The United States has demanded the sacking of a UN special expert on human rights for suggesting that Washington has played a role in the September 11 attacks. The UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Richard Falk, wrote in his personal blog that

there are "awkward gaps and contradictions in the official explanations" provided by the US government for the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

Falk suggested there was "an apparent cover-up" by the United States over its knowledge of the attacks which were allegedly masterminded by Saudi-born al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the Associated Press reported. The UN official went on to criticize mainstream media in his January 11 blog for being "unwilling to acknowledge the well-evidenced doubts about the official version of the events: an al-Qaeda operation with no foreknowledge by government officials." The US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice flatly rejected the claims as conspiracy theory [i.e. verboten] and said that Falk should “no longer continue in his position on behalf of the UN."

This means more death: Child killed by
US and NATO forces Afghanistan. WE

NATO and the countries participating in the operation in Afghanistan will not leave the country after 2014, when Afghan troops will have taken over the security responsibility, a senior NATO official said Tuesday.

NATO's Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Mark Sedwill made the remarks at a joint press conference with Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb after the two held a meeting here. The transition in 2014 will not be the end of NATO's operation in Afghanistan, but the beginning of a new phase of the campaign, Sedwill said. NATO and the countries participating in the operation in Afghanistan will not leave the country after 2014, although the Afghan troops will have taken over the security responsibility, he said. Instead, the tasks and role of the NATO troops in Afghanistan will change.

Sedwill stressed that after the transition in 2014, a long-term partnership between Afghanistan and the international community will still be needed to support the development of Afghan security forces as well as Afghanistan's socio-economic development. "The transition in 2014 does not mean a withdrawal," said Stubb, adding that "We will be there as long as we are needed and required."

""We're not leaving Afghanistan prematurely. In fact, we're not ever leaving at all." ~ Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
"You have to recognize that I don't think you win this war. I think you keep fighting. You have to stay after it. This is the kind of fight we're in for the rest of our lives and probably our kids' lives". ~ Gen. D. Petraeus

AWIP: Lindsey Graham: Permanent U.S. Presence In Afghanistan Would Be 'Enormously Beneficial'
Kavkaz Center: Robert Gates: 'We're not ever leaving' Afghanistan
AWIP: Poll: 63 Percent of Americans Oppose Afghan War
Yahoo: Senator proposes permanent US bases in Afghanistan
James Cogan: US, NATO commit to indefinite occupation of Afghanistan

THESE ARE THE VICTIMS AND ORPHANS FROM US/GERMAN AIRSTRIKE IN KUNDUZ, AFGHANISTAN. THESE PICTURES HAVE NEVER BEFORE BEEN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC. Responding to a call by German forces, an American F-15E fighter jet struck two fuel tankers, killing a more than 150 people, 100 of which were civilians, mostly children. In June 2010 Germany announced it would pay $5,000 to each of the families of over 100 civilian victims, as an ex gratia payment without admitting liability. The former Afghan Commerce Minister Amin Farhang described the $5,000—as a "laughable" sum. (pictures' copyrights: Jürgen Todenhöfer)

A new collection of data released by Israeli NGO B’Tselem shows that the Israeli government dramatically increased the number of Palestinian homes demolished in the portion of the West Bank that is under full Israeli control. The data reveals that in the so-called “Area C” region demolitions of Palestinian homes tripled in 2010, with 86 homes destroyed compared to only 28 in the previous year. The demolitions left nearly 500 Palestinians homeless. The United Nations added to the data by saying that the number of demolitions of agriculture structures, especially cisterns used to collect rainwater, were dramatically up in the region over the previous year. Shlomo Lecker, a lawyer who has filed cases on behalf of Palestinians in the region, said that the rise is chiefly because the “Civil Administration” authority that oversees the moves is stacked with settlers, who believe that Palestinians should not be allowed to build at all in the region.

Palestinian Loss of Land 1946 to 2008 (MAP)

In the streets around Abdel Munim Riyad square the atmosphere had changed. The air which had held a carnival-like vibe was now thick with teargas. Thousands of people were running out of nearby Tahrir Square and towards me. Several hundred regrouped; a few dozen protesters set about attacking an abandoned police truck, eventually tipping it over and setting it ablaze. Through the smoke, lines of riot police could be seen charging towards us from the south. Along with nearby protesters I fled down the street before stopping at what appeared to be a safe distance. A few ordinarily dressed young men were running in my direction. Two came towards me and threw out punches, sending me to the ground. I was hauled back up by the scruff of the neck and dragged towards the advancing police lines.

