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World Headlines
Afghanistan

U.S. Aiding Afghan Drug Trade Russia has accused the United States of "conniving" with Afghan drug producers by not destroying opium crops as U.S. troops advance in Helmand Province, one of the major opium growing regions.

Gen. McChrystal: We've Shot An Amazing Number Of People Who Were Not Threats

U.S. official says intel suggests Iran plans to ship arms to Taliban

Afghan Leader Suggests He Could Be Compelled To Join The Taliban... Lashes Out Hours After Make-Up Call With Secretary Clinton

It's the foreigners' fault! 'Unhinged' Karzai He accused unidentified foreign embassies of trying to bribe members of the Karzai-appointed Independent Election Commission

Karzai's brother said to be paid by CIA - The New York Times ...

Reports link Karzai's brother to heroin trade - The New York Times Karzai was selected by prominent Afghan political figures to serve a six month term as Chairman of the Transitional Administration. He was then chosen for a two years term as the Interim President during the 2002 Loya Jirga in Kabul, Afghanistan. After the 2004 presidential election, Karzai won and became President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. He then won the 2009 presidential election after his opponent withdrew from the run-off race.[2]

U.S. Troops Slaughtered Afghan Women, Then Dug Bullets Out Of Their Bodies To Cover It Up

PROTESTS APPEAR TO HAVE TOPPLED KYRGYZ GOVERNMENT
 
POLICE FIRE ON PROTESTERS.. AT LEAST 40 DEAD.. KYRGYZ IS KEY U.S. ALLY.. CONTROL OF COUNTRY IN QUESTION.. REPORT: PRESIDENT FLEES BISHKE

Upheaval in Kyrgyzstan Could Imperil Key U.S. Base Protests that appear to have overthrown the government raise questions about an American air base that supports the war in Afghanistan.

1,300 U.S. troops stranded at airfield in Kyrgyzstan, military says

Kyrgyzstan pledges to honour security deals, US says

Iraq

Friday: 82 Iraqis Killed, 102 Wounded...Sunday: 55 Iraqis Killed, 320 Wounded...Tuesday: 59 Iraqis Killed, 196 Wounded

Sadr urges unity against United States Anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, likely to be a key player in forming a new Iraqi government following elections last month, urged Sunni and Shiite Muslims on Friday to unite to oust American troops.

Gunmen execute 25 in Baghdad Assassins target members of Sunni group that defied insurgency; women, children slain

Heres Why? Wikileaks video showing cover-up of murder of civilians and journalists through US forces in Iraq WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad -- including two Reuters news staff. Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-site, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded. For further information please visit the special project website www.collateralmurder.com. Reuters families demand a trial

Ret. Intel officer: US broke Rules of Engagement in leaked vid

Transparency Web Site Claims It's Being Spied On...In an e-mail to AOL News, Assange said he couldn't sure it was the CIA, and that it may have been agents from other security services, such as the Defense Security Service. But he insisted he was followed by two people traveling under State Department "cover' and said that he expected to have "more physical evidence soon." 

Bombs strike four embassies in Baghdad, killing at least 30

Pakistan

Pakistan May Have Secretly Freed Captured Taliban Leaders But U.S. officials now believe that even as Pakistan's security forces worked with their American counterparts to detain Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and other insurgents, the country's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, or ISI, quietly freed at least two senior Afghan Taliban figures it had captured on its own

Pakistan refuses to hand over captured Taliban leaders to Afghanistan Islamabad cites concerns detainees may be freed or transferred to US custody, though broader geopolitics may also be at play

U.S. Consulate in Pakistan Attacked by Militants

The Americas

Why Brazil's Cotton Farmers Get Subsidies from the U.S. What could be more outrageous than the hefty subsidies the U.S. government lavishes on rich American cotton farmers? How about the U.S. lavishing those same subsidies on Brazilian farmers?

Kissinger tied to Chile killings? Former Sec. of State blocked cable warning against political murders.

U.S. covering up reality in Honduras State Department campaign denies the systemic repression that continues nine months after coup.

“We Made a Devil’s Bargain”: Fmr. President Clinton Apologizes for Trade Policies that Destroyed Haitian Rice Farming President Bill Clinton, now the UN Special Envoy to Haiti, publicly apologized last month for forcing Haiti to drop tariffs on imported, subsidized US rice during his time in office. The policy wiped out Haitian rice farming and seriously damaged Haiti’s ability to be self-sufficient. On Wednesday, journalist Kim Ives of Haiti Liberté questioned Clinton about his change of heart and his stance on the return of ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide

Lawsuit: Chiquita Brands ‘funded death squads’ in Colombia

'Lawyer' For U.S. Missionary Kidnappers Faces Extradition A man who acted as a lawyer for U.S. missionaries accused of kidnapping 33 Haitian children after the devastating earthquake will face a hearing this month on a U.S. extradition request, an official said Monday.It had been unclear whether Jorge Puello would be extradited to the U.S., where he is wanted on smuggling charges, or El Salvador, where authorities allege he led a prostitution ring.

Hitmen kill truck -load of teens, kids Suspected cartel thugs murder 10 youths near makeshift roadblock. Suspected drug hitmen killed a carload of children and teenagers in northern Mexico in the latest of a rash of attacks on minors that have angered the public as drug gang violence spins out of control. 

Middle East

Military covered up responsibility in deadly blast, probe shows The Van Chief Public Prosecutor's office has revealed that a land mine explosion which killed seven soldiers last year was caused by mines planted by the Turkish military, contrary to the earlier widely held belief that they had been planted by outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)

Yemen Refuses to Hunt Al-Awlaki for U.S. Last weekend, authorities in Yemen said they would not participate in the extrajudicial killing of U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was recently targeted by military and intelligence agencies in Washington. "Anwar al-Awlaki has always been looked at as a preacher rather than a terrorist

Hamas Allegedly Taxes Poor, Robs Banks To Fund Itself

Settlers' desecrate W Bank mosque The Israeli army confirmed that "anonymous suspects" scrawled graffiti, including a Jewish star of David alongside the name of the Prophet Mohammed written in Hebrew

Israel Warns Palestine Not To Declare State

Israel's shock doctrine OECD finds Israel has biggest poverty rate of developed world. Economists blame neo liberal reforms.

Foxman Continues to Go After Gen. Petraeus In case you thought Friday’s bizarre statement rebuking Gen. David Petraeus was a fluke, Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League continued his attack on the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia in a Sunday blog post. Recall that all Petraeus said was that the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict set the “strategic context” for the U.S. and its allies in the Mideast and allowed extremists to exploit the decades-old tension in ways deleterious to U.S. and allied interests. But to Foxman, that’s “proven to have no validity.”

The Scandal No Israeli Journalist Can Report There is a news story in Israel that everyone is talking about, but which cannot be published or broadcast here. Because of a restrictive gag order on all Israeli newspapers and broadcasters, the details of the story about leaked military documents are only available in the foreign media. The draconian measure, which is due to be appealed in the Supreme Court, has led to a chorus of complaints across the Israeli media world

Obama agrees to keep Israel's nukes secret - Washington ...Obama: Israel should sign nuclear non-proliferation treaty

Officials say Iran could have nuclear weapon in 3-5 years Just so everyone knows, they have said this every year since 1985, so take it as is.

Petraeus: Iran nuke won't happen this year The top U.S. commander in the Middle East says Iran's efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon have been delayed "a bit" and that Iran won't get a nuclear weapon this year. CIA: Iran capable of producing nukes

Iranian scientist 'defects' to CIA Intelligence coup' seen as missing scientist Shahram Amiri said to be in US.

