For many years now the American foreign policy has been characterized by the strong tie between the United States and Israel. Does the United States in fact keep Israel on its feet? And how long will it continue to do so? In March 2006 the American political scientists John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) and Steve Walt (Harvard) published the controversial article 'The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy'.

In it they state that it is not, or no longer, expedient for the US to support and protect present-day Israel. The documentary sheds light on both parties involved in the discussion: those who wish to maintain the strong tie between the US and Israel, and those who were critical of it and not infrequently became 'victims' of the lobby. The question arises to what extend the pro-Israel lobby ultimately determines the military and political importance of Israel itself. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson (Colin Powell's former chief-of-staff) explains how the lobby's influence affects the decision-making structure in the White House.

With political scientist John Mearsheimer, neocon Richard Perle, lobby organization AIPAC, televangelist John Hagee, historian Tony Judt, Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth, colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Democrat Earl Hilliard, Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy and investigative journalist Michael Massing.

Deraa hit by shelling and heavy gunfire, as funeral processions for scores of people killed in protests get underway.

The south Syrian flashpoint town of Deraa has been hit by fresh shelling and heavy gunfire, as residents bury people killed in Friday's "day of rage" protests against the government, a witness tells Al Jazeera. The army has been firing at protesters in neighbourhoods in Deraa's old town and at least four houses in the Karak neighbourhood have been damaged by shelling, according to the witness.

"We are totally besieged. It is a tragedy. Many houses are levelled by shelling from the army. For the past six days we haven’t seen an ambulance," the witness said via telephone, while gunfire rang out in the background. "We are keeping the bodies of the dead in refrigerator trucks, but many bodies are still lying in the streets. Many of the bodies are bloated and are reeking."

A second witness confirmed that tanks as well as armoured personnel carriers had entered Deraa this morning as well as helicopters flying soldiers into the town.

"They are shooting at houses, both the tanks and the soldiers. The most intense fire is at the Omari Mosque," he said, the sound of gunfire audible over the phone line. "The bullets are flying straight over my head as we are talking: It's so close. The humanitarian situation is very bad: There's no food, no medicine, no electricity. We are collecting rain water to drink," the second witness said.

Stephen Lendman: US Intervention in Syria

Calling the IDF practice of siccing K-9 attack dogs on undocumented Palestinian workers (Hebrew) a “terror policy,” the Israeli NGO B’Tselem is appealing against its use to the army senior command. It should be noted that the victims are not security suspects, but rather day laborers seeking to enter Israel to find work and who do not have the proper permits to do so (which are practically non-existent anyway).

The U.S. economy is dying and we are heading for the next Great Depression.

The talking heads in the mainstream media love to spin the economic numbers around and around and they love to make it sound like the economy is improving, but the truth is that it doesn't take a genius to see what is happening to the U.S. economic system. All over the nation many of our greatest cities are being slowly but surely transformed into post-apocalyptic wastelands. All over the mid-Atlantic, all along the Gulf coast, all throughout the "rust belt" and all over the entire state of California cities that once had incredibly vibrant economies are being turned into rotting, post-industrial hellholes.

In many U.S. cities, the "real" rate of unemployment is over 30 percent. There are some communities that will start depressing you almost the moment that you drive into them. It is almost as if all of the hope has been sucked right out of those communities. If you live in one of those American hellholes you know what I am talking about. Sadly, it is not just a few cities that are becoming hellholes. This is happening in the east, in the west, in the north and in the south. America is literally being transformed right in front of our eyes.

If you still live in an area of the United States that is prosperous, do not mock the cities that you are about to read about. The cold, hard reality of the matter is that economic decline and economic despair are spreading rapidly and they will come to your area soon enough.

The Economic Collapse: 24 Signs Of Economic Decline In America

BP's refining operation, along with a refinery operated by Valero Energy Corporation, in Texas City, Texas, has once again polluted the air of local residents, this time with a discharge of 150,000 pounds of pollutants.

The releases by Valero and BP were caused by power troubles that forced the companies to shut down their operations. Texas City officials said the emissions did not reach harmful levels, although residents were warned to stay indoors following the industrial events. Some residents reported experiencing health effects, and at least 25 people went to the hospital.