My captors were burly and wore leather jackets – up close I could see they were amin dowla, plainclothes officers from Egypt's notorious state security service. All attempts I made to tell them in Arabic and English that I was an international journalist were met with more punches and slaps; around me I could make out other isolated protesters receiving the same brutal treatment and choking from the teargas.

LobeLog: Government Shows Nervousness Mahmoud Saad, a talk show host in the Egyptian state-run TV, has announced that he will no longer appear on TV starting tonight after he came under pressure from top government officials to defame protestors as rioters “destroying the country.”

CBS News: Egyptians scorn ban on protests
Yahoo: Egypt democracy leader returns to lead protests
Raw Story: Reports of ‘massacre’ in Suez as protests in Egypt move into third day
Barry Grey: US pursues two-track policy to suppress protests in Egypt and Tunisia
International Business Times: Anonymous Asks For DDoS Attack On Key Egyptian Sites
Yahoo: Egypt on edge as demonstrations turn violent

Anonymous Press Release: Anonymous warns Egyptian Regime that they will "make sure the international media sees the horrid reality you impose upon your people"

Tens of thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets in the country’s capital, calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave power. At euronews we believe in the intelligence of our viewers and we think that the mission of a news channel is to deliver facts without any opinion or bias, so that the viewers can make their own opinion on world events.

Al Jazeera: Troops break up Gabon protests

For me, the leaked Palestinian Papers provide us with a valuable glimpse into Israeli politics and Western complicity in the crimes carried out against the Palestinian people. I do realise that most Palestinian commentators agree that the leaked papers have “damaged whatever little credibility the Ramallah-based authority still enjoyed among Palestinians” ; yet, more than anything else, the Papers prove beyond doubt that Israel is not a partner for peace -- In spite of the weaknesses that have been shown by the PA since the 1990’s, Israel has failed to secure a peace deal, and has consistently failed to show any will to bring the conflict to an end. In short -- Israel has always wanted more.

The Papers have also clearly shown that whilst Israel likes to present an image of ‘political pluralism’ , that is little more than a deception : there is not much difference at all between Tzipi Livni and Avigdor Lieberman. Both are Zionist enthusiasts, and both are interested in a ‘Jews only state’ -- Indeed, just like Lieberman Livni too,offered to “transfer Israeli Arabs.”

PA, with US encouragement, delayed a UN vote on the Goldstone Report into war crimes committed during Israel's Gaza war.

On October 2, 2009, the UN Human Rights Council was widely expected to pass a resolution supporting the Goldstone Report, the UN’s probe of war crimes committed during Israel’s war in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009. The Council instead agreed to delay a vote on the report until March 2010, following major reservations expressed by the Palestinian Authority, the United States and Israel. A UNHRC endorsement of the report would have brought Israeli officials one step closer to prosecution before a war crimes tribunal, an event many Palestinians were anxious to see. But, as The Palestine Papers reveal, the Palestinian Authority apparently sacrificed a potential victory for Palestinian victims in exchange for favorable assurances on negotiations from the United States and, they hoped, from Israel.

The Goldstone Report, formally known as the Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, was released in mid-September 2009 amid calls for a review of Israel’s wartime practices. The probe was led by Richard Goldstone, a former South African judge; it identified war crimes committed overwhelmingly by Israeli forces, but also by Hamas, during Israel’s war on Gaza. Both the United States and Israel were outspoken in their criticism of the report, claiming that any UN endorsement would endanger the peace process and future Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has already admitted that the PA asked for the postponement; he said at the time it was to secure more international support before the vote. [...] What The Palestine Papers demonstrate is that, in the weeks preceding the vote, the United States apparently urged the PA to stall the report as a means of restarting negotiations with Israel.

Al Jazeera: MI6 offered to detain Hamas figures

[Editor's Comment:] And yet the British elite goes out of its way to accomodate the Israeli war criminals (Livni, Barak etc.) who'd like to visit Britain. They now are moving to scrap the principle of Universal Jurisdiction (here, here, here, here and here) in order to please them. They are kow-towing to the Zionist Jews and the sorry spectacle is absolutely repugnant. Why this Zio-zeal? More here and here.

Al Jazeera: A glimpse into the negotiation room
Mondoweiss: Palestine Papers: Admiral Mullen says Palestinian state is a U.S. ‘cardinal interest’ after raising troop deaths

An American man shot dead a Pakistani motorcycle rider in a street in Lahore city on Thursday, a senior police official told AFP, claiming that he fired his pistol in "self defence". "The American national told us he was driving his vehicle and stopped at a traffic signal. He saw motorcycle riders and one pulled out a pistol. The man told us he then pulled out his pistol and fired in self-defence," Lahore police chief Aslam Tarin told AFP.

