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Kucinich: “NATO Talks a Sham: War in Afghanistan is Not Ending”

By Dennis Kucinich

“The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is not a benevolent organization. NATO is not about the North Atlantic and it’s not about our collective defense. Continue

Syrian Rebels Say Turkey Is Arming And Training Them

By Michael Weiss

Large consignments of AK-47s are being delivered by the Turkish military to the Syrian-Turkish border. Continue

Julian Assange Interviews President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa
Ecuador’s Fight Against Its Media Vultures

Must Watch Video

In 2010 Correa was taken hostage in an attempted coup d’etat. After the attempt he launched a controversial counter-offensive Ecuador’s media, which he blames for the coup attempt.Continue

War Pay
The Nearly $1 Trillion National Security Budget

By Chris Hellman and Mattea Kramer

Last week, lawmakers in the House of Representatives even passed a bill that was meant to spare national security spending from future cuts by reducing school-lunch funding and other social programs.  Continue

Osama bin Laden's Goal to Bankrupt America is Working

By Albert Foster

Americans should be really agitated about this, but they are either ignorant or apathetic. Continue

On Indefinite Detention: The Tyranny Continues

By Rep. Ron Paul

The bad news from last week's passage of the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act is that Americans can still be arrested on US soil and detained indefinitely without trial. Continue

The Police State Is Here

By Tim Kelly

All the president has to do is to declare a nebulous “national emergency,” and his agents can seize control of every factory, farm, and business in the country and lay claim to all its resources, including labor. Continue

How America's Death Penalty Murders Innocents

By David A Love

The leading causes of wrongful convictions include perjury, flawed eyewitness identification and prosecutorial misconduct. Continue

Man Loses $22,000 In New 'Policing For Profit' Case

By Phil Williams

"If somebody told me this happened to them, I absolutely would not believe this could happen in America." Continue

In Case You Missed It
Fascism Anyone?

By Laurence W. Britt

Fascism’s principles are wafting in the air today, surreptitiously masquerading as something else, challenging everything we stand for. Continue

Greek Leftist Leader Alexis Tsipras: 'It's a War Between People and Capitalism'

By Helena Smith in Athens

No one has the right to reduce a proud people to such a state of wretchedness and indignity." Continue

JPMorgan Chase Losses Eclipse $30 Billion

By Mark Gongloff

Dimon, in his comments on Monday, said the bank wasn't going to keep updating everybody on its losses. Continue

Bombings in Iraq kill six people, including four children: The attacks struck the homes of a Sunni anti-Qaeda militiaman and a formerly internally-displaced Shiite family, both of which are in a neighborhood that was an insurgent stronghold during the worst of Iraq's sectarian bloodshed.

5 killed as deadly blast rocks Syrian capital: An explosion in a restaurant in the Syrian capital has killed five people, Syrian state media report. The blast struck the Qaboun district of Damascus and has been branded a “terrorist” attack.

Forces unable to destabilize Syria turn to Lebanon : Russian Foreign Ministry: "Moscow is seriously concerned by growing internal tensions in Lebanon. It appears that the forces that have failed to realize their plans to destabilize Syria have turned to the neighboring Lebanon," the ministry said on its website on Monday.

Syria's War Comes to Beirut: Sunday's spasm of violence bodes ill for Lebanese stability. But the real problem is that there's nobody in charge.

IAEA to pen nuclear agreement with Iran: Amano: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief says Iran and the UN nuclear agency have made a decision to reach an agreement aimed at resolving issues related to the country’s nuclear energy program.

Israeli official downplays Iran nuclear deal with IAEA, citing past violations: The announcement that International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) head Yukiya Amano had struck a deal with Iran Tuesday to inspect its nuclear facilities was received in Jerusalem with great suspicion.

Iran reportedly blames IAEA chief for leaks that enable Israel to assassinate its nuclear scientists: Iran reportedly upbraided the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog on Monday for leaks from his agency which, it said, had enabled Israel to assassinate several of its nuclear scientists.

