US police to buy Russian made shotguns....

"Izhmash, the manufacturer of the legendary Kalashnikov AK-47, will supply Saiga-12 semi-automatic smoothbore shotguns to a number of police forces in the U.S., Izhmash reported on its web site on Tuesday.

The contracts were signed at the Shot Show exhibition in Las Vegas on January 17-20. “The first Saiga-12 deliveries to U.S. law enforcement were already made in January 2012,” Izhmash General Director Maxim Kuzyuk said.

"The results of the exhibition are inspiring. The American market in non-military weapons is booming. We project a 20 percent increase in deliveries this year," Kuzyuk said."

from....ria novosti...

''Boko Haram: between rebellion and jihad''

"Is Boko Haram just the latest in a long list of violent spasms in Nigeria, or is it the next battalion of global jihadists, capable of thrusting Africa's most populous nation into civil war?

The answer to that is not simple. There is evidence - some of it detailed in this story for the first time - that elements of Boko Haram have received training from foreign militant groups, including North Africa-based al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM). The August attack was far more sophisticated than anything linked to Boko Haram before."

from reuters...

''Egypt lawmakers blast military rulers over new law''

"Egypt's newly elected lawmakers have criticized the country's military rulers, saying the army overstepped its authority by passing a law to regulate the upcoming presidential election."


from ap via daily star...

Russian Op-Ed: "Libyans will not submit"

everyone has a point of view......

"The National Transitional Council (NTC), Al Qaeda and other NATO backed terrorists are unable to subdue the country. Not only are they incapable of running a country or government, but they can't even agree among themselves and they are eating each other alive.

No matter how many US troops are poured into the country, nothing is going to change the situation in Libya. This was no "Arab Spring" popular revolt as portrayed in the western corporate media, it was a clear cut case of a foreign intervention/invasion in order to steal the country's resources."

from pravda...

''Air Force punished Dover whistle-blowers''

"Federal investigators have concluded that Air Force officials at the military mortuary in Dover, Del., illegally punished four civilian workers for blowing the whistle on the mishandling of body parts of dead troops.

The Office of Special Counsel said in a report released Tuesday that they have recommended to the Air Force that it discipline the three officials who allegedly retaliated against the whistle-blowers."

from ap....

''Michael Klare, No Exit in the Persian Gulf?''

from tomdispatch...


"The increasingly fierce sanctions that the Obama administration is seeking to impose on that country’s oil business will undoubtedly cause further problems for its economy and further pain to ordinary Iranians.  But they are likely to be splendid news for a few other countries that Washington might not be quite so eager to favor.

Take China, which already buys 22% of Iran’s oil.  With its energy-ravenous economy, it is likely, in the long run, to buy more, not less Iranian oil, and -- thanks to the new sanctions -- at what mightturn out to be bargain basement prices.  Or consider Russia once the Eurozone is without Iranian oil.  That giant energy producer is likely to find itself with a larger market share of European energy needs at higher prices.  The Saudis, who want high oil prices to fund an expensive payoff to their people to avoid an Arab Spring, are likely to be delighted.  And Iraq, with its porous border, its thriving black market in Iranian oil, and its Shiite government in Baghdad, will be pleased to help Iran avoid sanctions."

‘Great power’ politics making a comeback in the Middle East'

“What we are seeing is the U.S. losing its ability to shape events in the region, even though it remains by far the pre-eminent military power,” says Waleed Hazbun, director of the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies at the American University in Beirut. “You’re seeing others moving in to fill the gap.”

Experts say there are echoes of 19th and 20th century scrambles for resources, territory and influence."

from reuters via daily star...

''The Debt Supercycle Part II: On Borrowed Time''

"Something is wrong with our economy. Given the recent pronouncements by the Fed, it is unlikely to improve in the short or intermediate term. America is drowning in debt and our financial experts keep advocating larger doses of "debt heroin" to fix the problem. In the last decade, total outstanding debt has increased from $28 trillion in 2000 to approximately $54 trillion in 2010. During that same period of time U.S. GDP has grown from $9.9 trillion in 2000 to $14.6 trillion in 2010. It is now taking close to $6 of debt to produce $1 in GDP. This is clearly unsustainable. America's economy is now beginning to malfunction."


from financial sense...

