"As soon as we abandon our own reason, and are content to rely upon authority, there is no end to our troubles". - Bertrand Russell

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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.

Bernie Sanders "The Truth Is Wall Street Regulates Congress" - Video -

House GOP Throws Out Entire Summer Of Debt Ceiling Negotiations In Less Than 10 Minutes: After rendering last year’s negotiations completely pointless, House Republicans are poised to pull the exact same charade this year.

Irish Banks May Tip State Into Bailout 2, Deutsche Bank Says: Ireland’s bailed-out banks may need capital to cover as much as 4 billion euros ($5.1 billion) more bad-loan provisions than assumed in stress tests last year, Deutsche Bank analysts David Lock and Jason Napier said in a report published today.

UK: 100,000 people could lose their homes if mortgage payments rise by just £20 a month: The Bank of England has warned that as UK lenders are hit by higher borrowing costs families should prepare to pay more as the increase is passed down to consumers.

Ireland And Portugal Resume Their Places Among Europe's Teetering Dominos: While all eyes are focused on Greece (and contagiously Spain), they have forgotten that two far weaker countries still exits - and combined have the power to do as much (if not more) damage than Spain. Portugal and Ireland have moved back into the Red-Zone of risk in Europe's credit markets.

 May 17, 2012

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.