US Senate approves new Iran sanctions bill: The US Senate unanimously approved on Monday a package of new economic sanctions on Iran's oil sector just days ahead of a meeting in Baghdad between major world powers and Tehran.

Iran Warns S. Arabia to Give up Plot for Annexing Bahrain: "Such Saudi measures have created insecurity in the whole region and the Islamic Republic of Iran as an influential country in the Persian Gulf region will not keep mum about these moves of Saudi Arabia forever," Rezayee told FNA on Monday.

Arab League to Iran: stop anti-Bahrain campaign: The Arab League called on Tehran on Monday to halt what it described as a media campaign against Bahrain over a proposal for political and military union between Gulf Arab states.

Are the drones working in Yemen?: Yemen suicide attack may have also blown a hole in US counter-terrorism strategy.

Pakistan: Afghan forces cross border, kill one: Afghan security forces on Monday intruded into Pakistani territory near Qila Saifullah and opened fire on a passenger bus, killing one Pakistani national and injuring four others.

New Zealand to pull Afghanistan troops next year: Prime Minister John Key told reporters Tuesday that the 145 New Zealand troops stationed in Bamiyan province will come home in late 2013 rather than 2014

Has Amnesty Intl. Gone Mad? It Cheers NATO: Where is Amnesty International's head?

NATO, Defying Russia, Moves Forward With Missile Shield: NATO leaders have agreed to activate a new missile defense shield in three years—openly defying Moscow, which claims the system is aimed at Russian targets.

House approves East Coast missile shield site in $643 billion defense bill: The bill obligates $100 million next year to plan for the site, but the project would cost billions of dollars in later years that has yet to be funded.

United States Sends Combat Commanders to Colombia : The expansion of counterinsurgency forces in Africa and Latin America is also part of a new national security strategy released by the White House in February.

Obama hails police state methods in Chicago: President Barack Obama on Monday praised the performance of Chicago city officials and the Chicago Police Department after a week of violence, repression and frame-ups directed against antiwar demonstrators in the city.

Supreme Court to hear electronic eavesdropping case: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a US government challenge to a lawsuit against its electronic surveillance program, which allows authorities to eavesdrop on Americans' overseas phone calls and emails.

Evidence of U.S. Torture: CIA Can Withhold Detainee Photo, Waterboarding Cables: The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) doesn't have to release a photo of an alleged al-Qaida operative following a session of enhanced interrogation techniques (EIT), reports The Associated Press.

Court blocks release of CIA interrogation methods: CIA secret interrogation methods - including detention and harsh questioning of suspected terrorists - remain off limits to public release, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

Study finds one-third of malaria drugs 'fake': More than 30 per cent of anti-malaria drugs examined in Southeast Asia and Africa were either fake or of poor quality.

Did these ex-slaves catch your lunch?: Thailand, a major source of fish imported to the US, depends on slave labor.

IIF: Spain's bank losses could hit €260bn: Spanish bank loan losses could hit €260bn (£210bn), with the industry likely to need some €60bn euros in outside help to stay afloat, the International Institute of Finance said Monday.

May 21, 2012

NATO's Core Function is to Advance US Global Interests

By Kate Hudson

A cursory glance at NATO's recent history shows that whatever its changing rationale, or the nature of its supposed enemies in the post-Cold War period, its core function has remained to advance US global interests and foreign policy goals. Continue

AIPAC Congress
Who Owns Your Congressperson?

By MJ Rosenberg

11 House members voted against AIPAC’s “Bomb Iran” resolution as described here. This transcript explains the other votes.