"Who is behind Tibetan Insurgency?''

"In the past few years, several persons died in the terror-incidents and ethnic riots occurred in various regions of China's Xinjiang-the largely populated Muslim province. For all the incidents, India blamed Pakistani militants for supporting the insurgency in order to deteriorate Sino-Pak ties and to cover India's role behind Tibetan insurgency. 

In fact, New Delhi which had given shelter to the Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama along with his 120,000 followers since a failed revolt against Chinese rule in 1959 has been playing a key role in assisting upsurge in the Tibetan and Muslim areas of China—by mobilising armed groups to create instability in Chinese neighboring provinces and enabling Tibetan leaders to get international support in distorting the image of Beijing."


from pak tribune... 

''EU investment bank enriched the Mubaraks, report says''

"In the months prior to the popular uprising that led to the removal of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, EU development money was making its way into the pockets of those around him, according to a report by financial watchdog Counter Balance.

The survey - out this week - exposes the European Investment Bank (EIB) for indirectly doing business with the Mubarak clan."

from eu observer...

''Pakistan is helping Afghan Taliban, says Nato report''

dont really trust the bbc much...but why is this being leaked?.....it may have something to do with the iran-pak pipeline.ill be checking the pakistani papers......NEmpire


"The Taliban in Afghanistan are being directly assisted by Pakistani security services, according to a secret Nato report seen by the BBC."


from the bbc...

Russian Op-Ed: "Turkey's defense power grows at pace to be envied"

"Turkey is a traditional partner, and even more traditional rival at Russia's southern borders. This 70,000,000-strong country is part of NATO, and the Turkic and Muslim people in Russia are the subject of Turkish "courtship." Russia should be concerned about the strengthened power of the Turkish army that is already one of the top ten in the world."


from pravda...

''S.Korea's Lee to visit Middle East to secure crude''

hmmm...1 month....can we assume nothing will happen for at least 1 month?...


"South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit major oil producing countries in the Middle East next month amid growing pressure from key ally the United States to join sanctions against Tehran by cutting crude oil imports from Iran."


from reuters africa...

"CIA chief says appears Saudi oil "ramping up"

"appears".......just call them up and ask them...quite sure the cia knows exactly what the "house of saud" is doing......lots of coded words in the press of late...

"China has reduced its imports of Iranian oil and "it remains to be seen whether that continues. It appears that Saudi Arabian production is ramping up and can fill some of the demand that might have been met by Iranian exports now that there are the sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran," Petraeus said."


from reuters....

''Canada partly shutters embassy in Syria''

its getting hot in syria.....

"Canada has reduced its diplomatic staff at its embassy in Damascus to a skeleton crew amid mounting unrest in Syria, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced Tuesday.

"Due to the growing instability in Syria, Canada has reduced its diplomatic staff in Syria to core personnel only," Baird said in a statement."

from now lebanon...

''Chinese Have Opportunity to Show Resolve in Sudan''

"With literally millions of citizens abroad, the capture of some two-dozen road workers in the Sudanese frontier seems hardly significant. But the Chinese government is taking it very seriously and Beijing immediately dispatched a “task force” to Sudan to “assist the rescue work,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said."


from the media line...

''Turkey's Gül predicts fast end for Syrian president''

question is.......what will putin do?

“Some think we want a war in Syria. But we have no hidden agenda. We’ve done all without expecting anything in return. We are sorry, but unfortunately Syria is now in the midst of an inevitable process,” he said. “What’s important is that this process doesn’t linger on for long. The end is clear. All that matters [now] is the process, and how painful it will be.”


from hurriyet daily news...

"The battle between the US/EU and China/India to control world energy resources is being fought in Iran"

"Once fertile landscape of capitalism, the United States and Europe, lies barren. The race for control of energy resources has become increasingly desperate, affecting foes and friends alike. And the new cold war, involving military buildup, around Iran and the Persian Gulf has escalated to a point where China, India and Russia, three main Eastern powers, are drawn into open confrontation with America and the European Union."


from mondoweiss...

''China sends team to Sudan, demands release of workers''

is the goal is to remove china from africa?....


"China on Tuesday called for the immediate release of 29 Chinese workers held by Sudanese rebels, as it dispatched a team to the African nation to help defuse the situation.

