it comes not as a reward for progress in talks, but as an incentive to the Netanyahu government to agree to stop carrying out actions that are considered illegal by the entire international community, including the US.
Israel, U.S. tense as WikiLeaks set to release classified bilateral communiques : The Americans said they wanted to let the Israeli government know so it would not be surprised and would be prepared for publicity that might cause diplomatic embarrassment.
Is America on the path to 'permanent war'?: Bacevich says the notion that the U.S. military has to stay in Afghanistan to deny al Qaeda a sanctuary doesn't "pass the laugh test."
Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: If we aren’t going to bomb, we have to deter: The Obama administration seems intent on going down in history as the American administration under which Iran attained nuclear military capability.
Fuel loading completed at Bushehr: The reactor head of the first reactor at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant was successfully installed on 23 November, according to Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). This marks the completion of fuel loading, according to a report by the Iranian Students News Agency.
Bolivia rejects US warning on Iran ties: "Nobody will stop me" from negotiating with any country, Morales said at the opening of a biannual conference of regional defense ministers attended by Gates. "Bolivia, under my leadership, will have agreements and alliances with everyone," the leftist leader added.
'Korean Peninsula inching towards war'?: "The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching closer to the brink of war due to the reckless plan of those trigger-happy elements to stage again war exercises targeted against the (North)," said the North's official news agency, KCNA.
China warns US against military action: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement on Friday that Beijing was against military activity near its coastline.
China condemns U.S. over plans for war games off Korean coast: China criticized U.S. plans to hold war games off the coast of South Korea on Thursday in the same terms used to rebuke North Korea after it bombarded a South Korean island on Tuesday, killing four people.
Sarah Palin: 'We Gotta Stand With Our North Korean Allies': Was it a simple blunder or did a possible 2012 presidential contender really get her geography wrong?
DOJ Seeks to Broaden Patriot Act on Asset Freezes: After two losses in court, the Justice Department is pushing Congress to broaden a provision of the Patriot Act that allows U.S. judges to freeze assets linked to foreign crimes.
Welcome to America: Man who was late for his flight pulls down his jeans: Picture
Insurers Test Data Profiles to Identify Risky Clients: Life insurers are testing an intensely personal new use for the vast dossiers of data being amassed about Americans: predicting people's longevity.
State to take control of banks as fears deepen new onslaught: The current crisis will force the Government to inject hundreds of millions in new capital into the banks, leaving the State with majority ownership -- effectively nationalising AIB and Bank of Ireland. The drastic measures were seen as inevitable following a plunge in shares, negative market reaction to the bailout and a deepening crisis for the euro.
€9.5m Donegal property development receives one bid at auction – for €5,000: Navenny Place, a 47-apartment complex, was withdrawn from auction this week after just one token bid of €5,000 – and that was after the auctioneer reduced the starting price to €300,000, or €6,383 per flat.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

News For November 24, 2010

Bush Lies - Not Just To Us, But To Himself

By Ray McGovern

Why should George W. Bush have been "angry" to learn in late 2007 of the "high-confidence" unanimous judgment of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran had stopped working on a nuclear weapon four years earlier?
Continue

TSA Gestapo Empire

By Paul Craig Roberts

It doesn’t take a bureaucrat long to create an empire. John Pistole, the FBI agent who took over the Transportation Security Administration on July 1 told USA Today 16 days later that protecting trains and subways from terrorist attacks will be as high a priority for him as air travel. Continue

Who is Exempt From Airport Security?

By Ed O'Keefe

Here's a review of who can and cannot bypass airport security, according to the Transportation Security Administration and congressional and Obama administration aides. Continue

Report: Body Scanner Makers Doubled Lobbying Cash Over 5 Years

By Diana Sweet

Multimillion dollar government contracts don't just happen. Ask the companies with the big government contracts to supply Body-scanning machines to U.S. airports how much more they had to spend on lobbying on the Hill. Continue

The Shock Doctrine Push to Gut Social Security and Middle Class

By Dave Johnson

This is full-on Shock Doctrine: Wait for an emergency like the terrible recession so people are in shock and want solutions, and then change everything so fast they can't respond while telling them how this is good for them. This is how they do it, folks. Continue