Patrick Martin: Oil bosses rake in record profits as US economy stalls

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite has criticised military operations in Libya as their gone beyond the UN mandate. “The military operations clearly exceeded the UN mandate. It was only intended to establish a no-flying zone and defend the population. With any regime, we should first of all seek a political decision. Southern Africa also has a number of violent dictators; however, military interference is not discussed. Why was this necessary in Libya?” president said Austrian daily newspaper Die Presse earlier this month, Presidential web site reported.

In the pages of the milestone Action Comics #900, longtime American icon Superman has renounced his citizenship of the United States. However, what the the mainstream media is failing to report is that Superman is doing so not as an act against the U.S., but as an effort to help it. In light of the recent Obama/birth certificate madness, it's rather amusing that a fictional political environment has become so worthy of discussion.

In the brief back-up tale called "The Incident," Supes involves himself in a conflict in the Middle East that Iran ultimately takes as an act of war because of Superman's association with the States. To avoid further conflicts like this, Superman reveals that he'll be letting go of his citizenship to operate on a wider scale.

This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about in a recent Hero Worship column; a much needed update of Superman's ethics. Superman has long since moved on from being merely an American icon -- he belongs to the world. Nevermind that, but this move also makes sense from a logistical storytelling standpoint. Plus, it follows in the footsteps of Bruce Wayne forming Batman, Incorporated, giving the DC heroes a global presence.

Facebook has removed dozens of profiles from its site, causing an outcry from campaigners trying to organise anti-austerity protests this weekend.

The deactivated pages include UK Uncut, and pages created by students during last December's university occupations. A list posted on the Stop Facebook Purge group says Chesterfield Stop the Cuts, Tower Hamlet Greens, London Student Assembly, Southwark SoS and Bristol Uncut sites are no longer functioning. Administrators for the profiles say hundreds of links between activists have been broken in the run up to the May Day bank holiday. When users click on URL links the message "the page you requested was not found" now appears.

Guy Aitchison, 26, an administrator for one of the non-functioning pages, said: "I woke up this morning to find that a lot of the groups we'd been using for anti cuts activity had disappeared. The timing of it seems suspicious, given a general political crackdown because of the wedding. It seems that dozens of other groups have also been affected, including some of the local UK Uncut groups."

NATO also reacts with scepticism to latest offer of conditional ceasefire and negotiations from Libyan leader.

Libya's opposition has rejected leader Muammar Gaddafi's latest offer of a conditional ceasefire and negotiations upon an end to NATO attacks. The opposition joined NATO on Saturday in dismissing Gaddafi's offer, saying the time for compromise had passed. "Gaddafi’s regime has lost all credibility," Abdul Hafidh Ghoga, vice president of the opposition Transitional National Council, said in a statement. The rejection came hours after Gaddafi announced in an address on state television that he would not leave Libya. But he added that he was ready for a truce once "all sides" are involved and NATO stops attacking his forces.

The Telegraph: Libya: Gaddafi clings to power in TV speech - Video

We've posted this video before (March, 2010) but it is such an important one, that we now would like to give our newer readers an opportunity to watch it. For those who have watched it and understand its message: please bear with us!

What I tell people is that our specialty is enabling people to grasp “how” this duplicity operates in plain sight and, to date, with impunity. With that knowledge, they can sort out for themselves Who and Why. Absent that knowledge, they’re left adrift in the domain of conspiracy theorists, hate-mongers and such. We see this knowledge as essential in the transition to the Knowledge Society. ~ Jeff Gates

This series is based on an article by Jeff Gates, who is a widely acclaimed author, attorney, merchant banker, educator and consultant to governments worldwide, who served for seven years as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. He is the author of Guilt by Association, Democracy At Risk and The Ownership Solution. See his website http://criminalstate.com/

Criminal State - Part 2 of 3: A Closer Look at Israel's Role in Terrorism
Criminal State - Part 3 of 3: A Closer Look at Israel's Role in Terrorism

ORIENTAL REVIEW publishes a note-worthy report by a Russian blogger on the fate of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. In few days we will check the credibility of this analysis.