"China calls on all sides to remain calm and exercise restraint, ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and quickly release the Chinese personnel out of humanitarian concerns," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said."


from channel news asia...

''Saakashvili Says 'Results from Talks with Obama Exceeded Our Expectations''

mother russia and uncle sam....


“We are talking about elevating cooperation in the defense sphere on to the new level; if in previous years we were talking only about anti-terrorism operations and our participation in peacekeeping operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, now we are talking about cooperating with the United States on developing Georgia’s self-defense capabilities."


from georgia civil online...

"Exxon Moves on Kurdistan Deal Despite Baghdad Threat"

this is how wars start......

"According to sources in the city, supermajor ExxonMobil is establishing a presence in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region.

This is a major development because in November 2011, ExxonMobil signed an oil exploration deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government despite the fact that the different political factions in Iraq had not agreed on a law to distribute oil revenues between the provinces and the central government in Baghdad. The central government maintains that the KRG/ExxonMobil deal is illegal and threatened to nullify Exxon’s other contracts for oilfields in southern Iraq. Exxon announced that it would review the deal but appears to be going forward with implementing it."

from atlantic sentinel...

''Indian Retailers on Edge as 800-Pound Gorillas Come Knocking''

dont do it....these these behemoths will destroy your economy....


"Home to over 44 million small retailers, many of them family- owned, neighbourhood stores no bigger than 200 square feet, India is a land renowned for its various "wallas" – small traders who produce, hawk, repair or deliver just about anything you could want at any hour of the day or night.

But a recent push by some of the world's biggest multinational corporations (MNCs) like the U.S.'s Walmart, Britain's Tesco and France's Carrefour to enter India's 450-billion-dollar consumer market could signal the swan song of the country's traditional and beloved small business sector." 


from ips news service...

''Putin faces an uphill task to realize his plan for Eurasian Economic Union''

"The formal launching of the CES is expected to consolidate the economies of the three CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries with the ultimate aim of transforming it into the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a fully fledged and closely united economic bloc on the model of the European Union (EU)."


from russia & india report...

''Turkey to Prioritize TANAP over Nabucco Pipeline''

"Nabucco, which is to carry up to 31 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from the Caspian region to Europe, is expected to relieve Europe's dependence on Russian gas supplies."


from novinite...

China's CCTV looking to expand...

"Veteran U.S. foreign correspondent Jim Laurie, hired to help in Washington, said on his website he was looking for experienced news professionals and that plans call for the U.S. operation to produce four hours of programming daily by June. Laurie declined to comment for this article.

At a time when budgets are tightening in news rooms, China’s government appears willing to pour billions of dollars into expanding its international media footprint. Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post newspaper has reported the total budget to be as high as 45 billion yuan ($7.1 billion), although no official announcement has been made."

from media bistro...

''Villagers in Uzbekistan are Freezing without Natural Gas which has been Exported Abroad''

"Disconnection from natural gas services has pumped up prices of vegetables: in Tashkent today you will have to pay around 17.000 sums or $10 (at the country’s official exchange rate) to buy a kilo of cucumbers of good quality. A kilo of tomatoes costs comes slightly cheaper at 8.000 sums, says the Uzmetronom, an independent local on-line media."


from turkish weekly....

''US-CIA Heroin Transit Base Proven''

from veterans today............"I encourage you to take the time and read the entire investigative report on Kyrgyzstan here. Once you do that you’ll understand why it makes perfect sense to have a drug boss lead Kyrgyzstan’s police force. It takes far more than a few mules to transport tens of billions of dollars worth of poppies-heroin. And it takes more than a third-world shack to house-base the loads as a transit hub. What you need is a major airbase and a massive hub. A la USA."


boiling frogs....

''Persian guile drives Israel crazy''

a must read blog for a international perspective...

"So, Israel is resuming the plea, ‘Hold me back’. Read the hilarious AP dispatch conveying thedesperate mood in Israel. The israeli war cry is already beginning to resonate in Washington. The folks on The Hill, who receive generous funding from the Israeli Lobby, are scurrying around seeking more action on Iran. Another set of US sanctions against Iran seems to be in the works. 