Israeli Settler Shoots at Palestinians while IDF Soldiers Stand By

Video

In the video, two of the settlers are armed; one with a pistol and one with an M-16 automatic rifle. They are seen aiming their weapons at the Palestinians and one seen firing at them, while soldiers do nothing to stop them. Continue

Nazism, Zionism, and the Arab World

By Annette Herskovits

Countering the myths spread by pro-Israel ideologues. Continue

Colombia and the Mainstream Media
When the Respectable Become Extremists The Extremists Become Respectable

By James Petras

Extremism in all of its forms permeates Western regimes and finds its justification and rationalization in the respectable media whose job is to indoctrinate civil society and turn citizens into voluntary accomplices to extremism. Continue

The Framework For Suppressing Information
Public Opinion in America's 21st Century Police State

By Prof. James F. Tracy

It is not beyond reason to point out that America is one serious terrorist attack or mass civil disturbance away from the implementation of policies to seriously limit or curtail the traffic of ideas. Continue

Recovery or Collapse? Bet on Collapse

By Paul Craig Roberts

When the dollar goes, interest rates will escalate, and bond prices will collapse. Everyone who sought safety in US Treasuries will be wiped out.
We should all be aware that such outcomes are not part of the public debate. Continue

The insolvent United States banking system: Lessons from J.P. Morgan Chase
 Why the banks must be nationalized

By Horace Campbell

As central bankers from China to Venezuela and from Argentina to Japan are seeking ways to exit from the contagion of the speculative trading of US bankers, progressive forces must renew the call for the nationalization of the big banks, which are supposed to be too big to fail. Continue

At Least 38 U.S. Lawmakers Personally Invested in JPMorgan Chase

By Russ Choma

15 Democrats and 23 Republicans owned shares in JPMorgan Chase worth a total of between $2.1 million and $3.8 million. Continue

The Waltz of the Zombie Banks

By Mike Whitney

It’s the same everywhere. The banks are keeping houses off the market to trick people into believing that prices have hit bottom. But prices haven’t hit bottom, in fact, they still have a long way to go. Continue

How the Ultra-Rich Betray America

By Paul Buchheit

The betrayals come in many forms. Here are a few of the more outrageous, and destructive, examples: Continue

Nato Talks Security and Peace, Chicago has Neither

By Gary Younge

The paradox of such a city hosting this summit lays bare the brutal way in which inequality is globally maintained and locally replicated. Continue

U.S. Veterans Return War Medals at NATO Summit
Daily Dispatch From The NATO Protests

Video

A collection of video reports by grassroots journalists who are covering the NATO Summit in Chicago. Continue

Yemen: Suicide bomber kills at least 96 soldiers: On Monday, a suicide bomber posing as a member of the Yemen military killed at least 96 people and wounded hundreds more--most if not all soldiers--in a blast in Sanaa, Yemen's capital.

Pentagon: Civilian contractors targeted in Yemen: The Pentagon confirmed that three civilian contractors helping train Yemen's coast guard were attacked Sunday in Yemen.

Syrian forces kill 9 deserters, reports monitoring group: Syrian forces ambushed and killed nine army deserters near a north Damascus suburb as fighting between armed rebels and troops raged around the capital during the night, a monitoring group said today.

Opposition Source: Brother-in-Law of Syrian President Has Been Killed: The brother-in-law of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad, who also is the troubled nation's former intelligence chief, is dead after an apparent assassination attack Sunday in Damascus, Syrian opposition leaders tell U.S. News & World Report.

Syrian spillover: 3 Killed as Beirut sees worst clashes in four years: The killing of a Sunni cleric at a Lebanese Army checkpoint yesterday ignited widespread protests among aggrieved Sunnis.

Threat of new rebel Lebanese army as tensions grow over killing of Sunni clerics: The shootings follow a week of violence in the country's volatile and disenfranchised north

Iraq attacks kill three: Shootings and bombings killed three people and wounded nine in central Iraq on Monday, security officials said.

Kurdish oil deal stirs Iraqi tensions: Autonomous region's oil minister outlines plans to export oil and gas to Turkey, increasing tensions with Baghdad.

Afghan army in secret deals with Taliban: In the area of Ghazni province where both are based, an hour's drive south of Kabul, they collaborate to loot NATO supply convoys, dividing up the proceeds. And they share intelligence on NATO's military operations.

Barack Obama snubs Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari at Nato summit: 'Patience with Pakistan is wearing thin, not just in the US but also in the Nato alliance,' one US official told the Times, indicating that none of the Pakistani demands could be met.