It was reported by a Russian source that the special divisions and army units of France, Great Britain and USA will take part in the special operation aimed to assassinate informal Libyan leader before coming Monday, May 2, 2011. This urgent decision was taken due to a chain of failures that have ruined original plans by anti-Libyan coalition: successes of regular Libyan army, the joining of Bedouin tribes to pro-Qaddafi forces and the creation of “second front” in Benghazi. This front consists of the armed groups of civil militia, ordinary citizens who are seeking restoration of the rule of law in Benghazi. They declared that they wouldn’t stand so-called “rebels” any more in their city, who are fighting each other and expose violence on city’s population. The main reason for so fast-track preparations of the assassination of Libyan leader is the recent decision of Italian parliament to discuss the course of anti-Gaddafi company during a special session, which will be held on May 3, 2011. Now the matter is still handled by Silvio Berlusconi’s party. Emerging disagreements in the ruling coalition of Italy on the issue of war in Libya may lead to the decay of the Italian coalition next week. In this case Berlusconi will lose his post of Prime Minister and Italy would leave anti-Libyan coalition for some time or maybe even forever. Source (in Russian): Бортовой журнал

Separate violent incidents have killed at least 13 US-led foreign troops in various parts of Afghanistan since Wednesday, the Western military alliance says.

According to NATO, three US-led foreign soldiers lost their lives in Afghanistan on Thursday. Two US-led soldiers were killed in southern and eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday. Meanwhile, 8 American soldiers were killed after an Afghan Army pilot opened fire on them at a Kabul airbase two days ago. The deaths take to 48 the number of US led foreign forces killed so far this month compared to 33 in April 2010. At least 156 foreign soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in 2011. According to official figures, more than 2,437 US-led soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001. The increasing number of troop casualties in Afghanistan has sparked widespread anger in the US and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the continuation of the Afghan war.

PressTV: 3 US-led soldiers killed in Afghanistan

A few years ago Donald Trump sued a reporter for saying he was worth only $150 million (he claims to be worth over $7 billion). During the deposition that followed, Trump gave an incredible sustained performance, with the help of his lawyer, of dancing around any questions related to his actual net worth. The deposition was posted alongside Sheelah Kolhatkar's Businessweek profile, in which Trump displays more of the same coyness. The upshot is that this man probably would never reveal his tax returns and run for president.

BLACKMAIL on behalf of terrorist Israel

The new Palestinian unity deal could imperil hundreds of millions of dollars in US aid if it gives a more prominent role to Hamas, legislators in Washington said Thursday. After Hamas and the Western-backed Fatah party announced their reconciliation agreement on Wednesday, Democratic and Republican lawmakers warned US funding could not flow to a government that includes a group still on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the powerful Republican chairwoman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and a staunch defender of Israel, said US law required a halt to support for the Palestinian Authority: "US taxpayer funds should not and must not be used to support those who threaten US security, our interests and our vital ally, Israel." Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement. Nita Lowey, the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee that approves foreign assistance, said any Palestinian unity deal with an unreformed Hamas "will be a death blow to the peace process." (Photo: M. Abed/AFP/Getty)

IMEMC: Rival Palestinian Factions Reach Reconciliation Agreement
PressTV: Hamas, Fatah to sign unity deal in Cairo
Stephen Lendman: Palestinian Unity Deal Announced
Desert Peace: ISRAEL’S LATEST PSYCHOSIS ~~ PEACEOPHOBIA

Tibetan exiles elected a Harvard law scholar as their political leader, who is likely to bring in a more radical government-in-exile to challenge China after the Dalai Lama moved to relinquish his political role.

The new prime minister, the 42-year old Lobsang Sangay, polled 27,051 votes, 55 percent of the total electorate, to beat two other secular candidates. "The Election Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has declared Dr Lobsang Sangay as the third kalon tripa," Chief Election Commissioner Jampal Thosang told a news conference, using the Tibetan title for the prime minister. The handover of power will give the prime minister's role greater clout as the region seeks autonomy from China and could stave off a possible crisis of leadership in the event of the Dalai Lama's death.

