Pakistan: 'MFN status given to India under US pressure'

from paktribune.........

"Opposition benches in senate have strongly protested against giving Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India by cabinet and declaration of two weekly offs by government.

Senator Professor Khurshid Ahmad said according MFN status by cabinet to India runs counter to desire of people and this decision has been taken without taking parliament into confidence. "We are not opposed to trade but national interest should be kept supreme in this regard. Our fiscal deficit will further grow owing to trade with India and India will be beneficiary in this way", he cautioned. India has been declared MFN under US pressure, he charged.

He pointed out country was suffering loss of Rs 20 to 25 billion daily due to one weekly off".........READ MORE

'US Needs To Generate 262,500 Jobs Monthly To Return To Pre-Depression Employment By End Of Obama Second Term'

from zerohedge....

"This means that unless that number of jobs is created each month for the next 5 years, America will have a higher unemployment rate in October 2016 than it did in December 2007. How realistic is it that the US economy can create 16.2 million jobs in the next6261 months? We leave that answer up to the US electorate"...........READ MORE

Nasrallah: 'Hizballah can fight Israel without aid from Iran or Syria'

from debka.....

"The Lebanese Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah, while inspecting his fighting units in the last two weeks, has briefed commanders on updated operational plans for firing 10,000 rockets at Tel Aviv and  Israel's air force and reserve mobilization bases in a surprise attack, DEBKAfile's military sources report.

"The Zionist enemy cannot stand up to a salvo on that scale," he told them. "He can't locate our secret launching bases or put a stop to a missile offensive that is sure to determine the war's outcome"........READ MORE

'Communist China says no more "looting" in disputed sea'

from reuters....

"China will go after "looters" who look for treasure from sunken ships in the disputed South China Sea without permission, but will face a tough job in doing so as the waters are so extensive, state media said on Friday.

Some treasure seekers have used explosives to get at the porcelain, gold and silver contained in ships which have sunk around the Paracel Islands, which lies on the maritime route of the old Silk Road, Xinhua news agency said"...........READ MORE

'Thousands of Iranians protest against Israel, US'

from ynetnews.....

"Thousands of Iranians in Tehran marched in protest against Israel and the United States on Friday. The protesters chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and burned both Israeli and US flags.

The march marked the 32nd anniversary to the 1979 Iran hostage crisis which saw Iranian students taking over the US embassy in Tehran and taking 52 diplomats hostage. The event prompted a diplomatic crisis between Tehran and Washington. Relations between the two nations were severed and have yet to be restored"..........READ MORE

'Call for Australia, US security pact with India to counter Communist China'

from afp....

"Australia and the United States should form a three-way security dialogue with India, in part to help counter any naval aggression from China, a report said Friday.

Produced by three think-tanks -- Australia's well-respected Lowy Institute, India's independent Observer Research Foundation and the conservative Heritage Foundation in the US -- the report calls for greater engagement with New Delhi, including in counter-terrorism"......READ MORE

'Iran summons Swiss ambassador'

from press tv...

"A grilling note has been surrendered to the Swiss envoy conveying Tehran's serious protests against the continuation of the brazen US policies in support of state terrorism, an Iranian Foreign Ministry statement said on Thursday. 

The Swiss Embassy in Tehran officially represents US interests in the Islamic Republic. 

The statement also quoted the head of the North America Bureau of Iran's Foreign Ministry as saying that the questionable silence of the US government against the threatening calls “contradicts the legal obligations of Washington regarding the fight against terrorism”............READ MORE 

Pepe Escobar: "Fear and loathing in the Cannes debt festival"

from asia times online......

"In the initial scenes, straight out of a crappy episode of Friends, Merkozy are in total panic; the (invisible) God of the Market is angrier than Zeus, threatening by lightning bolt to reduce Fortress Europe to sub-Saharan poverty - without the benefit of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization-imposed no-fly zone. 

