Betrayal in Beirut;
Wikileaks fingers collaborators in Lebanese government
By Mike Whitney

 The Lebanese government collaborated with US officials in a way that ensured that Lebanese civilians would be killed.. Continue

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Why Bradley Manning is Fighting for his Sanity
Coercion and humiliation seep through American culture

By Alexander Cockburn

The American liberal conscience began to make its accommodation with torture in June 1977, which was the month the London Sunday Times published a major expose of the torture of Palestinians by the Israeli armed forces and the security agency, Shin Bet. Continue

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Bringing the 'Bush Six' to Justice

By Michael Ratner

If those responsible for the Bush administration's torture policy will not face charges in the US, then in Spain it must be. Continue

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Nader: "The TSA is a Basketcase"
US Officials Say Airport Scanners 'Erode Rights'

By Karin Zeitvogel

Next thing American travelers know, they will be subjected to body cavity searches, he said. Continue

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GOP Victory Bankrolled by Wall Street Executives

MSNBC The Dylan Ratigan Show

GOP Victory Bankrolled by Wall Street Executives 112th Congress brought to you by Wall street. Continue

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1.5 Million Americans Filed for Bankruptcy in 2010

By Jerry White

As tens of millions are finding it impossible to pay their bills, the corporations and banks are raking in record profits, top executives are pocketing huge payouts and the richest 2 percent of the population is celebrating the tax cut handed to them by Obama and the congressional Republicans. Continue

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Pentagon, Military Actively War Gaming
'Large Scale Economic Breakdown' and 'Civil Unrest'

CNBC Video

The Army, through training exercises dubbed "Unified Quest 2011," is actively pursuing strategies to deal with a variety of scenarios including large scale economic breakdown, domestic order amid civil unrest. Continue

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Suicide attack kills 17 in southern Afghanistan: About an hour later, gunmen shot dead a police inspector in the nearby city of Kandahar, local police said.

Attacks in Afghanistan kill 3 NATO-occupation force troops: One ISAF service member was killed by a homemade bomb in the south of the country, while two troops died in a bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan, ISAF said.

Dutch plan Afghan police mission: The Netherlands is to send a 545-strong police training force to Afghanistan, months after withdrawing combat troops.

Taliban Strength Unaffected By Allied Surge: A massive effort by U.S. and NATO forces – including offensives in the insurgent heartland and targeted assassinations of rebel leaders – has failed to dent Taliban numerical strength over the past year, according to military and diplomatic officials.

Dem Congresswoman: Afghanistan Is A "National Embarrassment": "This war represents an epic failure, a national embarrassment and a moral blight," Rep. Woolsey said.

10 Yemeni soldiers killed in ambush: The army patrol cars were attacked on Friday in Lawdar, a city in the province of Abyan where several military raids against suspected al-Qaeda fighters took place last year

US Kills 6 People In Pakistan: A US drone is suspected of firing four missiles at a vehicle in north-western Pakistan, killing six alleged militants, intelligence officials said today.

Pakistan leader rescues coalition: Pakistan's prime minister yanks his government back from the brink as a key ally decides to rejoin the coalition, amid mounting turmoil in the country.

Gunmen kill five people in Baghdad: Unidentified gunmen stormed a house in Hussaini district in northeastern Baghdad, killing the parents and three children before they fled the scene, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Al-Sadr to speak, everyone's listening: A spokesman at Mr. Sadr's office in Najaf said the cleric would deliver "a very important speech" Saturday at his home outside the Shiite holy city.

How the US let al-Qaida get its hands on an Iraqi weapons factory: In an exclusive extract from his new book, A History of the World since 9/11, Dominic Streatfeild explains how despite expert warnings, the US let al-Qaida buy an arsenal of deadly weapons – then tried to cover it up

Fact or fiction? Pentagon Seeks Biggest Military Cuts Since Before 9/11: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that the nation’s “extreme fiscal duress” now required him to call for cuts in the size of the Army and Marine Corps, reversing the significant growth in military spending that followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Wall Street Is Told Military Budget Will Go Up in FY 2012: Gates plans to shift savings from reducing overhead and inefficiencies into current weapons systems and research in order to prevent deep cuts in those programs.

