A second US drone attack in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border on Wednesday has killed four militants, officials say. The missile attack targeted the militants' vehicle, AFP reported. Earlier on Wednesday, at least ten people were killed in another US drone attack in the same region when two missiles were fired by a US drone at a suspected militant compound. The aerial raids in Pakistan, initiated by former US president George W. Bush, have been escalated under President Barack Obama. Washington claims the strikes target militants. However, the attacks, conducted by CIA in coordination with the Pentagon, have reportedly killed some 1,000 Pakistanis over the past two years. The issue of civilian casualties has strained relations between Islamabad and Washington. Pakistan has repeatedly condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty.

Aljazeera.com: US Drone Strikes Kill 14 people in Pakistan.

AWIP: US drone attack kills five in Pakistan.

Rwanda says it will express its outrage at being accused of possible genocide to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is visiting the country. A draft UN document accuses Rwandan troops and their allies of staging genocide-style massacres of civilians in neighbouring DR Congo in 1996-97. President Paul Kagame has threatened to withdraw Rwanda's peacekeeping troops from Darfur if the draft is published. Mr Ban unexpectedly flew to Rwanda on Tuesday to discuss the threats. A draft copy of the 600-page probe, seen by news agencies, is highly critical of Rwanda's actions in DR Congo.

"The systematic and widespread attacks described in this report... reveal a number of damning elements that, if they were proven before a competent court, could be classified as crimes of genocide," it states.

Wikipedia: Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people. Over the course of approximately 100 days from the assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana on April 6 through mid-July, at least 800,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate. Other estimates of the death toll have ranged between 500,000 and 1,000,000 (a commonly quoted figure is 800,000) or as much as 20% of the country's total population. In 1990, a rebel group composed mostly of Tutsi refugees called the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) invaded northern Rwanda from Uganda. The Rwandan Civil War, fought between the Hutu regime, with support from Francophone nations of Africa and France itself, and the RPF, with support from Uganda, vastly increased the ethnic tensions in the country and led to the rise of Hutu Power. As an ideology, Hutu Power asserted that the Tutsi intended to enslave Hutus and must be resisted at all costs.

Compassion is sometimes a central theme of media reporting. On August 25, journalists across the UK described how a British woman, Mary Bale, had been filmed dropping a cat into a wheelie bin. The cat was later released unharmed. The Guardian reported and commented on the story on August 24 and 25. Matt Seaton wrote:

"OK, there are lots of acts of random cruelty involving humans on humans every day, but this was somebody's pet, for Pete's sake. Who would do such a thing?" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/24/coventry-cat-wheelie-bin)

On August 26, the Guardian followed up with a report describing how animal protection charities were considering whether to prosecute Bale. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/26/rspca-woman-cat-wheelie-bin). On August 27, Alexander Chancellor devoted a section of his Guardian column to the story. On August 28, Michele Hansen also wrote an article focusing on the cat and on cruelty to animals more generally. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/28/cat-litter-pets-protected-and-persecuted). On August 29, almost a week after the Guardian had first reported the incident, Euan Ferguson commented:

"The same Facebook, the same Britain, that 'named and shamed’ Mary Bale is the one that had over 30,000 followers for Raoul Moat RIP, who was a killer. Do we love animals more than people?" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/29/mary-bale-cat-fluffy-animal)

Good question. According to our LexisNexis search (September 7), two articles appeared on the cat story in the Independent and two in the Independent on Sunday. The Daily Telegraph mentioned it in three articles; the Times in seven. The Observer had one article, the Mirror and Sunday Mirror had a total of ten articles. More than 170 articles have so far mentioned Mary Bale in the UK press.

A Palestinian human rights worker has reported that Israeli forces continue to prevent, Umm Ibrahim, an elderly woman in her 70s, from visiting her son after 14 years on the pretext that she poses as security threat to Israel. Umm Ibrahim had no choice but to find a Palestinian family from neighbouring area to adopt her son and visit him on her behalf, as she has previously done with other Arab prisoners. Abdel Nasser Farwana who is a researcher specialising in prisoner affairs added that Umm Ibrahim Baroud, from Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, is one of thousands of Palestinians barred from visiting their sons who are being detained in Israeli jails on various pretexts. These include so-called security reasons that are used by the Israeli authorities to punish prisoners and their families.

