be just

Somalia's al Shabaab threatens to attack Kenya | Top News | Reuters MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali's hardline rebel group al Shabaab threatened on Sunday to attack neighbouring Kenya for training Somali government forces and allowing Ethiopian troops to operate from its towns.

Tunisians Celebrate PM Ghannouchi’s Ouster -- News from Antiwar.com But Ghannouchi’s close ties to the previous regime sparked a second flurry of protesters over the past few days which ended with him resigning as well, and celebrations in Tunis’ Casbah Square at the ouster of another symbol of the former regime.

Protests Continue Apace in Bahrain, Marchers Demand King’s Ouster -- News from Antiwar.com This may well have been embraced by the protesters at the beginning, as the first rallies by the mostly Shi’ite protesters centered around calls for additional reform and free civil rights. After the crackdowns turned violent, however, the tenor changed markedly.

Confrontation looms between NCP & SPLM over Southern MPs - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan February 27, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The speaker of the Sudanese parliament Mohamed Ibrahim Al-Tahir has announced that no Southern MP will be allowed to stay whether he is a member of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) or Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM). The South is set to officially become the world’s newest state next July after the referendum that took place last January showed an overwhelming majority in favor of independence. The NCP in control of the North has declared that all Southerners in the central government, military and civil service as well as parliament will be dismissed once results are certified.

Rudolph: Can You Pass The Saudi Arabia Quiz? | Informed Comment 6. Who wrote the following in 1956?: "Arabia is a country that contains the holy places of the Moslem world, and the Saudi Arabians are considered to be the most deeply religious of all the Arab groups. Consequently, the King could be built up, possibly, as a spiritual leader. Once this were accomplished, we might begin to urge his right to political leadership."

Al Jazeera English: Live Stream - Watch Now - Al Jazeera English

ShareThis Customization Overview Though it seems clear that the international community in general and the United States in particular are bound and determined to do “something” about the massive uprising in Libya, the protesters’ leadership is openly spurning those calls and insists it doesn’t need their sort of help.

Ivory Coast - Rebels Seize Town From Government - NYTimes.com : "Rebels who control the northern Ivory Coast have seized a town in the west, in government-controlled territory, and said Friday that they were still advancing, raising the prospect of a return to civil war. The town, Zouan-Hounien, is near the border with Liberia. Loyalists of Laurent Gbagbo, the strongman clinging to power after an election most of the world says he lost, confirmed that the town fell and said they would fight to take it back. United Nations officials have warned that clashes this week in Abidjan and the west have pushed the country closer to open war. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Jailed Christian convert is freed in Afghanistan : "An Afghan man who was jailed for nine months for converting to Christianity has been released after an intense campaign by international diplomatic missions and Christian activists, an official said Friday. Sayed Mussa, a 46-year-old father of six, left a Kabul jail earlier this week and was taken to see Afghan prosecutors, who did not have enough evidence to charge him, said Gen. Abdul Qayum Safi, director of the detention center. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Libya's Qaddafi offers $400 per family as rebels close in on Tripoli - CSMonitor.com : "In an attempt to appease the masses – possibly inspired by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who promised his subject $36 billion in benefits to stave off any potential revolutionaries – Libya's besieged leader on Friday pledged a 150 percent increase in some government workers' wages and promised to give every family $400. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Afghan Probe Confirms: NATO Killed 65 in Kunar Offensive -- News from Antiwar.com : "NATO denied the killings at the time and insisted again today that their own investigation showed no civilians at all were killed or wounded. The claim follows an embarrassing week of soundbites, in which top US commanders first suggested that local parents were burning their children and blaming NATO, and later claimed that the local parents just burn their children all the time for the heck of it. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

At Least 23 Killed as Iraq Cracks Down on Huge Protests -- News from Antiwar.com : "It is noteworthy that the Obama Administration has been entirely mum on the Iraqi crackdown, particularly as the US still has some 50,000 troops in Iraq to back up the Maliki-led regime. One can at least be relieved that the US troops were not directly involved in any of today’s crackdowns, but if the protests in Iraq continue to escalate as they have elsewhere in the region, one wonders how long it will be before the regime requests their help in “controlling” the upsurge of pro-democracy protesters. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Libya placed billions of dollars at U.S. banks: WikiLeaks | Reuters : "LONDON (Reuters) - Libya's secretive sovereign wealth fund has $32 billion in cash with several U.S. banks each managing up to $500 million, and it has primary investments in London, a confidential diplomatic cable shows. The cable, obtained by WikiLeaks and revealing the details of a January meeting between the head of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) and the U.S. ambassador in Tripoli, comes as the United States and European governments explored the possibility of freezing assets belonging to the Libyan government. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Hisham ibn 'Urwa reported on the authority of Abu Saleh on the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said: “Leaders will take charge of you after me, where the pious (one) will lead you with his piety and the impious (one) with his impiety, so listen to them and obey them in everything which conforms with the truth. If they act rightly it is to your credit, and if they acted wrongly it is counted for you and against them.” A revolt against a tyrannical Muslim ruler or a just Muslim ruler is haram, because revolting against the leader goes against the Islamic principal of hearing and obeying the rulers. As a revolt involves people under the tyrannical or just rulers rule deciding they will no longer hear and obey the ruler in all that he commands, while at the same time trying to remove the ruler from power. more about obeying bad rulers, and tyrants! I am not against your or anyone's religion but it seems to me Muslims are condemned to obey. the reality is Muslims are revo...

My kids will have less, oil will be expensive… so is food and almost everything you transport from one area to another; but, it is a price I don't mind to pay if I wish a rule of law, freedom of assembly and free and fair election.. Americans are focusing only how expensive oil is rather than how blood is flowing in the Middle-East; it is a total blindness that griped a nation by oil addiction. The world better plan for disastrous times ahead; oil, water, population growth, food are going to be big agendas now and will be for long time.

