Libya Rebels: Gaddafi Could be Right About al-Qaeda

Two documents suggest northeast Libya, centre of rebellion, is an al-Qaeda hotspot

By Alexander Cockburn

The war on Libya now being waged by the US, Britain and France must surely rank as one of the stupidest martial enterprises, smaller in scale to be sure, since Napoleon took it into his head to invade Russia in 1812. Continue

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The CIA’s Libya Rebels:
2007 West Point Study Shows Benghazi-Darnah-Tobruk Area was a World Leader in Al Qaeda Suicide Bomber Recruitment

By Webster G. Tarpley, Ph.D.

Many commentators have voiced anxiety because of the mystery which surrounds the anti-Qaddafi transitional government which emerged at the beginning of March in the city of Benghazi. Continue

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Libyan Civilians Injured in US Pilot Rescue

Channel 4 Video Report

After hosting a party for a stricken US pilot, Libyan civilians are fired upon and injured by US rescue team. Continue

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Obama and Libya

By Butler Shaffer

Does anyone not suspect that the total lack of impeachment talk from members of Congress might be due to ”our representatives” who, like Obama and the RCA Victor dog, are busy listening to their “masters’ voice”? Continue

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Saudi Arabia Abandons Yemen’s Saleh, Calls for Transition

By: David Dayen

“The kingdom will not fight for Saleh … We have very bad experiences with him. The man’s survival makes no difference.” Continue

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The Pentagon’s Pro-War Sock Puppets

By Anthony Gregory

In the next years, if you find someone online defending the warfare state, it just might be a government propagandist. The web persona might be a complete fake, even the product of a computer program concocted by the US military. Continue

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Billionaires Flourish, Inequalities Deepen as Economies "Recover"

By James Petras

The enormous concentration of wealth in the hands of this tiny parasitical ruling class is one reason why the US has the worst inequalities of any advanced economy and among the worst in the entire world. Continue

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Rights Are Curtailed for Terror Suspects

By EVAN PEREZ

New rules allow investigators to hold domestic-terror suspects longer than others without giving them a Miranda warning, significantly expanding exceptions to the instructions that have governed the handling of criminal suspects for more than four decades. Continue

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Welcome To America
Power To Strip Search Passengers Claimed by Feds

By Bob Barr

In a breathtaking statement delivered in an official court proceeding, the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims authority to strip search every airline passenger; and to begin such a practice without even soliciting comment from the public. Continue

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Syria: At least 25 killed: Around 20,000 people have lined the streets of Deraa for the funerals of protesters killed in clashes with security forces. A Syrian journalist tells Channel 4 News the situation "is out of control".

Syria: Protesters Killed and Scores Detained Including Children: At least 21 people went missing after Wednesday’s protest and another 33 people could face up to fifteen years in prison for taking part in the protests.

Pakistan: Eight militants killed in Orakzai: In a counter-attack, government forces killed eight militants, local officials said. There was no independent confirmation of the clash as the region is remote and out of bounds for journalists.

5 Killed as police targeted in Pakistan suicide attack: At least five people are killed and dozens injured in an attack on a police station in the northwest of the country.

331 US officials may leave Pak under secret deal over Davis: A total of 331 US officials in Pakistan, most of them suspected of engaging in espionage under diplomatic cover, have been "identified to leave the country" under a secret deal between the two sides for release of American national Raymond Davis, a media report said on Thursday.

NATO occupation force kills 2 civilians in Kabul: A NATO helicopter gunship inadvertently killed two civilians while attacking suspected insurgents in the northern Afghanistan province of Khost, NATO announced Thursday.

Two British occupation force troops killed in Afghan bombing: ministry: Two British soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan just six days before they were due to return home, the defence ministry said Thursday.

US Soldier Gets "24 Years" for Murders of 3 Afghans: Morlock, will receive 352 days off of his sentence for time served and could be eligible for parole in about seven years, said his lead attorney

Outrage over horrific racist taunts against locals by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan: According to the Herald Sun, soldiers have been warned that they could face military tribunal, censure, discharge or even jail for describing Afghans as “ragheads”, “dune coons”, “sand niggaz” and “smelly locals”.

Gadhafi forces hold on Misrata undeterred by Western air strikes: Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi seized control of Misrata's port on Wednesday, stranding thousands of Egyptian and sub-Saharan African migrant workers, who were seeking evacuation by sea, the resident said.

US and French act as rebel airforce? Libya rebels coordinating with West on air assault: Leaders of the opposition national council in rebel-controlled eastern Libya say they are making regular, secure contacts with allied military representatives in Europe to help commanders identify targets for the U.S.-led air assault.