The US administration has a problem on its hands. It also needs to pay heed to the warning by the influential Fox News that Iran could prove to be the ‘wild card’ in the 2012 presidential election."

from indian punchline.... 

"Slow down trade with Russia, GCC firms urged"

"Businesses in certain Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have been asked by their governments and members of the governing families to reduce trade with Russia because of its “arrogant” position toward Arab League (AL) efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis in Syria, a senior official of the Saudi Council of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) has said."


from saudi gazette...

''France halves 2012 growth forecast to 0.5%''

"The downward revision from 1.0 percent to 0.5 percent was made to "take into account the deterioration of the economic situation," Prime Minister Francois Fillon told reporters."


from france24...

''European gas chess''

"Many industry experts and Russia watchers believe that the Russian position is all part of a plan to take control of the Ukrainian gas pipeline network much as they did with Belarus so that they can control the complete supply chain to Europe and thereby exercise some degree of political leverage. It's a good theory, one the Russians themselves have yet to deny and that in itself should give pause for thought."


from oil voice...

''High Oil Prices Open “Window of Opportunity” for Russian Economy''

"IMF experts believe that high oil prices will allow the Russian government to take measures to strengthen, protect and reform the economy. Russia is benefiting from the rising tensions in the Middle East, which are driving up the price of a barrel of oil, but experts believe this geopolitical factor will soon subside."


from ria novosti...

''Moscow to continue arms deliveries to Syria''

"Russia would continue delivering weapons and ammunition to Syria, Russian Interior Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

“We’ve signed contracts (with Damascus) and we must keep to them,” Mr. Lavrov said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation."

from voice of russia....

''Royal Navy to send HMS Dauntless to Falkland Islands''

just what the world needs, another war.....
"Dauntless will set sail for the Falkland Islands in the coming weeks armed with a battery of missiles that could "take out all of South America's fighter aircraft let alone Argentina's," according to one Navy source."
from the telegraph....

Japan: "Okinawa and US Power"

a great read...


"The main force of the U.S. military is the Marine Corps, the so-called “front-line troops”, which occupies some 76% of all military bases in Okinawa, while the Air Force takes up about 9%.  The approximate number of U.S. personnel is 16,000 in the Marine Corps, 7,000 in the Air Force, 4,000 in the Navy and Army combined, and about 23,000 civilian employees and dependents."


from new left project....

Chris Hedges: "Corporations Have No Use for Borders"

"The decay of Canada illustrates two things. Corporate power is global, and resistance to it cannot be restricted by national boundaries. Corporations have no regard for nation-states. They assert their power to exploit the land and the people everywhere. They play worker off of worker and nation off of nation. They control the political elites in Ottawa as they do in London, Paris and Washington. This, I suspect, is why the tactics to crush the Occupy movement around the globe have an eerie similarity—infiltrations, surveillance, the denial of public assembly, physical attempts to eradicate encampments, the use of propaganda and the press to demonize the movement, new draconian laws stripping citizens of basic rights, and increasingly harsh terms of incarceration."


from truth dig...

''Tracing power shifts in Arab world''

"Egypt's victory in the 1973 war with Israel placed Anwar Sadat, Abdel Nasser's successor, in a favorable position. However, the new Egyptian president's shift of policy in approaching the West and signing a peace agreement with Israel reduced Cairo's influence and cut down on Egypt's regional policy making to the same degree." 


from pressTv...

''The Russian elite distances itself from Putin''

"Russia Beyond the Headlines: Mr. Ponomarev, are we witnessing the end of the Putin era?

Ilya Ponomarev: This is obvious. Whether he is once again elected president depends on the work of the protest movement, on how well we coordinate our activities. The country is already no longer the same."

from russia beyond the headlines...

"Illinois to have $35 Billion in unpaid bills by 2017"

"The Chicago Civic Federation's 2012 report says that without immediate cuts in the amounts Illinois spends on its employee pension and Medicaid systems, in five years the state's backlog of unpaid bills will rise to nearly $35 billion."


from wls chicago...

''China, Japan scramble for oil as Sudan shuts fields''

"The shutdown in Sudanese oil supply could drive up already record premiums on spot crude markets as top Sudan customers China and Japanscramble for alternatives even as they weigh the impact on oil flows of international sanctions on Iran. 