After 19 Years, Algeria Lifts State of Emergency -- News from Antiwar.com : "In a move designed seemingly just so the Algerian regime could no longer be accused of being one of those nations in a perpetual “state of emergency,” the government officially lifted the state today, some 19 years after it was announced. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

NATO Helicopter Kills Five Afghan Civilians, Including Two Children -- News from Antiwar.com : "Five Afghan civilians in the deseprately poor Kapisa Province were killed today by NATO troops while they were out hunting. NATO saw them, three men with bird-hunting rifles and two boys (aged 12 and 13), assumed they were insurgents, killing them. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Major Clashes Reported as Protests Near Libyan Capital -- News from Antiwar.com : "Though the internal protests in Tripoli have more or less been crushed by a brutal crackdown from the mercenary forces still loyal to Moammar Gadhafi, the massive nationwide movement continues to spread, and moves inexorably toward that last bastion of regime power, the Libyan capital. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

PressTV - 88 killed in Mogadishu clashes : "At least /8 civilians and ten Ugandan soldiers have been killed in clashes between al-Shabab fighters and government soldiers backed by African Union forces in Somalia. Al-Shabab fighters carried out a large attack on the Presidential Palace in the capital Mogadishu on Friday, a Press TV correspondent reported. They have also taken control of more government bases in War-dhiigley District in the capital. Large numbers of people have fled the districts where fighting is going on. This is while Somalia's Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed announced a new offensive on Wednesday and said that 17,000 African Union and Somali soldiers will continue to fight until al-Shabab's hold on Mogadishu is shattered. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

PressTV - 'Gaddafi's son joins Libyan protesters' : "According to the reports, Saif al-Arab, Gaddafi's youngest son, who was sent by his father to cooperate with Libyan security forces in the massive crackdown on pro-democracy protesters joined forces with the demonstrators in the eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Now Gadhafi Makes the Same Mistake by Emad Mekay -- Antiwar.com : "CAIRO – The brutal response by Libyan leader Muammar Al-Gadhafi against pro-democracy protestors in the country indicates his determination not to leave office without a bloody battle, but his moves follow the path that eventually led to ouster of two neighbouring dictators. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Gaddafi loses more Libyan cities - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's long-standing ruler, has reportedly lost control of more cities as anti-government protests continue to sweep the African nation despite his threat of a brutal crackdown. Protesters in Misurata said on Wednesday they had wrested the western city from government control. In a statement on the internet, army officers stationed in the city pledged 'total support for the protesters'. The protesters also seemed to be in control of much of the country's east, and an Al Jazeera correspondent, reporting from the city of Tobruk, 140km from the Egyptian border, said there was no presence of security forces. 'From what I've seen, I'd say the people of eastern Libya are the ones in control,' Hoda Abdel-Hamid, our correspondent, said. She said there were no officials manning the border when the Al Jazeera team crossed into Libya. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Out of touch in the Horn of Africa? : "Who is the 'average Ethiopian' whose contact is so highly prized and coveted? It seems s/he has an average life expectancy at birth of less than 45 years. S/he lives on less than $USD 1 per day. S/he is engaged in subsistence agriculture eking out a living. S/he survives on a daily intake of 800 calories (starvation level). S/he can neither read nor write. If s/he is sick, she has a 1 chance in 39,772 persons to see a doctor, 1 in 828,000 to see a dentist, 1 in 4,985 chance to see a nurse. She has little or no access to family planning services, reproductive health and emergency obstetric services and suffers from high maternal mortality during childbirth. She is a victim of gender discrimination, domestic violence and female genital mutilation. She has fewer employment and educational opportunities than the 'average' man and is not paid equal pay for equal work. S/he is likely to die from malaria and other preventable infecti...

New US Drone Strikes Kill 15 in Waziristan -- News from Antiwar.com : "At least 15 people were killed today in a new flurry of US drone strikes against Pakistani tribal areas. The first strike killed seven people in South Waziristan, while a second strike killed another eight in North Waziristan. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

New US Drone Strikes Kill 15 in Waziristan -- News from Antiwar.com : "At least 15 people were killed today in a new flurry of US drone strikes against Pakistani tribal areas. The first strike killed seven people in South Waziristan, while a second strike killed another eight in North Waziristan. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Petraeus Accuses Afghan Parents of Burning Kids to Make US Look Bad -- News from Antiwar.com : "One would think that the effort to downplay the killings of as many as 64 civilians, including a large number of children, would be enough to spark considerable anti-US outrage, but apparently Gen. David Petraeus saw an opportunity to make things even worse, and took it. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Obama Administration Frets Life After Gadhafi -- News from Antiwar.com : "Now the administration is expressing “fears” that there will be a civil war in Libya if the Gadhafi regime falls. With the dictator’s forces killing hundreds of protesters virtually every day now, it seems hard to believe he’s the preferred option of anyone. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egypt's forgotten children - Opinion - Al Jazeera English : "One of the untold stories of Egypt's popular revolution is the plight of homeless children caught up in the unrest. As the country adjusted to a new political reality during the protests, Cairo’s estimated 50,000 street children also found that the rules of the game had changed. The drop-in centres that they rely on for food, clean water and shelter were, like nearly everything else in Egypt, mostly closed. With nothing to eat and nowhere to go, the children were drawn to the festival atmosphere of Tahrir Square, attracted by the prospect of a free meal and the chance of being part of something exciting. Instead, they found themselves part of something very different. When violence erupted, the homeless children had nowhere to seek refuge and many were caught up in the clashes between rival political factions. Save the Children has confirmed the death of at least one child - a 16-year-old boy called Ismail - and ...