Tax the Rich:
Increase Employment and Sustain Demand


By Al Engler

Transnational finance, the corporate media, and rightwing political parties are using high government deficits as pretexts for cuts to public employment and social programs. Continue

Propaganda alert: : 25 Taliban killed as Afghan bomb factory is blitzed: Men of the elite British special forces regiment fought their way into a heavily-guarded stronghold, killing up to 25 of the enemy and seizing enough material to make 2,000 booby-trap bombs.
6 Taliban Militants Killed in Clash with Afghan, Foreign Forces: In a clash between Taliban Militants and Afghan, Foreign Occupation Forces 6 Taliban "insurgents" were killed in Kunar Province on Monday afternoon, officials said
'Taliban impostor duped officials': A man claiming to be a senior Taliban leader allegedly duped the Afghan government into holding secret peace talks.
Karzai: NATO support insufficient: The Afghan president has warned that his country may switch to alternative sources for equipping its army if the US-led NATO military alliance fails to do so.
Pakistan 14 militants killed in Orakzai shelling: Fourteen militants were killed and six others sustained injuries while four of their hideouts were destroyed in shelling by gunship helicopters in upper parts of Orakzai Agency on Monday, official and tribal sources said.
2 South Korean marines killed after North shells island in disputed waters: The skirmish began when Pyongyang warned the South to halt military drills in the area, according to South Korean officials. When Seoul refused and began firing artillery into disputed waters, albeit away from the North Korean shore, the North retaliated by bombarding the small island of Yeonpyeong
S.Korea says it test-fired in area before N.Korea firing: South Korea said it was conducting regular military drills off the west coast before North Korea started firing dozens of shells, but that its firing exercises did not aim to the North.
S. Korea may strike N. Korea's missile base: President Lee: - President Lee Myung-bak ordered his military Tuesday to strike North Korea's missile base around its coastline artillery positions if it shows signs of additional provocation, his spokeswoman said.
Yemeni soldier killed in motorbike attack: Assailants on a motorbike killed a soldier and wounded three others in an ambush on their patrol in Yemen's restive southern province of Abyan on Tuesday, a security official said.
Israel must hold poll on any peace plan withdrawal after Knesset vote: Legislation will make it more difficult for Israeli parliament to approve any exit from occupied territories
PA denounces Israeli referendum law: "The Israeli leadership, yet again, is making a mockery of international law," Maan news agency quoted top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat as saying on Tuesday.
Syria slams Israel referendum bill: New law requires two-thirds Knesset majority or a referendum to cede land in East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights.
US launches giant eavesdropping satellite: THE United States has placed in orbit a vast reconnaissance satellite reputed to be the largest eavesdropping device ever launched into space.
Every family in Britain will have to pay £300 to bail out the Irish: The Chancellor described Ireland as a 'friend in need' as he defended plans to pay more than £7billion into an international bailout worth up to £85billion.
EU warns Ireland over snap election: The European Union has warned the Irish government that snap elections would be “very irresponsible” as post-bail-out turmoil continues to rock Ireland's political establishment.
For white Americans, things aren't what they used to be: Economic decline. Loss of superpower status. Those traditionally privileged are focusing on Obama, but it's not all about race
Countrywide's Mortgage Document Errors May Doom Bank of America: Testimony in a New Jersey foreclosure case decided last week may spell big trouble for Bank of America (BAC).
Corporate Profits Were the Highest on Record Last Quarter: The nation’s workers may be struggling, but American companies just had their best quarter ever.

Saturday 20 November 2010

News For November 20, 2010

Statment From The Afghan Resistance
The Americans Can No longer Conceal Their Defeat

By Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

it has become clear that after nine years of occupation, the invaders are doomed towards the same fate as those that tread this path before them. Their troop surges, their new strategies, their new generals, their new negotiations, and their new propagandas have been of no avail. Continue

What If NATO Is Defeated In Afghanistan?

