Day
of Mass Action to Stop War on Iran
February 4, 2012
NO war -
NO sanctions - NO intervention - NO
assassinations.
Continue
====
Exclusive: Israel
Warns US Jews: Iran Could Strike Here
By RICHARD ESPOSITO
Israeli facilities in North America -- and
around the world -- are on high alert,
according to an internal security document
obtained by ABC News that predicted the
threat from Iran against Jewish targets will
increase.Continue
Engineering Consent For An Attack On Iran
US Fears Iran's Links
to Al Qaeda
BY SIOBHAN GORMAN
Officials believe country may have
provided aid to terror group.
Continue
Iran : Fact Checking
the Media
By Dennis Kucinich
The media coverage on Iran is
mirroring the coverage in the lead-up to the
Iraq war: grand claims about a smoking gun
that doesn't exist.
Continue
Iran is the Root of
all Evil
By Glenn Greenwald
Is there anything those Persian Monsters
aren’t guilty of?
Continue
How Hollywood Spreads
Propaganda.
By Danny Schechter
Iran seems to many observers to be
next in line for the Iraqi freedom
treatment, the latest in a long line of
“enemy” nations menaced by overt and covert
military threats by the United States and
its allies.
Continue
US Preparing
Something Against Iran
By Gennady Yevstafyev
Retired Lieutenant-General of Russia’s
Foreign Intelligence.
Iran is a key, it is a lynchpin of the
security situation in the Gulf as far as
anti-American forces are concerned.
Continue
Russia, US Acting
Together
By BERIL
DEDEOGLU
The Syrian crisis has shown once again that
the members of the UN Security Council are
much more interested in the strategic chess
game than the number of civilians who have
lost their lives.
Continue
Evil in the Crosshairs
'I Only Wish I Had
Killed More'
By Laurence Vance
Savage, despicable evil. That's what we were
fighting in Iraq. That's why a lot of
people, myself included, called the enemy
"savages."
Continue
“An
Eagle Does Not Hunt Flies”
The Genius of
Chavez
By: Fidel Castro
Venezuela today is the site of a great
battle. Internal and external enemies of the
revolution prefer chaos —as Chavez has said—
to the just, organized and peaceful
development of the country.
Continue
Obama’s Refinancing
Swindle
By Mike Whitney
Barack Obama’s new housing refinance plan
has nothing to do with “lowering monthly
mortgage payments so responsible borrowers
can stay in their homes”. That’s all public
relations bunkum.
Continue
Pakistan: 25 killed
in Taliban attack: The
overnight attack on Shidano Dand post in the
Kurram region triggered clashes in which 18
militants and 7 Pak troops were killed,
according to a senior military official.
Cost of NATO’s
adventurism: Russia has
to understand that if the US and NATO troops
decimate or make the Taliban ineffective,
the US would maintain a contingent of a few
thousand troops plus a strong air force base
in Afghanistan to meet any eventuality and
pose a palpable threat to it.
At least 17 killed in
Syria violence: "activists":
Nine Syrian soldiers were killed in separate
clashes with Free Syrian Army rebels in two
villages in Daraa province, south of
Damascus
Russia refuses to
sign draft UN resolution on Syria:
Talks to secure a United Nations resolution
on Syria have dragged on into the weekend
after Russia refused to sign up to a watered
down draft which removed references to the
departure of President Bashar al-Assad.
Moscow Dismisses
Iran-for-Syria Deal: -
The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected
reports on Friday that it could strike a
deal on Iran with the United States in
exchange for non-intervention by the West in
Syria.
Israel preparing to
attack Iran: Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is a
strong likelihood that Israel will strike
Iran in April, May or June
Iran’s Supreme Leader
Threatens Retaliation Against Attack:
Warning that the United States in particular
would face severe damage to its interests if
any strike were carried out against its
nuclear sites.
US push to arm
Israel: . A policy group
in the US has called for providing Israel
with 200 additional bunker-buster bombs and
aerial refuelling tankers to increase the
credibility of a military strike aimed at
thwarting Iran's nuclear program.
U.S. anxiety grows
over possible Israeli plans on Iran:
European and U.S. diplomats say Obama
administration worried about Israeli
leaders' provocative public comments on
Iran's nuclear program.