WikiLeaks released hundreds of U.S. documents on Thursday, including those with comments about the Harper government's "about-face" on Senate appointments, remarks on the Liberals' "muted" response to the prorogation crisis and criticism of Canada's failure to enact copyright reform.

A leaked cable from December 2008 suggests that U.S. Embassy officials in Ottawa saw Stephen Harper's appointment of senators as "a major about-face for a PM and a party that long campaigned for an elected upper chamber. The cost of the eighteen new senators also conflicts with political messaging about the need for official belt tightening." The cable goes on to say, however, that "Harper will not pay a real political price. The staunchest advocates of Senate reform are Conservatives in western Canada."

World-famous and beloved Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been "disappeared" by China's state security forces. Every trace of Ai's life and art have been erased from the Chinese internet, and his only hope may be a global outcry for his release.

52,812 have signed the petition. Help us get to 300,000

World-famous and beloved Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been "disappeared" by China's state security forces. Every trace of Ai's life and art have been erased from the Chinese internet, and his only hope may be a global outcry for his release.

Fearful of the pro-democracy protests sweeping the world, the government has cracked down on hundreds of free-thinking Chinese artists, intellectuals, students and citizens. But across the world, artists and art-lovers have begun to speak out in solidarity with Ai.

Chinese elites love buying contemporary art, and are planning a huge art fair in Beijing. If international galleries and artists withdraw from the fair, they'll send shockwaves through the regime. Let's build a massive global wave of support for top gallerists and artists to stop exhibiting in China until Ai Weiwei is freed. We’ll deliver it at the Venice Biennale exhibition soon, and publish the reactions of major galleries and artists.

AWIP: Thousands march in Hong Kong to demand release of China's Ai

(CBS/AP) BEIRUT - The banned Muslim Brotherhood urged Syrians to take to the streets on Friday as activists called for a "Day of Rage" against President Bashar Assad's regime, which has stepped up its deadly crackdown on protesters by unleashing the army along with snipers and tanks.

The government warned against holding any demonstrations. Syrian state television said the Interior Ministry has not approved any "march, demonstration or sit-in" and that such rallies seek only to harm Syria's security and stability. Activists in Syria are planning nationwide protests following Muslim prayers in solidarity with more than 50 people killed in the last week alone in Daraa, a southern city at the heart of the revolt. An eyewitness said Friday that security forces opened fire on a demonstration in the coastal city of Latakia, wounding at least five people. The witness said about 1,000 people were holding an anti-government rally in the coastal city when plainclothes security agents with automatic rifles opened fire. The witness asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals.

Both political parties are manifestly hostile to citizens. This hostility reduces electoral participation to just over 50% of the voting age population for presidential elections and less than 40% for off-year congressional elections. The absence of 50% to 60% of those eligible to vote creates minority rule and threatens the legitimacy of any ruling party. Truly, every election ratifies the rejection of both parties.

The forbidden fact about public rule in the United States is simple and obvious: it is nothing more than perpetual battle between two minority factions that consistently fail citizens. Major changes in power represent voter punishment of the most recent failed rulers, while the largest faction, non-voters, consistently make the most profound statement about governance - it's not worth the trouble of voting.

Guantanamo Bay’s detention center hasn’t just been home to aging militants, like 89 year old Mohammed Sadiq, who was described in his 2002 assessment as suffering from senile dementia. It is also the home to many children. Of course we all know the Omar Khadr case, the Canadian citizen and child soldier who was put up before a military tribunal at the detention center. But the story doesn’t begin and end with Khadr, and the leaked files released by WikiLeaks show that the facility has hosted over 60 detainees who were under the age of 18 when captured.

During a stopover at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, agents required Castillo to undergo an invasive pat down after she chose to opt out of a full body scan.

