More than 40 sites across Iraq are contaminated with high levels or radiation and dioxins, with three decades of war and neglect having left environmental ruin in large parts of the country, an official Iraqi study has found. --- Areas in and near Iraq's largest towns and cities, including Najaf, Basra and ¬Falluja, account for around 25% of the contaminated sites, which appear to coincide with communities that have seen increased rates of cancer and birth defects over the past five years.

Former attorney general admitted to changing his mind over necessity of further justification for military action. Goldsmith has told the inquiry he changed his mind "for good reasons" but has not spelled them out, nor yet been asked by the inquiry what they were. The change appears to have happened in late February 2003, just before the war, when he told the prime minister's advisers that there was "a reasonable case" that a second UN resolution was not needed. This was sufficient to constitute a "green light," he said. His previous advice had been preliminary. AWIP/Craig Murray: The Partiality of Lord Goldsmith.

The “largest lie,” wrote hisorian Howard Zinn who died yesterday at age 87, is that “everything the United States does is to be pardoned because we are engaged in a ‘war on terrorism.’” “This ignores the fact that war is itself terrorism, that the barging into people’s homes and taking away family members and subjecting them to torture, that is terrorism, that invading and bombing other countries does not give us more security but less security.” AWIP: Howard Zinn, historian who challenged status quo, dies at 87.

A geoengineering project to block the sun by simulating volcanic eruptions would be 100 times cheaper than cutting greenhouse gas emissions, climate change scientists said. A global plan to put man-made particles into the atmosphere to deflect the Sun's heat would rapidly lower global temperatures until cuts in carbon dioxide emissions took effect, they argued. -Completely irresponsible! Sheer lunacy!

A mere three hours before the Bernanke cloture vote, America just got permission to hit 100% Debt/GDP. Thank Senate Democrats who just approved an amendment increasing the US debt ceiling by $1.9 trillion. The 60/40 vote was across party lines and only successful because Republican Sen.-elect Scott Brown has yet to be seated. Breitbart: Senate permits gov't to borrow an additional $1.9T. AntiWar: Price of US Wars: $1 Trillion and Rising.

This so-called president gets a question. He does not answer it. He instead comes up with a lot of bullshit. -He's completely taken aback by the question and knows full well that he were to answer it honestly, it would be the end of him. Literally. He wouldn't even get to complete his first term...

"It is critical for us, and I will never waiver from, ensuring Israel's security," this "president" said. "The plight of the Palestinians is somthing that we have to pay attention to because it is not good for our security and it is not good for Israels's security [...]." -So the plight of the Palestinians is to be "paid attention to", not because what is being done to them by "America" and Israel is morally wrong and downright evil, but because it (allegedly) would compromise Israel's "security"? -This is absolutely pathetic!

And the question was? "Last night in your State Of The Union address you spoke of America's support for human rights -then why have we not condemned Israel's and Egypt's human rights violations against the occupied Palestinian people and yet we continue to support financially with billions of dollars coming from our tax dollars?" WRMEA: Has Obama Made a Devil’s Bargain With Israel?

A scientist with the World Health Organisation has testified, during ongoing hearings in Strasbourg, France, that the swine flu pandemic was part of an overblown “angst campaign”, devised in conjunction with major drug companies to boost profits for vaccine manufacturers. Professor Ulrich Keil, director of the WHO’s Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology, slammed the organization and its flu chief, Dr Keiji Fukuda while giving evidence before The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). “With SARS, with avian flu, always the predictions are wrong…Why don’t we learn from history?” Keil said. “It [swine flu] produced a lot of turmoil in the pubic and was completely exaggerated in contrast with all the really important matters we have to deal with in public health.” The WHO adviser on heart disease, added that the decision had led to a “gigantic misallocation” of health budgets.

Chief executive officers including Bank of America Corp.’s Moynihan, UBS AG’sGruebel and Deutsche Bank AG’s Ackermann convened yesterday, a week after U.S. President Barack Obama shocked financiers with plans that may force large banks to limit their size and curb investments in hedge funds and private equity. The private meeting, held down a hallway near the back entrance of the Davos conference center, aimed to prepare executives for another private gathering in Davos on Jan. 30 with top policymakers and regulators, including U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank.

After more than six months straining to convince itself of the immense, nationwide danger of a phenomenon that involves fewer than 0.1% of France's Muslim population, a parliamentary committee yesterday ­recommended the banning of the full veil in many of France's public places. There is nothing eccentric about asking why they are getting so bothered.

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was killed on January 20, Izzat al-Rishq told Reuters in the Syrian capital Damascus. Rishq said Mabhouh was an "important" member of Izz el-Deen al- Qassam brigades, Hamas's military wing named after a Syrian religious leader who fought British colonial forces in Palestine in the 1930s. PressTV: 'Israel assassinates top Hamas commander in Dubai'. By the same "right", Hamas can kill any / all of the Israeli war criminals. Cut them down mercilessly like the bastards that they are.

Tony Blair is set to mount a spirited defence when he is questioned in public for the first time about his decision to take the UK to war against Iraq. He will be questioned at the Iraq war inquiry for six hours on the build-up to the 2003 invasion and its aftermath. AWIP/NS: The bulletproof case against Blair.