Not everyone has been doing badly during the economic turmoil of the last few years. In fact, there are some Americans that are doing really, really well. While the vast majority of us struggle, there is one small segment of society that is seemingly doing better than ever. This was reflected in a recent article on CNBC in which it was noted that companies that cater to average Americans are doing rather poorly right now while companies that market luxury goods and services are generally performing exceptionally well. So why aren't all American consumers jumping on the spending bandwagon? Well, it seems that there are a large number of Americans who either can't spend a lot of money right now or who are very hesitant to. A stunningly high number of Americans are still unemployed, and for many other Americans, there is a very real fear that hard economic times will return soon. On the other hand, there is a significant percentage of Americans who are blowing money on luxury goods and services as if the economy has fully turned around and it is time to let the good times roll. So exactly what in the world is going on here?

BRUSSELS — US General David Petraeus, the commander of the war in Afghanistan, has requested 2,000 extra troops to bolster a crucial mission to train Afghan "security forces" [collaborators], a NATO official said Monday.

The mission would come on the heels of the deployment of tens of thousands of soldiers who were sent as part of a surge strategy aimed at crushing a resilient Taliban insurgency, the official said.

"There is now a discussion under way for additional resources, principally trainers, that could be sent to Afghanistan to bolster the mission," said the official, who requested anonymity.

At least 750 of the new soldiers would focus on training Afghan forces, he said, refusing to give more details about the rest of the mission. He said it was premature to say when the 2,000 extra troops would be deployed. Getting Afghan "security forces" [collaborators] trained so they can take over security responsibilities is a paramount condition for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the nation, worn down by war. The US general's request was relayed to the transatlantic alliance's 28 members and it is up to individual governments to decide on whether to make contributions, the NATO official said.

James Cogan: More troops to Afghanistan: General Petraeus calls for 2,000 more troops.

RT America has been discussing obesity in America and the effects of the mass consumption of genetically altered food. What are the risks and what can be done about it? George Hemminger says that as many people are feeling the economic downturn hit them, they are growing their own food. However, the government might try to take that choice away from the people as well by passing a bill that would make it illegal to clean and store seeds.

AWIP: Senate Bill S510 Makes it illegal to Grow, Share, Trade or Sell Homegrown Food. “If accepted [S 510] would preclude the public’s right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food that nature makes. It will become the most offensive authority against the cultivation, trade and consumption of food and agricultural products of one’s choice. It will be unconstitutional and contrary to natural law or, if you like, the will of God.” ~Dr. Shiv Chopra, Canada Health whistleblower.

Folk-country icons to revisit classic Beatles, Stones and Bob Dylan songs on covers record produced by Rick Rubin. Crosby, Stills and Nash are "about one-third" through their first album in more than 10 years, an LP of classic-rock covers. Under the guidance of rock guru Rick Rubin, the folk-country icons are revisiting songs including the Beatles' Norwegian Wood, the Rolling Stones' Ruby Tuesday and Bob Dylan's Girl from the North Country.

"It's a lot slower than it's ever taken us to do an album," Nash explained to Billboard. "We all want it to be right – Rick, too – so we're taking our time to make sure it is."

Rubin, a 30-year production veteran, is the go-to guy for reinventing legacy artists, especially the albums he made with Johnny Cash. He has also worked with Neil Diamond and Metallica, and was recently attached to a project with ZZ Top. Cover versions on the album include Tim Hardin's Reason to Believe, Jackson Browne's Lives in the Balance, James Taylor's You Can Close Your Eyes and the Grateful Dead's Uncle John's Band. Yet there's no talk of Neil Young rejoining the group – let alone a cover of Harvest or Comes a Time. But Young is co-operating with another Nash project, a live album taken from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's 1974 tour. Young has given Nash carte blanche, he said, to assemble the set.

"He knows me. He trusts me. He feels I can do this. He will be very involved, of course, because I'm not mixing anything finally until Neil's heard it and approves – the same with David [Crosby] and Stephen [Stills]."