Shin Bet chief: Iran
trying to hit Israeli targets in response to
attacks on nuclear scientists:
Yoram Cohen tells audience at a closed forum
in Tel Aviv that Iran's Revolutionary Guards
are working tirelessly to attack Israeli
targets abroad in order to deter Israel.
Less than One-Fifth
of All Americans Favor Military or Covert
Action Against Iran : A
new United Technologies/National Journal
“Congressional Connection Poll,” finds that
only 13% Americans think the U.S. should
“take covert action against Iran such as
sabotage and assassination of scientists
working on their nuclear program”.
Iran successfully
launches new satellite into orbit:
Navid-e Elm-o Sanat is a telecom,
measurement and scientific satellite whose
records could be used in a wide range of
fields.
Don’t knock the
media’s bias and double standards on Israel:
Disproportionate coverage is
the flip side of disproportionate support
for Israel, and thus a critical element in
its national security.
Tortured to death:
Libya: Diplomat Dies in Militia Custody:
A Libyan diplomat who served as ambassador
to France died less than 24 hours after he
was detained by a Tripoli-based militia from
the town of Zintan, Human Rights Watch said
today. Dr. Omar Brebesh, who was detained on
January 19, 2012, appears to have died from
torture.
Gaddafi's bloodied
shirt and wedding ring to go up for auction:
Libyan national Ahmed Warfali is apparently
asking for $2million for the items after
somehow coming into their possession.
Deaths in Egypt
protests over football riot:
Two killed in Suez, two in Cairo and 1689
wounded after two days of clashes following
deadly football violence.
Kuwaiti Islamist-led
opposition wins majority:
Opposition secures 34 out of 50 seats in
snap parliamentary elections held after
anti-corruption protests in December.
China intensifies
criticism of sanctions on Iran:
"In the near term, the sudden spike in
tensions between the United States and Iran
is now posing the greatest uncertainty. This
factor is disrupting global energy markets
and has cast a shadow over the global
economic recovery."
Baghdad says US Iran
sanctions a problem for Iraq:
American sanctions on Iran pose difficulties
for Iraq because of its close economic ties
with the Islamic republic, so Baghdad plans
to seek a waiver from the US, the government
spokesman told AFP.
Turkey bombs northern
Iraq: Turkish Armed
Forces (TSK) said in a statement on Friday
that Turksh fighter jets bombed three PKK
targets in Zap. There were no immediate
reports on causalities
Judges retire to
consider Assange’s last chance on
extradition: Supreme
Court is final shot for WikiLeaker-in-chief
WikiLeaks aside,
Assange case strikes core of civil liberty:
JULIAN Assange's current court appearance in
Britain has nothing to do with sex or United
States diplomatic cables or even with
WikiLeaks. But it may make an important
contribution to European law.
US 'no-fly' list of
suspected terrorists doubles in 12 months:
The size of the US government's secret list
of suspected terrorists who are banned from
flying to or within the country has more
than doubled in the past year.
Do You Like Online
Privacy? You May Be a Terrorist:
A flyer designed by the FBI and the
Department of Justice to promote suspicious
activity reporting in internet cafes lists
basic tools used for online privacy as
potential signs of terrorist activity.
Roseanne Barr Seeks
Green Party Presidential Nod:
"The Democrats and Republicans have proven
that they are servants -- bought and paid
for by the 1% -- who are not doing what's in
the best interest of the American people,"
Barr said.
Stolen Babies?
Immigrant Mother Loses Four Kids:
The scars of childbirth were still healing
on Amelia Reyes Jimenez's stomach in 2008
when police came to her Phoenix apartment
and took her three-month-old daughter from
her arms.
Greece’s leaders
oppose new austerity measures:
All three party leaders in Greece’s
teetering national unity government have
opposed new austerity measures demanded by
international lenders, forcing eurozone
finance ministers to postpone approval of a
new €130bn bail-out and moving the country
closer to a full-blown default.
Unemployment hits
record high in Spain:
Jobless rate is twice the average for the
rest of the EU, with young people
particularly badly affected, new data show.
Canada: Unemployment
rises as just 2,300 jobs created in January:
Canada's economy squeezed out a paltry gain
of 2,300 jobs last month as the country's
unemployment rate increased due to more
people looking for work.