South Sudan has shut down its oil output, estimated at around 350,000 barrels per day (bpd), as it and neighbour Sudan row over how to disentangle their oil industries, borders and debt." 


from economic times of india...

Michael Hudson: "How the Banks Broke the Social Compact, Promoting their Own Special Interests"

"If there is any silver lining to today’s debt crisis, it is that the present situation and trends cannot continue. So this is not only an opportunity to restructure banking; we have little choice. The urgent issue is who will control the economy: governments, or the financial sector and monopolies with which it has made an alliance.

Fortunately, it is not necessary to re-invent the wheel. Already a century ago the outlines of a productive industrial banking system were well understood. But recent bank lobbying has been remarkably successful in distracting attention away from classical analyses of how to shape the financial and tax system to best promote economic growth – by public checks on bank privileges."

from market oracle...

''S&P may cut G20 nations as of 2015 on health costs''

"Steadily rising health-care spending will pull heavily on public purse strings in the coming decades," S&P analyst Marko Mrsnik wrote in the report. "If governments do not change their social protection systems, they will likely become unsustainable."


from reuters...

''China outlines plans to turn Shanghai into global money hub''

"China laid out more specific plans to turn Shanghai into a global financial centre by 2020, listing a series of targets for the next three years to make the city a hub for yuan trading.

The plan for Shanghai’s financial innovations through 2015 included establishing the central bank’s daily yuan fixing and the government-backed money rate as benchmarks in onshore and offshore markets."

from malaysian insider...

''Researchers unearth more Chinese links to defense contractor attacks''

"Researchers with Symantec have uncovered additional clues that point to Chinese hacker involvement in attacks against a large number of Western companies, including major U.S. defense contractors.

The attacks use malicious PDF documents that exploit an Adobe Reader bug patched last month to infect Windows PCs with "Sykipot," a general-purpose backdoor Trojan horse.

According to findings published Thursday by Symantec's research team, a "staging server" used by the attackers is based in the Beijing area, and is hosted by one of the country's largest Internet service providers, or ISPs."

from mis asia...

Currency Warfare: ''What are the Real Targets of the E.U. Oil Embargo against Iran?''

a must read.....


"The end of Iranian oil exports to the European Union and the decline of the euro will directly benefit the United States and the American dollar. What the European Union is doing is merely weaken itself and giving the American dollar the upper hand in its currency rivalry against the euro. Moreover, should the euro collapse, the American dollar will quickly fill much of the void. Despite the fact that Russia will benefit from higher oil prices and greater leverage over E.U. energy security as a supplier, the Kremlin has also warned the European Union that it is working against its own interests and subordinating itself to Washington.


The war in Libya had many purposes. These purposes were as follows: (1) preventing African unity; (2) driving China out of Africa; (3) strategically controlling important energy reserves; and (4) guarding oil supplies in the scenario of any American-led conflicts against Syria and Iran."


from strategic culture...

''Will India join NATO’s war in Afghanistan?''

"With all this, we’re experiencing déjà vu. When in 2001, U.S. forces entered Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban regime, New Delhi zestfully offered its services as a U.S. partner in the antiterrorist coalition. As former Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf said, the momentous offer from the Indians only spurred him to cooperate with the U.S. in Washington’s fight in Afghanistan (Islamabad could not allow their “eternal antagonist” to surpass them in cooperating with the U.S. –V.S.).

Curiously, in 2001, Washington politely declined the Indian offer, because it believed that a partnership with Pakistan would be more valuable in Afghanistan. Today, in order to force Pakistan to resume its role as a partner of the U.S., Washington seems to have “knocked on India’s door."

from russia & india report.....

''Iran sanctions: India exploring Russia payment route''

"With the US and the EU imposing fresh sanctions against Iran, India is exploring all possibilities to keep the Iranian oil flowing as it is critical to its energy security. One of the options being discussed is firming up an arrangement with Russia’s Gazprombank for paying to Iranian oil."


from russia & india report.....

"Greeks About to Learn the True Cost of Obtaining Bailouts"

"The clock is ticking for Greece and its bondholders. They have an $18-billion interest payment due on March 20 and no money to pay it. It’s clear that if the proposed bailout, as initially approved back in October, comes through, a large part of it will just be recycled back to the lenders in the everlasting and never-ending game of make believe: servicing debt with new debt." 


from the new american...

