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Ethiopia arrests 9 on terrorism charges - Yahoo! News ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – An Ethiopian official says nine people were arrested last week on suspicions of organizing a terrorist network and planning attacks. Government spokesman Shimeles Kemal said Wednesday that two journalists were among those arrested. He says they were involved in planning attacks on infrastructure, telecommunications and power lines. Shimeles says two other suspects are members of an opposition party. Shimeles says the suspects were supported by Ethiopia's archenemy Eritrea and by an international terrorist group, which he did not name. International media rights groups have been calling for the release of Reeyot Alemu, a columnist for the independent weekly Feteh, and Woubshet Taye, deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly Awramba Times newspaper.

Five Saudi women are seized for driving - Middle East, World - The Independent At least five Saudi women have been taken into custody accused of defying the men-only driving rule, an activist said yesterday. The detentions mark the first major backlash since a campaign was launched by women nearly two weeks ago to challenge the restrictions. Dozens of women have since driven through the capital, Riyadh, and other cities. The Saudi-based rights activist Eman al-Nafjan said that police detained one woman on Tuesday while driving in Jeddah on the Red Sea coast. Four other women accused of driving were later detained in the city.

THE DAILY STAR :: Opinion :: Columnist :: A new Palestinian strategy unfolds While the Arab world is experiencing a historic series of citizen revolts against nondemocratic governments, something equally significant is happening among Palestinians in their struggle with Israel and Zionism. Very slowly, almost imperceptibly, Palestinians seem to be making a strategic shift in their mode of confrontation with Israel, from occasional military attacks toward a more nonviolent and political confrontation. This development seems to be driven by two factors: that various kinds of armed struggle against Israel, by Palestinians or Arab armies, have had little or no impact on changing Israeli policies; and, that nonviolent political protests are more in keeping with the spirit of the moment in the Arab world, where unarmed civilians openly confront their oppressors and in most cases seem to be making headway. Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2011/Jun-29/A-new-Palestinian-...

Senate Resolution Threatens Palestinian Aid for Seeking Statehood -- News from Antiwar.com With 87 co-sponsors, the US Senate today passed a resolution condemning the Palestinian Authority for seeking recognition from the United Nations as an independent state, warning that it “demonstrates absence of a good faith commitment.”

Gaza-bound ship "Juliano" found sabotaged in Greek port | The Electronic Intifada A ship due to join the Gaza Freedom Flotilla was sabotaged in the Greek port of Piraeus today according to organizers. A Swedish-language statement issued by Ship to Gaza described damage to the ship’s propeller shaft. Here is a rapid translation of the statement by The Electronic Intifada:

Rudolph: US Inequality Quiz | Informed Comment 12. How much in corporate income taxes did General Electric pay to the United States on its 2010 billions in profit? -In 2010, “General Electric…reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and said $5.1 billion of the total came from its operations in the United States. Its American tax bill? None. In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion.” “Although the top corporate tax rate in the United States is 35 percent, one of the highest in the world, companies have been increasingly using a maze of shelters, tax credits and subsidies to pay far less….Such strategies, as well as changes in tax laws that encouraged some businesses and professionals to file as individuals, have pushed down the corporate share of the nation’s tax receipts—from 30 percent of all federal revenue in the mid-1950s to 6.6 percent in 2009….G.E. spends heavily on lobbying: more than $200 million over the last decade…While G.E.’s declining tax rates have bolster...

Confrontation Begins Before Gaza Flotilla Sets Sail by Apostolis Fotiadis -- Antiwar.com ATHENS — Activists are engaged in a harsh confrontation with Israeli authorities days before the international “Freedom Flotilla II — Stay Human” sets sail toward the Gaza strip in an attempt to break the naval blockade Israel has imposed since 2007. The flotilla will include 10 ships that have already reached Athens. Two are cargo boats carrying medical aid and construction material. The rest are passenger ships carrying hundreds of people, among them politicians, writers, religious leaders, people from the fields of art and culture, as well as 10 members of the European Parliament and 10 MPs from France, Norway, Sweden, and Spain.