Europe

Black Widows’ linked to Moscow blast For the first time in nearly six years, Chechnya’s Shahidka – or Black Widows – have been linked to a terror attack inside Russia At least 38 dead

More suicide bombings rock Russia

Massacre may be linked to Moscow blasts The two mysterious young widows who brought terror to Moscow by targeting its famed subway system might have been motivated by a forest massacre in which garlic-picking villagers were slain by government forces.

CRASH KILLS POLAND'S TOP MILITARY, CIVILIAN LEADERS

Plane Crash Kills President… Military, Civilian Leaders Among 96 Dead… No Survivors

DE-NUKED: UKRAINE TO GIVE UP ALL WEAPONS-GRADE URANIUM

More Evidence Emerges That Pope Benedict Helped Shield Pedophiles Before He Became Pope

Vatican Offers 3 Reasons Why It's Not Liable For Abuse

LETTER SHOWS POPE PAUL KNEW OF ABUSE DECADES AGO

UN judge calls for prosecution of Pope for protecting priests

Asia

'Significant' Damage to Barrier Reef From Grounded (Chinese coal) Ship..Chinese Ship Slams Great Barrier Reef, Could Cause Massive Oil Spill

Priest Accused of Rape Says He's Innocent Catholic priest accused of abusing girls in Minnesota and now working in India tells ABC News that he is innocent and his accusers are trying to get money from the Catholic Church. Priest Charged in U.S. Is Still Serving in India

China's $7.24B March trade deficit 1st in 6 years

Africa

Somali Pirates Threaten Far Reaches Of Indian Ocean

Africa may have lost £1tn in illegal flows of money, researchers say

Coup underway in Guinea Bissau Army officers in Guinea-Bissau reported to have detained PM, chief of staff. 

White supremacist South Africa leader bludgeoned to death

US Headlines

Accused man's (Pelosi threats) mom blames Fox News for behavior Gregory Giusti's 83-year-old mother had not heard that her son had been arrested, but she told ABC7 he has a history of mental problems. She does not think he would be capable of carrying out the threat; he has never owned a gun, and she blames Fox News for getting her son worked up. FBI Arrests Calif Man For Alleged Pelosi Threats

How Dangerous Are the Drugs in Our Water? Americans take thousands of different kinds of drugs, and many wind up where they shouldn't: in the water supply

McDonald's Scraps Worldwide Composting Program Because Food Won't Decompose

Court Rules AGAINST Net Neutrality In Big Win For Comcast Over FCC The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the FCC lacks authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks.

Pfizer ordered to pay up over 'AIDS-like' virus infections what is being hailed as a major victory for workers in the biotech and nanotech fields, a former scientist with pharmaceutical firm Pfizer has been awarded $1.37 million for being fired after raising the alarm over researchers being infected with a genetically engineered "AIDS-like" virus.Becky McClain, a molecular biologist from Deep River, Connecticut, filed a lawsuit against Pfizer in 2007, claiming she had been wrongly terminated for complaining about faulty safety equipment that allowed a "dangerous lentivirus" to infect her and some of her colleagues.

Ruling Against Bush Wiretaps Also Slaps Down Obama's Executive Overreach

Federal Judge Finds N.S.A. Wiretapping Program Illegal A judge ruled that the government had violated a 1978 statute requiring court approval for domestic surveillance when it intercepted phone calls of a now-defunct charity.

Bill O'Reilly To Pay Court Costs Of Dead Marine's Father

Marine's father ordered to pay Westboro's court costs Lawyers for the father of a Marine who died in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters say a court has ordered him to pay the protesters' appeal costs.

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens retiring

Federal court upholds border search of laptop in Texas The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas has become the latest federal court to uphold the right of U.S. customs agents to conduct warrantless searches

Judge Orders Mississippi County Schools To Comply With Desegregation Order Thomas E. Perez, assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights, said Tuesday that the actions by the school district led local residents to regard certain schools as "white schools" or "black schools."

 

HHS Contracts With PR Firm Responsible For ‘Propaganda’ Videos During The Bush Administration  The irony? The firm chosen for the job — Ketchum Inc. — was hip-deep in controversy a few years ago for producing a series of fake TV news stories that violated a federal ban on propaganda. The company also drew fire for channeling taxpayer funds to a conservative pundit to promote the Bush administration’s education policies.

U.S. Refines Terror-Screening Policy The U.S. government is refining its terror-screening policy to focus on specific terror threats and not travelers' nationalities. The new policy replaces a security requirement put in place after the attempted bombing of a jetliner en route to Detroit on Christmas Day that singled out people from 14 countries that have been home to terrorists. It also expands the pool of foreign travelers targeted for extra screening beyond those whose names are on a U.S. terror watch list.

The Next Wave Of Government Spying Programs To lower the odds of similar troubles in the future, the government has launched a swarm of spooky, out-of-the-box research projects known collectively as the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity.

WHO 'overstated' swine flu danger Organisation has 'gambled away' public confidence over the swine flu pandemic, says Labour MP Paul Flynn

Mine Disaster Site Had 57 Safety Violations LAST MONTH States that if you have insurance at the time of the bill becoming law and change, you will be required to take a similar plan. If that is not available, you will be required to take the gov option! Massey Energy Mine Cited for 1,300+ Safety Violations in Years Leading up to Deadly Explosion

Obama Limits When U.S. Would Use Nuclear Arms The new American nuclear strategy will narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons, with the exception of “outliers like Iran and North Korea.” 

Massey's Killer Coal Baron Don Blankenship: Safety Regulators "As Silly As Global Warming"... MINE DISASTER PROBE TO BE SECRET

Virginia Governor Declares April 'Confederate History Month'...Virginia Gov Leaves Out Slavery From 'Confederate History Month' Proclamation...Slavery Not 'Significant' Enough To Include...Bob McDonnell Apologizes For Slavery Omission In 'Confederate History Month' Proclamation ...McDonnell sorry for downplaying slavery; group that pushed for Confederate History Month 'tied to white supremacists'...Sons Of Confederate Veterans Chairman Defends Omission Of Slavery From Confederate History ...Both Mississippi And Georgia Have Confederate History Proclamations Without Any Mention of Slavery

Mexican drug war losing proposition for all of us Egged on by the United States, Mexico is waging an ill-conceived war on drugs that has led to an explosion of violence.read more

Obama Officials Tie U.S. Drug Habit to War In Mexico, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Pledges to Reduce Americans' Demand for Illegal Narcotics

Constance McMillen, Fake Prom? Itawamba Dance Was Kept Secret From Lesbian Teen Constance McMillen, her date and just a handful of others, including two classmates with learning disabilities, attended the dance in Fulton, Mississippi while most of her other classmates from Itawamba Agricultural High School reportedly partied at a separate prom that McMillen was not invited to.  McMillen, 18, said that her feelings were hurt, but that there was at least one good thing about the night. The Advocate:Two students with learning difficulties were among the seven people at the country club event, McMillen recalls. "They had the time of their lives," McMillen says. "That's the one good thing that come out of this, [these kids] didn't have to worry about people making fun of them [at their prom]."

Non-Citizen US War Vets Facing Deportation Despite Military Promises of Citizenship

As Demolitions Begin, Community Activists See Detroit Urban Renewal Plan as Land-Grab

Church charges Calif. minister over gay weddings A retired Presbyterian minister in Northern California is again facing charges she violated church law when she officiated at the weddings of gay couples.