"I'm a frequent flyer and don't wish to be irradiated more than I already am on flights," she explained on her blog. "So I will always 'opt out' of going through these body scanners, especially since the long-term effects of radiation are quite well documented: it mutates our cells, often in irreversible ways, and causes cancer." "The pat down at Dallas airport was completely different than the one I got at LAX," an emotional Castillo explained in a video recorded after the ordeal. "I'm sure this woman was just doing here job but she actually felt -- touched my vagina. And so, I think that's why I'm crying."

"One of the greatest if not the greatest tornado outbreaks in American history" [says the Weather Channel].

They may be correct. The south has been hit so hard that we'll be days finding out the extent of the devastation. The talk on what this all really is about will go on for much longer.

The world seems to have become a "disasters r' us" super store. Equal opportunity for all. Few of us are safe, we all know it and there's not much we can do. Find some peace within ourselves, love on our family and friends and keep our eye on the sky and the horizon may be about it.

The CO2 global warming crowd are already nodding their heads in confirmation of their beliefs with today's climate events. I'm not buying it. Neither am I going with the current crop of Christian Armageddon cultists who see God's wrath or fulfillment of their convoluted prophecies in every negative life changing event.

From our limited perspectives in our short lifetimes we can't deny that there is climate change going on. In the big picture of the known and little known history of the earth we also may be aware that there's nothing new under the sun. All of what we are experiencing has most likely happened before in the cycles of change. It may be as simple as the earth is shaking, shifting, moving, expanding and being influenced by the sun and cosmic forces as it always has been. If that's the case then it's possible we ain't seen nothing yet. Of course there's the chance that all is not the result of nature.

Naomi Spencer: Tornadoes kill at least 290 in US South - Over 290 people were killed after dozens of huge tornadoes tore through the Deep South of the US April 28. Hundreds more were injured and many victims remain trapped in rubble. It is the worst tornado disaster in the United States in 40 years. Alabama was hardest hit, reporting 184 deaths. The Alabama Hospital Association reports that it has treated 1,500 injured patients in storm-affected areas as of Thursday.

PressTV: US storms kill 313 across 9 states

At a town hall meeting last night in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., staged by Rep. Allen West (R-FL), liberal talk show host Nicole Sandler was taken out of the event hall and arrested on camera. She was initially just being removed from the hall, but Sandler shouted at the officer to take his hands off of her as they were escorting her out, likely providing a trigger for the arrest. Confronted by Sandler's boyfriend, the officer did not say why he was arresting her. Similar to other recent Republican town hall meetings, this event was loud and angry, with numerous hecklers hammering Rep. West on his vote to cut Medicare.

At least 11 rebel fighters have been killed in a Nato air strike in the besieged Libyan port city of Misrata, say reports. A rebel commander and witnesses told reporters a Nato warplane had carried out Wednesday's bombing, but Nato refused to confirm or deny the reports. A doctor told Reuters news agency seven rebels had also been killed in fire from government forces. There has been intense fighting over Misrata's strategically crucial port. Rebel fighters, backed by Nato air strikes, claim they have driven back soldiers loyal to Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.

BusinessWeek: NATO Strikes Forces Near Misrata Amid Reports of Rebel Deaths
Jason Ditz: US Envoy: Libya Death Toll Could Be 30,000 (Says Reliable Numbers Will Come Once Troops Are 'On the Ground')

Andy Worthington is a journalist, blogger, and author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison. He is also co-director of a new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”.

In 2009, Worthington revealed information about the demise of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi the former US 'ghost prisoner' whose alleged suicide death in a Libyan jail is still under suspicion. Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi's testimony, which was obtained under torture and coercion, and later recanted, was cited by the George W. Bush Administration in the months preceding the 2003 invasion of Iraq as evidence of a connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. The head of the Washington office of Human Rights Watch stated al-Libi was "Exhibit A" in hearings on the relationship between pre-Iraq War false intelligence and torture. Confirmation of al-Libi's location came two weeks prior to his death. Most recently, Worthington partnered with WikiLeaks on its latest release of thousands of pages of documents regarding the cases of 758 out of 779 Guantanamo detainees dating between 2002 and 2008. The documents consist of memoranda from JTF-GTMO, the Joint Task Force at Guantánamo Bay, to US Southern Command in Miami, Florida.