The photogenic Great Barack Obama - the leader of the free world - is about to descend in Cannes, and Merkozy gotta do their best to show their humble abode - Europe - is in order, the (debt) trash at least swept under the (made in China) carpet. 

And worse, the Almighty Chinese President Hu (Jintao) - the leader of the universe - will also show up, and they gotta use all their Brangelina charm to seduce the Chinese Almighty into disbursing some pocket money for charity out of his US$3.2 trillion reserves"...........READ MORE 

'India flags maritime troubles with China at meet with Japan'

from deccanherald..........

"Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony has called for global cooperation in maintaining the freedom of navigation in international waters, an issue that has gained major focus for India after one of its warships sailing in the South China Sea was warned against venturing there by a radio communication believed to be from China.

Antony's statement, made in Tokyo, during a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, is significant as Japan too has faced maritime disputes with China in the East China Sea, with navigation there being a major issue of contention"...........READ MORE

Lessons of History - Iran Coup of 1953

'Swimming Naked in China'

from the diplomat....

"For quite some time, analysts of China have been puzzled by a strange phenomenon: the country’s public and financial institutions are decidedly subpar by any international standard, but its economic growth rate is anything but. This puzzle can only be explained by two conclusions: either China has been fudging its growth data, or Chinese institutions aren’t as bad as outsiders commonly think.

There is, however, a third possibility. During the peak of the credit bubble in the United States, bankers on Wall Street had a popular saying: “When the tide is high, nobody knows you are swimming naked.”  What this aphorism means is that apparent economic prosperity can cover up many dubious if not outright shady practices that eventually lead to financial calamities"..........READ MORE

'Military spends $363,000,000 on weight loss surgery'

i think im going to be sick..........from kirotv........

"Free gastric bypass, lap-band, tummy tuck, and other weight-loss related surgeries are fast becoming the “it” thing for military dependents, especially soldiers’ wives.

Using the Freedom of Information Act, KIRO-TV (CBS-Seattle) Investigative Reporter, Chris Halsne, uncovered the never-before known cost to federal tax payers. [See document]

Defense Department records show from 2001 to 2010, the Army spent around $186,000,000 on bariatric surgeries. The Air Force spent nearly $75,000,000. The Navy $73,000,000. Active duty Marine wives and retirees accepted about $22,000,000 in weight loss surgeries, while Coast Guard dependents accepted around $7,000,000 worth. [See document]"............READ MORE

'Prince Charles offered veto over government bills'

from thebureauinvestigates........

"Ministers have been forced to seek the Royal’s approval on legislation ranging from gambling to the Olympics thanks to a secretive constitutional loophole that gives him the right to oversee laws that could impinge on his private interests.

Since 2005 ministers from six departments have sought the Prince of Wales’ approval, described by constitutional lawyers as a Royal ‘nuclear deterrent’ over public policy.

Documents seen by the Guardian show that one minister wrote to the Prince’s royal office for consent over a new planning bill because it applied to his own private interests".........READ MORE

Study:'30 top firms paid no federal income taxes'

those bastards.......from politico....

"Thirty large and profitable Fortune 500 corporations paid no federal income taxes between 2008 and 2010, according to a new study Thursday on corporate loopholes.

In fact, the 30 companies enjoyed a negative effective income tax rate over the three-year period, even as they earned pre-tax profits of $160 billion, according to two think tanks, Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. A negative tax rate represents a tax benefit like a credit, not necessarily direct funds from the government".........READ MORE

'50 Ways to Leave Your Banker: What 'Happened When One Man Just Refused to Pay $80,000 in Credit Card Debt'

from motherjones via alternet....

"At last count, Steven Katz owed $80,000 on his six credit cards, and he has no intention of paying any of it off. In fact, he'd like to show you how to be like him—a "credit terrorist" in open revolt against the banking system.