Amnesty: US guilty of Katrina-related abuses

Feds exploring claims of racial vigilantism in Algiers Point in days after Hurricane Katrina

Icelandic Volcano Ash Causes Largest Flight Disruption Since 9/11

Parents 'unsuitable' for mistrusting gov't Police: Teaching Kids to Mistrust Government Makes Couple ‘Unsuitable’ Parents. Texans, beware: If you teach your kids that the “government is out to harm them,” police in Williamson County might just deem you an “unsuitable” parent.

Three police beat student to the ground, unprovoked

Officials: Colo. Deputy Used Stun Gun on Students
A sheriff’s deputy in Colorado has been placed on unpaid administrative leave after he used a stun gun to shock 30 students at a high school career fair.

Sean Hannity calls tea baggers Tim McVeigh-wannabes

Beck admits he doesn’t give ‘a flying crap about the political process. … We’re an entertainment company.’  With a deadpan, Beck insists that he is not political: “I could give a flying crap about the political process.” Making money, on the other hand, is to be taken very seriously, and controversy is its own coinage. “We’re an entertainment company,” Beck say

Rachel Maddow Shows How Faux Coconspired With O'Keefe & Giles To Fabricate The Acorn "Scandal"

Economy

tax gap- Graph of massive inequality in America over time

Anonymous Big Bank Insider Speaks Out: 'The System Is Built To Be Gamed'

US wealth inequality 'mind-blowing' Notice that the level of inequality was higher by 2006 than even just before the Great Depression. You can bet that figure has risen after the ‘08 bailouts, which (necessary as it may have been to prevent a catastrophic financial plunge) essentially funneled money from poor and working people into the pockets of wealthy financial institutions that participated in the economy’s decline. Heads they win, tails we lost

Citi Was 'Negative' On Subprime Mortgages As Early As 2006

Long-Term Unemployed Hits All-Time High

Wall Street Speculators Driving Up Price Of Oil

Fighting Unemployment Claims On Behalf Of Corporations Now A Booming Industry

Politics

Judge dismisses scores of Guantanamo habeas cases The judge said that because the 105 cases had been filed by Guantanamo captives who've been released or transferred to other countries, there was no need to decide if they'd been held illegally.

Detainee Death Sheds Light on CIA Torture Gul Rahman Died Shackled and Naked in Near-Freezing Cell at Secret Prison

Report: CIA Deputy Director Helped Cover Up Detainee Death

White House won't deny it approved killing American without trial The White House won't deny reports claiming that it authorized the killing of an American citizen who is purportedly involved in planning al Qaeda attacks and is said to be hiding out in Yemen.The New York Times and the Washington Post reported late Tuesday that Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was added to the CIA's list of alleged terrorists the US has targeted to kill. American forces have killed myriad suspected terror suspects using armed drone planes in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen.

Taxes likely to rise eventually to tame deficit The United States should consider raising taxes to help bring deficits under control and may need to consider a European-style value-added tax White House distances itself from Volcker (VAT) tax remarks

TAX RELIEF: Nearly Half Of American Households Won't Owe ANY Taxes This Year...47 percent of US households evade federal income tax

Greenpeace Uncovers The 'Financial Kingpin' Of The Climate Denial Industry Koch Industries has “become a financial kingpin of climate science denial and clean energy opposition,” spending over $48.5 million since 1997 to fund the climate denial machine, according to an extensive report today by Greenpeace.

Small-City Mayor Takes on the Pentagon -- War Spending Should Be Spent on Americans, Not on Killing

U.S. 'Party Sub' Crashes, Costs Taxpayers $89 Million

Gates orders overhaul of Pentagon mentor program Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday ordered an overhaul of the Pentagon's use of retired senior officers to advise the military, limiting the pay of "senior mentors" and requiring them to disclose their business ties to defense contractors. The new policy balances the military's desire to tap the wisdom of its former leaders "with the need to hire such

Chomsky's interview with Raw Story's Sahil Kapur, on health care reform  The decades-long critic of corporate power alleged that premiums won't stop rising as the package is designed in no small part to funnel money into the pockets of the health care industry. "The bill gives away a lot to insurance companies and big pharmaceutical corporations," he said

How the U.S. cracked open the secret vaults at UBS When executives from UBS were summoned by U.S. regulators over a tax fraud probe, the plan was simple: admit guilt and move on

NPR actually audits the Fed Through FOIA requests, National Public Radio goes in detail on Fed holdings.

Paul chastises right-wing: 'They like the empire'

FEC commissioner helped RNC conceal role in 2004 vote suppression Caroline Hunter, a Bush-appointed Federal Election Commissioner who remains in office, provided misleading statements under oath in an effort to conceal Republican National Committee involvement in vote suppression activities during the 2004 presidential election, a Raw Story investigation has found.

Federal Government Seeking Maximum $16M Penalty Against Toyota

Poll Finds Tea Party Backers Wealthier and More Educated Tea party supporters are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public and tend to be Republican, white, male and married,  

Science

Scientists Discover First Multicellular Life That Doesn't Need Oxygen Oxygen may not be the staple of modern complex life that scientists once thought. Until now, the only life forms known to live exclusively in anoxic conditions were viruses, bacteria and Archaea. But in a new study, scientists have discovered three new multicellular marine species that appear to have never lived in aerobic conditions, and never metabolized oxygen

Connecticut

 
Conn. high court sets minimum education standard  Connecticut's Supreme Court on Monday revived a lawsuit that challenges the state's method of funding public schools, saying the state constitution promises an education that is good...

Conn. lawmaker: let towns tax marijuana

Hearing on proposed fuel cell plant Many Trumbull residents are not happy with the plans to put in a fuel cell plant in their backyard. This is plain ignorance, as fuel cells are not as dangerous as the car you drive. If we ever wish to become energy independent, we need to go ahead, and figure out these kinds of technologies. I would much rather have this than a coal fired plant, as it is non-polluting, and safe. Come on folks do your homework

Report: Conn. minorities' graduation rates are low

Plastic on Groton beaches washed out of sewage plant during flooding

Lieberman 'hesitant' to support Obama's nuclear treaty

Officials trying to trace oil spill in Pawcatuck River

Expired plate nets North Branford drug bust

With Northeast Underwater, Republican Obstruction Killed Flood Insurance

Lieberman Criticizes Obama For Trying Terrorists In Civilian Courts Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), once a reliable vote in favor of nuclear arms reduction efforts, has now bought into the right-wing myth that our nuclear arsenal is deteriorating and that the U.S. needs to build new nuclear weapons. Lieberman on Fox News Sunday said he is “real hesitant” to vote for a New START treaty unless the US effectively builds new nuclear weapons:

Medical records found in dumpster

SWAT storms Madison neighborhood Folks in Madison had quite a scare today after a SWAT team stormed a Wall Street neighborhood

New Haven to grade its own schools New Haven is turning the tables, giving out grades for city schools. Instead of A, B, C's it's handing out one, two's and three's. But just like any report card, failure carries serious consequences.

Tea Party’s ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag to fly over Connecticut’s State Capitol. (UPDATED)  ThinkProgress spoke to the Connecticut State Police who said that the Tea Party's permission to fly the Gadsden flag has been revoked:

United States  
ARIZONA PASSES STRICT IMMIGRATION LAW Cops Required To Check Immigration Status If There's 'Reasonable Suspicion'

St. Augustine Godless Billboard Damaged A billboard on U.S. 1 in St. Augustine bearing the message, "Don't Believe in God? You Are Not Alone," has suffered major damage. The billboard, located about 6 miles north of State Road 16 and visible to southbound traffic, raised controversy when it first appeared March 29. Now those behind that message believe vandalism may have been involved

Security Issues

Guam angry over planned base  Usually military-friendly island fears new U.S. Marine site will overwhelm its infrastructure.

