Video evidence of HPD brutally beating teen burglary suspect. The video, which was filmed on March 24 2010, shows the then 15-year-old African-American teenage boy, Chad Holley, running from the police, being struck by a patrol vehicle, and then beaten and kicked while on the ground. The footage showed Holley on the ground with his hands behind his head, while the officers kicked him in the head and chest. The abuse continued after the teenager had been handcuffed. [PressTV]

Three Republican Senate leaders introduced a measure late Thursday that would permanently extend three key provisions of the Patriot Act, rather than let them expire not quite three years from now, as an alternative Democratic proposal would do. The Republicans — Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader; Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the top GOP member on the Intelligence Committee — described the changes as vital to national security.

The measures at issue are roving wiretaps of terrorism suspects through phone and Internet records, the “lone wolf” provisions that can track a target regardless of affiliation with a specific group, and Section 215 orders allowing investigators to freely gather a suspect’s business records.

Protesters in Tahrir Square demand Hosni Mubarak resign as president as he gives up leadership of ruling party. Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has stepped down as chairman of the country's ruling party, as tens of thousands of protesters are standing their ground in Cairo a day after hundreds of thousands of people gathered calling for him to quit. State television reported that Mubarak stepped down, along with the rest of the National Democratic Party's (NDP) top leadership, on Saturday. Hossam Badrawi has been appointed the new secretary-general of the party, according to state television. He replaces Safwat El-Sherif, a Mubarak loyalist, in that post. Badrawi will also replace Gamal Mubarak, Mubarak's son, as head of the party's political bureau.

Millions of protesters across Egypt have pledged to keep demonstrating as long as out-of-favor President Hosni Mubarak and his government refuse to resign.

Anti-government protesters say they will stand firm for freedom and democracy. They say President Mubarak needs to hear their voice and give up power immediately. Crisis continues to grip Egypt, as protests against President Mubarak enter their 12th day. Millions of people have gathered in Cairo's Liberation Square, calling on Mubarak to immediately step down. Egyptians also continued massive anti-government rallies on Saturday across major cities of the country. Large rallies were also held in other cities including Alexandria and Suez. The rallies were largely peaceful. However, gunfire and street battles between the protesters and government forces were reported in Cairo.

This comes as Mubarak has held talks with key cabinet ministers to try to kick-start an economy hit by the ongoing protests. Egyptian officials have delayed reopening of the country's stock exchange as anti-government protests continue. Egypt's stock exchange was scheduled to reopen on Monday. However, the state-run MENA says no decision has been made as to when it will resume business. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have also held demonstrations in support of the Egyptian revolution.

PressTV: Egypt "dialog" ploy to maintain tyranny
Der Spiegel: ElBaradei Wants to Negotiate with the Army
Jason Ditz: Succession Talks as Mass Protests Continue in Egypt

Al Jazeera: Live Stream
Al Jazeera: Live blog Feb 3 - Egypt protests

Summary: Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (27 January – 02 February 2011)

Shooting: ● During the reporting period, two Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed and a third one was wounded by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. A Palestinian child was also wounded by IOF during peaceful protests against the construction of the annexation wall. In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian child was killed by the explosion of a mysterious object apparently left by IOF. A Palestinian worker who was collecting scraps of construction materials was also wounded by IOF.

● In the West Bank, two Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed and a third one was wounded by Israeli settler. An 18-year-old civilian was killed by an Israeli settler in Iraq Bourin village, south of Nablus, on 27 January 2011. The victim was farming his land when the settlers shot him dead.

● The second victim, who is a 15-year-old child, was killed by Israeli settlers from "Beit Ain" settlement who broke into Safa village, north of Hebron, and fired at Palestinian civilians. Another civilian was also wounded.

● During the reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall. As a result, a Palestinian child was wounded, and dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation or sustained bruises.

● In the Gaza Strip, on 27 January 2011, a Palestinian child was killed the explosion of a mysterious object apparently left by IOF in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, nearly one kilometer away from the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The victim was grazing animals when the explosion occurred.

● On 31 January 2011, a Palestinian worker was wounded by Israeli soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip, when Israeli soldiers positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting scraps of construction materials.

● On 02 February 2011, Israeli warplanes bombarded a tunnel on the Egyptian border, south of Rafah.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 31 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 23 Palestinian civilians, including a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and 7 children.

The assignment is to help the country promote its vision in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as prevent an international boycott of Israeli goods, amongst other things. Each PR agency would receive approximately 20 million kroner annually. Israel has contacted specialists in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Norway. Five of Norway’s largest PR firms have said ‘no’. “Israel is an highly controversial project,” Sigurd Grytten, Burson-Marsteller’s Managing Director, tells Dagens Næringsliv (DN). Statements by heads of Geelmuyden & Kiese, Gambit H&K, Apeland Informasjon, and First House range from “difficult”, to “no comment”. Only Kreab’s Gavin Anderson says he might consider the assignment. According to the paper, 27 Israel-friendly Norwegian MPs believe slanted media coverage of Israel is to blame.

An explosion went off at a gas terminal in Egypt's northern Sinai peninsula early this morning, setting off a fire that could be seen dozens of miles away, officials and witnesses said. No injuries were reported and the blaze was quickly brought under control after the gas flow was shut off. The governor of the region, Abdel Wahab Mabrouk, said he suspected "sabotage", but provided no details. The blast came as a popular uprising engulfs Egypt, where anti-government protesters have been demanding the ousting of longtime president Hosni Mubarak for the past two weeks.

Channel 4 News: Egypt-Israel gas blast blamed on 'terrorists'

A failed assassination bid on Omar Suleiman left two of his bodyguards dead.

Mother Jones: Exchanging a Dictator for a Torturer
Stephen Soldz: The torture career of Egypt’s new Vice President

The US secretly agreed to give the Russians sensitive information on Britain’s nuclear deterrent to persuade them to sign a key treaty, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. Information about every Trident missile the US supplies to Britain will be given to Russia as part of an arms control deal signed by President Barack Obama next week. Defence analysts claim the agreement risks undermining Britain’s policy of refusing to confirm the exact size of its nuclear arsenal. The fact that the Americans used British nuclear secrets as a bargaining chip also sheds new light on the so-called “special relationship”, which is shown often to be a one-sided affair by US diplomatic communications obtained by the WikiLeaks website. Details of the behind-the-scenes talks are contained in more than 1,400 US embassy cables published to date by the Telegraph, including almost 800 sent from the London Embassy, which are published online today. The documents also show that:

● America spied on Foreign Office ministers by gathering gossip on their private lives and professional relationships.
● Intelligence-sharing arrangements with the US became strained after the controversy over Binyam Mohamed, the former Guantánamo Bay detainee who sued the Government over his alleged torture.
● David Miliband disowned the Duchess of York by saying she could not “be controlled” after she made an undercover TV documentary.
● Tens of millions of pounds of overseas aid was stolen and spent on plasma televisions and luxury goods by corrupt regimes.

A series of classified messages sent to Washington by US negotiators show how information on Britain’s nuclear capability was crucial to securing Russia’s support for the “New START” deal. Washington lobbied London in 2009 for permission to supply Moscow with detailed data about the performance of UK missiles. The UK refused, but the US agreed to hand over the serial numbers of Trident missiles it transfers to Britain. Professor Malcolm Chalmers said:

“This appears to be significant because while the UK has announced how many missiles it possesses, there has been no way for the Russians to verify this. Over time, the unique identifiers will provide them with another data point to gauge the size of the British arsenal.”

More than 20 to 30 people between injured & killed during this terrible act.....The person (the beast) responsible for that should be punished ....for those who were killed brutally...May they rest in peace....