Nato orders five new drones worth $1.7bn: The contract launches NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system, which is expected to support a broad range of missions, including protecting ground forces, border and maritime security, counterterrorism, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and natural disaster relief.

Iran Strike Gains Support in Some Nations, Russia Says: Some countries favor more than ever using a military strike to stem Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

War criminal: Tony Blair Heckled in Maine college speech: A handful of protesters briefly interrupted a Maine college graduation speech by British Prime Minister Tony Blair calling for world unity.

60,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews fill Citi Field and Arthur Ashe Stadium to denounce evils of the Internet: An overflow crowd of another 20,000 bearded men sporting long black coats and big black hats filled nearby Arthur Ashe Stadium for the unprecedented attack on modern technology.

Violent clashes between Chicago police and anti-NATO protesters (RAW VIDEO)

Welcome, Nato, to Chicago's police state: The Nato summit will come and go, but Mayor Emanuel has authorised a 'new normal' of militarised social control in Chicago

Chicago police frame antiwar activists on “terrorism” charges: The bogus character of the charges is demonstrated by the fact that the five men are charged for three separate incidents, linked only by the involvement of two undercover police provocateurs, who instigated or concocted each of the supposed “terrorist” plots.

Senator Lindsey Graham : Absolutely, Military can imprison Americans Indefinitely - Video -

Innocent Americans spent at least 10,000 years in jail: . At least 2,000 people have been sentenced to prison for crimes in the last 23 years, only to eventually be exonerated by the court.

The U.S. Department of Double Standards: Corporate criminals go free while the Justice Department targets those without expensive lawyers and lobbyists.

Police state bill passed to suppress Quebec student strike: Quebec’s National Assembly adopted emergency legislation last Friday that imposes draconian restrictions on the right to demonstrate and criminalizes the fourteen-week, provincewide student strike against plans to raise university tuition fees by more than 80 percent.

Canada: Montreal protests result in chaos, mass arrests: 300 arrested Sunday night, and 69 Saturday night, as protesters defy new laws

Canada Currency Tumbles as Europe Crisis Overshadows Data: Canada’s dollar dropped the most since November, falling for a third straight week as concern Europe’s debt crisis will worsen overshadowed government data showing inflation and factory sales rose more than forecast.

Rising US recession risk poses the real threat to Europe: The US economy has slowed to stall speed. A few lonely forecasters fear that America has already fallen back into recession, replicating the terrible double-dip of 1937.

Investors dump Facebook: Facebook stock falls nearly 14 pct to session low at $33

The U.S. Department of Double Standards: Corporate criminals go free while the Justice Department targets those without expensive lawyers and lobbyists.

May 19, 2012

Fact or Fiction?
Bin Laden Not killed by US, Claims Former CIA Agent

By Press TV

“There was no assault. I know the American operations from the inside" Continue

Are Americans Catching On, Waking Up, Unplugging?

By Paul Craig Roberts

The US government and its media whores, presstitutes as Gerald Celente calls them, show increasing contempt for the intelligence, or lack thereof, of the american public. Continue

Beware False Flag Attack On Chicago NATO Summit by US War Criminals

By Carl Herman

Independent writers are now warning of a false flag attack at the Chicago NATO Summit. Continue

Congressmen Seek To Lift U.S. Propaganda Ban

By Michael Hastings

An amendment that would legalize the use of propaganda on American audiences is being inserted into the latest defense authorization bill. Continue

Why Americans Are Less Hawkish than Their Leaders

By Benjamin H. Friedman

The study shows that when presented with arguments for and against cutting the defense budget, Americans want to cut it—a lot. Continue

Kristol: Lieberman will be Secretary of State in Romney Administration

By Maidhc Ó Cathail

If Kristol’s latest prediction comes true, a Romney presidency would put U.S. foreign policy even more firmly under the control of a foreign power. Continue