The News: American kills three in Lahore LAHORE: Three people were killed when a US national opened fire on motorcycle riders and hit another with his car in an attempt to escape from the scene at Mazang Chowk on Thursday, Geo News reported. According to details, the man identified as Raymond David, reportedly a staffer of the US Consulate, opened fire at two persons ridding a motorcycle, injuring them seriously. Both the injured were shifted to Services Hospital where they were pronounced dead. Another motorcyclist was also injured when hit by the speeding car of David who was escaping from the crime scene. The injured was rushed to Services Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds during treatment. Later, the suspect was apprehended by police and taken to Old Anarkali police station. Police also recovered arms from his possession. Information officer at the US Consulate refused to comment immediately on the incident.

A nine-year-old girl begged for her life before being shot dead along with her father by an anti-immigrant vigilante group, a court heard. Brisenia Flores was gunned down at point-blank range in her own home in Flores, Arizona, as her terrified mother Gina Gonzalez, who had also been hit, played dead on the floor. She sobbed as the court was told how she had heard Brisenia's desperate pleas as her killer stood over her.

'I can hear it happening,' Mrs Flores told the court describing how her daughter said: 'Why did you shoot my dad? Why did you shoot my mum?' 'I can hear her telling him to "please don't shoot me."'

The prosecution alleges that the child and her father Raul Flores Jr were murdered in May 30, 2009 by a group of vigilantes set up to tackle Mexican immigrants. The shootings took place 200 miles from Tucson, the scene of the gun massacre earlier this month in which another nine-year-old girl died. Shawna Forde, the head of the Minutemen American Defence group, is on trial accused of two charges of first degree murder. She is allegedly orchestrated the attack on the Flores family with two male accomplices, due to face face court in.March. Police claim that Forde believed Mr Flores was a drug trafficker and would have cash and goods in the house which they could use to fund their patrols. She reportedly led the raid and gave instructions to the male accomplices.

● Economists warn cuts will not make a dent in America's massive deficit
● Experts fear his 'innovate' rallying cry will actually COST money
● Republicans: Spending cuts don't go far enough
● Dow Jones gives mixed response to Obama speech
● Federal budget deficit to hit $1.5 trillion this year

President Obama’s rallying cry for Americans to pull together quickly unravelled today as government economists revealed the biggest budget gap in U.S. history. The weak economy and a new round of tax cuts will push up the U.S. deficit this year to almost $1.5 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. At 9.8% of the country’s entire gross domestic product, the staggering amount of debt is one of the largest as a share of the US economy since World War Two.

Jerry White: Obama’s State of the Union address
PressTV: US budget deficit to hit historic high
PressTV: US President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech does not reflect “the whole truth” about the US domestic and foreign policies, a political analyst says.

A two-stage winter storm struck, paused, gathered its breath and delivered a crippling blow to the Northeast early Thursday, dumping more than a foot of snow, closing airports and schools, stranding commuters and shattering January records. The storm, appearing as a giant white smudge over the Northeast on radar maps, seemed to land hardest in New York City and the surrounding area. Nineteen inches of heavy, wet snow fell on Central Park, tied for the highest total in the region and only an inch less than the 20 inches that paralyzed the city a month ago, according to the National Weather Service. But parts of Connecticut and New Jersey received nearly as much, and snowfalls totaled at least a foot from Boston to Philadelphia.

USA Today: Winter storm pounds Northeast
Yahoo: Snow blankets Northeast, New York vows to improve clean-up

Atmospheric physicist, MIT Professor of Meteorology and former IPCC lead author Richard S. Lindzen joins us to discuss the state of the climate change debate, the lack of evidence for catastrophic warming and what the science really tells us.

The super-volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming has been rising at a record rate since 2004. It would explode with a force a thousand times more powerful than the Mount St Helens eruption in 1980. Spewing lava far into the sky, a cloud of plant-killing ash would fan out and dump a layer 10ft deep up to 1,000 miles away. Two-thirds of the U.S. could become uninhabitable as toxic air sweeps through it, grounding thousands of flights and forcing millions to leave their homes. This is the nightmare that scientists are predicting could happen if the world’s largest super-volcano erupts for the first time in 600,000 years, as it could do in the near future. Yellowstone National Park’s caldera has erupted three times in the last 2.1million years and researchers monitoring it say we could be in for another eruption. They said that the super-volcano underneath the Wyoming park has been rising at a record rate since 2004 - its floor has gone up three inches per year for the last three years alone, the fastest rate since records began in 1923.