Oklahoma conservatives, lawmakers plot anti-federal militia Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a new volunteer militia

Dismantling of Saudi-CIA Web site illustrates need for clearer cyberwar policies  By early 2008, top U.S. military officials had become convinced that extremists planning attacks on American forces in Iraq were making use of a Web site set up by the Saudi government and the CIA to uncover terrorist plots in the kingdom.

Diplomat was to meet jailed terrorist  A Qatari diplomat was on his way to an official visit with an imprisoned al-Qaida sleeper agent when he touched off a bomb scare by slipping into an airline bathroom for a smoke,

Spying on Computer Spies Traces Data Theft to China Security researchers have monitored a spying operation in which China-based intruders pilfered documents from the Indian Defense Ministry.

Obama's New Nuclear Plan Leaves Missiles On Hair Triggers

'Patriot groups' plan gun rallies on OKC bombing anniversary

Militia member's mom took his guns Christian militant became 'irate' when his mother 'confiscated' his guns.

FBI Raids Michigan Militia

New Study: 88,000 U.S. Citizen Children Lost Parent to Deportation  

Christian Militia - Right Wing Extremists On The Rise (What Happened To The DHS Report?)

Prosecutors: Ex-Marine Made Christian Militia's 'Hit List' Of Officials

Audit: Costly FBI computer upgrade drags further  A Justice Department audit has found the FBI's long-delayed computer upgrade is getting slower and costing more.

Courts

FEC commissioner faces disbarment complaint in DC court after Raw Story report she submitted an affidavit in a court case claiming that "the RNC is not initiating, controlling, directing, or funding any programs of 'voter challenges' ... The RNC has not initiated any challenges to the absentee ballots in Ohio or in any other state." The statement was later questioned by the judge, who said her affidavit "belied the evidence" in the case.The Velvet Revolution complaint, a copy of which was provided to Raw Story, charges that Hunter's affidavit may have been designed to be deliberately misleading and that "the case for Ms. Hunter's disbarment is clear and simple."

Daimler admits bribery in US German carmaker Daimler pleads guilty to US corruption charges and agrees to pay $185m (£121m) to settle the case.

(Calif.) Judge says San Carlos can ban a Sarah Palin billboard along Highway 101

Girl sues for $1 mil after 'doodles' arrest A 12-year-old New York schoolgirl who was arrested and handcuffed for doodling on her classroom desk is suing police for one million dollars, a report said.Lawyers for Alexa Gonzalez claim police used excessive force and violated her rights in the February incident at Junior High School 190 in the Queens neighborhood.Gonzalez's mother, Moraima Camacho, told the Daily News that the schoolgirl merely scribbled "I love my friends Abby and Faith" -- in washable green ink -- when teachers pounced on her and dragged her to the dean's office.Police were called and officers cuffed and arrested the pre-teen. At the police station she was handcuffed to a pole for more than two hours, according to the lawsuit against the police and education departments.

Biotechnology ruling: Federal judge says cancer DNA in genes can't be patented

US Appeals Court Returns Terror Case to RI Judge A federal appeals court has ordered a Rhode Island judge to hear more arguments on whether to vacate a $116 million judgment against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority over a 1996 terror attack that killed a U.S. citizen and his wife.

12-Year-Old Murder Suspect To Be Tried As An Adult(11 at time of crime)

Judge raps Berkshire (Warren Buffett ) company (docked in Omaha court for $32 million)

Justice Gives up Bungled Abramoff-Related Lobbying Case Sloppy Justice case against ex-Bushie, conservative talker Horace Cooper, ends with misdemeanor plea.

United States Should Join the International Criminal Court Obama doesn’t want to pick another fight with the rightwing, which would be in conniptions about his "surrender” of U.S. sovereignty. But he should stand up to them. read more

Judge Approves $110M Settlement in E-Ferol Case Judge approves $110M settlement over E-Ferol, vitamin supplement linked to 40 infant deaths

Environment

World's 4th Largest Lake Has Shrunk By 90 Percent

Coral Reefs Face Extinction Within Century Half of Caribbean Coral Already Gone; Climate Change, Pollution, Development, Bottom-Dragging Fishing Boats Blamed

Price tag of closing locks to Asian carp: $4.7 billion, new study says

Study Shows Rising Water Temperatures In U.S. Streams And Rivers Twenty major U.S. streams and rivers have shown statistically significant long-term warming.

Media

Stewart Rips Fox News For Inaccurate Reporting On Nuclear Arms Treaty

Huckabee Compares Gays To Drug Users, Says They’re Unfit To Adopt Kids Because ‘Children Are Not Puppies’  Former Arkansas governor and current Fox News personality Mike Huckabee gave an interview with the College of New Jersey’s magazine The Perspective in which he made clear that he is just as intent on depriving gay men and women of equal status as ever. For instance, he said that gay couples shouldn’t be able to get married because it would be like accommodating drug habits of addicts:

Sean Hannity's Charity Accused Of 'Deceptive And Illegal' Practices

Beck guest host Doc Thompson: Tanning salon tax makes health care reform a ‘racist law.’

Toby Keith Joins LL Cool J, Says Palin Never Interviewed Him For Fox Show

Adobe Hits Hard On Apple Cutting Flash From Open Internet - Political Overtones

The AP fact-checks Breitbart, and Breitbart loses Report: Breitbart used 'wrong video' to claim Dem lawmakers lied about racial slurs. For weeks, an argument has been raging between liberal and conservative commentators over whether or not Tea Party protesters yelled racist and homophobic slurs at Democratic lawmakers on the day the House passed the health care overhaul.

Newspaper chain sneakily astroturfs its 'right-wing' editorials

Nervous Murdoch struggles to name one Dem at Fox News

Police/Prison

Whole Foods Store Announcement: 'All Blacks Leave The Store'

Girl Charged In Copycat Of Walmart Case

Man ‘disenchanted with the federal government’ indicted for planting pipe bombs in mailboxes.

Violent parolees go unsupervised under Calif. law

Scanner nabs unregistered cars, crooks When it comes to fighting crime police will use any tool they can get their hands on. In Branford, they've equipped one of their cars with cameras that act almost like a set of eyes in the back of officer's heads.

Two officers suspended for using Taser on 10-year-old boy

Cops shoot car-jacked toddler

One dead, five injured in Washington, D.C. mass shooting

Hutaree Michigan Militia leader was a Ron Paul fanatic who believed the Antichrist was on the way

Teen bullying suicide rocks Mass. town 15-year-old girl's suicide results in charges, incl. rape, against nine students.

Four Dead in "Bloodbath" at San Fernando Valley Restaurant

Civil Rights

Calif. Reconsiders Trying to 'Cure' Gays California lawmakers narrowly advanced a bill Tuesday that would repeal a state law designed to find the causes and cures of homosexuality.

Army: Gays Will Be Discharged If They Speak Up

Former Cherokee Nation chief Wilma Mankiller dies Former Cherokee Nation Chief Wilma Mankiller, one of the nation's most visible American Indian leaders and one of the few women to lead a major tribe, died Tuesday after suffering from cancer and other health problems.