Allies Move from Defense to Offense in Libya: “Everybody clearly has in mind the "secondary" aim of Colonel Gaddafi’s departure,” a top aide to President Nicholas Sarkozy said on Monday.
Libyan rebels appear to take leaf from Kadafi's playbook: For a month, gangs of young gunmen have roamed the city, rousting Libyan blacks and immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa from their homes and holding them for interrogation as suspected mercenaries or government spies.
Libya TV Airs Images of Tripoli Bombing Aftermath, Said-to-be Civilian Victims: Libyan broadcasters claimed that an unknown number of civilians were injured and killed in coalition air strikes in Tripoli late on Wednesday.
There's nothing moral about Nato's intervention in Libya: The attacks on Libya risk a bloody stalemate and are a threat to the region. The alternative has to be a negotiated settlement
Policeman killed in south Yemen capital, seven others wounded: A policeman was killed and seven others were wounded when their patrol was ambushed in southern Yemen's main city of Aden on Thursday, a security official told AFP.
Pro-Saleh forces clash with Yemen army units: Forces loyal to the Yemeni president have clashed with regular army troops in the eastern town of Mukalla.
Yemeni opposition says No to Saleh's new offer: Yemen's opposition stepped up efforts to remove President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Thursday, dismissing his offer to stand down after a presidential election at the end of the year.
Saudis prepare to abandon troublesome Yemen: "The kingdom will not fight for Saleh. . . . We have very bad experiences with him. The man's survival makes no difference."
British citizens should leave Yemen 'without delay': Foreign secretary makes statement to House of Commons warning that security situation in country is deteriorating rapidly
Yemen shuts down Al-Jazeera: The Doha-based television, in a strapline on screen, said its offices in Sanaa were closed and press accreditation withdrawn of its staff in Yemen, which has heavily criticised the channel's coverage of the unrest.
Israeli air strikes draw Gaza rocket fire: Projectiles fired at Israel from Gaza Strip in apparent reprisal to air raids on the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli airstrikes across Gaza: Drones fired four missiles at the Palestinian Authority intelligence headquarters and an Al-Qassam Brigades site.
Egypt honors agreements, holds Israel responsible for Gaza - FM: Egyptian Foreign Minister reiterated the firm stance of his country that Israel should also shoulder its responsibilities in Gaza, "as an occupying force."
Russians still intend to go through with Syria missile sale: The Russian sale of Yakhnot anti-ship cruise missiles to Syria is a "done deal," and Moscow has no intention of scuttling it, the Kremlin told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Thursday in Moscow Thursday, according to a senior Israeli diplomatic source.
Netanyahu plays up Iran threat in Russia: Netanyahu went into the talks vowing to show Israel's "iron will" to those who attack his country and he underscored the risk of Islamic regimes rising to power amid the turbulence now wracking North Africa and the Middle East.
UN creates human rights investigator on Iran: The vote marks the first time since it was formed five years ago that the U.N. Human Rights Council has created a new such investigative position for a U.N. member nation, rather than merely extend the mandate of a previously existing one.
More of the same? Egypt's military law criminalizes protests, strikes: Egyptians who risked their lives trying to depose a ruler who ran a police state and never lifted emergency for more than three decades, are fuming under the bizarre policy of the new dispensation.
EGYPT: Rights group alleges military forced captured female protesters into taking 'virginity tests': Salwa Hosseini, 20, who was taken by soldiers to a military prison on the outskirts of Cairo, told Amnesty International that she and fellow female detainees were strip searched, photographed while naked and subjected to electric shocks.
Former Mubarak minister charged over deaths: Habib al-Adly, former Egyptian interior minister, accused over alleged "premeditated killing" of protesters
Half a Million Bahrains to Hold 'Day of Rage' on Friday: - Hundreds of Thousands Bahraini people planned a huge demonstration across the country on Friday, March 25. - Bahraini People announced plans for another "Day of Rage" on Friday in defiance of the martial law imposed since last week.
Clashes in Algeria over housing row: Police disperse crowds who throw stones and petrol bombs to stop bulldozers demolishing dozens of illegally built homes
3 nuke workers hospitalized in Japan: Japan's nuclear safety agency said the workers of the Fukushima Daiichi plant were hospitalized after being exposed to radiation, AFP reported Thursday.
WikiLeaks: Colombia began using U.S. drones for counterterrorism in 2006: The Colombian military began using U.S.-supplied surveillance drones for counterterrorism and counter-narcotics operations in 2006, according to a classified State Department cable released Wednesday by WikiLeaks.
US military aid to Colombia serves to enrich defense companies: WikiLeaks founder: United States military aid to Colombia serves more to enrich private defense companies than to help the Andean nation, said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
Pentagon overpaid billionaire oil tycoon by up to $200million: The audit found that Harry Sargeant III was overpaid on several military contracts worth nearly $2.7billion.
Ex-White House economists issue debt warning: Ten former White House economists on Thursday called for US politicians of all stripes to get serious about tackling the country's spiraling debt, warning of a looming crisis "that could dwarf 2008."
Haley Barbour flew state plane to deliver cost cutting message to CPAC, Fox News: Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, his wife and three aides flew in a luxury jet to Washington for a weekend of politicking, including an appearance on Fox News Sunday and a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference. “Our problem is not that we tax too little,” Barbour told the gathering. “It’s that we spend too much.”
California’s Tax Hike Did Not Work: California’s tax collections grew at around half of what the state projected for 2010—indicating that the state’s fiscal situation may be even more dire than previously understood.