الحولة بلادي‏ مجزرة الحولة امام المفرزة‏

Now Lebanon: Hundreds of Syrians flee unrest into northern Lebanon
BBC: Syria: EU push for UN condemnation fails
Epoch Times: Syria Sends More Tanks, Troops to Quell Protests in Daraa
The Guardian: UN fails to agree on condemning Syrian violence against protesters after resistance from Russia, China and Lebanon

Iceland is free. And it will remain so, so long as her people wish to remain autonomous of the foreign domination of her would-be masters — in this case, international bankers.

On April 9, the fiercely independent people of island-nation defeated a referendum that would have bailed out the UK and the Netherlands who had covered the deposits of British and Dutch investors who had lost funds in Icesave bank in 2008. At the time of the bank’s failure, Iceland refused to cover the losses. But the UK and Netherlands nonetheless have demanded that Iceland repay them for the “loan” as a condition for admission into the European Union. In response, the Icelandic people have told Europe to go pound sand. The final vote was 103,207 to 69,462, or 58.9 percent to 39.7 percent. “Taxpayers should not be responsible for paying the debts of a private institution,” said Sigriur Andersen, a spokeswoman for the Advice group that opposed the bailout. A similar referendum in 2009 on the issue, although with harsher terms, found 93.2 percent of the Icelandic electorate rejecting a proposal to guarantee the deposits of foreign investors who had funds in the Icelandic bank. The referendum was invoked when President Olafur Ragnur Grimmson vetoed legislation the Althingi, Iceland’s parliament, had passed to pay back the British and Dutch.

In the wake of a massive disclosure of Guantanamo files by WikiLeaks, the FBI yesterday served a Grand Jury subpoena in Boston on a Cambridge resident, compelling his appearance to testify in Alexandria, Virgina. Alexandria is where a Grand Jury has been convened to criminally investigate WikiLeaks and Julian Assange and determine whether an indictment against them is warranted. The individual served has been publicly linked to the WikiLeaks case, and it is highly likely that the Subpoena was issued in connection with that investigation.

Notably, the Subopena explicitly indicates that the Grand Jury is investigating possible violations of the Espionage Act (18 U.S.C. 793), a draconian 1917 law under which no non-government-employee has ever been convicted for disclosing classified information. The most strident anti-WikiLeaks politicians -- such as Dianne Feinstein and Newt Gingrich -- have called for the prosecution of the whistle-blowing group under this law, and it appears that the Obama DOJ is at least strongly considering that possibility.

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (21 – 27 April 2011)

Shootings: During the reporting period, IOF wounded eight civilians, including a child, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Five of the wounded, including a child and a Spanish human rights defender, were wounded in peaceful protests in the West Bank and a Palestinian worker was wounded in the far southwest of Hebron while trying to have access to Israel for work. In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian farmer was wounded when IOF fired at Palestinian farmers in the northern Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, 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 in the West Bank. As a result, six civilians, including a child and a Spanish human rights defender, were wounded. Five of them were wounded in Bil'ein ‘sweekly protest in the west of Ramallah, while the child was wounded in Nabi Saleh’s protest in the northwest of Ramallah. In addition, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders participating in peaceful protests in the West Bank suffered from tear gas inhalation and bruises as they were beaten by IOF.

A group of armed extremist Israeli settlers hurled, on Wednesday at dawn, Molotov cocktails at several Palestinian stores in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, causing fire in four stores, leading to excessive damage, and massive losses.

The Palestine Information Center reported that the attack was carried out in the Kazazeen Market in the old city of Hebron. The stores belong to residents Mohammad Al Shalloudi, Atta Al Shweiki, Sha’ban Hashlamon and Abdulhamid Al Natsha. Palestinian firefighters rushed to the scene but were blocked by Israeli soldiers who claimed that the area is a closed military zone, the Center said. An owner of one of the torched stores said that the settlers are escalating their attacks against the Palestinian people, their property and land in an attempt to scare them out of their country. The settlers tried to offer large sums to store owners to sell their stores and leave the city, and threatened to use force against them should they elect to stay. “This is our land, our soul and heart”, the resident said, “Even if they kill us, we will not leave, we will remain steadfast in our homeland”.