Why
Today's "Very, Very Suspicious" NFP Number
Is Really Down 2.9 Million In Past 2 Months:
"Actual jobs, not seasonally adjusted, are
down 2.9 million over the past two months.
It is only after seasonal adjustments – made
at the sole discretion of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics economists – that 2.9
million fewer jobs gets translated into
446,000 new seasonally adjusted jobs."
GOP Rep. West:
Someone's 'playing around with' unemployment
numbers: There is
something suspicious about the job numbers
released today and it has me very
concerned," West wondered Friday.
Working Poor: Almost
Half Of U.S. Households Live One Crisis From
The Bread Line:
According to the report, 43 percent of
households in America -- some 127.5 million
people -- are liquid-asset poor. If one of
these households experiences a sudden loss
of income, caused, for example, by a layoff
or a medical emergency, it will fall below
the poverty line within three months.
Home prices drop,
consumers turn gloomier:
The S&P/Case-Shiller composite index of
single-family home prices in 20 metropolitan
areas, released on Tuesday, declined 0.7
percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, a
bigger drop than the 0.5 percent economists
expected.
February 02, 2012
Dempsey Told Israelis
U.S. Won't Join Their War on Iran
By Gareth Porter
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen.
Martin Dempsey told Israeli leaders Jan. 20
that the United States would not participate
in a war against Iran begun by Israel
without prior agreement from Washington.
Continue
Divining the Truth
about Iran
By Ray McGovern
You will almost never see in a major U.S.
newspaper the assessment – backed by the 16
U.S. intelligence agencies – that Iran is
NOT building nuclear weapons.
Continue
Iran: This Is What
Propaganda Looks Like
By Peter Hart
For sheer propaganda value, ABC
World News' January 31 broadcast would be
tough to top.
Continue
Syria is Used to the
Slings and Arrows of Friends and Enemies
By Robert Fisk
For Syria as a nation – rather than
a regime – there is much sympathy as well as
respect in the Arab world.
Continue
Syria's Long Black
Tunnel
By Ehsani
Here are some of the main divisions
running through Syrian society.
Continue
UN Shenanigans on
Syria
By Aisling Byrne
At stake in this diplomatic battle
of "historic importance" is the campaign led
by the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
the United Kingdom and France to secure a UN
mandate for external interference in Syria
with the aim of deposing President Bashar
al-Assad.
Continue
Managing Public Perception
Psywar: The Real
Battlefield is Your Mind
Must Watch Video
A superb account of how we're
manipulated from birth to death.
Continue
NATO Troops Disguise
Themselves as Civilians in Afghanistan
By Canadian Veterans Advocacy
Operations
This practice invites Taliban attacks on
Afghans and NGOs.
Continue
Robot Wars
How Military Drones Are Changing War
Video
Today there are more than 7,000 drones and
12,000 ground robots in use by all branches
of the military. These systems mean less
"American" deaths and also less political
risk for the US when it takes acts of lethal
force – often outside of official war zones.
Continue
Obama: Not Cool, Just
Cold-Blooded
By Glen Ford
“When the U.S. president arrogates to
himself the right to bomb and kill at will,
he makes himself an outlaw.”
Continue
The US Health Care
Industry Racket
By Ralph Nader
Here is a partial example of what I
mean.
Continue
Santorum To Sick Kid:
Don’t Complain About $1 Million Drug Costs
By David Edwards
“People have no problem paying $900 for an
iPad,” the candidate explained. “But paying
$900 for a drug they have a problem with —
it keeps you alive. Why? Because you’ve been
conditioned to think health care is
something you can get without having to pay
for it.”
Continue
3 policemen killed in
Taliban attack in northwest Pakistan:
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed
responsibility for the attack, saying it was
carried out in retaliation for arrests made
by security forces during a recent search
operation
Pakistan will no
longer tolerate "unilateral US actions":
Pakistan Foreign Minister: "No unilateral
action at any level, of any type. Like
Abbottabad. Like what happened in Salala,"
The News quoted Khar, as saying.
Pakistani Militant
Gives Ultimatum To US:
"America has started a war against Pakistan
and also attacked our army checkpoints. That
is why all the political parties are here
and we are united until America leaves the
region."
