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US Military Option for Iran is ‘Ready,’ : American Ambassador

By Michal Shmulovich and Greg Tepper

The United States has completed its planning for a military strike on Iran, the US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro said in remarks at a closed conference in Tel Aviv. Continue

'U.S. Congressmen Live in Fear of Pro-Israeli Intimidation'

By Chemi Shalev

Many American senators and congressmen “keep quiet” and refrain from criticizing Israeli policies because they “live in fear” and are “intimidated” by pro-Israeli groups such as the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), according to J Street founder and President Jeremy Ben-Ami. Continue

Never Forget That Bradley Manning, Not Gay Marriage, Is The Issue

By John Pilger

The truth is that what matters to those who aspire to control our lives is not skin pigment or gender, or whether or not we are gay, but the class we serve. Continue

US DEA Kills Innocent Civilians in Honduras -- US Media Silent

By Dan Kovalik

Agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), dressed in military uniforms, killed at least four and possibly six civilians in a raid which took place on Friday, May 11. The victims included two pregnant women and two children. Continue

Federal Court Enjoins NDAA
Judge Rules Indefinite Detention Provisions Likely Violate the 1st and 5th Amendments

By Glenn Greenwald

This afternoon’s ruling came as part of a lawsuit brought by seven dissident plaintiffs — including Chris Hedges, Dan Ellsberg, Noam Chomsky, and Birgitta Jonsdottir — alleging that the NDAA violates ”both their free speech and associational rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. Continue

Judge Napolitano: Shoot Down a Drone, Become an American Hero

Video

“The same Congress that let the president bomb Libya is going to let his Air Force spy in our backyards and like potted plants, they’ll look the other way.” Judge Napolitano said this week. Continue

Left to Fend for Itself
The Plan to Kick Greece Out of the Eurozone

By Mike Whitney

This is what’s in store for Greece, banishment; because it refused to cut payrolls and - didn’t dismantle social security fast enough or crush its unions with sufficient gusto or auction off its national treasures to foreign capital according to plan. Continue

Greek Euro Exit: "Army On Streets & Border Shutdown"

Video

European politicians failed to see that the single currency's existence is in peril, trying to blame the system's failures on individual countries. Continue

Is JPMorgan's Loss a Canary in a Coal Mine?

By Bill Moyers

The sleek, silver-haired, too-smart-for-his-own-good CEO of America's largest bank has been turning every television show within reach into a confessional booth. Continue

Preying on the Poor
How Government and Corporations Use the Poor as Piggy Banks

By Barbara Ehrenreich

The trick is to rob them in ways that are systematic, impersonal, and almost impossible to trace to individual perpetrators. Continue

11 killed in deadly Taliban attack on Afghan governor office: Eleven people, including four Taliban fighters, were killed and more than a dozen others were injured when militants attacked a provincial governor’s compound in western Afghanistan on Thursday, May 17 international media reported, quoting Afghan officials, according to RIA Novosti.

Afghan Massacre : Survivors Recall Horror Of Attack By U.S. Army Sgt. : the survivors’ accounts lend an urgency to the official version of events, and they convey the brutality and the seeming randomness of what took place in those early-morning hours.

U.S. Requests Help To Pay For Afghan Army: Obama is unlikely to say so, but outside estimates of the U.S. share of the bill for Afghan defense after 2014 range from a quarter to well more than half the total bill. The U.S. will also be on the hook for other support to Afghanistan, but the amount is unclear.

Afghanistan to pump oil for the first time: Afghanistan will start pumping oil for the first time within five months, an official said yesterday, as part of the nation's efforts to tap underground treasures estimated to be worth billions.

Demonizing Pakistan: Cut off every cent of aid to Pakistan: US lawmakers: Prominent American lawmakers have asked the Obama administration to cut off every cent of its aid to Pakistan terming the country a "black hole" where the US has already "sunk" a whopping USD 24 billion since 2004.

7 killed in Libyan border town: At least seven people have been killed in clashes between armed men and residents of a Libyan town on the border with Algeria, officials said, underlining the insecurity that still plagues the country one month before elections.