      :      Information Clearing House: ICH : "5 WikiLeaks Revelations Exposing the Growing Corporatism Dominating American Diplomacy Abroad - Sent using Google Toolbar"

NATO Confirms Efforts To Assassinate Muammar Gaddafi Republican Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio has revealed that NATO commander U.S. Admiral Samuel Locklear has confirmed to him that the United States and NATO forces are actively trying to assassinate Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi in defiance of the U.N. authorization. Locklear also reportedly told Turner that NATO is considering sending in ground troops to Libya.

Reflecting on the Amina hoax - coverage, analysis and investigation | The Electronic Intifada : "When we broke the story last Sunday of who was really behind the “Amina” the “Gay Girl in Damascus” blog, revealing it to be Tom MacMaster, an American graduate student living in Scotland, we knew it would get a lot of attention. But even we did not anticipate quite how broad the interest would be. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Gaza Freedom Flotilla 2 to sail with Turkish group's support, but without Mavi Marmara | The Electronic Intifada : "“Our destination is Gaza. Our means are non-violent. Our goal is to lift the illegal siege, completely and permanently and freedom for the Palestinian people.” So says a press release sent by IHH, the Turkish charitable organization that is part of the international coalition planning to set sail for Gaza near the end of this month. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

   The Saudi Arabian Moment – An Analyses  :      Information Clearing House: ICH : "- Sent using Google Toolbar" June 20 2011 "Information Clearing House" -- The Saudis do not like President Barak Obama and his administration. The reason is straightforward. They do not like the what the administration says to them. They say things that Riyadh does not want to hear and, in their ears, sound downright dangerous. For instance, the Obama administration has advised the Saudis, and the rest of the rulers in the Arab world, to get out ahead of the region’s growing protest movements and make democratic reforms. The Saudis have no tradition of democracy beyond the tribal advisory council. Before they were kings and princes, they were desert sheiks. Obama’s advice sounds like an erstwhile ally telling them to surrender. In the Bedouin tradition strong leaders do not surrender without a struggle.

Carle and Cole on CNN: More Details about Bush/CIA Sting of Cole | Informed Comment : "Below is a transcript of an interview by Eliot Spitzer on CNN’s “In the Arena” with Glenn Carle and Juan Cole concerning the Bush White House/ CIA attempt to destroy Cole’s reputation. I think Carle adds some new details and texture to his account beyond what was in James Risen’s NYT piece. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

allAfrica.com: Sudan: Ethiopian Peacekeepers Expected to Deploy to Abyei : "Cape Town — Ethiopian peacekeepers are expected to move into the contested Abyei region of Sudan under a deal negotiated between the Khartoum government and South Sudan, says the African Union's mediator on Sudan, former South African president Thabo Mbeki. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

The Associated Press: North, south Sudan agree to demilitarize Abyei : "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Leaders from north and south Sudan signed an agreement on Monday to demilitarize the disputed central region of Abyei and allow an Ethiopian peacekeeping force to move in, said a former South African president who is helping lead peace talks. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

  Why the NATO Powers are Trying to Assassinate Moammar Gaddafi :      Information Clearing House: ICH Why the NATO Powers are Trying to Assassinate Moammar Gaddafi : Information Clearing House: ICH June 13, 2011 "Answer" -- - Wikileaks-released State Department cables from November 2007 and afterwards show the real reason for the mounting U.S. hostility to the Libyan government prior to the current civil war. NATO has been dropping devastating bunker-busting bombs on Muammar Gaddafi's home in an attempt to assassinate him. One son and several grandchildren have died but Gaddafi has survived. The State Department cables give background to the hostility directed against Gaddafi by the United States and other NATO powers. One State Department cable from November 2007 (Wikileaks reference ID 07TRIPOLI967) sounds the alarm of “growing evidence of Libyan resource nationalism” by the Gaddafi government. This was almost identical language employed by the U.S. and British ...