U. of Wis. Cuts Ties With Nike Over Labor Concerns University of Wisconsin-Madison cuts ties with Nike over treatment of Honduran workers

Father Can Take Jewish Daughter To Catholic Church, Court Rules

NYC to charge homeless rent Amid criticism, working shelter residents to pay as much as 44% of income.

Drug War

Mexican drug gangs increasingly target US public land Not far from Yosemite's waterfalls and in the middle of California's redwood forests, Mexican drug gangs are quietly commandeering U.S. public land to grow millions of marijuana plants and using smuggled immigrants to cultivate them.

40 Mexican Prisoners Escape Near Border

Mexico's "King of Heroin" Busted

Mexico's Drug Wars Fuel Northern Flight As Ciudad Juarez Becomes More Dangerous, Wealthy Mexicans Flee to El Paso, Texas, for a New Life

Same-sex marriage leads Catholic Charities to adjust benefits  Employees at Catholic Charities were told Monday that the social services organization is changing its health coverage to avoid offering benefits to same-sex partners of its workers

Philadelphia DA sort-of decriminalizes marijuana...

54 Arrested After 3 Shootings Near Times Square

'Drug offender' could be added to licenses Second-conviction felony drug dealers should have that noted on their driver's licenses, a House committee said Tuesday.

RX drug abuse 'is off the charts'

Education

ACLU: Truancy court 'bullies' disabled kids...

Why Do Finland's Schools Get The Best Results? Finland's schools score consistently at the top of world rankings, yet the pupils have the fewest number of class hours in the developed world.

Colleges move to stop profs from cashing in on textbooks

College Degrees More Expensive, Worth Less in Job Market

Religion Scholar RESIGNS After Endorsing Evolution A prominent Old Testament scholar has resigned from a professorial position after he was recorded on video endorsing evolution.

Science History Resources
Fruit juice now a cancer threat? Researchers claim 'many' popular fruit juice brands contain antimony.

A new 'missing link' is found Scientists to display mostly intact, 2 million year old fossilized remains.

Element 117 discovered

Asteroid to pass Earth within moon's orbit

 
Scientist cites pressure by FDA A former Food and Drug Administration scientist said Tuesday that his job was eliminated after he raised concerns about the risks of radiation exposure from high-grade medical scanning.

GE announces new LED bulb will last for 17 years

Hallucinogens Have Doctors Tuning In Again Scientists are studying the drugs’ potential for treating mental problems and illuminating the nature of consciousness.

 In June 2006, old CIA documents about Nazis and stay-behind networks dedicated to anti-communism were released. Among the 27,000 documents was a March 1958 memo from the German BND agency to the CIA, which stated that Eichmann was reported to have lived in Argentina since 1952 using the alias "Clemens". However, the CIA took no action on this information, because Eichmann's arrest could embarrass the US and Germany by turning public attention to the former Nazis they had recruited after World War II.[15]

Did the CIA Try Out LSD on a French Town?

Politics  Political Resources
Heckler Removed at McCain-Palin Rally

Utah Gov. OKs Eminent Domain Use on Federal Land Fed up with federal ownership of more than half the land in Utah, Republican Gov. Gary Herbert on Saturday authorized the use of eminent domain to take some of the U.S. government’s most valuable parcels

RNC spent $1946.25 at sex-themed nightclub Voyeur West Hollywood.

GOP Walks Back Anti-Census Fearmongering .. Conservatives Returning Census At High Rate .. Craziest Census Conspiracy Theories

Former Labor Department Official Caught Up In Abramoff Scandal

Ex-TSA nominee's Army contract questioned Firm owned by Robert A. Harding, who withdrew his nomination to lead TSA, received consulting deal after claiming sleep apnea as a disability.

Fraud convict 'was big RNC donor' Man convicted of securities fraud gave $75,000 to GOP since 2003.

Florida House gives itself a 4% raise instead of a 3% cut in pay.

Treasury/Federal Reserve/Bailouts/SEC/IRS

SEC Proposes Banks Share Losses on Asset-Backed Securities The Securities and Exchange Commission has unveiled new proposals for regulating asset-backed securities, seen by many as a key cause in the nation’s financial meltdown.

SEC Asks Others If Used Lehman Accounting Gimmick The Securities and Exchange Commission is asking the biggest U.S. financial institutions for information on their use of a specific accounting device, as regulators investigate Wall Street’s actions in the run-up to the financial crisis of 2008.  The SEC's request, in letters to the chief financial officers of nearly two dozen large financial firms and insurance companies, follows revelations that Lehman Brothers used the so-called Repo 105 device to mask tens of billions of dollars in debt before it collapsed in September 2008.

SEC Employees Viewed Porn While Rome (and Wall Street) Burned Well, we knew that SEC employees weren’t policing the Lehman Brothers or sharing information on its collapse with the Fed and they weren’t getting Goldman to disclose how much money Tim Geithner got AIG to pay them from the U.S. Treasury in a timely fashion, and they certainly weren’t issuing rules to allow them to enforce the 2003 settlement with investment banks over deliberately skewed market analysis. But today, we finally know what SEC employees were doing for the last couple of years. They were viewing pornography.

Next player in financial crisis to not take blame for it: Citi Two leaders of disgraced financial titan Citigroup on Thursday told a special panel looking into the origins of the financial crisis that they were unaware of the huge potential for losses from bad mortgages and argued that federal regulators failed to see the very same threats. » read more

Insider-Trading Case to Test SEC Reach A Deutsche Bank bond salesman and a hedge-fund trader stand accused of improperly using nonpublic information involving a bond offering. The case is a test of how far regulators can go in pursuing insider trading.

No criminal charges seen in AIG's collapse: TV report

Obama Adviser Paul Volcker: Failing Big Banks Need To Fear Government Closure

U.S. begins new wave of UBS client tax cases

Big Banks Mask Risk Levels (18 Banks Understated Debt Levels)

Taxpayers Loaned Bank $100 Million; Bank Leased Pittsburgh Steelers Stadium Suite  When top officials at the U.S. Treasury Department invested $100 million in Pennsylvania-based First National Bank last year to help it ride out the economic slump, they probably did not think the bank 's executives would be shelling out six figures for luxury seating at Pittsburgh Steelers games.

Finally! SEC Charges a Big Bank with Fraud Finally! Nearly two years after one of the worst financial crashes in history—and nearly three years after the crisis broke out—the SEC has charged a major bank with accounting fraud. On Wednesday, the SEC charged Regions Financial subsidiary Morgan Keegan with fraudulently overvaluing its holdings subprime mortgage securities. The company was running several big investment funds

ACORN pimp' granted immunity in Calif. probe Unreleased raw footage reviewed by AG Jerry Brown's investigation was obtained from Rightwing activists O'Keefe and Giles in exchange for immunity from prosecution
Contradicting MSM coverage, O'Keefe 'never claimed he was a pimp,' 'did not act as a journalist'..

GOP candidate accused of fraud Dem opponent of former US Attorney sparks nominating petition inquiry.

Many Tea Party Activists, Out Of Work, Turn To Government For Help

Code Pink Attempt Citizens Arrest Of Karl Rove & Call Him A War Criminal At Book Signing

Former Florida GOP Chairman Under Criminal Investigation

As Florida GOP financial mess deepens, Crist asks for federal probe Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican, asked federal authorities Friday to investigate the Republican Party of Florida amid growing concerns about secret deals and misspent money.

Health Insurance

Dems Adopted Conservative Cost-Control Principles In Health Care Bill

Will Health Reform Law Stop Insurers From Denying Coverage?

A Loophole That Deserves More Attention

BlueCross relents, covers newborn Insurer was criticized for denying newborn over 'pre-existing condition.