Former premier Tony Blair has postponed a party at the Tate Modern art gallery celebrating the launch of his autobiography because of threats from protesters, his office said on Wednesday. Anti-war demonstrators had planned to disrupt the reception on Wednesday evening and a group of celebrated artists including Tracey Emin and Vivienne Westwood had called on the gallery to cancel the "disgraceful" event. Blair has also been forced to cancel a signing session for "A Journey" at a bookstore in central London. "It has been postponed for the same reason as the book signing," a spokesman for Blair said.

AWIP: Tony Blair pelted with eggs at book signing in Dublin.
AWIP: Tony Blair was seconds away from shooting down airliner over London.

Reinstalled Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered an extraordinary speech yesterday evening, following the decision of rural independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott to back a minority Labor government. It comprised a series of lies on the meaning of the election crisis and its outcome, and overtures towards the Liberal-National opposition.

“We live in a lively and a resilient democracy—and it works,” she boasted. “The events of the past fortnight show us unequivocally that our democracy is very, very strong indeed.”

On the contrary, the formation of the Labor government backed by the Greens and three independent parliamentarians marks the culmination of the ruling elite’s attempt to forge a government more in line with its interests, one capable of implementing the deeply unpopular economic restructuring measures required in preparation for the next phase of the global economic crisis.

The Shocking Jewish Role in Slavery Part II: The Media Coverup

A member of Iceland's parliament and prominent organiser for whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks has turned on the site's founder, Julian Assange, demanding that he step down over rape allegations made against him in Sweden. Birgitta Jonsdottir told Internet news site The Daily Beast that she did not believe Assange's repeated assertion that the allegations of rape and molestation made against him were part of a US-backed smear campaign to distract attention from documents posted on the site laying bare US involvement in the war in Afghanistan and further promised revelations.

The Age: WikiLeaks founder may get chop.

The United Nations says floods have now affected more than 21-million people in Pakistan as advancing floodwaters continue to threaten more towns in the country's south. The world body made the announcement following more flooding in the southern province of Sindh. "The floods here in Pakistan have affected almost 21 million people - it is one of the biggest humanitarian crises the world has seen." said Valerie Amos, the new UN humanitarian chief, who arrived in Pakistan Tuesday. One month after Pakistan's worst natural disaster, authorities continue with efforts to protect several towns in Sindh Province, including Johi, which lies 315 km (195 miles) north of Karachi with a population of 60,000. The UN says more than 10-million people have been left without shelter in Pakistan. More than 1,700 people have also been killed by the weeks-long floods, which have engulfed an area the size of England.

An IDF Powerpoint slideshow, presented before the Turkel committee for the investigation of the Israeli raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla, reveals the official goals of the Israeli policy regarding the Gaza strip. The slideshow, prepared by The Administration for the Coordination of Government Policy in the Territories – the IDF body in charge of carrying out Israeli government policies regarding the civilian population in the West Bank and Gaza – deals with the humanitarian conditions in the strip; with food, water, fuel and electricity supply and with the condition of medical facilities in Gaza.

Xymphora: The Jews have about a million completely illegal plans to deal with the 'demographic problem' which will be caused by 'one state'. They've done the math, and determined that Jews will still be in a majority if they can just slough off those Palestinians living in Gaza.

China is poised to sign a $2bn (£1.3bn) deal to build a railway line in Iran in the first step of a wider plan to tie the Middle East and Central Asia to Beijing. China's railways minister, Liu Zhijun, is expected to visit Tehran this week to seal the deal, according to his Iranian counterpart, Hamid Behbahani. "The final document of the contract has already been signed with a Chinese company and the Chinese minister will visit Iran on September 12 to ink the agreement," said Mr Behbahani. The new line will run from Tehran to the town of Khosravi on the border with Iraq, around 360 miles as the crow flies, passing through Arak, Hamedan and Kermanshah. Eventually, the Iranian government said, the route could link Iran with Iraq and even Syria as part of a Middle-Eastern corridor. That could also benefit the 5,000 Iranians who make pilgrimages each day to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq. Nicklas Swanstrom, the executive director of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said the contract to build the line was the first step for China to build an entire rail infrastructure for central Asia.

"It makes sense that if you build railways in Iran, you then get deals to stretch the lines into central Asia," he said, referring to a "very concrete plan" to run a railway from Iran through the landlocked countries of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and eventually to Kashgar in China, in a modern "silk route".