Gaddafi's hold on Libya weakens - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "'What we are witnessing today is unimaginable. Warplanes and helicopters are indiscriminately bombing one area after another. There are many, many dead,' Adel Mohamed Saleh said in a live broadcast . - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Libya protests spread and intensify - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "Scores of people have been reported killed in continuing violence in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, amid escalating protests against Muammar Gaddafi's 40-year rule across the north African nation. At least 61 people were killed in clashes in the city on Monday, witnesses told Al Jazeera. The protests appeared to be gathering momentum, with demonstrators saying they have taken control of several important towns and the city of Benghazi, to the east of Tripoli. A huge anti-government march in Tripoli on Monday afternoon came under attack by security forces using fighter jets and live ammunition, witnesses told Al Jazeera. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Bullying the Palestinians - Opinion - Al Jazeera English : "It appears that US dealings with the Palestinians have entered a new phase: Bullying. On Thursday, President Barack Obama telephoned Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, to urge him to block a UN Security Council resolution condemning settlements. Obama pressed very hard during the 50 minute call, so hard that Abbas felt constrained to agree to take Obama’s request to the PLO executive committee (which, not surprisingly, agreed that Abbas should not accede to Obama’s request). But what a request it is! For Palestinians, Israeli settlements are the very crux of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After all, it is the gobbling up of the land by settlements that is likely to prevent a Palestinian state from ever coming into being. Asking the Palestinian leader to agree to oppose a resolution condemning them is like asking the Israeli prime minister to agree to drop Israel’s claim to the Israeli parts of Jerusalem. - Sent ...

ei: The moderate obstacle : "This past Friday, US President Barack Obama's speech celebrating the morality and commitment to justice of the Egyptian protesters was inadvertently humorous to those with a penchant for irony. Just days before, the White House was still supporting Mubarak's dictatorial regime. US envoy Frank Wisner argued that Mubarak should remain in office so as to enact the changes he had proposed, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed Mubarak's plan to stay in power until September. At every step, the Obama administration stressed gradual reform and remained committed to the status quo, a hypocritical and amnesiac stance that insults the proud history of the civil rights movement in the US. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

PressTV - 4 Kurdish protesters killed in N Iraq : "A peaceful protest in northern Iraq against the local government of Iraqi Kurdistan President Masud Barzani has ended in violence with 4 dead and over 50 injured. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

PressTV - US-led airstrike kills 37 Afghan civilians : "NATO has confirmed the incident, claiming that they were targeting “a prominent Taliban militant,” a Press TV correspondent reported. Several women and children were among those killed in the attack on Kunar province. Local residents say the airstrike targeted homes in the area and all those killed were civilians. NATO, however, claims that 30 militants died in the attack. Similar attacks have claimed the lives of hundreds of Afghan civilians over the past year. More than 2,400 civilians lost their lives in 2010 -- making it the deadliest year since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Libya unrest death toll 'tops 200' - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "Hundreds have been killed in Libya since protests broke out across the North African nation six days ago, according to rights watchdogs and eyewitnesses across the country. Residents told Al Jazeera that at least 200 people had died in the eastern city of Benghazi alone, while the New York-based Human Rights Watch on Sunday put the countrywide death toll at 104. The rights group said the figure was 'conservative'. Protests have also reportedly broken out in other cities, including Bayda, Derna, Tobruk and Misrata. In the capital, Tripoli, supporters of the government took to the streets in large numbers, and security forces prevented large demonstrations against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year reign. Benghazi 'a war zone' Moftah, a resident of Benghazi - Libya's second largest city - who requested Al Jazeera use only his first name, said the city had become a 'war zone' in recent...

Groups to protest against China-funded Ethiopian dam - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan : "February 18, 2011 (ADDIS ABABA) - International conservation groups, members of civil society and other concerned individuals will on Sunday, 20 February 2011 stage a peaceful protest march to petition the Chinese government against the involvement of several Chinese companies in the construction of a controversial dam. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Military chaplain: Soldier’s rape ‘must have been God’s will’ | The Raw Story : "'She immediately sought the assistance of the military chaplain,' the lawsuit reads. 'When SGT Havrilla met with the military chaplain, he told her that 'it must have been God's will for her to be raped' and recommended that she attend church more frequently.' - Sent using Google Toolbar"

US Vetoes UN Resolution Condemning Israeli Settlements -- News from Antiwar.com : "The veto came after every single other member of the UNSC indicated that they supported the draft resolution, which was non-binding and only reiterated what has long been the position of the international community, that depopulating occupied territory and moving your own citizens there in government sponsored settlements is a violation of international law. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

At Least 99 Killed as Protests Split Libya -- News from Antiwar.com : "The fighting in the eastern cities in particular was said to have been quite fierce, and before the military fled from the overwhelming groups of protesters, the confirmed death toll going into Saturday was at least 84 slain and hundreds wounded. An additional 15 were slain at funerals on Saturday, bringing the minimal toll to at least 99. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

US vetoes UN draft on settlements - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "The US has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements as 'illegal' and called for an immediate halt to all settlement building. All 14 other Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution, which was backed by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), on Friday. Mark Lyall Grant,, the British ambassador to the UN, speaking on behalf of his country, France and Germany, condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank. 'They are illegal under international law,' he said. He added that the European Union's three biggest nations hope that an independent state of Palestine will join the UN as a new member state by September 2011. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Protests death toll rises in Libya - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "Security forces in Libya have killed at least 70 pro-democracy protesters in the country's second-largest city as demonstrations demanding the ouster of Col. Moammar Gaddafi, the long time ruler, increase across the country. A doctor in Benghazi told Al Jazeera that he saw the bodies at the main hospital on Friday in one of the harshest crackdowns against peaceful protesters thus far. 'I have seen it on my own eyes: At least 70 bodies at the hospital,' said Wuwufaq al-Zuwail, a physician. He added that security forces also prevented ambulances to reach the site of the protests on Friday. The Libyan government has also blocked Al Jazeera TV signal in the country. And people have also reported that the network's website is inaccessible from there. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Hotmail - aosmanm@hotmail.com - Windows Live : "The United Nations is currently asking the international community to donate food for 2.8 million Ethiopians, and yet the so-called “Ethiopian government” sells fertile land to foreign investors to grow oil seeds and sugarcane for export. Chandigarh, INDIA (PTI) — A group of Indian farmers in Punjab today said that they are going to grow pulses and oilseeds on 5,000 hectares of land in Ethiopia and import their farm produce to India. “We will start cultivating 5,000 hectares of land in Ethiopia from September this year and plan to cultivate pulses, oil seeds, sugarcane and maize which are always in short supply (in India),” Confederation of Potato Seed Farmers (POSCON) secretary general Jang Bahadur Singh Sangha said here today. Additionally, the group wants the government to exempt their farm produce in Ethiopia from duty when imported to India in order to curtail country’s dependence on import of such farm products. - Sent using Go...