US shadow war in Horn of Africa revealed by blogger: Cenciotti has described in unprecedented detail the powerful aerial force helping wage Washington's hush-hush campaign of air strikes, naval bombardments and commando raids along the western edge of the Indian Ocean

Growing the Empire: US to Assign Army Brigade to Africa for Training: Army leaders say a combat brigade will be assigned to the Pentagon's Africa Command next year in a pilot program that will send small teams of soldiers to countries around the continent to do training and participate in military exercises.

Three Turkish soldiers killed in PKK clash: Three Turkish soldiers were killed in clashes with Kurdish rebels near the Syrian border in southern Turkey on Thursday, the provincial governor's office said.

U.S. kills three "militants" in Yemen: official: A suspected U.S. drone attacked a convoy of Islamist militants in eastern Yemen overnight, killing three people, a local security official said on Thursday, as Washington intensifies its aerial campaign against fighters linked to al Qaeda.

U.S. escalates clandestine war in Yemen: -- In an escalation of America’s clandestine war in Yemen, a small contingent of U.S. troops is providing targeting data for Yemeni airstrikes as government forces battle to dislodge Al Qaeda militants and other insurgents in the country’s restive south, U.S. and Yemeni officials said.

Syria's UN ambassador says two Britons killed in Idlib: Two Britons have been killed while "engaged in terrorist armed operations" in Syria, the country's ambassador to the United Nations has said.

Syria to show captured mercenaries: SYRIA'S President Bashar al-Assad has promised to display captured foreign ''mercenaries'' who have been fighting his regime and denounced Western governments for failing to protest at the violence being perpetrated by his enemies.

U.S. Helps Syrian Rebels: The Syrian rebels have become better armed in the past few weeks, apparently receiving weapons that have been paid for by its Gulf neighbors and coordinated in part by the U.S., say opposition activists as well as U.S. and foreign officials.

Army: Top Al-Qaeda chief in country left for Syrian: The Lebanese Army and Palestinian forces have information that Al-Qaeda’s No. 1 operative in the country and four other members in Fatah al-Islam left the refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh for Syria in the last two days, sources told The Daily Star.

Syria: Church under attack as Christians leave Homs: The city of Homs, the third largest in Syria, has now seen almost its entire Christian population of 50,000 to 60,000 flee for safety as fighting continues in the stricken country, reports Barnabas Fund.

Opposition Syrian National Council head Burhan Ghalioun 'to resign': Burhan Ghalioun, who was re-elected as SNC leader on Tuesday, said he would step down once a replacement is found. The move comes as a key activist group said it may leave the SNC over what it called errors and a lack of consensus.

Clashes kill 1, injure 7 in Lebanon: Fresh sectarian clashes erupted between pro- and anti-Syrian districts in the north Lebanon port city of Tripoli on Thursday, leaving one person dead and seven wounded, a security official said.

IDF soldiers open fire near Gaza border, 8 wounded: Israeli forces opened fire near the Karni border crossing in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources reported on Thursday, adding that eight civilians were wounded, two of them seriously.

BBC Poll: Israel's global image plummets: Israel ranks among states perceived to have most negative influence on world, according to BBC poll; only Iran, Pakistan do worse, Israel's image hits nadir in Europe

Israeli intelligence head 'visited US for Iran talks': Israeli military intelligence chief Aviv Kochavi made a "secret visit" to Washington earlier this month to discuss the upcoming talks between world powers and Iran, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Engineering Consent For An Attack On Iran : Former Spain PM: Russia believes Israel will prevent Iran nuclear weapon: Jose Maria Aznar says Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told him in 2000 that Israel must be wiped from the map.

Mitt Romney expected to visit Israel: Rumors are rife in Washington that Republican candidate for the US presidency Romney plans to upstage President Obama in Israel.

Mladic trial suspended 'indefinitely': Presiding judge adjourns trial of Bosnian Serb military leader on second day, on grounds that prosecutors made "errors".

Veterans Say No to NATO: While the president and the Pentagon are handing out posthumous medals, a number of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan will be marching, in military formation, to McCormick Place in Chicago to hand their service medals back

Hondurans demand DEA leave after killing: People in Honduras' predominantly Indian Mosquito coast region burned down government offices and demanded that U.S. drug agents leave the area, reacting angrily to an anti-drug operation in which they say police gunfire killed four innocent people, including two pregnant women.