Debtorboards.com ("Sue Your Creditor and Win!"), a five-year-old online forum where he's collected countless tricks and tactics for evading and repelling persistent creditors. He's written how-tos on shielding your assets from seizure, luring collection agencies into expensive lawsuits, and frustrating private investigators looking for debtors on the run. He's even infiltrated the bill collectors' forums, where he's been tagged a "credit jihadist" and his site's been called a "credit terrorist training camp," a label he embraces. "Debtorboards is one of the biggest and most successful temper tantrums ever," the 59-year-old Katz boasts. The site has more than 10,000 members—double what it had in 2009".........READ MORE

"South Korea police clash with Free Trade Agreement protesters"

from pressTv........

"More than 2,000 protesters took to the street in the capital Seoul on Thursday to express their resentment over the trade deal with Washington. Protesters tried to break into the National Assembly as lawmakers debated the pact, the Associated Press reported. 

The protesters said the free trade agreement would subdue South Korea's economy, and spoil their sources of revenue".........READ MORE 

'Chinese State Media Threatens Military Action on South China Sea'

from epoch times......

"China's official media published a strongly worded article on Oct. 25, asking countries who have conflicts with China over the South China Sea region to get prepared for a military resolution.

On the same day, however, the Chinese Foreign Ministryannounced that they will “do their best to peacefully solve,” the conflicts in the South China Sea. The contradictory statements drew attention".........READ MORE

'Chinese firms abusing Zambian miners-rights group'

from reuters....

"Chinese mining companies in Zambia, Africa's biggest copper producer, are routinely flouting laws designed to protect workers' safety and the right to organise, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday.

The report by the New York-based HRW was likely to pile more pressure on Chinese firms to alter their labour practices. It urged newly elected president Michael Sata to follow through on campaign promises to stamp out abuse of workers in the sector"............READ MORE

'US's post-2014 Afghan agenda falters'

from asia times online....

......."Finally, the US envisaged the regional mechanism to provide the security underpinning for its "New Silk Road" project, which is running on a parallel track - quintessentially a modern version of its "Greater Central Asia strategy" dating back to the George W Bush presidency. The New Silk Road proposes Afghanistan as a regional hub to bring Central Asia and South Asia closer together under the garb of regional development and integration. 

Its real intent, however, is to roll back the pre-eminent position of Russia and China in Central Asia and to gain direct access to the vast mineral resources of the region through communication links that bypass Russia and Iran. The US's agenda included gaining for NATO some sort of formal, institutional role in regional security in Central Asia. (Safeguarding the energy pipelines is a newfound 21st century "challenge" that NATO proposes to assume.)"................ READ MORE

'Iran warns US to stay out of 'collision course'

from hurriyetdailynews....

"Iran warned the United States on Thursday that it should think twice before it enters a "collision course" with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme.

 "The U.S. has unfortunately lost its wisdom and prudence in dealing with international issues. It only depends on power," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told reporters during a visit to the Libyan city of Benghazi.

 "Of course we are prepared for the worst, but we hope that they think twice before they put themselves on a collision course with Iran," he said"...............READ MORE

'China's Growing Role in Africa - Implications for U.S. Policy'

do you see where this is going?............from all africa....

"Current Dimensions of Chinese Engagement in Africa While China is not new to Africa, the magnitude of its engagement with the continent has grown exponentially since the mid-1990s. This period has coincided with enormous industrial growth in China, the need to import increasing quantities of raw materials to support China's manufacturing sector, and China's ability to export significantly more competitively priced products to Africa. China's interest in access to raw materials reinforced its long-standing policy of developing strong political relations with as many countries as possible in Africa.

China has diplomatic relations with fifty of the fifty-four African countries. Four-Burkina Faso, Swaziland, Gambia, and São Tomé and Principe-recognize Taipei. Beijing has an embassy in all but one of the fifty countries. The exception is Somalia where the security situation in Mogadishu precludes a physical presence. All fifty African countries that recognize China except the Comoro Islands and recently independent South Sudan have embassies in Beijing. Although the United States has diplomatic relations with all fifty-four African countries, it too has embassies in only fifty. It closed embassies in the Seychelles and Comoro Islands to save money and never opened in São Tomé and Principe.