By Eric S. Margolis

Amazing as it sounds, NATO, the world’s most powerful military alliance, may be losing the only war the 61-year old pact every fought. Continue

92% of Afghans Never Heard of 9/11

By Daniel Tence

Fewer than one in 10 Afghans are aware of the 9/11 attacks and their precipitation of the war in Afghanistan. Study shows that four in 10 Afghans believe the US is on their soil in order to "destroy Islam or occupy Afghanistan." Continue

The Cowardice of America at War

By Richard Reeves

So, cry the beloved country. Shed tears for the brave. And for the cowards, too, the men and women in Washington who refuse to admit we cannot impose our will on the world. Continue

An American Bribe that Stinks of Appeasement

By Robert Fisk

In any other country, the current American bribe to Israel, and the latter's reluctance to accept it, in return for even a temporary end to the theft of somebody else's property would be regarded as preposterous. Continue

U.S. Rewarding Israel's Bad Behavior

By Daniel Kurtzer

While Washington will almost certainly come to regret bribing Israel, Israel may regret receiving such a bribe even more. Continue

Hush Money?
Ex-AIPAC Official Got At Least $670,000 From Donors

By Jeff Stein

He said his next move is to show that AIPAC, Washington’s major pro-Israeli lobbying group by far, regularly traffics in sensitive U.S. government information, especially material related to the Middle East. Continue

TSA is Delivering Naked Insecurity

By Ralph Nader

To the Department of Homeland Security: If you thought this week was bad, brace yourself for a tsunami of protests in the days ahead. Continue

Five killed in bicycle bomb blast in eastern Afghanistan: A bicycle bomb went off in Laghman province in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing five civilians and injuring 25 others, an official said.
NATO occupation forces kill three civilians children in northeast Afghanistan: locals said a fourth person was also killed in the incident. According to provincial police chief Brigadier General Khalilullah Ziayee, speaking to the Pajhwok Afghan news agency, a police officer and his three nephews - all children - were killed in the accident.
Nato and US differ over Afghan exit: A senior Obama administration official said the US has not committed to ending its combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014.
Thousands protest against Afghanistan war: The demonstration, which organisers said was 10,000-strong, came as the prime minister, David Cameron, said the withdrawal of British combat troops from Afghanistan by 2015 was a "firm deadline" that would be met.
U.S. wants to expand areas in Pakistan where it can conduct missile attacks kill people with drones: reports: Pakistan has rejected the request, officials said. Instead, the country has agreed to more modest measures, including an expanded CIA presence in Quetta.
Gunmen torch 10 Nato oil tankers in Peshawar: According to police officials, six assailants attacked a workshop located on the Ring Road and torched 10 Nato oil tankers, completely gutting them. The attackers fled while opening fire.
U.S. official: Israel must refrain from East Jerusalem construction during freeze: Shas has said that it will oppose U.S. exchange offer if Jerusalem is included in the 90-day freeze; U.S. official: Whatever Netanyahu told Shas about Jerusalem is not true.
U.S. bars Palestinian statehood moves in U.N. agencies: Palestinians have been trying to advance their statehood agenda in small but symbolic ways in United Nations agencies that fall off the radar for most people.
Nobel laureates urge Israel to let Vanunu receive int'l rights award: Atomic whistleblower seeks to attend ceremony granting him the International League of Human Rights' Carl von Ossietzky Medal in Berlin.
George Galloway. Blasts Ottawa for its policies on Israel and Afghanistan: He called for "one democratic state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, with equal rights for Jews, Muslims and Christians."
'Worm targeted Natanz, Bushehr nuclear sites': German computer security expert releases new study claiming the Stuxnet worm, which some claim slowed down activity in the Iranian sites, was designed to act as a 'digital warhead.'
Welcome to America: $11,000 fine, arrest possible for some who refuse airport scans and pat downs: Anyone refusing faces fines up to $11,000 and possible arrest.
Palm Beach Prepared To Detain TSA Security Defiers: Palm Beach International Airport travelers who refuse to submit to a full-body scanner or a pat down, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday.
Cancer surviving flight attendant forced to remove prosthetic breast during pat-down: "She put her full hand on my breast and said, 'What is this?'. And I said, 'It's my prosthesis because I've had breast cancer.' And she said, 'Well, you'll need to show me that'."
Enhanced pat down leaves Grand Rapids airline passenger in tears: Before boarding a flight in Grand Rapids, a woman says the search at the security checkpoint was violent, unnecessary and extremely upsetting.
Thirteen arrested in California student protest: A University of California police officer drew his gun at protesting students in San Francisco on Wednesday
There is Another Way for Bullied Ireland: The EU authorities and IMF are telling the Irish 'there's no alternative' to their brutal bailout conditions. That's so wrong
U.S. in Vast Insider Trading Probe: Federal authorities, capping a three-year investigation, are preparing insider-trading charges that could ensnare consultants, investment bankers, hedge-fund and mutual-fund traders and analysts across the nation, according to people familiar with the matter.
Three more banks go under: Total bank failures rise to 149 for the year: Three banks based in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida are closing up shop and going into receivership, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced late Friday, bringing the total number of bank failures to 149 since the start of the year.
FDIC Watchdog Weighs Criminal Charges Against Bank Officials: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s internal watchdog and the FBI are cooperating on about 50 cases of possible criminal violations involving former and current bank employees and customers, an official said.