1 killed, 57 injured in Iraqi Kurdish protests - CNN : "One person was killed and 57 were injured Thursday when hundreds of protesters clashed with security forces in Sulaimaniya, a city in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, according to Dr. Raykot Hamed Salih, a health official there. Salih had reported earlier in the day that nine people were killed, but he retracted that figure. He explained to CNN that in the middle of the chaos, the emergency hospital in Sulaimaniya received a number of unconscious individuals, and doctors mistakenly thought they were dead. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

 Afghans Fear Return of the Warlords as Anti-Taliban Militias Clash  :      Information Clearing House: ICH : "One ISCI commander, Haji Mir Afzal, said she could do whatever she wanted because of her exceptionally unusual history as a resistance commander during the jihad against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. 'We don't even think of her as a woman when she comes to these meetings,' he said. When the Guardian asked how many fighters she had under her command, she raised a bemused eyebrow. 'These are all my fighters,' she said, waving at the tent full of men who collectively control one of the biggest militias to be set up with US cash in Afghanistan. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Hillary’s Free-Speech Hypocrisy by Kevin B. Zeese -- Antiwar.com : "During that speech Ray McGovern, a veteran who also served for 27 years as a CIA analyst, exercised his freedom of speech by standing and silently turning his back on Secretary Clinton. He was protesting the ongoing wars, the treatment of Bradley Manning and the militarism of U.S. foreign policy. He did not shout at the Secretary of State or interrupt her speech. He merely stood in silence. See the video here of the incident. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

New Afghan war plans could cost US taxpayers an extra $125 billion - CSMonitor.com : "Crunching the numbers So how much extra would it cost if the bulk of the withdrawal starts rather than finishes around 2014? About $125 billion, says Mr. Harrison at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, at that's just through 2014. He uses two different troop level scenarios – one high, and one low. He calculates costs based $1.1 million per soldier per year, which reflects the five-year average in Afghanistan. The lower cost – $288 billion – assumes that the troops involved in Obama’s surge would be withdrawn by 2012, and that by the end of 2014 only 30,000 US troops would remain. The higher cost – $413 billion – assumes no drawdown will happen until 2013, and 70,000 US troops would remain by the end of 2014. The difference: $125 billion. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

18 Bahrain MPs Resign in Protest Over Killings -- News from Antiwar.com : "Nearly half of Bahrain’s Council of Representatives, all 18 members of the opposition resigned today in protest of the overnight attack on civilian protesters by security forces, which left six dead, several hundred wounded, and tanks rolling through the capital city’s streets. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Report: 19 Killed in Crackdown on Libya Protests -- News from Antiwar.com : "First Tunisia, then Egypt. The popular uprisings against “president for life” dictators across Northern Africa and the Middle East has spread at a rapid pace, and while any number of regimes could be “next,” Libya is certainly skyrocketing to the top of the list. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Colin Powell demands answers over Curveball's WMD lies | World news | The Guardian : "Colin Powell, the US secretary of state at the time of the Iraq invasion, has called on the CIA and Pentagon to explain why they failed to alert him to the unreliability of a key source behind claims of Saddam Hussein's bio-weapons capability. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Abbas and Fayyad must resign too - Opinion - Al Jazeera English : "After two decades of failed political moves, the Palestinian Authority represented by its top leadership are hoping to avoid the inevitable: paying a heavy price for corruption of all kinds, alienating the Palestinian people, and failing to negotiate an end to Israel’s occupation. Threatened and undermined by the Al Jazeera-Guardian Palestine Papers leak, and dismayed by wrongly siding with Egypt’s ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak, the Palestinian Authority is employing desperate political maneuvers. Palestinian President Abbas has asked his Chief Negotiator and cabinet in the West Bank to submit their resignation. He has also called for Parliamentarian and Presidential elections in September and deliberately avoided giving a specific date. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Israel troops kill Gaza 'fishermen' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Israeli soldiers have killed three Palestinians along the Gaza-Israeli border near Beit Lahiya, Palestinian medics have said. Gaza's ministry of health said on Thursday that the men killed overnight were fishermen who were working with their nets on the shore, however: a spokesman for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine sent a text message to reporters identifying one of the men as a member of the group. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

I call upon the US government to pullout its fleet from Bahrain now. The US government is falling behind the rapid event overtaking the Midle East, Egypt was an opportunity, so was Tunisia; instead, the US is watching from the side and propping-up dictators to fit its agenda. The time to be with people of the Middle East is now.

Clashes rock Bahraini capital - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "The Bahrain capital of Manama was rocked by sporadic clashes, hours after riot police attacked a makeshift encampment of pro-reform protesters in the centre of the city, killing at least six and injuring dozens of others. An Al Jazeera correspondent, who cannot be named for security reasons, said on Thursday that 'clashes were no longer limited to one place...they are now spread out in different parts of the city'. He said that the hospitals are full of injured people after last night's police raid on the pro-reform demonstrators. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

 Inside the Killing Machine  :      Information Clearing House: ICH : "President Obama is ordering a record number of Predator strikes. An exclusive interview with a man who approved ‘lethal operations.’ By Tara Mckelvey February 15, 2011 'Newsweek' - -- It was an ordinary-looking room located in an office building in northern Virginia. The place was filled with computer monitors, keyboards, and maps. Someone sat at a desk with his hand on a joystick. John A. Rizzo, who was serving as the CIA’s acting general counsel, hovered nearby, along with other people from the agency. Together they watched images on a screen that showed a man and his family traveling down a road thousands of miles away. The vehicle slowed down, and the man climbed out. A moment later, an explosion filled the screen, and the man was dead. “It was very businesslike,” says Rizzo. An aerial drone had killed the man, a high-level terrorism suspect, after he had gotten out of the vehicle, while members of ...