Like China, it is not in Somalia for security reasons. China has more consulates in Africa than does the United States"............READ MORE

Main Stream Media: "The Global Media Giants"

from fair.org.........

"A specter now haunts the world: a global commercial media system dominated by a small number of superpowerful, mostly U.S.-based transnational media corporations. It is a system that works to advance the cause of the global market and promote commercial values, while denigrating journalism and culture not conducive to the immediate bottom line or long-run corporate interests. It is a disaster for anything but the most superficial notion of democracy--a democracy where, to paraphrase John Jay's maxim, those who own the world ought to govern it"...............READ MORE

'The case of Iceland – the illusion of an amicable default'

a histort of recent events in iceland............from marxist.com........

"In 2008, Iceland suffered the biggest financial collapse any nation has ever had, if we consider the size of its economy. Even more striking is the fact that Iceland is no emerging country, mesmerized by the sirens of Western finance, but a modern, affluent nation with a Scandinavian welfare state.

Before the crisis erupted, Iceland, a remote Atlantic island, with the inhabitants of a medium sized European city, was a country famous for its natural wonders visited by many people from all over the world as well as for its music. The collapse of the country’s three major banks (Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir) led to financial disaster and street protests that toppled the government"..........READ MORE

'Goldman Sachs & Occupy Wall Street's Bank: The Real Story'

from beyond chron.....

"Mega-bank Goldman Sachs (assets $933bn), has declared war on one of the smallest banks in New York (assets $30m), the customer-owned community bank that happens to also be the banker for Friends of Liberty Plaza, Inc, also known as Occupy Wall Street. And you thought Goldman didn't care.

The trouble began three weeks ago when the occupiers suddenly found their donation buckets filling with thousands of dollars, way more than needed for their pizza dinners. Suddenly, the anti-bank protesters needed a bank. Citibank and Chase certainly wouldn't fit. So OWS opened an account at the not-for-profit Lower East Side Peoples Federal Credit Union. Peoples has a unique federal charter - designated to open accounts for low-income folk from all over NewYork, available to those families earning less than $38,000 per year"...........READ MORE

NEW WORLD ORDER plans from 1871 for 3 world wars

get ready.......

Iran: 'the damning nuclear evidence'

get ready for another war......this one could start WW3..............from the telegraph.......

"The research by the UN’s watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, will add a substantial layer to seven years of investigations that is likely to inflame tensions in the Middle East.

Yukiya Amano, the organisation’s director-general, is unlikely to draw a definitive conclusion that Iran is making nuclear weapons, but according to Western diplomats the facts will make any other conclusion implausible.

They believe the IAEA has substantiated evidence from intelligence reports, interviews with Iranian scientists and on-the-ground inspections that Iran is carrying out a nuclear weapons programme in parallel to its civilian energy goals"...........READ MORE

'UK military steps up plans for Iran attack amid fresh nuclear fears'

from the guardian.........

"Britain's armed forces are stepping up their contingency planning for potential military action against Iran amid mounting concern about Tehran's nuclear enrichment programme, the Guardian has learned.

The Ministry of Defence believes the US may decide to fast-forward plans for targeted missile strikes at some key Iranian facilities. British officials say that if Washington presses ahead it will seek, and receive, UK military help for any mission, despite some deep reservations within the coalition government.

In anticipation of a potential attack, British military planners are examining where best to deploy Royal Navy ships and submarines equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles over the coming months as part of what would be an air and sea campaign.

They also believe the US would ask permission to launch attacks from Diego Garcia, the British Indian ocean territory, which the Americans have used previously for conflicts in the Middle East'............READ MORE

'Let ’em come: Defiant Iran challenges Israel'

from hurriyetdailynews.....