Robert Reich To New College Grads: Your F*cked

By Robert Reich

As a former secretary of labor and current professor, I feel I owe it to you to tell you the truth about the pieces of parchment you’re picking up today. You’re f*cked. Continue

No No Keshagesh

By Buffy Sainte-Marie

Keshagesh means Greedy Guts. It's what you call a little puppy who eats his own and then wants everybody else's. Continue

Yemeni clashes kill 34 militants, troops: At least 22 Al-Qaeda-linked militants and 12 Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes and air strikes overnight during a new US-backed offensive against insurgents in the south of the country,

Car bomb targets security forces in Syrian city, killing 9: A car bomb in the parking lot of a Syrian military compound killed at least nine people Saturday, the latest in increasingly frequent bombings in the country's major cities to target the regime's security services.

Regime Change: U.S. tells G8 Syria's Assad must go, cites Yemen as model: U.S. President Barack Obama told G8 leaders meeting at Camp David that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must leave power, and pointed to Yemen as a model of how political transition could work there, the White House said on Saturday.

Engineering Consent For Regime Change: U.S., allies accelerating plans to secure chemical arsenal as Syrian crisis worsens: The Obama administration is accelerating its planning with Middle Eastern allies for a series of potentially fast-moving crises in Syria in the coming months, including the possible loss of government control over some of the country’s scattered stocks of chemical weapons, U.S. and Middle Eastern security officials say.

Suicide bomber kills 8 people in Afghanistan: Afghan security officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up at a police checkpoint in the country's east, killing eight people

NATO summit to define enduring presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014: One of the major topics in the NATO summit is to "establish a vision for our enduring presence in Afghanistan," said General John R. Allen, commander of U.S. and NATO force in Afghanistan, as American Forces Press Service reported.

How the government is funding the UK war machine by cutting disability benefits: The government spends £25 billion a year on its war machine and is committed to spending hundreds of billions more on buying new military hardware. At what cost to the disabled?

Pakistan supply route still closed: Malik said the government will not allow NATO supply routes to reopen until drone attacks on targets in Pakistan stop, Dawn News reported

Pakistan: ‘US planning to usurp our independence’: Syed Munawar Hasan, has said that the imprudent rulers had lost a golden opportunity of reviving national honor and adopting an independent foreign policy by deciding to restore NAO supplies in haste.

Seven killed in Mogadishu bomb blasts: At least seven people, mostly Somali soldiers, have been killed in bomb explosions in the Somali capital Mogadishu, officials and witnesses said.

Turkish civilian killed in attack by Kurdish rebels: - A construction worker was killed and three people were wounded when Kurdish militants attacked a military outpost in southeastern Turkey near the Iraqi border, security sources said on Saturday.

Denmark to ban labeling West Bank products as 'Made in Israel', report says: Report comes after South Africa says only recognizes State of Israel within borders demarcated by UN in 1948; move is in line with U.K. recommendation from 2009.

'Crushing Bahrain revolution crucial to war plans against Iran' : Annexation - that's what tens of thousands of protesters in the Middle East are calling new Arab union plans. It comes after Saudi Arabia said it wants to form an alliance with Bahrain

Chicago: NATO Protesters: Charged with terrorism: The men were arrested Wednesday in an apartment building in the Bridgeport neighborhood. They're accused of trying to make Molotov cocktails ahead of the two-day summit that starts Sunday.

Chicago: “Beer Not Bombs” Protestor Speaks Out: : Video -“We were handcuffed to a bench and our legs were shackled together. We were not told what was happening,” Ammussek said. “I believe very strongly in non-violence, and if I had seen anything that even resembled any plans or anything like that, we wouldn’t have been there.”

Mystery over Bridgeport arrests: Molotov cocktails or brewing equipment?: The National Lawyers Guild criticized the police raid, saying the nine NATO protesters only had beer-making equipment in their possession.

How FBI Entrapment Is Inventing 'Terrorists' - and Letting Bad Guys Off the Hook: In all these law enforcement schemes the alleged terrorists masterminds end up seeming, when the full story comes out, unable to terrorize their way out of a paper bag without law enforcement tutelage.