High-risk health insurance pools set to begin in June

Romney Says Massachusetts Not A Model For Health Reform, After Urging Dems To Use It As Model

Heritage Touted RomneyCare, Key Elements Of Health Reform Heritage Now Opposes

Defense Spending

Defense Dept. says F-35 fighter program's costs to significantly rise Defense Dept. says F-35 fighter program's costs to significantly rise Bob Cox | The Fort Worth Star-Telegram last updated: April 07, 2010 07:54:36 AM Defense Department officials have told Congress that the already ballooning costs of the F-35 joint strike fighter are likely to soar much higher when new estimates are completed in the summer.

Laser Plane Destroys Missile in Expensive Experiment Buoyed by a light show, proponents of the Reagan-era strategy (and their military-industrial allies) press on, despite the Defense Secretary's misgivings

Stimulus

Stimulus tied to 2.2 million jobs - White House

Lobbying

FEC report details lavish Republican spending

Secret Funding of U.S. Chamber’s Political Ads May Be Outlawed U.S. companies would lose their ability to secretly finance political advertising run by organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Budget and Taxes

States To Tax Haircuts, Shoe Shines, Other Services In Desperate Hunt For Cash

Something's Got To Give': Massive Pension Fund Shortfalls May Bankrupt States

Upper-income people would lose tax cuts in Obama plan

Why George W. Bush Was Worse for the Deficit Than Barack Obama

Ending Bush tax cuts would help reduce the deficit

GE, Exxon Paid No U.S. Income Taxes in '09 GE paid no income taxes to the U.S. government last year in part because of GE Capital's hefty losses; Exxon's $15 billion in tax dollars went to other countries.

Congress

Congress to investigate coal mine disaster that left 25 workers dead

Senate

Missouri hatemonger runs racist radio ads... to get elected to U.S. Senate

Republican Senator threatens filibuster if next Supreme Court pick stands up 'for the little guy'

Another GOP senator blocks extension of jobless benefits

Conservative Congressmen Face Ethics Complaints For 'C Street House'

House

Private contractor earmarks cut House Democratic leaders ban practice of doling out multimillion-dollar, no-bid contracts.

Alan Grayson Confronts GOP For Spying On Democratic Gathering

White House

Obama

Obama Team Is Divided on Tactics Against Terrorism Senior lawyers in the administration are divided over the counterterrorism powers — including detention without trial — inherited from former President George W. Bush.

Everything You Need To Know About Obama's New Mortgage Aid Plan Borrowers will get help in three ways: Jobless homeowners can get a three-to-six-month break on their mortgage payments. Banks will get financial incentives to reduce mortgage balances for under-water borrowers. And lenders can offer refinanced loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration to these borrowers. The program depends on the willingness of mortgage companies to participate. Their track record has been shaky at best

Banks Could Be Big Winners of President Obama’s Foreclosure Prevention Program

Obama Signs Nuclear Arms Treaty With Russian President

CIA

CIA's top spy: Intelligence hasn't 'suffered at all' from torture ban

CIA videotape case winds down Inquiry into statements about destruction of interrogation tapes nears a close, sources say.

DOJ

US Attorney  under fire again Ethics complaint filed against attorney who prosecuted

Justice Department Steps Up Antitrust Investigation Of Top Tech Companies

 

Baraknaphobia

Army Officer Joins Birthers, Refuses To Follow Obama's Orders

Bachmann: Obama controls a majority of the US economy

GITMO/Bahgram/CIA-Blacksites

Support for Gitmo on the rise More Americans now believe military prison in Cuba should stay open.

Gitmo Detainees Collecting Food Donations For Haiti Quake Victims

Military terror trials flawed, too Using commission to try accused Sept. 11 plotter could open case to legal uncertainty, critics say.

George W. Bush 'knew Guantánamo prisoners were innocent

Guantánamo Prisoner Successfully Challenges Unlawful Detention Elsewhere, flights resumed Friday at the U.S. Manas air base in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan after being halted for two days during an uprising against the government. Manas is a key support center for the international troops in Afghanistan, and President Obama's national security adviser, Gen. Jim Jones, told reporters Friday it's too early to know how the change in government affects the base's future.

CIA says ACLU-backed plan endangered Gitmo officers A team of CIA counterintelligence officials recently visited the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and concluded that CIA interrogators face the risk of exposure to al Qaeda through inmates' contacts with defense attorneys, according to U.S. officials. The agency's "tiger team" of security specialists was dispatched as part of an ongoing investigation conducted jointly with the Justice Department into a program backed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The program, called the John Adams Project, has photographed covert CIA interrogators and shown the pictures to some of the five senior al Qaeda terrorists held there
 Economy Click for Economic Statistics Financial Crisis for Beginners 
'Half' of commercial mortgages to go 'underwater' in 2010

Growth of Unpaid Internships May Be Illegal, Officials Say The number of unpaid internships has climbed in recent years, leading officials to worry that employers are illegally using interns for free labor.

WellPoint CEO's pay skyrockets Amid large rate hikes for customers, health ins. exec gets 51% raise.

Automaker Pensions Underfunded by $17 Billion

Jobless claims rise unexpectedly

Puppets Explain Financial Crisis On 'Dylan Ratigan Show'

Commerce Department: China dumped cheap steel in U.S. In a ruling important to many companies across the country, the Commerce Department announced Friday that Chinese steelmakers sold steel tubes used by the oil and gas industry at below-market value in the U.S., a practice that domestic steelmakers say has harmed their operations.

Did Foreigners Cause America's Financial Crisis? A new study posits that the long overlooked cause of the financial crisis is not greedy bankers or sleazy mortgage brokers, but foreign bureaucrats

New York Hipsters Filling Out Census At Record-Low Rate

Former Fannie Mae chief says failure was inevitable

TWO MEGABANKS NOW SUPPORT AGGRESSIVE MOVES TO SAVE HOMES

Geithner Delays Congressional Currency Report To Avoid Insulting China

Census jobs provide short but welcome opportunity

Breast-Feeding Would Save Lives, Money The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.

Costs of driving shift up for 2010 as prices for gas, tires rise

Wholesale inventories and sales both post gains

How A Single Hedge Fund Fed The Housing Bubble\

Halliburton to Buy Boots & Coots, Adding Oil-Well Firefighting Services Halliburton Co. agreed to buy Boots & Coots Inc. for about $240.4 million in stock and cash, adding equipment and services to fight oil-well fires.

Many Borrowers of Microloans Find the Price Is Too High Despite its saintly aura, microfinancing is dominated by larger banks that often charge high interest rates.

Oil prices hit new 18-month high

WaMu execs saw warning signs of deteriorating loans Washington Mutual and its lenders were making so much money on subprime mortgages and other risky loans that they couldn't stop — even when senior managers and regulators told them to.Conflicting missions to promote affordable housing and generate profits for shareholders led to a crisis at mortgage-finance titan Fannie Mae and to an eventual government takeover, former chief executive Daniel Mudd said Friday. » read more

Iraq  Map of Iraq
Freed American Expected to Return to U.S. Soon The Pentagon announced the release of Issa T. Salomi, which a Shiite militant group said was in exchange for the Iraqi government agreeing to release four militants.

BP Aims to Revive Iraq's Oil BP awarded about $500 million in contracts to drill wells in Iraq's giant Rumaila oil field, kicking off a huge push by foreign oil companies to revive the country's troubled energy industry.

Military lost copy of Wikileaks video SHOCKER: Pentagon cannot find its own copy of video leaked Monday.