Panetta: US to end
combat in Afghanistan next year:
U.S. and other international forces in
Afghanistan aim to end their combat role
next year and switch to training and
advising Afghan forces through 2014, Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.
Romney criticizes
U.S. decision to end Afghan combat next
year: [Obama’s] naivete
is putting in jeopardy the mission of the
United States of America and our commitments
to freedom. He is wrong.
NATO combat role in
Afghanistan through 2014:
- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh
Rasmussen on Thursday insisted that the
military alliance would be carrying out
combat operations in Afghanistan until 2014,
following a day of speculation about its
withdrawal plans.
Britain to pull out
troops from Afghanistan frontline role by
the end of next yea:r
British troops will step back from their
lead combat role in Afganistan by the end of
2013 under plans drawn up by the Nato-led
Isaf international alliance, Downing Street
said today.
Australia's defense
minister hints at longer stay of troops in
Afghanistan: Australian
Defense Minister Stephen Smith on Wednesday
said Australian special forces could stay in
Afghanistan for years after an official
international troop withdrawal.
Afghan Taliban deny
plans for peace talks in Saudi Arabia:
The Afghan Taliban have denied planning to
hold preliminary peace talks with
representatives from the Afghan government
in Saudi Arabia.
UN resolution drops
demands for Assad’s resignation, arms
embargo - reports:
Russia and China were the only permanent
Security Council members opposing the draft,
reminding others that it was not their place
to intervene in the domestic affairs of
another country.
U.S., Russia set for
high-octane clash over Syria
: On Friday, Gennady Gatilov, a
Deputy Foreign Minister, said Russia would
reject any call seeking Mr. Assad's
resignation. Analysts say Moscow can also be
expected to find fault with any language in
the draft that suggests adoption of punitive
measures against the Syrian regime if it did
not comply with the listed demands.
Beijing against
sanctions on Syria: "We
firmly oppose forcefully pushing for 'regime
change', which violates the purpose and
principles of the UN Charter and the basic
norms governing international relations," Li
Baodong, China's ambassador to the United
Nations, said during a Security Council
debate on Syria on Tuesday.
Free Syrian Army
soldiers may have armored vehicles, YouTube
videos show: Two videos
posted on YouTube in recent days demonstrate
rebel claims that defected soldiers fighting
in the name of the Free Syrian Army have
access to at least some infantry fighting
vehicles, which were either captured from
the regular army or acquired when whole
units defected.
Engineering Consent For An Attack On
Iran:
Israel Says Iran Has
Material For Four Nuclear Bombs:
General Aviv Kochavi said on February 2 that
Iran has accumulated nearly 100 kilograms of
material at an enrichment level of 20
percent.
Engineering Consent For An Attack On
Iran:
Iran developing
missile to hit US, senior Israeli official
says: Iran is developing
a missile with a 10,000 kilometre range,
which would put the US within range of
attack, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe
Ya'alon said Thursday.
Engineering Consent For An Attack On
Iran:
Ya'alon: Iran was
working on US-range missile:
Vice Prime Minister says December explosion
at Iran base occurred where long-range
missile was being developed.
Engineering Consent For An Attack On
Iran:
Israel Vice PM:
Military strike can hit all of Iran's
nuclear facilities:
Moshe Ya’alon calls the possibility of a
nuclear Iran a 'nightmare to the free
world,' says explosion at Iranian missile
base targeted missile system that would have
threatened the U.S.
Engineering Consent For An Attack On
Iran:
The Aftermath of
“Israel v. Iran”: Israel
requires no more than an “understanding” of
its need to strike Iran’s nuclear
facilities. The official made clear they are
“not looking for the international
community’s support or consent” or even
tacit approval, “but rather a sympathetic
view of Israel’s difficult situation.”
US, Britain, France
up for war: The United
States, Britain and France have begun to
deploy troops in the Gulf in a move which
experts say suggests preparations for a war
with Iran. The first strikes could be
carried out at the beginning of the summer
Israel's military
leaders warn against Iran attack:
Almost the entire senior hierarchy of
Israel's military and security establishment
is worried about a premature attack on Iran
and apprehensive about the possible
repercussions, a former chief of the
country's defence forces told The
Independent yesterday
IAEA sets date for
new nuclear talks in Teheran:
Chief UN nuclear inspector Herman Nackaerts
told reporters on his return from a
three-day trip to Teheran that his
six-member team had had a 'good' visit.