The Nato Summit Template for Policing the 'Other Chicago': Mayor Emanuel is spending millions entertaining Nato – and millions more to stifle protest at Chicago's dire levels of poverty

Border Control Measures Move Inland With Utah License Plate Tracking Program: the federal DEA is trying to initiate a blanket sweep of all license plates traveling along Interstate 15 in Utah, with the intent to store the information in a centralized database.

In a world gone crazy: National Guard’s $26 million Sponsoring NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. Results in ZERO Recruits: In fiscal year 2012, the National Guard has been contacted by more than 24,800 individuals interested in joining because of the race sponsorship. Of those, Creech said 20 were qualified candidates and that none joined

Facebook IPO fight-back begins: share price 'implausible', says analyst: The fight-back against Facebook’s $100bn (£63bn) mega-float has begun, with the first analyst this weekend coming out to stamp a ‘sell’ sign on the social network’s shares as the full extent to which Wall Street banks were forced to prop up its shares on the first day of trading was revealed.

Without trust, Facebook isn't worth $100 billion: More and more Facebook users are becoming aware of how their personal information is being tracked, used and shared.

Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras: 'It's a war between people and capitalism': Greece's eurozone fate may now be in the hands of the 37-year-old political firebrand and his Syriza party

May 18, 2012

NDAA Authorizes War Against Iran
Kucinich: 'We're getting ready for war against Iran'

By Rep. Dennis Kucinich

The Former Chief of Staff of Secretary of State Colin Powell has stated that this resolution "reads like the same sheet of music that got us into the Iraq war." Continue

Russian PM Says Action on Syria, Iran May Lead To Nuclear War

By Reuters

"At some point such actions which undermine state sovereignty may lead to a full-scale regional war, even, although I do not want to frighten anyone, with the use of nuclear weapons," Medvedev said. "Everyone should bear this in mind." Continue

Israel as Popular as North Korea According to BBC Poll

By Gilad Atzmon

In spite of Israeli Hasbara, Jewish lobbying and the Jewish stronghold over the media, the people of the world, see the Jewish State negatively. Continue

Libyan "Rebels" Whip And Torture Man Telling Him He's Pig Meat

Video

“Today, those who took part in the uprising are above the law” Continue

Indefinite Imprisonment Without Charge Or Trial
The Case Against 'Indefinite Detention'

By Rep. Adam Smith and Rep. Justin Amash

The federal government now has the power to detain indefinitely any person—including U.S. citizens—arrested on U.S. soil, indefinitely, without charging them with a crime or proving their guilt. Continue

Congress Still Okay With Indefinite Detention and Torture of Americans

By Jose Luis Magaua

An attempt to strike down any provisions allowing for the US military to indefinitely detain American citizens without charge from next year’s National Defense Authorization Act was shot down Friday morning in the House of Representatives. Continue

House GOP Kills Proposal to Block Indefinite Detention of US Citizens

By Adam Serwer

At least it's on the record: Most House Republicans support the indefinite detention without trial of American citizens. Continue

Family Values?
Blown Up Election

By Linh Dinh

According to Democrats, Obama is a good liberal because he will also send gay men and women worldwide to massacre whoever gets in the way of the oil liberals need to drive their SUVs to anti-war rallies. Continue

The Politics of Language and the Language of Political Regression

By James Petras

The capitalist class has cultivated a crop of economists and journalists who peddle brutal policies in bland, evasive and deceptive language in order to neutralize popular opposition. Continue

The Uprising Has Begun
A New Politics That Rejects Austerity and Wars of Whim

By John Nichols

There’s a dawning recognition that it is neither morally nor fiscally prudent to sacrifice human needs in order to pay for wars—or to redistribute more of the wealth upward. Continue

In the Name of My Father
Requiem and Renewal in the Shadow of Wall Street

By Phil Rockstroh

My father harbored an abiding animus to bullies -- a trait he bequeathed to me by both blood and circumstance. Continue