“Iran has always been threatened by Israel. This is not new for us. We have been hearing threats from Israel for eight years. Our nation is a united nation. Its roots are deep in history. Such threats are not new to us,” Salehi told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday on the sidelines of the Istanbul Conference for Afghanistan, adding that if any country tried to insult Iran, it would respond very fiercely.

“We are very confident of ourselves. We can defend our country,” he said"..........READ MORE

''Federally-Funded Street Lights Capable of "Recording Conversations"

goodbye america, it was nice to know ya.............from telepresenceoptions.......

"Paul Joseph Watson Infowars.com Tuesday, November 1, 2011 -- Federally-funded high-tech street lights now being installed in American cities are not only set to aid the DHS in making "security announcements" and acting as talking surveillance cameras, they are also capable of "recording conversations," bringing the potential privacy threat posed by 'Intellistreets' to a whole new level.

In the days after we first brought attention to the privacy concerns surrounding the new street lights, with our story featuring prominently on the Drudge Report website, the company behind them, Illuminating Concepts, went on the defensive, issuing a press release claiming the devices didn't represent a "big brother" intrusion.

However, as you can see from the video above, 'Intellistreets' is big brother on steroids. George Orwell himself would probably have considered the concept too far-fetched to appear in the dystopian classic 1984"...........READ MORE

Noam Chomsky speaks to SBS Australia

from sbs australia.....

'Biofuels boost land-grab conflict in Senegal'

from english.rfi......

"A police source says residents of Fanayé village “fought with sticks and machetes” in a disagreement over the project.

Fanayé is in the Senegal River valley, near the Mauritanian border.

According to reports, some villagers were angry that thousands of hectares of land had been given to an Italian investor who wants to grow foodcrops for biofuels.

There are fears this could result in the loss of grazing land and lead to the displacement of villagers"..........READ MORE

"Stephen Leeb "Saudi Arabia Could Price Oil in Yuan"

petrodollars baby.......from rt.com........

'UN Warns of Alarming Resurgence in Use of Mercenaries'

from tripolipost.....

"Following widespread reports that foreign fighters allegedly recruited from neighbouring African countries and Eastern Europe by the former Muammar Al Qathafi regime were used to crack down on demonstrations earlier this year, a UN expert group has warned of an alarming resurgence in the use of mercenaries.

In a report to the UN General Assembly, the five-member working group on the use of mercenaries, also expressed deep concern about the major expansion in military and security companies operating without regulation or accountability and about alleged mercenary involvement in serious human rights violations, such as summary executions, enforced disappearances, rape, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions"...........READ MORE

'How little old Denmark oversaw territories in India, Africa and the West Indies'

history always repeats...stop exploiting............from cphpost.......

"It is a testament to the power of capitalism that private companies could actually conquer and settle whole territories. This is exactly what the East India companies and their many variants did. Even at the time, the actions of these companies caused concern to their national governments, eventually leading to their dissolution or nationalisation. The concern was well warranted. If you can imagine Nike raising its own army in order to invade Indonesia, simply to gain better trading conditions, you get an idea of what these companies did and the profits they reaped in doing so".........READ MORE

that is not capitalism..........

'Supreme Leader Khamenei accuses U.S. of ‘terrorist acts’ in Iran'

from alarabiya........

"Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday he had 100 “undeniable documents” proving the United States has been behind “terrorist acts” in the Islamic state and elsewhere in the Middle East.

His comments come after Washington accused Iran of being involved in a plot to kill Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington, a claim Iran has dismissed as baseless.

“We have undeniable documents which show America was behind the curtain of terror in Iran and the region,” Khamenei said during a commemoration of the 1979 storming of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by revolutionary students"..........READ MORE

'US Plans To Issue $846 Billion In Treasurys In The Next 6 Months, 35% More Than Previous Year'

from zerohedge....