 Egypt's Revolution and Israel: "Bad for the Jews"  :      Information Clearing House: ICH : "By Ilan Pappe February 15, 2011 'The Electronic Intifada' -- The view from Israel is that if they indeed succeed, the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions are bad, very bad. Educated Arabs -- not all of them dressed as 'Islamists,' quite a few of them speaking perfect English whose wish for democracy is articulated without resorting to 'anti-Western' rhetoric -- are bad for Israel. Arab armies that do not shoot at these demonstrators are as bad as are many other images that moved and enthused so many people around the world, even in the West. This world reaction is also bad, very bad. It makes the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and its apartheid policies inside the state look like the acts of a typical 'Arab' regime. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Jimmy Carter’s Gift of ‘Apartheid’ by John V. Walsh -- Antiwar.com : "Then there is the very old-fashioned label, “a people without a land and a land without a people.” Not even the European colonialists of the Americas had the chutzpah to deny the very existence of the indigenous peoples as they were exterminated or put into reservations, the Gazas of the New World. Though that racist little phrase continued up to Golda Meir, who denied the very existence of the Palestinians, at least by the time of the terrorist Yitzhak Shamir the Palestinians had transmogrified into “insects” or “cockroaches.” At least Shamir allowed for their pesky, subhuman existence. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egypt After Mubarak: Cole on Russia Today | Informed Comment : "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egypt Protests Spark Confrontations in Yemen, Algeria | Informed Comment : "Then protesters poured back into one area of the square, to the side of the traffic. Aljazeera is saying that some of them are from the countryside and cannot so easily just pick up stakes and go home. Others are committed to staying in the square until the state of emergency is lifted and other reforms are practically implemented. On the other hand, most protesters have returned to work or school (Sunday is a work day for many in Egypt), and can hardly afford to continue to abandon their day jobs. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Timeline: US indecision on Egypt - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Protests begin in Egypt on the day Barack Obama, the US president, gives State of the Union address to Congress. Obama did not mention Egypt but did refer to protests in Tunisia, saying the US 'supports the democratic aspirations of all people'. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, gave the first high-level US response to the Egypt protests, saying: 'Our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people.' - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egypt's army dissolves parliament - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Soldiers have moved to try and clear pro-democracy protesters from Tahrir Square in Cairo [Reuters] Egypt's military has dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution, two days after Hosni Mubarak, the long-serving president, stepped down in the wake of a popular uprising. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Italy declares migrant emergency - Europe - Al Jazeera English : "Italy has called a humanitarian emergency after thousands of migrants sailed across the Mediterranean from Tunisia, overwhelming authorities on a remote island. 'The cabinet today... has proclaimed a state of humanitarian emergency following the influx of the large number of citizens from North Africa,' the government said in a statement on Saturday. On Sunday, the Italian government said that it was planning to deploy security forces on Tunisian soil to stop the waves of illegal immigrants. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Hornberger's Blog - Obama: Egyptians Are Too Dumb for Democracy : "Flip-flopping over events in Egypt, President Obama and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have decided that it would be a bad idea for unelected Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak to immediately resign from office. Their reason? Under Egypt’s constitution, Mubarak’s departure from power would require national elections to be held within 60 days. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

How Pakistan could be made to pay for an American killer - Asia, World - The Independent : "As Pakistan has continued to refuse to accommodate Washington's request, so the arm-twisting has increased with veiled warnings about the possible impact on American aid to Islamabad and the possible cancellation of a meeting planned for next month between President Asif Ali Zardari and Barack Obama. On Thursday, Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, was forced to deny a report that US national security adviser Tom Donilon had threatened to expel him from the country if Mr Davis was not released. But Pakistani politicians find themselves in a difficult position. While they do not wish to lose out on the billions of dollars of US military and non-military aid, they do not dare antagonise a Pakistani public that is increasingly anti-American by being seen to give in to US demands. Most political parties favour Mr Davis being tried in Pakistan and yesterday morning in Karach...

Algeria shuts down internet and Facebook as protest mounts - Telegraph : "Internet providers were shut down and Facebook accounts deleted across Algeria on Saturday as thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators were arrested in violent street demonstrations. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egypt: Hosni Mubarak used last 18 days in power to secure his fortune - Telegraph : "The former Egyptian president is accused of amassing a fortune of more than £3 billion - although some suggest it could be as much as £40 billion - during his 30 years in power. It is claimed his wealth was tied up in foreign banks, investments, bullion and properties in London, New York, Paris and Beverly Hills. In the knowledge his downfall was imminent, Mr Mubarak is understood to have attempted to place his assets out of reach of potential investigators. On Friday night Swiss authorities announced they were freezing any assets Mubarak and his family may hold in the country's banks while pressure was growing for the UK to do the same. Mr Mubarak has strong connections to London and it is thought many millions of pounds are stashed in the UK. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

BBC News - Egypt military pledges transition to civilian rule : "Egypt's military authorities have pledged to oversee a transition to civilian rule, a day after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

ei: The revolution continues after Mubarak's fall  : "The chants were as varied and lively as the crowd which grew to thousands: 'Long Live Egypt!,' 'The people overthrew the regime!,' 'Who's next?,' 'Tomorrow Abbas!' Some people showered the crowd with sweets, as fireworks burst overhead. Everyone took pictures, recording a moment of victory they felt was made by the Egyptian people on behalf of all of us. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Algeria protesters push for change - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "Algerian security forces and pro-democracy protesters have clashed in the capital, Algiers, amid demonstrations inspired by the revolution in Egypt. At least 2,000 protesters were able to overcome a security cordon enforced around the city's May First Square on Saturday, joining other demonstrators calling for reform. Earlier, thousands of police in riot gear were in position to stop the demonstrations that could mimic the uprising which forced out Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's long-serving president. Security forces closed all entrances to Algiers and arrested hundreds of protesters, sources told Al Jazeera. Elias Filali, an Algerian blogger and activist, said human rights activists and syndicate members were among those arrested at the scene of the protests. 'I'm right in the middle of the march,' he told Al Jazeera. 'People are being arrested and are heavily guarded by the police.' Official...

Erekat quits over Palestine Papers - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Saeb Erekat, the Palestine Liberation Organisation's chief negotiator, has resigned from his post, after it emerged that the source of the Palestine Papers leak was in his own office. The decision was announced on Saturday, at the same time as a Palestinian Authority (PA) official announced that the body would be holding presidential and legislative elections before September this year. Erekat said his resignation came as a result of an internal investigation into the Palestine Papers, a set of leaked documents that was released by Al Jazeera. Erekat, who has retained his position in the PLO's executive committee, said the investigation showed that the papers were leaked from the Negotiations Support Unit, which he heads. Earlier, he had said he would bear all responsibility if any security breach was found in his office. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas leader, welcomed the resig...