Iran warns currency
speculators as rial continues to fall:
Faced with a plummeting currency in the wake
of toughened international sanctions, Iran
is cracking down on black-market money
changers and warning that major speculators
could face execution.
Turkish General Staff
knew 34 victims were civilians ahead of
strike: The order for an
airstrike which killed 34 civilians
smuggling goods into Turkey over the border
with Iraq in late December were given in
full knowledge that the border-crossers were
not Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
terrorists, contrary to the initial
explanation the General Staff offered for
the error.
American drone
strikes provoke Yemenis against interim
government: Groups will
take advantage of public panic and will make
recruitment efforts, convincing people that
they will die anyways because of air strikes
and that it's better to die as martyrs,
fighting on their side.
See also -
US to expand network
of secret bases: THE
Pentagon plans to expand its global network
of drones and special-operations bases in a
fundamental military realignment designed to
project US power even as it cuts back
conventional forces.
74 killed as
Egyptians blame military, police for deadly
riot : Crowds of
Egyptian soccer fans fleeing supporters of
the opposing team armed with knives, clubs
and stones rushed into the corridor, only to
be crushed against a locked gate, their
rivals attacking from behind, survivors and
witnesses said.
Interior Minister
guilty for 'Port Said massacre', says PA
: The People’s Assembly (PA) held the
interior minister responsible for what they
described as the “Port Said massacre” and
ordered the inclusion of the case to the
fact finding committee of the January 25
Revolution’s martyrs and injured.
Tear gas during Cairo
clashes: Demonstrators
angered by the deaths of 74 people after a
football match in the city of Port Said on
Wednesday have clashed with police outside
the Egyptian interior ministry in Cairo.
UN staff accused of
raping children in Sudan:
Members of the United Nations peacekeeping
forces in southern Sudan are facing
allegations of raping and abusing children
as young as 12, The Daily Telegraph reported
today.
Kuwaitis vote to
choose new government:
Opposition expected to fare well in snap
parliamentary polls aimed at ending damaging
political disputes.
Swedes press their
case against Assange in appeal:
It was the second and final day of the
hearing in central London before seven
Supreme Court judges. They were expected to
defer judgment for several weeks.
Republicans push to
stop automatic spending cuts:
- The U.S. military would be spared from
automatic spending cuts set for next year
under a proposal some top Senate Republicans
offered on Thursday that instead would save
money by reducing the federal workforce.
UK Law Firm Sues
WikiLeaks Founder Assange Over Pending Fees:
Finers Stephens Innocent LLP - the law firm
in question, dragged the 40 years old
Australian national to court over pending
legal fees. Apparently, the firm which
mainly specialises in commercial litigation
was replaced by Assange last year when a UK
court overruled his defence and upheld the
Swedish arrest warrant.
ACLU
sues to force release of drone attack
records: The American
Civil Liberties Union asked a federal court
Wednesday to force the Obama administration
to release legal and intelligence records
related to the killing of three U.S.
citizens in drone attacks in Yemen last
year.
FBI agents chainsaw
through mother's front door and hold her at
gunpoint for 30 minutes after raiding WRONG
apartment: The
29-year-old was then held face down on the
floor as her three-year-old daughter Ji-anni
cried in another room.
American Airlines
Wants To Eliminate 13,000 Jobs, End Pension
Plans: The company
proposes to end its traditional pension
plans, a move strongly opposed by the
airline's unions and the U.S.
pension-insurance agency, and to stop paying
for retiree health benefits.
The experts' view on
the euro's future: it doesn't have one:
Leading economists and politicians issue
stark warning over eurozone
February 01, 2012
An
Alternative View
What Is Really Going
On In Syria: Insider Update
By Boris DOLGOV
The armed opposition which conducted
terrorist attacks in Syria is represented by
a number of groups from a military wing of
the Muslim Brotherhood to the Libyan radical
Islamists and Al Qaeda.
Continue
Petrodollar Pumping
US Policy on Iran, Backfire Looms
By Michael T. Winter
Any rhetoric regarding Iran’s nuclear
program and the insistence on crippling it
is nothing more than a US attempt to force
regime change for one more receptive to
maintaining the hegemony of the petrodollar.