Mexican generals detained 'for gang links': Mexico's former deputy defense minister and a top army general are being questioned for suspected links to organized crime.

In casae you missed it: US Military Manipulates the Social Media: The US military is developing software that will allow it to secretly manipulate social media sites by using fake online personas to influence internet conversations and spread pro-American propaganda.

ECB Stops Loans to Some Greek Banks: The move comes after Draghi acknowledged for the first time that Greece could leave the monetary union.

Grexit could have Lehman effect - experts: Greece’s departure from the eurozone could create a domino effect for debt-choked Portugal, Spain and Italy, similar to that caused by the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy in 2008, experts say.

Bankia shares plunge again as it denies withdrawal rush: Shares in Spanish bank Bankia have again closed down sharply after concerns intensified about the struggling group's finances.

Spain and Ireland Did Not Overspend and Overborrow: As President Reagan used to say, "there you go again." Yes, the Washington Post is once again telling its readers that the problem in Europe is profligate spending by the crisis countries. The fact that this is not true apparently does not concern the paper.

France will not ratify current EU fiscal pact: New finance minister Pierre Moscovici says eurozone pact must be renegotiated to promote growth rather than austerity.

California, the ninth largest economy in the world, resorts to austerity: California, America's 'golden state', is slashing spending to avoid a Greek-style default

May 16, 2012

U.S. Organizing Syrian Rebels
Syrian Rebels Get Influx of Arms with Gulf Neighbors’ Money, U.S. Coordination

By Karen DeYoung and Liz Sly

Syrian rebels have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, an effort paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the United States, according to opposition activists and U.S. and foreign officials. Continue

Multi-lateral War Crimes Are Still War Crimes, No Matter Who Commits Them

By The World Can't Wait

US and its European allies have re-purposed NATO to dominate the globe. Continue

Veterans For Peace Calls for an End to NATO

By Veterans for Peace

NATO provides the United States with a pretense of global coalition and legality. Approximately half of the world's military spending is U.S., while adding the other NATO nations brings the total to three-quarters. Continue

US Resource War Against China
Further U.S. Militarization of The African Continent

By Nile Bowie

Public opinion in the United States is now being mobilized in favor of a greater military presence in Africa. Continue

Creating Killers and Dyers
Stop military recruiters and you stop the wars.

By Tony Soldo

The US Empire spends a billion dollars a year on military recruiting advertising and they do it because it works. Continue

Obama’s New Free Speech Threat

By Glenn Greenwald

An Executive order seeks to punish U.S. citizens even for "indirectly" obstructing dictatorial rule in Yemen. Continue

In Yemen, Eating is a Luxury Millions Struggle to Afford

By Lara Sukhtian

About 55 percent of Yemenis live below the poverty line on less than $2 dollars a day. Ten million are "food insecure," and five million of them are "severely food insecure." Continue

Farewell Israel?

Video

Is the American-Jewish romance with Israel coming to an end? - Cross Talk with Norman Finkelstein, Daniel Pollak and Mouin Rabbani. Continue

Chávez's Economics Lesson for Europe

By Richard Gott

Hugo Chávez's rejection of the neoliberal policies dragging Europe down sets a hopeful example to Greece and beyond. Continued

Ireland's Referendum- an Opportunity for Change

By John Perkins

If voters agree to sign this treaty for fiscal discipline, the country will be forced to implement even stricter austerity measures on its already beleaguered citizens. Continue

Accidentally Released - and Incredibly Embarrassing
Documents Show How Goldman et al Engaged in 'Naked Short Selling'

By Matt Taibbi

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes God smiles on us. Continue

Wells Fargo Has Blood on Its Hands:
Desperate Man Commits Suicide After Shocking Foreclosure Mistreatment

By Dave Johnson

This is the story of what happens when an average couple is up against a giant, wealthy, powerful bank. Continue

13 "Al-Qaida Militants", 4 Soldiers Killed In South Yemen: Intensive fighting occurred between government forces and al-Qaida militants Wednesday morning in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, leaving at least four soldiers and 13 terrorists dead.