Post-Mubarak era dawns on Egypt - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Egyptians have woken to a new dawn after 30 years of rule under Hosni Mubarak. As the Muslim call to prayer reverberated across Cairo on Saturday, the sound of horns honking in jubilation could still be heard after a night when millions celebrated the fall of the president, who has handed over power to the military. After 18 days of rallies at Cairo's Tahrir Square, resisting police assaults and a last-ditch raid by Mubarak supporters, people packed not just the epicentre but, it seemed, every street and neighbourhood of the capital. Similar was the scene in other cities and towns across the country. Fireworks lit the night sky, cars honked under swathes of red, white and black Egyptian flags and people hoisted children above their heads. Some took souvenir pictures with smiling soldiers atop their tanks on city streets. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Obama's Big Budget Cut Proposals Target The Poor : "A White House source familiar with the budget process told HuffPost that the president will propose cutting $2.5 billion from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which received $5.1 billion in federal funds in 2009. That program distributes money to states, which then distribute it to social service agencies to help families heat or cool their homes. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

WikiLeaks: Suleiman vowed to prevent Hamas rule in Gaza - Israel News, Ynetnews : "Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman promised Israel in 2005 that he would prevent Hamas' rise to power in the Gaza Strip, according to a document leaked to the WikiLeaks website and published by Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

How The Mubarak Family Made Its Billions : "A tourist in Cairo spots three photographs on the wall of a restaurant: one of Nasser, another of Sadat, and the third of Hosni Mubarak. He asks the owner who the first man is, and the owner tells him it's the man who overthrew the Egyptian monarchy and served as the country's president. 'Who's the second man?' the tourist wants to know. 'That's Anwar Sadat, our next president,' comes the reply. 'He made peace with Israel but was assassinated in 1981.' Next the tourist wants to know who the third man is. 'Him?' says the restaurant owner. 'That's my business partner's father' - A popular joke in Egypt - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Hosni Mubarak resigns as president - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has resigned from his post, handing over power to the armed forces. Omar Suleiman, the vice-president, announced in a televised address that the president was 'waiving' his office, and had handed over authority to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Suleiman's short statement was received with a roar of approval and by celebratory chanting and flag-waving from a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square, as well by pro-democracy campaigners who attended protests across the country on Friday. The crowd in Tahrir chanted 'We have brought down the regime', while many were seen crying, cheering and embracing one another. Mohamed ElBaradei, an opposition leader, hailed the moment as being the 'greatest day of my life', in comments to the Associated Press news agency. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Rage, Confusion in Egypt as Mubarak Resignation Never Happens -- News from Antiwar.com : "The early evening in Egypt was filled with jubilation, as the state media broadcast reports pointing to the imminent ouster of reviled President Hosni Mubarak and promised a 10:00 PM speech that everyone assumed would be a resignation speech. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

U.N. says 2.8 million people in Ethiopia face starvation | Ethiopia : "(Reuters) — Ethiopia and the United Nations said on Monday 2.8 millions Ethiopians will need emergency food aid in 2011, and appealed for $227 million to fund programs for the first six months. The Horn of Africa nation is still one of the world’s poorest countries, with nearly 10 percent of the population of 77 million people relying on emergency food aid last year. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

ei: Revolution is an export Tunisia can be proud of : "Morgan: Mr. Prime Minister, can I ask you, have you been surprised by the events in Egypt and do you believe that President Mubarak should now go immediately? Ghannouchi: We are worrying about our own country. Our revolution is unique. It was caused by the young. Facebook and Twitter were the levers. It's been held in a peaceful way. Today we were able to break with the past thanks to what we have in our DNA. Tunisia, as you know, is an exporting country, but we do not pretend that we export revolutions. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

AP IMPACT: At CIA, grave mistakes, then promotions : "WASHINGTON -- In December 2003, security forces boarded a bus in Macedonia and snatched a German citizen named Khaled el-Masri. For the next five months, el-Masri was a ghost. Only a select group of CIA officers knew he had been taken to a secret prison for interrogation in Afghanistan. But he was the wrong guy. A hard-charging CIA analyst had pushed the agency into one of the biggest diplomatic embarrassments of the U.S. war on terrorism. Yet despite recommendations, the analyst was never punished. In fact, she's risen in the agency. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

   US Terror Campaign in Pakistan? What was Raymond Davis Shooting for in Lahore?:      Information Clearing House: ICH : "US Terror Campaign in Pakistan? What was Raymond Davis Shooting for in Lahore? By Dave Lindorff February 09, 2011 'This Can't Be Happening' --- The mystery surrounding Raymond A. Davis, the American former Special Forces operative jailed in Lahore, Pakistan for the murder of two young motorcyclists, and his funky “security” company, Hyperion-Protective Consultants LLC, in the US continues to grow. When Davis was arrested in the immediate aftermath of the double slaying in a busy business section of Lahore, after he had fatally shot two men in the back, claiming that he feared they might be threatening to rob him, police found business cards on him for a security company called Hyperion-Protective Consultants LLC, which listed as its address 5100 North Lane, Orlando, Florida. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Wael Ghonim vs. Barack Obama: Change we Can Believe in, Yes we Can | Informed Comment : "It is no secret that President Barack Obama has been in some regards a profound disappointment to the American Left, and his erratic and often disgraceful performance on the Egypt crisis exemplifies his faults in this regard. (Tom Engelhardt puts it best regarding the administration: “It has shown itself to be weak, visibly fearful, at a loss for what to do, and always several steps behind developing events.”) Obama just seems to lack empathy with the little people and is unwilling to buck the rich and powerful, even though they all opposed his run for the presidency. As Iran’s speaker of the house put it, the Obama administration, faced with a choice of supporting the youth revolution or the camels unleashed on it, has chosen the camels. It makes a person think there should be rule that no one can run for the presidency who didn’t have a proper father figure in his or her life (Bill Clinton, ...

