The Torture Career of Egypt’s New Vice President:
Omar Suleiman and the Rendition to Torture Program

By Stephen Soldz

Suleiman wasn’t just the go-to bureaucrat for when the Americans wanted to arrange a little torture. This “urbane and sophisticated man” apparently enjoyed a little rough stuff himself. Continue

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How Did The U.S. Get In Bed With Mubarak?

By Justin Elliott

His being a steadfast ally -- what has that done for the U.S. beyond the Israeli question? Continue

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Things Have To Change In Order To Remain The Same

By Paul Craig Roberts

After days of Egyptians in the streets demanding “Mubarak must go,” the US government remains aligned with its puppet Egyptian ruler, even suggesting that Mubarak, after running a police state for three decades, is the appropriate person to implement democracy in Egypt. Continue

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What Corruption and Force Have Wrought in Egypt

By Chris Hedges

The Muslim world does not see us as we see ourselves. Muslims are aware, while we are not, that we have murdered tens of thousands of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. We have terrorized families, villages and nations. Continue

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Can the Palestinian Authority survive?

By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth

"The fight for national independence is over and, if it is to survive, the PA must quickly reinvent its role. Palestinians are now in for the long haul: a struggle for their civil and political rights in a single state," Continue

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US Troops Die Because of Their Country, Not For It

By Gary Younge

US admiration for its soldiers may be deep and widespread, but interest in what they are doing is shallow and fleeting. Continue

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Where's the Protest at Home?

By Robert Kuttner

Where is the leadership connecting the dots... between the financial meltdown, the record profits and bonuses on Wall Street, the continuing collapse of home equity, the joblessness, and the assault on public services in the name of budgetary prudence? Continue

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Another "Whitewash" for Wall Street

By Mike Whitney

The banks can continue to deceive shareholders and investors just like before, and anyone who opposes them, like ex-FASB Chairman Robert Herz, will get the boot. This is a system that no longer has the capacity for course-correction, which is why another crisis cannot be far off. Continue

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Floods Australia‘s ‘Katrina’ moment

By John Pilger

The victims of the great flood have been mostly poor people, including timber workers and their families. Most could not afford insurance or discovered their policy did not include “types of flood”. Continue

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Somali police battle troops, leaving 16 dead: At least 16 people have been killed and 56 injured in the Somali capital Mogadishu, during a shoot-out between troops and police.
Sudan student 'dies in clashes': Protesters say he was beaten by police amid anti-government demonstrations in Khartoum and died of his wounds.
One dead, seven injured in Iraq: Gunmen have killed an Iraqi electricity ministry employee and seven people have been wounded in a string of attacks in Baghdad.
Six killed in two Pakistan blasts: officials: Six people including four police officers were killed and 14 people wounded in two bomb blasts in Pakistan's northwest on Monday, the first detonated by a teenage suicide bomber.
Double murder-accused US diplomat was on a 'task' in Pakistan: "I told you that I was going to fulfil the task, assigned to me in my capacity. That's all," a highly placed source quoted the accused as having told the investigators.
NATO occupation force soldier killed IED blast in Afghanistan: "An International Security Assistance Force service member died following an improvised explosive device attack in eastern Afghanistan today," the statement said.
Afghan bank’s losses could reach $900m: Fraud and mismanagement at Afghanistan’s largest bank have resulted in potential losses of as much as $900 million — three times previous estimates — heightening concerns that the bank could collapse and trigger a broad financial panic in Afghanistan
Kabul Bank employees flee amid investigation into lending: The acting chief financial officer and other Pakistani employees of Kabul Bank have fled Afghanistan amid an investigation into the scope of the bank's reckless lending and allegations that its shareholders paid large bribes to many senior Afghan officials, according to Afghan officials and others familiar with the issue.
Egypt army: will not use violence against citizens: The army said on Monday it would not use force against Egyptians staging protests demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down, a statement said.
Egypt: Log on to the Revolution: Egyptians can continue to connect to the internet for free (I've heard) via traditional phone lines using the following instructions: FDN (Free World Dial up) to access the Internet anonymously at the following number: 33172890150 with login: toto and password: toto.
Mubarak swears in new cabinet: Egypt's president appoints new cabinet in an attempt to quell ongoing mass street protests against his rule.
US envoy in Cairo for talks: Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, dismissed Monday's move by Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, to appoint a new government, saying the situation in the country called for action, not appointments.
Former President Carter guesses Egypt's Mubarak 'will have to leave': - Former President Jimmy Carter called the weeklong political unrest and rioting in Egypt an “earth shaking event” and said that the country’s president, Hosni Mubarak, “will have to leave.”
Egyptian financial crisis looms: Investors transferred hundreds of millions of dollars out of the country since the start of the protests a week ago.
Egypt turmoil pushes crude oil price over $100 a barrel: Opec secretary general expresses concern with tension throughout region and armed guards at Suez canal
Israel urging Canada, U.S. to curb criticism of Mubarak: Ambassadors in those countries as well as in Russia and China were ordered Saturday “to stress to their host countries the importance of Egypt’s stability,” according to Haaretz, considered by many observers to be Israel’s most influential daily newspaper
U.S. presidential hopefuls hit the campaign trail in Israel : One of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination for president in 2012, Mike Huckabee leaves no stones unturned when it comes to his backing for Israel.
Officials lay cornerstone for new Jewish East Jerusalem neighborhood : The cornerstone for a new East Jerusalem Jewish neighborhood was placed on Monday, in a ceremony attended by Knesset members, Jerusalem councilmen, as well as former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
EU freezes assets of Tunisia's ousted President Ben Ali: The sanctions were approved by EU foreign ministers, after a request from Tunisia's new interim government.
Muslims Grow Disillusioned About Obama: In Egypt the percentage of Muslims expressing confidence in Obama fell from 41% to 31% and in Turkey from 33% to 23%.:
California man arrested with explosives outside Dearborn Islamic center: : A man has been charged with making a terrorist threat and carrying explosives after targeting one of the biggest mosques in the U.S.
As Egypt goes offline US gets internet 'kill switch' bill ready: As Egypt's government attempts to crackdown on street protests by shutting down internet and mobile phone services, the US is preparing to reintroduce a bill that could be used to shut down the internet.
EFF Uncovers Widespread FBI Intelligence Violations: EFF documents alarming trends in the Bureau’s intelligence investigation practices, suggesting that FBI intelligence investigations have compromised the civil liberties of American citizens far more frequently, and to a greater extent, than was previously assumed.
AAA Rating Is Tough to Defend as U.S. Debt Soars: Kevin Hassett: Last week, Standard & Poor’s lowered Japan’s bond rating to AA-, the fourth-highest level. By that standard, the U.S. got away with a slap on the wrist from Moody’s Investors Service, which warned merely that “the probability of assigning a negative outlook in the coming two years is rising.”
Nearly 11 Percent of US Houses Empty: Homeownership is falling at an alarming pace, despite the fact that home prices have fallen, affordability is much improved and inventories of new and existing homes are still running quite high.
Low-wage jobs dominated hiring so far in job market recovery: Growth has been concentrated in mid-wage and lower-wage industries. High-wage sectors -- made up of jobs that pay between $17.43 and $31 an hour -- accounted for nearly half the jobs lost during the recession, but have produced only 5% of the new jobs since hiring resumed
Florida Judge strikes down Obama's healthcare law: A federal judge in Florida has declared the US healthcare reform bill passed in 2010 unconstitutional, ruling in a suit brought by 26 states.