7 Iraqi army soldiers killed in suicide bombing: A suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi army base in western Mosul on Tuesday, killing seven Iraqi soldiers and wounding 20 people, an official said.

Trial of Iraqi Vice President Hashemi opens in his absence: The trial of Iraq’s fugitive vice-president, Tariq al-Hashemi, opened in his absence on Tuesday and a lawmaker whose relatives were allegedly killed by “death squads” under his orders screamed abuse across the courtroom

Report: Syria rebels get better weapons as US quietly boosts support: Syrian rebels are getting more and better weapons in an effort paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated partly by the United States, the Washington Post reported late on Tuesday.

Army deploys in north Lebanon after deadly clashe: Lebanese soldiers backed by armored vehicles deployed Tuesday in the northern coastal city of Tripoli to restore order after three days of clashes between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen that claimed the lives of three and wounded scores more.

Libyan and two Tunisians confess to infiltrating into Syria with al-Qaeda; Syria state-run TV (Syria TV) on Tuesday published footage of three terrorists, one Libyan and two Tunisians, who confess to infiltrating into Syria to carry out terrorist attacks in coordination with al-Qaeda.

Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution Fighters Arrive in Syria: At least five Tunisians have been killed this month in the revolution – the Syrian revolution, that is. A sixth may also be dead.

Several killed in Libya desert town clash: At least seven people were killed in clashes between armed nomads and residents of a Libyan town on the border with Algeria on Wednesday, officials said, underlining the insecurity that still plagues the country one month before elections.

Concern grows over jihadist numbers in eastern Libya: Hundreds of Islamist militants are in and around the town, and there are camps where weapons and physical training are provided to militants. He said one official had described the area as "a disaster zone."

Bombed Libyan Village Where NATO's "Collateral Damage" Has A Name And A Face: NATO says it was a "legitimate" target. Villagers tell a very different story, of innocent victims, and pain made worse by NATO's refusal to admit its tragic error.

Collateral damage: Victims of NATO's war: Can NATO be sued and held accountable for killing civilians as most recently seen in Libya and Afghanistan?

EU carries out attack on Somalia: Maritime aircraft and attack helicopters took part in the attacks early in the morning on the mainland, a spokesman said. No casualties were reported in the raid, which occurred along Somalia's central coastline in the region of Galmudug.

US stokes war flames before nuclear talks; The US House of Representatives approved a resolution on Tuesday that undermines diplomatic efforts to resolve Iran's nuclear stand-off with the West peacefully.

RAND Corporation warns against striking Iran: One of the most influential and respected U.S. think tanks advising the Pentagon, has published a comprehensive report in the Rand Review warning against striking Iran.

Bolton: ‘Israel should have struck’ Iran several years ago: Former United Nations’ American ambassador John Bolton continued his campaign to have the country of Iran bombed Tuesday evening, feeling that Israel should have accomplished the task several years ago.

Pakistan sells out: Pakistan seeks $1M per day to supply Afghan war The cost of the U.S.-led war effort in Afghanistan is about to rise by $365 million annually under an agreement that would reopen a key NATO supply route through Pakistan that has been closed for nearly six months.

US administration threatens to veto bill placing conditions on Pakistan aid: Opposing many provisions of a key defence bill, including conditions imposed on US aid to Pakistan, the Obama administration has threatened to veto it if it impedes the ability of the government to execute the new American defence strategy.

Palestinians mark Nakba with protests: A source at Ramallah's government hospital said that 17 people had been injured by rubber bullets, 15 at Beitunia and another two at Qalandia.

Hamas condemns PA cabinet reshuffle: – The reshuffled Palestinian Authority government will be sworn in Wednesday at 6 p.m. officials said, in a move that Hamas condemned and labeled illegitimate.

Army deploys in north Lebanon after deadly clashe: Lebanese soldiers backed by armored vehicles deployed Tuesday in the northern coastal city of Tripoli to restore order after three days of clashes between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen that claimed the lives of three and wounded scores more.

Egypt: U.S. Image Still Negative: Poll: America’s image remains overwhelmingly negative – only 19% offer a favorable opinion of the U.S. Egyptian opinions about President Obama have grown steadily more negative over the course of his presidency.