A panel discussion titled ‘Zionism, Jewishness and Israel’ will take place at The University of Westminster - Cavendish Campus on Tuesday May the 3rd, from 6:30pm - 8:00pm.

As one may imagine, the Zionist operators in Britain are not happy about the meeting at all: 'Green Engage', a Zionist anti-BDS campaign group launched an immediate campaign, soon after the announcement of the panel. Far from being surprising, within hours, they were joined by Tony Greenstein and the so called Jewish ‘anti Zionist’ network. The original panel was supposed to include John Rose, Ghada Karmi, Alan Hart and myself.

The venue as well as the panelists (except myself funnily enough) came under severe pressure that verged on abuse: one of the panelists admitted to the organisers that he had received twelve phone calls from different Jewish ‘anti-Zionist’ activists, who insisted that -- ‘for the sake of Palestine’-- no one should share a stage with Gilad Atzmon. Panel Event: Zionism, Jewishness and Israel (Facebook)

“Obama, like Bush has claimed that the laws don’t apply to him.”

President Obama has turned out to be George W. Bush’s imperial twin, largely identical on “war on terror” policies – as the recently released Wikileaks files on Guantanamo attest. Both presidents rate as hypocrites and liars. “The Obama administration remains committed to continuing the Bush era military tribunals, using hearsay and evidence acquired under torture as evidence.”

Once again, the truly civilized world owes a great debt of thanks to the Wikileaks team. In revealing the extent of mistreatment and torture they have reminded us that once again that the United States may pay lip service to the rule of law, but in fact wants nothing to do with that concept.

President Obama told the world as much in his comments about Bradley Manning, the soldier charged with making documents available to Wikileaks and who has been detained in conditions that can also be described as torture. The president, who is given great kudos for having taught constitutional law, publicly stated that Manning has no presumption of innocence. “We’re a nation of laws. We don’t let individuals make their own decision about how the laws operate. He broke the law.”

“The United States may pay lip service to the rule of law, but in fact wants nothing to do with that concept.”

[LINK] A shocking video has emerged showing an off-duty Atlanta officer punching a woman in the face, an incident that has triggered outrage amid rampant police brutality across the US.

The video, which was shot on Sunday at a restaurant in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood in the US state of Georgia, shows a confrontation between police officers and a group of women, followed by a violent scuffle between two cops and one of the women identified as Cynthia Freeman, the New York Daily News reported.

The woman can be seen placing her hand on the officer and trying to convince him that she did not do anything wrong. Shortly after she began to assault him, the officer punched the woman in the face and then attempted to arrest her.

The cause of the incident is still unknown, but a woman who was in the scuffle with the officer, has told Atlanta's WSBTV television that she and her friends were having coffee when an officer told them to quiet down. Four women were arrested in the violence and Freeman herself has sustained injuries. Atlanta Attorney Bobby Aniekwu says he is representing three of the women in what he considers a case of "excessive force."

Tucked into the recent spending bill that kept the government from shutting down was some $110 billion for the war in Afghanistan. That's more than in any other year since the conflict began, although the Obama administration hopes to start winding it down this year. President Barack Obama plans to begin drawing down his force of 97,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan in July, although the size and nature of that drawdown remains unclear. Here are a few facts about the costs of the Afghan war to U.S. taxpayers:

Despite a solid decade of US officials insisting that Osama bin Laden fled from Tora Bora to Pakistan and remains there to this day, new leaked document show that this is not the case. Rather, US officials collected considerable evidence that bin Laden did not flee to Pakistan, but deeper into Afghanistan.

The documents cites information from detainees familiar with the escape, and said bin Laden was escorted out of Tora Bora to the northeast, and wound up in the Kunar Province. He remained there for at least 10 months. There was no indication where he went from there.

Gordon Duff: Years of Deceit: US Openly Accepts bin Laden Long Dead

The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack, in which eight U.S. troops and an American contractor are killed. The gunman dies when NATO forces return fire.