Friday 19 November 2010

News For November 19, 2010

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Pentagon Blows up Thousands of Homes in Afghanistan
Repeating the horrors of the Vietnam War

By Brian Becker

The Obama-ordered surge in Afghanistan has been secretly blowing up thousands of homes and leveling portions of the Afghan countryside. Continue

General: More Troops Need African Language Skills

By Lolita C. Baldor

Army Gen. Carter Ham, who has been nominated to head U.S. Africa Command, told a Senate committee that the threat of terror from Somalia and other areas of East Africa is one of the command's greatest challenges. Continue

4 Common Myths about the War on Terrorism

By Reese Erlich

The US will never win the War on Terrorism. The term will simply fade into the history books, along with the empire itself. Continue

Al-Qaeda’s Christian Massacre
Aiding and Abetting the Occupation of Palestine

By Maidhc Ó Cathail

In contrast to al-Qaeda’s efforts to drive a wedge between Islam and Christianity, the solidarity between the world’s two largest religions in Palestine poses a real threat to the Israeli occupation. Continue

Evidence of Iran Nuclear Weapons Program May Be Fraudulent

By Gareth Porter

The evidence that documents at the center of the case for a covert Iranian nuclear weapons program are fraudulent suggests the need for a strategic reset on Iran policy. Continue

The Allegations Against Him are False
Statement by Julian Assange's Counsel
By Mark Stephens

Thousands of news articles and 3.6million web pages now contain his name and the word “rape”. Indeed, three out of four webpages that mention Mr. Assange’s name also now mention the word “rape”—a direct result of incompetent and malicious behavior by Swedish government prosecutors. Continue

Defend Julian Assange

By WikiLeaks Staff Editorial

Because of the nature of the work performed by WikiLeaks both the organization and Julian Assange are constantly under attack. Continue

China Has Tied Bernanke's Hands
The Least We Can Do Is Be Grateful

By Mike Whitney

Bernanke went on and on about how mean China is and how they manipulate their currency to gain competitive advantage. It was surreal; like listening to a serial arsonist complain about his wife smoking in bed. Continue

Ireland: The Bank That Ate A Country

Editorial

Like the mythical Atlas holding the world on his shoulders, the Irish coalition government heaped the financial institutions on the shoulders of the Irish state. Continue

The 'Porno Scanners'
A Bizarre Tale of Graft and Sleazy Political Opportunism

By Michael Collins

Chertoff was caught red handed shilling for full body scanners on behalf of a company that was a client of Chertoff's consulting company. Continue

The First Victory Against The Police State May Come Against The TSA

By Saman Mohammadi

This opportunity must be seized because another one may not come for a long time. Continue

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Had Mental Illness in 2009

By Reuters

More than 45 million Americans, or 20 percent of U.S. adults, had some form of mental illness last year, and 11 million had a serious illness, U.S. government researchers reported on Thursday. Continue