US: The Shameful Index of Prison Rape

By Amy Fettig & Jennifer Wedekind

Number of people imprisoned in the United States: 2.3 million. Number of victims of rape or sexual abuse in U.S. prison, jails and juvenile detention facilities in the past year according to the Justice Department: 216,600. Continue

In Spite Of Videotaped Evidence
All-White Jury Acquits Police Officer Of Beating Black Teen

Video

Video taken of the March 2010 incident shows Holley being stopped by a police vehicle. After Holley falls to the ground, he is clearly seen surrendering and putting his hands behind his head. But instead of placing him in handcuffs, Bloomberg and six fellow officers proceed to attack Holley with stomps and kicks. Continue

Yemeni troops kill 11 "al-Qaida fighter" : Yemeni troops killed 11 al-Qaida fighters in southern Yemen on Friday, as government forces battled their way into the outskirts of a key town under the militants’ control, military officials said.

U.S. special forces in Yemen: A group of about 20 U.S. special forces are on the ground in Yemen, helping the government fight insurgents in the south of the country, officials say.

Did White House 'spin' tip a covert op?: White House efforts to soft-pedal the danger from a new "underwear bomb" plot emanating from Yemen may have inadvertently broken the news they needed most to contain.

Blasts in Baghdad bird market kill 5: Three bombs struck near simultaneously at a busy bird market in eastern Baghdad on Friday morning, killing five people and wounding dozens, police and health officials said.

2 NATO Occupation Force Troops Killed in Afghanistan Rocket Attack: Local coalition officials say six other NATO troops were slightly wounded in Friday in the Nari district of Kunar province.

Drone filmmaker denied visa: A Pakistani student is unable to accept his film festival award because he is denied the right to enter the U.S.

UN: "Terrorist groups" involved in attacks in Syria: "Terrorist groups" have taken advantage of the conflict situation in Syria and have carried out attacks there, a United Nations spokesman said Friday, dpa reported.

Joseph Lieberman Says US To Topple Syrian Regime: In an article the Washington Post published on Friday, the US Senator Joseph Liebrman wrote that the [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad regime should be toppled by any means possible, be it foreign intervention or even "airstrikes".

IAEA chief to visit Iran for talks on nuclear deal: Surprise development comes as diplomats say IAEA, Iran are making headway towards a framework deal; Netanyahu accuses Iran of playing 'chess game' with world.

US seeks extra $70m for Israel defence shield: Pentagon requests Congress to provide Israel with additional funding for its "Iron Dome" missile defence programme.

Police beat handcuffed detainees in Palestinian solidarity protest: Complaints filed over alleged use by police of Taser electroshock weapons, beating and kicking bound detainees, racist verbal abuse and sexual harassment of female detainees.

Russia Wants ICC to Examine All NATO Bombings in Libya: “We welcome the decision of ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo to consider alleged violations of international humanitarian law," the statement said. "We presume that the ICC will consider all cases of NATO bombing that caused civilian casualties.”

Libya approves Islamic banking law -official: Libya has approved an Islamic banking law that will introduce sharia-compliant banking in the North African country, a member of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) said on Thursday.

U.S. Secret Drug War in Honduras: Botched DEA Raid Leaves 2 Pregnant Women, 2 Men Dead: Honduras is the hub for the U.S. military operations in Latin America, hosting at least three U.S. bases

Literary agent's 1991 booklet: Obama 'born in Kenya': Breitbart News has obtained a promotional booklet produced in 1991 by Barack Obama's then-literary agency, Acton & Dystel, which touts Obama as "born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii."

Facebook is being abandoned by its core market. You'd be better off investing in Greek government bonds

JPMorgan shares lurch down again as trading losses hit $3bn: The paper loss on the trade now sits at $3bn, according to reports yesterday, because rival speculators have taken opposing positions in an attempt to profit from JPMorgan's distress. The reports sent the bank's shares down another 3 per cent before lunch. They fell 9 per cent on a single day when the debacle first came to light.