''Economic collapse in the Western nations-On the Edge with Max Keiser''

mike and max......from press tv....

''African Union embraces generous Chinese financing''

"The 54-nation African organization is holding its summit in its gleaming new $200-million marble-and-glass headquarters, financed and built by the Chinese government on the site of a former maximum-security prison in Addis Ababa.

It’s the tallest building in the country, and all of it – even the furniture in its spectacular 2500-seat Grand Hall – was supplied by China as a gift to the world’s poorest continent"......from globe and mail.....

''India wants to keep getting oil from Iran: Pakistani daily''

"India intends to keep importing oil from Iran and it appears that Indians, and even Chinese, will explore paying Tehran "with gold, the Japanese yen or even in part with their own national currencies", said a Pakistani daily.

An editorial in the News Internationalon Monday said that the US wants Pakistan to drop the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project altogether."...........from dna.com....

''U.S administration starts legal procedure for military aid to Uzbekistan''

from trend azerbaijan....

"The Administration also asked for an additional $300,000 under the International Military Education and Training programme for which the U.S. State Department and Pentagon are responsible.

"These funds will make it possible to finance training of Uzbek military officers with focus on such issues as human rights, civil control over the armed forces and other aspects concerning the relevant role of the Armed Forces in democratic society."

Pepe Escobar: "What is the GCC up to in Syria? "

from asia times...

"Even though there are no objective conditions whatsoever for a NATO bombing of Syria, the NATOGCC + Israel geopolitical axis will pursue its objectives relentlessly. 

The objectives are vast; exercising total control over any Arab Spring-related transition (as in the case of Yemen); preventing any changes to the status quo (as in pre-emption in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco); outright repression (as in the case of Bahrain); and preferably getting their cake and eating it too (as in the case of Libya)." 

''European Politicians in Denial as Greece Unravels''

from spiegel online...

"Europe's politicians are losing touch with reality. Greece is broke, and yet Brussels wants to send the country billions in new loans, to which there is growing opposition within the coalition government in Berlin. Rescue efforts are hopelessly bogged down by bickering over who will ultimately step up."

''Google faces lawsuit for illegal data collection''

from voice of russia...

"The monopolistic web giant faces a number of lawsuits from companies in the U.S. and abroad concerning privacy and anti-trust violations.

Google recently admitted to illegally collecting data in the U.S. and Europe since 2006 while compiling its street photo archive."

''Freddie Mac Bets Against American Homeowners''

your own gov. is betting against you.........from propublica...

"Freddie Mac, the taxpayer-owned mortgage giant, has placed multibillion-dollar bets that pay off if homeowners stay trapped in expensive mortgages with interest rates well above current rates.

Freddie began increasing these bets dramatically in late 2010, the same time that the company was making it harder for homeowners to get out of such high-interest mortgages."

''Britain warns Russia not to block UN effort over Syria''

from the telegraph...

"Foreign Secretary William Hague was on Monday flying to New York to lend Britain's support to an Arab-backed draft resolution calling on the country's authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad to step down and pave the way for a transfer of power.

The Arab League's secretary general Nabil Elaraby will on Tuesday brief Security Council members, including Mr Hague, on the findings of its recent mission to monitor the Assad regime's response to widespread protests against his rule."

''Iraq outraged by use of US drones''

from herald sun...

"IRAQI officials have expressed outrage at the United States' use of a small fleet of surveillance drones to help protect the US embassy, consulates and American personnel in Iraq, The New York Times reports."

Australia: ''What will you do when the US comes for you?''

from smh.com.au...

"Hosting your cloud onshore may not protect you when American cops come knocking.

Australian organisations destined for the cloud now have the dilemma of dealing with warrantless demands from US law enforcement as part of their due diligence, a partner at a top international law firm said."

''Out of Afghanistan: incredible stories of the boys who walked to Europe''

from the guardian...

"While some are sent out of Afghanistan for their own safety, others make their own decision to leave. Some are running from brutality, or the politics of their fathers, or recruitment by the Taliban. Others have been pushed onwards by the increasing precariousness of life in Pakistan and Iran, countries that host three million Afghan refugees."