Israeli occupation forces killed civillian in bed: Israeli troops shoot dead a 67-year-old Palestinian man by mistake in an operation to arrest members of Hamas.

Israel Occupation Force soldier killed, 4 wounded in firefight in Gaza no go area: A firefight broke out on the spot, taking the IDF soldiers by surprise and wounding four of them, one of them mortally.

Sacking “Dangerous Dahlan” – a blow to Israel and a step towards Palestinian reconciliation

PA seeks UN vote next week on resolution condemning illegal West Bank settlements: The resolution puts the Obama administration in a difficult position because a veto would anger the Palestinians and its many supporters in the Arab world and elsewhere - and an abstention would anger the Israelis.

West Bank: UN warns of new Israeli controls: The United Nations says it is increasingly concerned that Israel is about to tighten access restrictions to the occupied West Bank.

Russian president to visit occupied Palestinian territories: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will visit the Palestinian territories even though his trip to Israel has been canceled due to an Israeli Foreign Ministry strike, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Report: Chile recognizes independent Palestinian state: Chilean President Sebastian Pinera's announcement preceded by official recognition of Palestine by Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.
Israeli pilot describes 'good strike' that killed 15 Gazans in 2002: The July 22 bombing of the home of Salah Shehadeh, killed a total of 15 people, including Shehadeh and his assistant. The other victims included eight children ?(ranging in age from less than a year to 14 years old?) and three women.
Egyptian police accused of torture: Family of a 31-year-old man arrested on Tuesday night say he died in hospital in Alexandria after torture by officers.
UK, Canada reject expulsion of Ivory Coast envoys: Gbagbo's increasingly isolated government said late Thursday that the two ambassadors were no longer welcome but London and Ottawa reiterated that they only recognised Ouattara's legitimacy.
Algerian riots resume over food prices: Police deployed around mosques and football matches suspended amid protests over food prices and unemployment
Drug gangs seize parts of northern Guatemala: Government declares state of siege and suspends civil liberties as Mexican Zetas cartel overruns Alta Verapaz province
Rights Groups Urge Spanish Judge to Subpoena Former Guantánamo Commander for Role in Detainee Torture: “There is ample evidence – primarily from U.S. government sources – that Geoffrey Miller played a central role in the torture of detainees at Guantánamo, and later in Iraq
Europe unveils sweeping plans to govern reckless banks: Brussels has called for sweeping powers for regulators to seize failing EU banks, sack board members, and impose haircuts on senior bank debt, aiming to ensure that taxpayers are never again held hostage by high finance.
China buys up EU government debt: The Spanish daily El Pais on Thursday cited Spanish government sources as saying China has committed to buy about 6 billion euros ($7.89 billion) worth of Spanish sovereign debt.
Republicans attempt to stifle action on climate change: After first day in Congress, Republicans have outlined three bills aimed at limiting power of the Environmental Protection Agency
Thanks, But No Thanks: Liberals Scoff at Daley's New Job: Daley has "close ties to the Big Banks and Big Business" and that the announcement is "troubling and sends the wrong message to the American people."
America's union-bashing backlash: Unlike bankers, US labour unions had nothing to do with the economic crisis – yet they're the ones now being scapegoated
Bernanke fears slow US recovery: Labor Department figures showing that the US unemployment rate dropped to 9.4% in December from 9.8% in November. However, the lower rate came not only because more people found jobs, but also because 260,000 had given up looking and had therefore disappeared from the jobless total.
Census Bureau says 15.7 percent in poverty: Wednesday's report said 18 percent of children and 16.1 percent of the elderly live in poverty.
Study: After Bankruptcy, Americans Need 10-20 Years To Recover: Compared to those who have similar social and economic backgrounds, people who declare bankruptcy catch up to non-filers in terms of savings in about 12 years, total income in 14 years, home ownership in 14 years, and net worth in 26 years.