"Since obviously nobody in charge has learned anything at all, and all the old school games will continue until they no longer can, and demand for US paper, already plunging at the international level, disappears (aside from the Fed of course: the Fed will always be a happy last ditch monetizer of one-ply US paper), here is the Treasury's just released schedule for bond issuance for Fiscal Q1 (Oct-Dec 2011), and Q2 (Jan-March 2012), which amounts to $305 billion and $541 billion, respectively, or a total of $846 billion in 6 months, a $141 billion run rate per month"........READ MORE

Engdahl: "Arab Spring a western ploy to control Eurasia"--Arab Spring Explained in 12 Minutes........

the most important video you will watch all year.........from rt.com........

'China issues fresh warning regarding exploration in South China Sea'

from platts.com....

"China has issued yet another warning to another oil company regarding oil and gas exploration activities in the disputed South China Sea -- this time directed at US oil major ExxonMobil.

"Any foreign company shall not engage in oil and gas activities in waters under Chinese jurisdiction. This position is clear and consistent," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular briefing on Monday".....READ MORE

'UK recovery slowest in 100 years despite 0.5pc growth'

from the telegraph....

"The UK economy is now 4pc smaller than it was at its peak in the first three months of 2008, having recovered 3.1pc from its lowest point in the third quarter of 2009. George Buckley, UK economist at Deutsche Bank, described it as "worse than the position we were in at the same stage of recovery following the Great Depression".

The recovery is now technically the slowest in at least 100 years and the economy is currently no bigger than it was in December 2006"..........READ MORE

Op-Ed: "Muslim Brotherhood takes over Middle East"

from voice of russia....

............................."The problem is that all this counties will pass from a dictatorship, in Tunisia Ben Ali, in Egypt Mubarak, in Libya Gaddafi, the next one would be Syria I think, and they are going to pass from this kind of dictatorship to an Islamic Democracy run by the Muslim Brotherhood with the allowance of the West. The West - the United States, the United Nations, Europe they are starting saying “ok, they are moderate. So, this kind of moderate Islamists can rule a country in a proper way”, but it is just an illusion, it is just a wishful thinking"...........READ MORE

U.S. Energy Security Council Inaugural Event Sept. 21, 2011

'Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan 1988'

listen very carefully for clues about today's geopolitical events...........

'Obama, Africa and the Imperial Project'

from frontline.......


"Paul Craig Roberts, a former Under Secretary of State for Treasury under President Ronald Reagan (and thus not a left-winger by a long shot), put the matter succinctly: “With Libya conquered, AFRICOM will start on the other African countries where China has energy and mineral investments…. Whereas China brings Africa investment and gifts of infrastructure, Washington sends troops, bombs and military bases.”

"FROM Kabul in October 2001 to Tripoli in October 2011, a decade of unremitting planetary warfare has seen countries devastated and capitals occupied over a vast swathe of territory from the Hindu Kush to the northern end of Africa's Mediterranean coast. Within the Arab world, this ultra-imperialist offensive of Euro-American predators may yet move on to Syria as well – and beyond that to Iran at some future date. 


For now, in any case, the occupation of Libya by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) clients and corporations marks the vanquishing of the spirit of rebellion that was ignited in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt earlier this year and has been under attack ever since. For much of Africa, though, this may yet be merely a beginning of a new conquest by the Euro-American consortium that may ravage the continent even more ferociously than did the famous “Scramble for Africa” that was sanctified in Berlin at the end of the 19th century".........READ MORE

'The Global Reserve Army of Labor and the New Imperialism'

from monthly review......

Writing in Monthly Review, economist Minqi Li notes that since the early 1980s 150 million workers in China have migrated from rural to urban areas. China thus experienced a 13 percentage-point drop (from 50 percent to 37 percent) in the share of wages in GDP between 1990 and 2005. Now “after many years of rapid accumulation, the massive reserve army of cheap labor in China’s rural areas is starting to become depleted.” Li focuses mainly on demographic analysis, indicating that China’s total workforce is expected to peak at 970 million by 2012, and then decline by 30 million by 2020, with the decline occurring more rapidly among the prime age working population. This he believes will improve the bargaining power of workers and strengthen industrial strife in China, raising issues of radical transformation. Such industrial strife will inevitably mount if China’s non-agricultural population passes “the critical threshold of 70 percent by around 2020”..........READ MORE

California: 'San Onofre nuclear plant declares emergency'

from latimes.....