Continue
Israel's War on
Democracy
By Conn Hallinan
While that equality never fully applied to
the country’s Arab citizens, Israel was, for
the most part an open society.
Continue
We Are All Suspects
Now
By John Pilger
Washington's enemy is not "terrorism" but
the principle of free speech and voices of
conscience within its militarist state.
Continue
A Journey To The End
Of Empire:
It Is Always Darkest Right Before It Goes
Completely Black
By Phil Rockstroh
Atrocious acts can be committed by the
state, with increasing frequency, because,
over the passage of time, such outrages will
have been allowed to pass into the realm of
the mundane, and are thus bestowed with a
patina of acceptability. Continue
Hatuey's Rebellion
The First American
Freedom Fighter
By William Loren Katz
This February 2nd stands as the
500th anniversary of the death of Hatuey, an
Indigenous American fighter for independence
from colonialism not mentioned in the same
breath as Patrick Henry, George Washington,
and Thomas Jefferson.
Continue
Whitewashing Black
History Month
By Gary Younge
Arizona's suppression of Mexican American
studies fits a pattern of making history
serve an exclusionary nationalist mythology.
Continue
What Real Journalism
Looks Like
Vincent Browne v The European
Central Bank
Video
Vincent Browne takes on Klaus Masuch over
the issue of the Irish people having to foot
the bill for unguaranteed bondholders.
Continue
Syria troops move on
new rebel areas near capital:
Syrian troops battled army defectors in a
string of towns in the mountains overlooking
Damascus on Wednesday in a new assault to
crush rebellious areas around the capital,
activists said.
Syrian rebels upbeat
despite government advances:
Amateur video shows the Free Syrian Army
exchanging gunfire with government forces as
they take cover behind a rebel tank.
Canada pulls most
diplomats from Syria: -
Canada has evacuated all but a few of its
embassy staff from Syria as that country
teeters on civil war, the foreign minister
said in Ottawa.
Pakistan Taliban
leader, 20 others killed:
- Security forces conducting an
operation in Pakistan's tribal region killed
a Taliban commander and 20 other suspected
militants, officials said Wednesday.
Militants kill 14
paramilitary troopers in southwest Pakistan:
At least 14 paramilitary troopers were
killed in a militant attack on a security
post in the restive Balochistan province of
southwest Pakistan, official sources said on
Wednesday.
Parcel with Anthrax
sent to Pakistani premier’s house:
Pakistani police said Wednesday they were
investigating how and why a parcel
containing anthrax was sent to the prime
minister’s official residence in the capital
Islamabad last month.
Pakistan dismisses
Nato report on Afghan Taliban links:
Pakistan's foreign minister says her country
has no hidden agenda in Afghanistan, in
response to a leaked secret Nato report on
Islamabad's links to the Afghan Taliban.
Man in Afghan army
uniform kills NATO soldier:
"An individual wearing an Afghan National
Army uniform turned his weapon against an
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
service member in southern Afghanistan
yesterday, killing one service member," the
NATO-led ISAF said in a press release,
Xinhua reported.
Taliban "poised to
retake Afghanistan" after NATO:
The U.S. military said in a secret report
that the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, are
set to retake control of Afghanistan after
NATO-led forces withdraw, raising the
prospect of a major failure of Western
policy after a costly war.
Afghan Taliban deny
they're ready to talk peace:
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid rejected
those reports as "baseless," saying in a
statement that exploratory talks between the
insurgency and the U.S. and its allies have
not yet reached the stage for negotiations.
Hundreds of
slaughtered civilians isn't a 'huge number'
for Obama: Those drone
attacks, carried out by unmanned aircraft
controlled thousands of miles away, don’t do
a lot of harm, said the president.
Islamist sect kills 5
people in northeast Nigeria:
The Borno state police spokesman said
Tuesday that Boko Haram gunmen attacked an
air force barracks, a police station and an
army checkpoint Monday, about 90 miles (150
kilometers) north of the sect's stronghold
in the city of Maiduguri.
Rival Libyan militias
battle in Tripoli:
Exchanges of fire were heard and plumes of
smoke seen coming from the el-Saadi district
in central Tripoli, eyewitnesses reported.