Baghdad apartment, market bombs kill 50

'9/11-style' plot 'foiled' in Iraq Iraqi security forces disrupted a 9/11-style plot by al-Qaida in Iraq to fly hijacked planes into Shiite religious shrines, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Middle East Map of the Middle East
Iran <Click for video and history>

Iran Shipper Evades U.S. Blacklist Iran's largest shipping company has changed the names of most of its vessels to evade sanctions, but the Treasury Department has yet to update the blacklist that is used to verify they are in compliance.

Iran: Jailed hikers tied to U.S. intelligence Iran's intelligence minister accused three Americans jailed since crossing the border from Iraq in July of having links to U.S. intelligence services, state TV reported Thursday. The comments toughened Iran's accusations against the group, suggesting authorities could be close to bringing them to trial after months of mixed signals and fears in the United States that they could be used as bargaining chips in Iran's confrontation with the West.

 Dubai

Sentence Upheld For Kissing Couple Arrested In Dubai At one point, Mr. Karzai suggested that he himself would be compelled to join the other side -- that is, the Taliban -- if the parliament did not back his controversial attempt to take control of the country's electoral watchdog from the United Nations, according to three of those who attended the meeting, including a close ally of the president.

Dubai jails two over Chechen murder  A Dubai court has jailed two men for 25 years each in connection with the murder of a former Chechen military leader. Sulim Yamadayev was shot dead in the emirate in March of last year.

Yemen

U.S. move against radical cleric could provoke backlash in Yemen Yemen appeared to balk this weekend at the Obama administration's decision to authorize the capture or assassination of Anwar al Awlaki, an American cleric who's been linked to the 9/11 attackers, the Fort Hood shooter and the Christmas Day underwear bomber. » read more

Lebanon

Hezbollah questioned over Hariri Hezbollah's leader says members of his group have been questioned by the UN about Rafik Hariri's assassination in 2005.

US claims Syria gave scuds to Hezbollah Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Israel's nuke installations within Hezbollah's reach.

Israel

 

Why Israel's Prime Minister Abruptly Canceled On Obama's Nuclear Summit

Israeli order paves way for West Bank deportations: Report Haaretz said amendments to an existing order on preventing infiltration could apply to Palestinians living in the West Bank without official ID cards issued by Israel, as well as to Israelis and foreigners working in areas under limited Palestinian control.

Israeli Warplanes Reportedly Bomb Gaza Strip

Militants killed in Gaza clashes

Israeli who trained Colombia guerillas wins appeal against extradition (paramilitaries)

Binyamin Netanyahu: 'Jerusalem is not a settlement. It's our capital'

Israeli journalist Anat Kam under secret house arrest since December Woman faces treason trial after allegedly leaking documents that suggest military breached court order on West Bank assassinations

Israel lifts media gag on journo spy case

Turkey

Turkish Kurd, 15, jailed for eight years over 'terror' crimes at protest rally

Ambassador Tan returns to US after ‘genocide’ row Turkey’s ambassador to the United States returned to Washington on Tuesday, a month after being recalled to Ankara in protest of a congressional committee vote to endorse Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire a century ago.

Afghanistan   Map of Afghanistan

German friendly fire kills 6 Afghan soldiers

Gardez investigation concludes A thorough joint investigation into the events that occurred in the Gardez district of Paktiya Province Feb. 12, has determined that international forces were responsible for the deaths of three women who were in the same compound where two men were killed by the joint Afghan-international patrol searching for a Taliban insurgent.

Backward steps in AfghanistanThe fact President Karzai has now effectively given himself the ability to appoint people to the Electoral Complaints Commission, which would pass judgment on the validity and fairness of the next election, is a step many may find hard to accept, especially since it was the Canadian-chaired ECC which exposed massive fraud by Karzai supporters during the last election. Some see it as a blatant attempt to manipulate the vote during the next general election. In the brief period of two weeks President Hamid Karzai has unilaterally changed the way Afghanistan's electoral watchdog operates and has also banned journalists from reporting during Taliban attacks in that country.

NATO Helicopter Downed in Southeastern Afghanistan
A helicopter belonging to international forces in Afghanistan has gone down in the country’s southeast, NATO reported Friday. Taliban and Afghan officials said militants shot it down.

U.S. Suffers First Crash Of Costly Osprey Aircraft In Afghanistan

Kyrgyzstan President: I Fear For My Life  Ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev says he fears he will be killed if he returns to the capital, Bishkek.Mr Bakiyev told the BBC that armed opposition supporters had targeted his office during Wednesday's uprising.  Speaking from a secret location in the southern city of Jalalabad, he insisted he was still the legitimate president.

Galbraith: Karzai Ripped Off U.S. Taxpayers Peter W. Galbraith served as United Nations deputy envoy to Afghanistan from June to September 2009. Recently, Karzai admitted there was electoral fraud, but blamed Galbraith and Western entities for committing the fraud. Here is Galbraith's response.

Leading Moscow judge shot dead Leading Russian federal judge shot dead as he was leaving his apartment.

CONTRACTOR DEATHS SURGE IN AFGHANISTAN U.S.-Hired Civilians Now Outnumber Soldiers

SOLDIERS FIRE ON AFGHAN BUS, FOUR CIVILIANS KILLED, 18 INJURED

Afghans Angered By U.S. Condolence Payments: &quot;Afghans Must Seem Like Animals to the Americans&quot; By the U.S. military's calculations, the death of an Afghan child or adult is worth $1,500 to $2,500, loss of limb $600 to $1,500, a damaged or destroyed vehicle $500 to $2,500.

Italians arrested over Afghan plot Three medical workers among nine arrested for allegedly plotting to kill Helmand governor.

Taliban Capitalize on Logging Ban A 2006 ban on logging and lumber sales in Afghanistan has given a powerful boost to the Taliban, helping turn a region neighboring Pakistan into one of Afghanistan's most dangerous provinces

US suspends Kyrgyzstan-Afghanistan troop flights

Canada tells Clinton troops are leaving in 2011

“Our President Is Deceiving the American Public”: Pentagon Papers Whistleblower on President Obama and the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq We are joined by a man who played a major role in efforts to end the Vietnam War in the 1970s. In 1971, the then-RAND Corporation analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked to the media what became known as the Pentagon Papers, a 7,000-page classified history outlining the true extent of US involvement in Vietnam. After avoiding a life sentence on espionage charges, Daniel Ellsberg has continued to speak out against US militarism until the present da

UK's Afghan troops 'survive on Spam' Insufficient food supplies mean some troops eat Spam 50 days in a row.

Afghan parliament rejects Karzai takeover of vote panel

Taliban Retake Control, Momentum In Northern Marjah

Karzai Slams the West Again Karzai accused the U.S. of interfering in his country's affairs and saying the Taliban insurgency would become a legitimate resistance movement if the meddling doesn't stop.

Hurting U.S. Efforts to Win Minds, Taliban Disrupt Pay The Taliban have killed or beaten people who have received money from the Marines, or they have pocketed it themselves.