'A level-3 emergency was declared Tuesday afternoon at the San Onofre Nuclear plant, officials said.

It was unclear what sparked the emergency alert. The Orange County Fire Authority said that it was alerted about the problem but that the incident was being handled by the power plant's Fire Department.

The Fire Department referred all calls to Southern California Edison. A utility media spokesman did not return calls for comment".............LINK

Africa: 'brace for coming wave of imperialist aggression'

a must read.......from newzimbabwe.......

"China’s growing influence in Libya and beyond also did not help matters. Bilateral business engagements between China and Libya had already yielded close to US$7 billion at the time of going to war. As early as 2009, several infrastructural tenders had been awarded to over 20,000 Chinese conglomerates alone.

But to intervene in Libya, the West needed a plausible impetus. And what better way than to ride on the back of the popular uprisings which broke out in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt early in the year!"....................READ MORE

'Israel hikes missile range over Iran fears'

from upi.com....

"Israel is reported to be seeking to extend the range of its Jericho- 3 ballistic missile, which could be used for pre-emptive military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Amid persistent concerns that Israel may launch unilateral attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a hawk on the issue, warned Monday that a nuclear Iran will pose a direct threat to Israel"..........READ MORE

'Secret history of the credit card'

from pbs.........

Pete Townshend: "Apple is bleeding musicians "like a digital vampire"

bet he "wont get fooled again".........from herald sun.....

"PETE Townshend says Apple is bleeding musicians "like a digital vampire" and has called on the tech giant to do more to support artists.

The Who guitarist compared Apple to the banking industry, and admitted he had wanted to cut Steve Jobs's balls off, The Guardian reports.

In a speech to the radio industry, Townshend said: "Is there really any good reason why, just because iTunes exists in the wild west internet land of Facebook and Twitter, it can't provide some aspect of these services to the artists whose work it bleeds like a digital vampire for its enormous commission?".................READ MORE

'Asia faces rocky road in securing its energy needs'

from gulf times....


"Governments in emerging Asian economies will struggle to secure their rising energy needs as rapidly swelling demand in leading consumers China and India outpaces growth in supplies, which is likely to keep oil prices over $100 a barrel.


High fuel costs for importers are threatening their economies as they grapple with rising subsidy bills and inflation.


"The global economy needs to see lower prices, Nobuo Tanaka, former head of the International Energy Agency, said.


“If $100 oil continues, it will be as bad as 2008,” Tanaka told the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) conference"..........READ MORE

'Banks, regulators start massive review of foreclosures'

from latimes....

"Some people who lost their homes to a foreclosure system wrought with error and misconduct may now request their cases be independently reviewed and potentially may be compensated.

A large-scale review of foreclosures that occurred in 2009 and 2010 began on Tuesday with federal regulators requiring the nation’s largest mortgage servicers to start mailing letters to potential victims. Independent consultants that the banks were ordered to hire in April will conduct the assessments. More than 4 million borrowers could be eligible".........READ MORE

'Police State TSA is Trucking Right Along'

from dakotavoice......

"What we are seeing is not a serious effort to combat—let us call it what it is—Islamic terrorism, but rather, it is a concerted effort to get American citizens used to accepting ever-increasingly burdensome intrusions into our personal lives.  We are not supposed to question the TSA’s declaration that “intelligence indicates law enforcement should focus on the highways as well as the airports.”  We are simply to lie down and take it.  Next, they will say “intelligence indicates” we need to send the VIPRs slithering into football stadiums, malls, high school and college campuses, or even Broadway shows.  Who is to question their “intelligence”?.............READ MORE

"US envisions NATO of the Gulf"

from rt.com....