Seventeen Executions
In One Day In Iraq: All
seventeen executions took place yesterday,
bringing the total number so far this year
to 51. 68 people were executed in 2011.
UN nuclear inspectors
upbeat on Iran visit, but say further talks
needed: Both sides
describe the three days of talks as 'good';
Iran says it was ready to show IAEA
delegates its nuclear facilities, but 'they
didn't ask for it'.
Destination Persian
Gulf? US nuclear sub and destroyer enter Red
Sea: Two ships of the US
Navy, the nuclear submarine USS Annapolis
and the destroyer USS Momsen have passed
through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea.
Although their destination is confidential,
they are now getting dangerously close to
the Persian Gulf.
US Keeps Up Sabre-rattling
Show For Iran: News from
Washington proves that the US is serious
about its plan to carry out a military
operation against Iran.
Engineering Consent For An Attack On
Iran:
Iranian (retaliatory)
attack on America and allies increasingly
likely – intelligence chief:
Western officials say that in the past year
there has been a notable increase in
activity around the world by suspected
members of Iran's Quds force, which they say
could reflect positioning of units capable
of carrying out reprisal attacks against
western and Israeli targets if Iran was
itself attacked.
Engineering Consent For An Attack On
Iran:
Iran said greater
threat, while al-Qaida declines:
Top U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday
asserted that Iran has the means to build a
nuclear weapon but has not yet decided to
follow through, in contrast to Israel's
insistence that time is running out to stop
Iran from developing such a weapon.. .
Mossad chief holds
secret U.S. meetings on Iran nuclear
"threat", Senate panel reveals:
During a broadcasted meeting of the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence, CIA
Director, panel Chairperson indicate they
met Tamir Pardo in Washington this week;
U.S. official: Iran willing to attack U.S.
targets if threatened.
‘It May Be Too Late
to Attack Iran after the Summer’:
Constant chatter about an Israeli attack on
Iran’s nuclear site may end by summer. After
that, the military option may fall off the
table.
Israel sets up elite
command unit to strike behind 'enemy' lines:
The "Depth Corps" has been organised with
the aim of co-ordinating deep penetration
operations in other countries at a time when
the defence ministry acknowledges that the
number of covert Israeli operations abroad
has increased significantly in the last
year.
Ban Ki-Moon, U.N.
Secretary General, Urges Israel To Halt
illegal West Bank Settlements Construction:
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has harshly
criticized Israel's continued settlement
construction and urged it to submit detailed
proposals in low-level border talks with the
Palestinians.
U.S. criticizes
Israel plan to subsidize illegal West Bank
settlement construction:
Comments by top State Department official
come after Netanyahu cabinet announces plan
to encourage immigration into 557 illegal
'national priority' settlements, which
reportedly include 70 in the West Bank.
UN chief calls on
Israel to make 'goodwill' gestures toward
Palestinians: Ban told
Peres that Israel must make some
confidence-building gestures toward the
Palestinians, in order to carry on with the
direct talks between the sides in Jordan.
Ethiopian Christians
to be deported from Saudi Arabia:
Police arrested the group - including 29
women - after raiding a prayer meeting in
the second city of Jeddah.
4 punished for
blowing whistle on Dover AFB body handling:
Four civilian employees at the Port Mortuary
at Delaware's Dover Air Force Base were
illegally punished after blowing the whistle
on the mortuary’s mishandling of dead
troops’ remains. Between 2004 and 2006,
Dover Air Force Base workers dumped the
remains of 274 troops in a Virginia landfill
without notifying the soldiers' families.
Assange appeals
'invalid' warrant:
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has asked
the Supreme Court to block his extradition
to Sweden on the grounds that the European
arrest warrant issued against him is
"invalid and unenforceable".
Group Says FBI Snoops
on Wikileaks Supporters:
A nonprofit government watchdog claims the
FBI refuses to release information on "the
government's identification and surveillance
of individuals who have demonstrated support
for or interest in WikiLeaks."
Romney: 'I'm not
concerned about the very poor':
Republican presidential candidate Mitt
Romney said Wednesday that he's "not
concerned about the very poor" because they
have an "ample safety net" and he's focused
instead on relieving the suffering of
middle-class people hit hard by the bad
economy.