Islamists & Necrophilia: How Western Media Fell For Bogus Islam-Bashing Tale: The making of a hoax: how a story about a law allowing Egyptian men to have sex with their dead wives went from rumor to front page of the Daily Mail, the Huffington Post and Al-Arabiya.

House panel wants $5.3B more for weapons: A powerful House defense spending panel has recommended adding more than $5.3 billion to the Pentagon’s procurement accounts in 2013 to buy more aircraft, ships, vehicles and weapons, according to a report.

Survey finds 23 percent rise in street homelessness in New York City: In a cynical attempt to limit press coverage of the survey, the agency released the data late on a Friday afternoon.

FACT CHECK: Romney oversimplifies debt 'inferno': A look at some of Romney's assertions and how they compare with the facts:

Two killed as Colombia blast targets former minister: Video - President says two dead and several others, including ex-interior minister Fernando Londono, injured in explosion.

Yankee, come here: Mexicans want US to clean up War on Drugs mess: More than half of Mexican voters want America take a bigger role in fighting against Mexican drug cartels, a pre-election poll shows. They want the US to take more responsibility for the violence, which they partially blame on the northern neighbor.

Nearly $2M in Guns, Combat Gear Sold to Gangs: A wide-reaching investigation by military and civilian authorities has uncovered a criminal conspiracy within the Armed Forces to steal and sell nearly $2 million in guns and combat gear to gangs in the U.S. and foreign countries including China, military officials have confirmed.

Welcome to 1984: US has 55 daily encounters with "suspected terrorists": The figure - which equals more than 20,000 contacts per year - underscores the growing sweep of the watchlists, which have expanded significantly since a failed Christmas Day 2009 bombing attempt of a U.S. airliner. But officials note that very few of those daily contacts lead to arrests.

FBI Crackdown on Anti-War Groups Targets Chicano, Brown Beret Activist Carlos Montes: A longtime leader in the Chicano, immigrant rights, and antiwar movements, Montes’ arrest in a May 2011 raid followed similar FBI raids on activists in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois targeting fellow members of a political group called the Anti-War Committee.

China Real Estate Unravels: Foreign investors are pulling back from China’s property sector. Foreign funding for property development was down -91.4% in March and -80.8% in April, compared to the same months last year.

Greek President Told Banks Anxious as Deposits Pulled: Central bank head George Provopoulos told Papoulias that Greeks have withdrawn as much as 700 million euros ($891 million) and the situation could worsen, according to the transcript of the president’s meeting with party leaders on May 14 that was published yesterday.

Moody’s to downgrade 21 Spanish banks: Moody’s is set to ‘significantly’ downgrade 21 Spanish banks within a week, following a cut of credit ratings on Italian banks, the Spanish economic daily Expansion said on Wednesday. 

May 15, 2012

Likely Victory for MeK Shills
US poised to take Iranian exile group off terrorism list

By Glenn Greenwald

MeK is trained and funded by the Israelis and has been perpetrating acts of violence on Iranian soil aimed at that country’s civilian nuclear scientists and facilities. Continue

Nakba Day 2012
Palestinian Refugees Waiting, 64 Years and Counting

By Sam Bahour

The Nakba – the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by Zionist and later Israeli forces from late 1947 into 1948. Continue

The Zionist Scenario: Now And In The Future

By Lawrence Davidson

In the process of this ethnic cleansing, the number of Palestinians who die is irrelevant to the Zionist leadership. The Palestinians, like the American Indians, are seen as hardly human. Continue

Five Reasons Drone Assassinations Are Illegal

By Bill Quigley

These killings would be criminal acts if they occurred inside the US. Does it make legal sense that these killings would be legal outside the US? Continue

Desperate Times Demand Revolutionary Measures

By Peter Phillips

Do we understand that habeas corpus is no longer a legal protection in the US or that the US president can torture and kill American citizens, let along anyone in the world? Continue

The Horrible Things That The Empire Offer Us

By Fidel Castro

In our homeland, the problems described here do not exist: would this be the reason why the empire is trying to make it surrender by starvation and hostility? Continue