"Since leaked US diplomatic cables published in 2010 by WikiLeaks revealed that Saudi King Abdullah has "frequently exhorted the US to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons program," calls to invade Iran have only intensified among US hawks.  

In the same vein, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi ambassador to Washington and would-be victim of the highly implausible Iranian assassination plot, went on to tell General David Petraeus in April 2008 that King Abdullah wanted to "cut off the head of the snake," as cited by Reuters.  

However, as the United States moves towards integrating the six states of the Gulf Co-operation Council into a security alliance that would increase both US and Saudi domination in the region, Iran could very well find itself the next victim of a US-led “humanitarian intervention”.....READ MORE

Pepe Escobar: "The Pentagon-Arab Spring love story"

from asia times online....

"Anyone who hoped the Arab Spring might eventually take over the Persian Gulf and those lands once known as Arabia Felix has enough reason to drown in sadness. 

The Arab counter-revolution is stronger than ever - led by the House of Saud and its monarchy minions at the Gulf Counter-revolution Club (GCC), officially known as Gulf Cooperation Council. And their most precious ally is the Pentagon"...........READ MORE 

‘We won’t let Syria become 2nd Libya’ – Russian FM'

from rt.com....


"Russia will not allow the repetition of the Libyan scenario in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said after a meeting with the Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in Abu-Dhabi.

“We do not support regimes, we support international law,” Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s stance on Syria. Russia insists on mediating dialogue between the authorities and opposition in the country and this position is reflected in the draft resolution of Russia and China.

He said that Russia supports a peaceful initiative of the Arab League. The document, which was made public on Monday in Doha, provides for withdrawal of tank units from Syrian cities and the start of talks between the forces involved in the conflict.".....READ MORE

'Syria mining Lebanon border'

from hurriyetdailynews.........

"Syria is planting landmines along parts of the country's border with Lebanon as refugees stream out of the country to escape the crackdown on anti-government protests, officials and witnesses said today.


The Syrian exodus to neighboring Lebanon and Turkey has proven a deep embarrassment for increasingly besieged President Bashar Assad, who warned over the weekend that the Middle East will burn if foreign powers try to intervene in his country's conflict".........READ MORE

Canada: 'Stretched food banks a measure of Canada’s frail recovery'

from mail and globe....

"The number of Canadians using food banks has declined slightly, but persistent demand indicates many are struggling in a frail economic recovery.

More than 851,000 individuals visited a food bank in March alone, a number that’s little changed from last year’s record and still 26 per cent above prerecession levels, Food Banks Canada’s annual survey, to be released Tuesday, shows"...........READ MORE

'UN probe unveils new suspected Syrian nuclear facility'

from haaretz......

"U.N. investigators have identified a previously unknown complex in Syria that bolsters suspicions that the Syrian government worked with A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, to acquire technology that could be used to make nuclear arms.

The buildings in northwest Syria closely match the design of a uranium enrichment plant provided to Libya when Muammar Gadhafi was trying to build nuclear weapons under Khan's guidance, officials told The Associated Press"...........READ MORE

'Brazil to overtake UK as sixth-largest economy'

from the telegraph......

"The Latin American giant's GDP for 2011 is expected to hit $2.44 trillion (£1.51 trillion) compared with $2.43 trillion for the UK, the latest monthly forecasts from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) show.

This will see Brazil, which last year overtook Italy to become the world's seventh biggest economy, move up one more place to sixth with the UK falling to seventh"..........READ MORE

'US buildup near Iraq lacks prudence: Iran's foreign minister'

from arab news........

"Iran’s top diplomat on Monday bitingly questioned reported US plans to build up American military forces across Middle East countries after withdrawing from Iraq, calling on Washington to be “more prudent and wise” or risk more unrest in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi also dismissed American concerns about Iranian meddling in Iraq after US troops pull out at the end of December".........READ MORE