Reports: Mubarak Will Speak; Hand Over Power? : The Two-Way : NPR : "Breaking news from Egypt: President Hosni Mubarak is expected to address the nation tonight (local time), and the leader of his political party says Mubarak may step down. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

South Sudan army in deadly clashes - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "At least 16 people have been killed in clashes between rebels and the army in south Sudan's Jonglei state, breaking a ceasefire agreed last month, the southern army has said. Philip Aguer, spokesman for the south's Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), said the violence started when fighters loyal to rebel leader George Athor attacked an army base on Wednesday. 'Four SPLA soldiers were killed and 12 of Athor's men,' he said. 'This is a violation of the ceasefire agreement. Not only has he attacked SPLA, he has been planting landmines as well.' - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Workers continue Egypt strikes - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Egyptian labour unions have held nationwide strikes for a second day, adding momentum to the pro-democracy demonstrations in Cairo and other cities. The move comes as demonstrations calling for the immediate resignation of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, entered their 17th day on Thursday. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Made in America: Mubarak’s Most Brutal Thugs Trained With FBI -- News from Antiwar.com : "WikiLeaks cables, including 07CAIRO3348, released today by the Daily Telegraph, detail the Bush and Obama Administrations were providing training to Egypt’s secret police, the SSIS, which cables and human rights NGOs have repeatedly cited for routine torture of detainees. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

9% Unemployment Rate is a Statistical Lie      Information Clearing House: ICH : "February 07, 2011 'USAWatchdog'The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the latest unemployment figures last Friday. There was a stunning drop to 9% from 9.4%. How did that happen? Is the economy really getting better or is the government up to its old statistical tricks. According to the mainstream media, the economy is getting better and the so-called recovery is alive and well. Here’s how the Associated Press reported the story, “The unemployment rate is suddenly sinking at the fastest pace in a half-century, falling to 9 percent from 9.8 percent in just two months — the most encouraging sign for the job market since the recession ended. More than half a million people found work in January. A government survey found weak hiring by big companies. But more people appear to be working for themselves or finding jobs at small businesses.” (Click here for the complete AP story.) - S...

   The Egyptian mirror:      Information Clearing House: ICH : "None of this is to say that such matters are not newsworthy when they take place in other countries; they are. And obviously the domestic political repression in Egypt does not compare to what one finds in the U.S. But there are two points about these types of articles worth making. The first is that they have the effect of manufacturing the appearance that such problems exist only Over There, but not here. One would never, ever find in The New York Times such a sweeping denunciation of the plutocratic corruption and merger of private wealth and political power that shapes most of America's political culture. Just like 'torture'-- which that paper has no trouble declaring is used by Egypt's government but will never say is used by ours -- such systematic corruption can exist only elsewhere, but never in America. That's how this genre of Look Over There reporting is not just incomplete but out...

Democracy Now! | Headlines for February 09, 2011 : "The House has temporarily rejected a measure to extend certain provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. One of the provisions authorizes the FBI to continue using roving wiretaps on surveillance targets; the second allows the government to access library records and other records in the course of surveillance; and the third provision allows for surveillance of so-called lone wolfs--targets who are not connected to an identified terrorist group. The 277-to-148 vote fell short of the two-thirds needed to approve the measure under a special procedure allowing quick passage of bills with wide support. Democratic opponents were joined by 26 Republicans, including eight lawmakers backed by the Tea Party. Sixty-seven Democrats joined with Republican supporters to vote in favor of the extension. With those numbers, the measure is expected to pass later this week when it’s put to a regular vote. Speaking on the House floor, Democratic Rep. Denn...

Egyptian Protests Swell in Response to Ghonim | Informed Comment : "The crowds in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo were again very large on Tuesday, and new networks of people joined in them, showing that the protest movement is expanding. Many newcomers appear to have been impressed by the DreamTv interview with Wael Ghonim (scroll down), which ended with him sobbing over the deaths of some 300 protesters while he was arbitrarily locked up in an Egyptian prison cell. Ghonim is among Egypt’s foremost internet technology specialists. He clearly regrets the killing of some 300 protesters by state security forces in the past two parliamentary contests. but says that those lives lost are a reason for the organizers to continue to demonstrate until victory. The central demand of the protesters is the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Labour unions boost Egypt protests - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Egyptian labour unions have gone on a nationwide strike, adding momentum to pro-democracy demonstrations in Cairo and other cities. Al Jazeera correspondents, reporting from Egypt, said around 20,000 factory workers stayed away from work on Wednesday. 'It is a significant gain for the pro-democracy supporters' if the unions get involved in demonstrations, Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reported from Cairo. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Freed Google executive helped spark Egypt revolt - Yahoo! News : "CAIRO – The young Google Inc. executive detained by Egyptian authorities for 12 days said Monday he was behind the Facebook page that helped spark what he called 'the revolution of the youth of the Internet.' A U.S.-based human rights group said nearly 300 people have died in two weeks of clashes. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Suleiman: The CIA's man in Cairo - Opinion - Al Jazeera English : "On January 29, Omar Suleiman, Egypt’s top spy chief, was anointed vice president by tottering dictator, Hosni Mubarak. By appointing Suleiman, part of a shake-up of the cabinet in an attempt to appease the masses of protesters and retain his own grip on the presidency, Mubarak has once again shown his knack for devilish shrewdness. Suleiman has long been favoured by the US government for his ardent anti-Islamism, his willingness to talk and act tough on Iran - and he has long been the CIA’s main man in Cairo. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Protests swell at Tahrir Square - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators have poured into Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square as protests against Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, entered their 15th day despite a slew of concessions announced by the government. Tens of thousands of protesters have also come out on the streets in Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city. There were also reports of a protest outside the parliament building in the capital. A witness said at least a thousand people had gathered at the spot and more were coming in. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Saudi top cleric blasts Arab, Egypt protests : "Saudi Arabia's top Islamic scholar condemned anti-government protests in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere as a plot by enemies of Islam to spread instability, Saudi newspapers said on Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians marched peacefully in Cairo on Friday to demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, but no end to the confrontation was in sight as the unrest entered its 12th day. Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has said it is worried that the unrest might lead to instability in Egypt, its main Arab ally. King Abdullah called Mubarak to express his support, Saudi state media said on Jan. 29. The protests in Egypt, Tunisia and other countries are plots by enemies of Islam to break up Arab Muslim nations, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh, who is close to Saudi government thinking, was quoted as saying. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Hillary Champions Egypt’s Torturer in Chief « Antiwar.com Blog : "Hillary Clinton is championing Egypt’s Torturer in Chief as new leader. I guess the Obama team is hellbent on further disgracing the United States in this ongoing clash. Details here. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

A daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, airing on over 900 stations, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the United States. : "Uprising in Egypt: A Two-Hour Special on the Revolt Against the U.S.-Backed Mubarak Regime - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egypt remains at an impasse - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "After nearly two weeks of anti-government demonstrations in Egypt, the standoff continues between tens of thousands of protesters and the country's embattled president Hosni Mubarak. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Rand Paul: End 'welfare' to Israel - Jennifer Epstein - POLITICO.com : "Paul also defended his calls to end aid to Israel, saying they’re just part of his bigger efforts at fiscal responsibility. “I’m not singling out Israel. I support Israel. I want to be known as a friend of Israel, but not with money you don’t have,” he said. “We can’t just borrow from our kids’ future and give it to countries, even if they are our friends.” And, he said, giving money to the country is especially unwise considering Israel’s relative wealth. “I think they’re an important ally, but I also think that their per capita income is greater than probably three-fourths of the rest of the world,” he said. “Should we be giving free money or welfare to a wealthy - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Meet Asmaa Mahfouz: the woman who organized Egypt’s historic demonstrations - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com : "Asmaa Mahfouz is a small frame woman, who does not cut an intimidating figure. But looks are deceiving. Born in Egypt in 1984, she is a graduate of the business management school of the American University in Cairo. She's 26 years old. She was mentioned yesterday, not by name, in an MSNBC report by Richard Engel. Curiosity drove me to find her. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Kucinich: Suspected WikiLeaks leaker could be facing 'cruel and unusual' treatment - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room : "The Army private accused of leaking classified U.S. documents to WikiLeaks has suffered 'cruel and unusual' treatment while detained by the government, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said. Kucinich wrote Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday to ask that Army Pfc. Bradley Manning be allowed access to a mental health specialist while in detention by the military. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

The FBI Has Been Violating Your Liberties in Ways That May Shock You | News & Politics | AlterNet : "Over the last decade, the FBI has been found to violate the Constitution countless times under the guise of the Patriot Act, including a 2007 scandal that led FBI head Robert Mueller to publicly apologize for the preponderance of security abuses, misconduct and violation of civil liberties on his watch. We’ve known since its enactment in 2001 that the Patriot Act, with its gross expansion of law enforcement power and murky reporting requirements, was just a rulebook waiting to be spoiled. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Jimmy Carter Sued for $5 Million for Criticism of Israel -- News from Antiwar.com : "In a move that calls back to the attempt by Texas cattlemen to sue Oprah Winfrey for “defamation of beef.” an Israeli lawyer has filed a class-action lawsuit against former President Jimmy Carter, seeking $5 million in damages because his book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” allegedly defamed Israel. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

8+ Years in Gitmo Without Charges: Detainee Dies of ‘Exercise’ -- News from Antiwar.com : "As with many other detainees at the facility, the US claimed to have considerable evidence against Gul, but never attempted to charge him with any crime and, nine years after his capture and eight and a half years into his stay at Guantanamo Bay, he died a prisoner, but an uncharged one. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

US viewers seek Al Jazeera coverage - Opinion - Al Jazeera English : "We were also banned in Ben Ali's Tunisia. We overcame this through the use of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Images of Tunisia's uprising went from local villages to our global audience of over one hundred million viewers. I am proud to say we were not only first, we were everywhere, deploying well ahead of the tipping point, arriving to cover the demonstrators when they gathered on the ministry of interior - a symbol of torture and repression in most Arab countries. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Algeria Promises Reforms in Hope of Curbing Protests -- News from Antiwar.com : "Faced with rising concern that it might fall victim to the same massive uprisings as its neighbor Tunisia, the government of Algeria announced today that they would implement a number of reforms designed to placate the growing opposition. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Global food prices hit record high - News - Al Jazeera English : "World food prices have hit their highest level on record in January, the United Nations has said. It said on Thursday that its Food and Agriculture Organisation Food Price Index rose for the seventh month in a row to reach 231, topping the peak of 224.1 last seen in June 2008. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egyptians turn out for 'final push' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Chants urging Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, to leave office are reverberating across Cairo's Tahrir Square. Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered at the square, the focal point of protests in Egypt, for what they have termed the 'Day of Departure' for the man who has been the country's leader for the last 30 years. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Tahrir: Shock and awe Mubarak style - Opinion - Al Jazeera English : "As befits the label given to the uprising - thaurat al-shabab (revolt of the youth) - there were plenty of mid-teens to early 30s men and women in the pro-democracy camp. But with them were children, the elderly, the ultra-pious and the slickest cosmopolitans, workers, farmers, professionals, intellectuals, artists, long-time activists, complete neophytes to political protest, and representatives of all political persuasions outside the National Democratic Party, whose headquarters were sacked and burned last Friday, and still emitting a faint ashy smell by Monday. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Wikileaks: 3 previously unknown 9/11 plotters revealed : "A newly released US diplomatic cable discloses the existence of previously undisclosed participants in the Sept. 11, 2001, plot: a group of Qatari men who conducted surveillance of targets in New York and the Washington area before leaving the United States on the eve of the attacks. The three men flew into the United States on Aug. 15, 2001, and 'visited the World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty, the White House, and various areas in Virginia' before flying on to Los Angeles, according to the cable, part of the cache of documents obtained by the antisecrecy group WikiLeaks. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egypt Rejects Call for Immediate Transition to Democracy -- News from Antiwar.com : "Egyptian government spokesmen condemned growing western calls for the Mubarak regime to hasten the handover of power, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki claiming they “sought to inflame the internal situation” with the calls. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Defiant Mubarak vows to finish term - Middle East - Al Jazeera English : "Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mona Eltahawy, a US-based Human Rights activist and Newspaper columnist said that, 'The Obama administration has been completely outpaced by what is happening in Egypt. They just do not understand the amount of rage and hatred for Mubarak in Egypt. - Sent using Google Toolbar"