The Third Candidate
The National Security State Wins (Again)

By William J. Astore

That candidate is guaranteed to be the one clear winner of election 2012: the US military and our ever-surging national security state. Continue

How Being 'The Party Of No' Is Working For The GOP

By Gary Younge

Intransigent, extremist, uncompromising … the Republican party should be a basket case. Instead, it has a winning strategy. Continue

Greeks Rush the Banks; Lines Form at ATMs;
Nearly $1 Billion Withdrawn in Past Week

By Mac Slavo

The Greek people are realizing that the economic and political system as they know it is rapidly descending into chaos. Continue

Dimon, the Whale Man, and Glass-Steagall

By Nomi Prins

It was fitting that while President Obama and his Hollywood apostles broke fundraising records at a sumptuous $40,000 per plate dinner at George Clooney’s place, word of JPM Chase’s ‘mistake’ rippled through the news. Continue

Grandma Sentenced to Life Without Parole for First-Time Drug Offense

By Rebecca McCray

Yes, you read that right — the latest casualty of our War on Drugs is a grandmother who never even touched the drugs that sent her to prison. Continue

At least 42 killed in offensive on Yemen militants: At least 42 people including 30 Islamist militants were killed in Yemen on Monday night and Tuesday, officials and residents said, as the government pressed ahead with a new U.S.-backed offensive against insurgents in the south.

Yemen: U.S. troops directly guiding four-front assault on "Qaeda militants" for "first time": Yemeni warplanes and troops backed by heavy artillery waged a four-front assault on al Qaeda militants Tuesday, trying to uproot their hold in the south in an offensive Yemeni officials said was for the first time being directly guided by American troops at a nearby airbase.

Suspected US attack kills 12 civilians in Yemen: Reports vary but between 14 and 15 people have been killed in a double air strike on the southern city of Jaar. Of these, as many as a dozen are being reported as civilians. Up to 21 civilians have also been reported injured.

"Al-Qaida "attacks Yemen information minister : Yemeni authorities said Information Minister Ali Amrani was targeted by al-Qaida militants when a bomb exploded at his residence.

Syrian attack kills 21; rebels hold U.N. monitors: Reuters asked one of the four monitors by phone if they were being held prisoner. He did not reply.

Tunisian Islamists join jihad against Syria: The first that Tunisian schoolteacher Mokhtar Mars heard of his brother fighting alongside rebels in Syria was a phone call from a foreign number, telling him Houssein was dead.

Russia warns Kosovo against training Syria rebels: Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin condemned what he called "disturbing information" that Kosovo authorities had been "establishing contacts with the Syrian opposition to train insurgents" in Kosovo. Kosovo's foreign minister denied any training was planned.

Over 51% of Syria voters cast ballots in recent elections: Official : A Syrian official says more than half of the eligible voters in Syria participated in the May 7 parliamentary elections, which were held under a new constitution that paved the way for a multiparty system in the country.

Split Syria opposition keeps chief, violence grinds on: Ghalioun, 67, who will serve another three-month term, has been criticised by some opposition figures for failing to unify the SNC and forge close ties to dissidents inside Syria. He has also been accused of providing a liberal veneer to what is a widely Islamist, albeit factionalised, opposition.

Syrian "unrest" spills into Lebanon for 3rd day: Firing assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, Lebanese gunmen clashed in street battles Monday as sectarian tensions linked to the 14-month-old uprising in Syria bled across the border for a third day.

Major war games on Syria border ‘have nothing to do’ with Syria: U.S.: The United States and its allies have started in Jordan what was described as the largest military exercises in the Middle East in 10 years, focusing on "irregular warfare," top officers said on Tuesday.

2 Pakistani lawsuits pressure government to deal with CIA drone strikes: Although Pakistan’s leaders have complained bitterly about CIA drones targeting militants on their country’s soil, they seem powerless to stop them. Now attorneys for drone strike victims want to know why the government has failed to act.

Pakistan sells out for seat at NATO table: Nato Invites Pakistan to Chicago as Supply Route Opens: Nato invited Pakistan to join the alliance's biggest summit ever in Chicago starting Sunday after the announced the reopening of a key supply route through its territory into Afghanistan.