Op-Ed: ''India’s Military adventure against China''

from pakistan observer........

"Both the countries had fought a bloody war in 1962 over a disputed border. Indian hegemonic designs to dominate the region can well be judged from its plans to spend huge amounts on military build up and purchases of sophisticated arms and weapons from France, Germany, Israel, Russia and USA. Indian leaders openly state that India will defend its national interests beyond South Asia. On the one hand, Indian rulers assertively advocate regional peace, but on the other, they mislead the world by cunningly projecting their threat perceptions. These are certainly source of concerns, especially for China and Pakistan which are particular targets of India’s duplicity."

''Indian army concerned over Sino-Pak nuclear co-op''

from pakistan's the nation...

"Indian Army Chief General VK Singh in a report has expressed his grave concern over Pakistan-China atomic cooperation and joint military preparations.

In a detailed report submitted to Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil, Gen VK Singh has made a special mention of Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s recent visit to China. This confidential report, pertaining to Afghanistan, says that Pakistan’s spy network is well-rooted and working efficiently in the neighbouring war-torn country. This network is also enjoying a strong support of local Taliban, due to which, India facing great difficulties in getting a foothold in the area."

''China calls for stability following Philippines, US military talks''

radio australia.net...


"China's Foreign Ministry has offered mild calls for "peace and stability" in the region after the Philippines offered closer cooperation with the US military. 

The rather restrained comments from the Ministry are a step back from a strident editorial in an official Chinese newspaper, The Global Times, that called for economic sanctions against the Philippines."

''Arab Spring turns into battle for power''

from voice of russia...

"The current situation in Libya is a logical result of the actions of the West which was actively pouring oil into the fire of the Libyan civil war. However Lybia is not the only proof of the collapse of Western illusions. The revolution in Egypt, praised as a triumph of democracy, has started to show its real face. While the rise of Islamists and their terror against Coptic Christians didn’t directly affect the Western “supporters of democracy”, the recent developments in Egypt could hardly have gone unnoticed by  US officials.


The toppling of the former leaders put the countries on the edge of chaos and bloodshed, while granting endless opportunities for the extremists. And the rest of the world, including the US and Europe is soon to reap the consequences." 

''President Nicolas Sarkozy last night told France to work harder for lower pay and higher taxes''

from the independent...

"Mr Sarkozy said urgent and radical reforms were needed to allow France to compete in Europe and the world. Following the loss of its triple A credit rating and a surge in unemployment to nearly 10 per cent, emergency action was required to restore the competitiveness of France's economy."

"Angry Greeks condemn EU plot to control its finances"

from the guardian...

"Greece has reacted furiously to a German proposal that an EU budget commissioner with oversight of its economy be installed in Athens after mounting speculation that international lenders will have to stump up yet more money for the country."

''Washington lobbyists terminate contract with Egypt government''

from egypt independent....

"Three lobbyists representing the Egyptian government in the US have terminated their US$90,000 per month contract in light of tension between Cairo and Washington over a crackdown on foreign funding for NGOs in Egypt, US media reported over the weekend."  

''ACTA mass protests as countries sign corrupt American treaty'' (27Jan12)

corrupt governments must be able to hide/cover their crimes....from rt.com via liar politicians....

Greece: "Firings, Pay Cuts, Slashed Health and Defense Spending"

from greek reporter...

"There just seems to be no good news for Greeks these days. Even as a coalition government led by former European Central Bank (ECB) Vice-President Lucas Papademos has stalled in talks to get a second bailout to keep the country from falling into bankruptcy, the Troika of international lenders is demanding more of the same austerity measures that have created a deep recession of 18.2 percent unemployment and the closing of more than 100,000 businesses."

Bill Moyers: ''John Reed on Big Banks’ Power and Influence''

35 minute video.........from bill moyers.com....

"There’s no clearer example of the collusion between government and corporate finance than the Citicorp-Travelers merger, which — thanks to the removal of Glass-Steagall — enabled the formation of the financial behemoth known as Citigroup. But even behemoths are vulnerable; when the meltdown hit, the bank cut more than 50,000 jobs, and the taxpayers shelled out more than $45 billion to save it."