Former UN Envoy To Afghanistan Suggests Karzai Has A Drug Problem

CIA victim said to have rescued future Afghan pres The only prisoner known to have died in the CIA's network of secret prisons once rescued Hamid Karzai

NATO kills 27 Taliban in west

Afghan President Karzai Twice Threatened To Join The Taliban

Special Forces Commander Apologizes for Civilian Deaths, Follows Afghan Custom In the dusty Afghan village where U.S. troops killed two pregnant women and three other innocent civilians in February, a remarkable scene played out today between an aggrieved father and the most senior special operations office

U.S. Soldier Captured By The Taliban

Kyrgyz army backs opposition government An opposition coalition proclaimed a new interim government Thursday in Kyrgyzstan after clashes left dozens dead and said it would rule until elections are held in six months. It also urged the president, who has fled the capital, to resign. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, however, insisted later Thursday that he is not admitting defeat and he will not resign. "I don't admit defeat in any way," Mr. Bakiyev said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station, but also recognized that "even though I am president, I don't have any real levers of power."

Kyrgyz uprising 'not Russian-backed coup'

Kyrgyz Opposition Group Says It Will Rule For 6 Months

In Afghanistan, authority shrinks Kandahar slides into lawlessness as Taliban attacks have forced the government to retreat.

U.S. Marines going rogue or leading the fight? At Afghan outpost, troops battle Taliban with an autonomy that riles many higher up in chain of command but may offer model for future missions.

Military covered up responsibility in deadly blast, probe shows

Pakistan Map of Pakistan
Swiss: Pakistan Leader Has Legal Immunity Geneva Prosecutor Says Money Laundering Case Against President Zardari Cannot Be Reopened

Bin Laden warns U.S. not to kill alleged 9/11 chief  Osama bin Laden threatened in a new message released Thursday to kill any Americans that al Qaeda captures if the U.S. executes the self-professed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks or other al Qaeda suspects. In the 74-second audiotape aired on Al-Jazeera television, the al Qaeda leader explicitly mentions Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who was captured in Pakistan in 2003.

Five Pakistan solders and 21 suspected insurgents killed

Iranian agents 'free kidnapped diplomat from Pakistan'.

Bootlegging, Pakistan-Style PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Purveyors of contraband alcohol must hide their line of work from the police, the Taliban and their families.

'Scores dead' in Pakistan air raids Almost 100 people killed in the northwest as jets target suspected fighters' hideouts.

 Asia Map of Asia
Google Now Blames Search Disruption on Chinese Firewall, Reversing Stance Google Inc., hours after blaming a service disruption in China on changes to its search engine, now says the country’s government-controlled firewall caused the blockage.

8 Kids Stabbed to Death at Chinese School

Web Chats Point to al-Qaida’s Indonesian Links It plays out like any ordinary chat between friends on Yahoo Messenger, but the subject matter is chilling: “thekiller” is looking to mesh his Indonesian militant network more deeply with al-Qaida in its Pakistani heartland. \

Timor police declare war on mysterious 'ninjas'

China Executes Three Japanese Drug Smugglers China executed three convicted Japanese drug smugglers on Friday, state media said, just days after another Japanese citizen was put to death for the same offence.

Nine killed as Thai troops try to clear protest camps

Google accuses Vietnam of attacks on Web

S.Korean Arrested for Hunting N.Korea Refugees Seoul prosecutors have arrested a South Korean accused of hunting North Korean refugees in China and sending them back to their communist homeland, a report said Monday

N. Korean mine may be behind ship explosion, Seoul says

Justice For Japanese Poisoned By Mercury Over 2,000 With Rare Neurological Disorder Due to Dumping in Minamata Bay Accept Settlement Proposal

Tension rises as Thailand blocks some websites, TV  Tension rises as Thailand blocks some websites, TV 1 hour 56 mins ago Jason Szep and Martin Petty Thailand blocked opposition websites and TV channels on Thursday and the prime minister scrapped an overseas visit a day after a state of emergency was declared to quell nearly a month of mass protests. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called off a one-day trip to Vietnam for a

Will US give India access to Headley?

Dead babies found in China river Bodies of 21 babies believed to have been dumped by hospitals found on riverbank. Arrests in China over dead babies

Attack rocks south Philippines town

At least nine people killed in bombings and shootings blamed on Abu Sayyaf fighters.

US man gets North Korea jail term North Korea sentences a US man to eight years' hard labour for illegally entering the country, the state news agency reports.

DNA analysis traces whale meat from Japan to U.S., S. Korea

Europe Map of Europe
Kristol: The Russians ‘in some ways have brought’ suicide bombings ‘on themselves.’ » Yeah, they’ve been pretty brutal in Chechnya and in some ways have brought this, I’ve got to say, on themselves. But, you know, the trouble is that people use legitimate grievances and of course become — a fair number of Chechens went to Afghanistan to fight against us and the Chechnyans were treated just horribly, have been treated horribly by the Russians. But obviously that’s no excuse for being a suicide bomber

Vatican Declined to Try Accused Priest

Pinochet case judge charged with judicial abuse Judge Baltasar Garzon is accused of improperly investigating human rights abuses under former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco and could soon stand trial, Supreme Court investigating magistrate Luciano Varela ruled.

Tory married tax break 'patronising' David Cameron rejects criticism from Nick Clegg that tax breaks for married couples are 'patronising drivel

School Teacher Was Second Moscow Bomber

Car bomb explodes near Northern Ireland army base

Conspiracy theories swirl over Polish air disaster Pilots' lack of Russian led to tragedy, says controller, as technical problems with the plane are ruled out

Pope Benedict Stalled Child Molestation Case, 1985 Letter Shows

Dissident Female Catholic Bishop Calls for Pope to Resign over Sex Abuse Scandal

Report: Pope-appointed bishop beat orphans 'black and blue'

Catholic League head: Abuse not pedophilia -- victims were adolescent Pope-appointed bishop beat orphans 'black and blue'

Cardinal defends pope, denounces "petty gossip"

Abuse protest at Easter Sunday mass

UK approves Web monitoring penalty Attacking file sharing, Britain says 'offenders' activities to be recorded. The British Parliament on Thursday approved plans to crack down on digital media piracy by authorizing the suspension of repeat offenders’ Internet connections.

Direct Democracy: Citizen Initiatives Come to Europe The European Union is launching a new experiment to empower -- and excite-- voters: giving them the right to propose new laws for the entire27-member bloc

Vatican's Number 2 Blames Homosexuality For Priest Pedophilia

Priest Says Pope Is 'Not Truthful' About Abuse A priest in Massachuessets says Pope Benedict XVI is "not being truthful" about priests and sex abuse, and says pope should resign. Top Vatican official says the problem is gay priests, not celibate priests.

Africa

Map of Africa
The Americas Map of North  America and South America
18 gunmen killed in attacks on Mexican army bases

Putin signs energy deals with Chavez on Venezuela visit Mr Chavez said Russia had agreed to help Venezuela with a nuclear power plant and on building a space industry.

Bomb damages U.S. consulate in Mexico

Venezuela Congress Lifts Ex-Chavez Ally's Immunity Venezuela National Assembly strips immunity from Chavez ally-turned-critic

Mexico drug cartels 'close ranks' Mexican officials say two of the country's most powerful drugs cartels have joined forces against a third.

Peru announces free health-care for the poor

 
'Dr Shock' charged with sexual abuse Canadian police investigate psychiatrist, nicknamed for use of electricity to 'cure' gay soldiers in South Africa

Colombia paramilitary chief held after years in hiding  UK Colombia paramilitary chief held after years in hiding Colombian police have arrested one of the country's first paramilitary leaders who spent years in hiding. Police said Hector Jose Buitrago, 71, was detained in a rural area north of Bogota, where he had grown a beard and passed himself off as a cattle

Argentines try probing crimes of Franco's Spain

Mexico's brazen drug war Suspected drug hitmen hung the bodies of two men off a major bridge near Mexico City in the latest bloody act of drug violence.