Afghanistan hopeful of extra US cash to fund security: Officials believe Washington will pay more on top of lion's share of expected $4.1bn annual budget after foreign troops leave

5 Iraqi soldiers killed in suicide bombing: Iraqi officials say a suicide bomber who drove an explosives-rigged fuel truck into the front gate of an army post has killed five soldiers in the country's north.

Bodyguard says Iraqi VP paid him to gun down official who was ‘annoyance’: A bodyguard for Iraq’s fugitive vice-president testified Tuesday that he was paid $3,000 to assassinate a government security official in one of hundreds of death squad killings that authorities link to one of the nation’s highest-ranking Sunni leaders.

Iraq still operating secret torture site, rights group says: A clandestine jail and alleged torture site under the control of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki continues to operate more than a year after the government ordered it shut down, Human Rights Watch claims in a report being released Tuesday.

Lest we forget: : How U.S. used MeK to brand Iraq as a supporter of International Terrorism : Iraq shelters terrorist groups including the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), which has used terrorist violence against Iran and in the 1970s was responsible for killing several U.S. military personnel and U.S. civilians.

Iran hangs "Mossad agent' for scientist killing: Iran has hanged a man it said was an agent for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad whom it convicted of killing one of its nuclear scientists in 2010, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.

Palestinian strike: a coup for non-violent protest: The deal which ended the Palestinian prisoners' mass hunger strike not only headed off a confrontation with Israel, but it also proved the growing success of their strategy of non-violent protest.

Ex-Murdoch editor charged over U.K. tabloid scandal: Rebekah Brooks, a close confidante of Rupert Murdoch, was charged on Tuesday with interfering with a police investigation into a phone hacking scandal that has rocked the tycoon's empire and sent shockwaves through the British political establishment.

Motorman: Britain’s other massive press scandal: It remains largely buried by a combination of official secrecy and press industry cover-up.

TSA Agents Conduct ‘Full Monty’ Pat-Down On Henry Kissinger: Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger got searched by a Transportation Security Administration employee while going through a security checkpoint at LaGuardia Airport in New York Friday, The Washington Post reports.

Rendition victim takes his case to European court: A German car salesman of Lebanese birth who was the victim of a mistaken “extraordinary rendition” by the CIA is to have his case heard by the European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday.

Daniel Ellsberg accepts Human Rights Award on behalf of Bradley Manning : Video - Daniel Ellsberg (Pentagon Papers whistle-blower) accepts the "People's Choice Human Rights Award" on behalf of accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower Army PFC Bradley Manning at Global Exchange's ceremony at the San Francisco War Memorial Building on May 10, 2012.

The wrong Carlos: how Texas sent an innocent man to his death: Groundbreaking Columbia law school study sets out in shocking detail the flaws that led to Carlos DeLuna's execution in 1989

JPM Losses Already $3-4 bln; Europe's Core Emergency Ongoing Bank Runs; Greece To Re-Default" - Eric Sprott's comments from the New York 2012 Hard Assets Conference, going on now

The Truth About JP Morgan’s $2 Billion Loss: Before we can understand what’s really going on with JP Morgan’s loss, we need a little background.

Greece to repay maturing debt: govt source: Greece will repay 436 million euros ($A564 million) in maturing debt, covering private creditors who had refused to take part in a write-down under an EU-IMF bailout, a government source says.

Moody's Downgrades 26 Italian Banks: Moody's move came hours after the firm raised an alarm on Spain, arguing the country's banks remain vulnerable even after Madrid moved to increase the banks' cushions against potential losses from real-estate loans.

France's Hollande is in Berlin after 'lightning hit': Newly sworn in French President Francois Hollande has now arrived in Berlin for key talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after his plane was apparently hit by lightning.

Homeland Security Files Show Feds Central to Occupy Crackdown: The new documents, only “scratch the surface of a mass intelligence network including Fusion Centers, saturated with 'anti-terrorism' funding, that mobilizes thousands of local and federal officers and agents to investigate and monitor the social justice movement.”

Occupy Directory: Trying to find a local occupation? : The Occupation Directory is a public listing of all known Occupation sites built by and for the #Occupy movement.