13 insurgents killed in N.E. Afghanistan : A combined Afghan and NATO force killed 13 insurgents while conducting a patrol in the SirKani district of Kunar province Thursday.
5 Taliban militants killed in southern Afghanistan: Afghan and NATO troops killed five Taliban insurgents and detained a handful of militants in Afghanistan's restive southern Helmand province, the military alliance said Friday.
IED blast kills NATO OCCUPATION FORCE soldier in S. Afghanistan: A soldier with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed Friday in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strike in southern Afghanistan, the military alliance said, Xinhua reported.
U.S. deploying heavily armored battle tanks for first time in Afghan war: The U.S. military is sending a contingent of heavily armored battle tanks to Afghanistan for the first time in the nine-year war, defense officials said, a shift that signals a further escalation in the aggressive tactics that have been employed by American forces this fall to attack the Taliban.
Analysis: Assertive Karzai bewilders allies: With the war at a critical stage, Afghanistan's president is publicly berating his NATO allies, criticizing military tactics and occasionally reminding them that they are not the only players in his country.
US Kills 4 People In Pakistan: US missiles have destroyed a moving vehicle near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, killing four alleged militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
U.S. ready to offer Israel written guarantees if it would restart "peace" talks: Netanyahu hopeful his cabinet will approve renewing settlement freeze in exchange for diplomatic and defense enticements from Washington.
Young Jewish and Proud: Young Jews with the Jewish Voice for Peace Leadership Institute use nonviolent direct action to advance the cause of Palestinian human rights and reclaim the mantle of Jewish leadership based on universal justice.
Israeli who allegedly trained Colombia guerillas released from prison in Russia: Lt.-Col. Yair Klein wanted in Colombia on charges of training the 'death squads' released from jail and is on his way back to Israel.
Germany says Namibia terror alert was a security test: Package on Air Berlin plane was a 'real-test suitcase' and passengers were not at risk, says German interior minister
US outfit confirms manufacturing of Namibia fake bomb : The owner of a small firm in California confirmed Friday that he was the manufacturer of a fake suitcase bomb, intended for security training, that was found in a Namibian airport.
Was it a training exercise? Loch Lomond forest blast is linked to Al Qaeda: An explosion on the shores of Loch Lomond is being investigated as a possible Al Qaeda bomb test.
George W. Bush can’t fight for freedom and authorise torture: It is not yet clear whether George W Bush is planning to cross the Atlantic to flog us his memoirs. The real trouble — from the Bush point of view — is that he might never see Texas again.
President Obama to award George H.W. Bush the Presidential Medal of Freedom: The magnanimous gesture of bestowing the nation’s highest civilian honor to the 41st U.S. President came a day after ex-President George W. Bush gave a respectful nod to Obama at the groundbreaking of his library in Dallas.
Texas Gov. Perry: May need troops in Mexico: Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the United States should consider deploying military forces into Mexico to stem the drug-related violence afflicting the border region.
Welcome to America: Airport staff 'exposed woman's breasts, laughed': A WOMAN is suing over an incident where airport staff allegedly pulled down her top and joked about her breasts in public view.
Airports consider congressman's call to ditch TSA: In a climate of Internet campaigns to shun airport pat-downs and veteran pilots suing over their treatment by government screeners, some airports are considering another way to show dissatisfaction: Ditching TSA agents altogether.
Judge refuses to stop construction of Tenn. mosque: A judge refused Wednesday to stop construction of a proposed mosque in Tennessee that was opposed by some local residents who tried to argue that there was a conspiracy by Muslims to impose extremist law on the United States.
Cops bust seven men playing chess in upper Manhattan park: A squad of cops in bulletproof vests swooped into an upper Manhattan park and charged seven men with the "crime" of playing chess in an area off-limits to adults unaccompanied by kids -- even though no youngsters were there.
Allied Irish says it's lost 17 percent of deposits: Allied Irish Banks says it has lost a staggering euro13 billion ($18 billion), or 17 percent, of its total deposit base since June in the latest evidence of cash flight from Ireland's debt-crippled banking sector.
In case you missed it: Real IRA says it will target UK bankers: Exclusive: Republican terror group vows to resume mainland attacks with banks and bankers now potential targets
Ireland overestimating bank credit losses -Goldman: - Ireland's National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) may have overestimated the scale of the country's banking problem and the government may end up overcapitalising the sector, investment bank Goldman Sachs said.
House GOP blocks extension of jobless benefits: House Republicans voted Thursday to deny an extension of unemployment benefits for jobless Americans and tried to cut off public funding for National Public Radio, moves that reinforced the GOP's direction following its midterm election gains.