Eight U.S. troops and an American contractor were killed early Wednesday when a veteran Afghan military pilot opened fire on trainers during a meeting in a military compound near Kabul International Airport. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility in what it said was the latest attack by an insurgent infiltrator. The pilot began shooting during a meeting in the operations room of the Afghan National Army Air Corps building about 10 a.m. after having an argument with a foreign colleague, targeting foreign instructors and advisors, according to statements released by NATO and Afghan officials. Afghan security forces heard the shots and surrounded the building, storming inside even as other officers leapt from the building's second floor, according to Col. Bahader, the Afghan army's spokesman at the airport, who goes by one name. None of the Afghan personnel died in the attack, he said. Inside the building, NATO forces returned fire, killing the attacker, Afghan officials said. A NATO soldier and five Afghan Air Force troops were wounded in the gunfight, officials said. A NATO quick-reaction force responded to the scene, and alliance and Afghan officials were still investigating late Wednesday.

Washington (CNN) -- In the most extensive reshaping of the Obama administration's national security team to date, the president will name CIA director Leon Panetta as his nominee to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary, a senior defense official and another U.S. official said Wednesday.

It took a meeting with President Obama to convince Panetta to accept the job, a source familiar with the discussions told CNN. Panetta has been happy serving at the CIA, but "believes strongly in public service and answering the call from the commander-in-chief," the source said. Obama will also name Gen. David Petraeus, now the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, as the replacement for Panetta as CIA director, a senior defense official said. The president will nominate Lt. Gen. John Allen to replace Petraeus, a senior U.S. official said, and will nominate veteran diplomat Ryan Crocker as the next U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, sources said Wednesday.

The thousands of pages of documents on US prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, released by WikiLeaks Sunday night, demonstrate the lawless character of the US government, both under George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Kidnapping, torture, illegal imprisonment, subornation of perjury, defiance of international law—these are only a few of the crimes of which the top officials of the US government are demonstrably guilty.

Then secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld branded the Guantanamo detainees the “worst of the worst,” telling the American public that the prisoners were all hard-core terrorists, many of them linked to the 9/11 attacks in New York City and Washington. The WikiLeaks documents demonstrate that the statements of Rumsfeld, Cheney and other top Bush aides were deliberate and conscious lies.

The vast majority of the 800 Guantanamo prisoners were innocent men swept up randomly on the battlefield in Afghanistan or seized by allied intelligence agencies, particularly in Pakistan, where anyone of Arab or Afghan descent was a potential cash bonanza for corrupt police officials seeking to collect American bounties. More than 100 suffered from mental illness when they were seized. Others were driven into that state by years of isolation and abuse, without any hope of release or legal recourse.

Stephen Lendman: Lies, Damn Lies, and Reports about Gitmo Detainees
Patrick Martin: Guantanamo documents reveal US brutality and lawlessness

President Barack Obama today finally caved to pressure and revealed his original birth certificate. The White House hoped the move would deliver a final blow to the so-called 'birther' movement - led by flamboyant billionaire Donald Trump - which maintains the President was not born in Hawaii. But within minutes of the document's release, Mr Trump launched an astonishing tirade against Mr Obama in which he told the President to 'get off his basketball court' and questioned his entry into Harvard.

Syria has sent more troops to the southern town of Deraa where activists say a deadly crackdown against pro-democracy protesters has entered a second day. The developments in the volatile city, near the border with Jordan, come despite mounting international pressure on Bashar al-Assad's government to end the violence. Security forces have shot dead 400 civilians since mid-March, Sawasiah, a Syrian human rights organisation, said on Tuesday. Up to 500 people had been arrested in the last two days, it said.

"We've been listening to live ammunition. Some snipers are working as well, but we don't know from where," a resident of Deraa told Al Jazeera on Tuesday. "The snipers are on all the roofs. I'm now on my stomach, on the ground - I am really in a panicked situation. The city is quite in danger."

Who gave coalition forces in Libya the right to eliminate Gaddafi? That's the question Vladimir Putin's been asking, during an official visit to Denmark. The Russian Premier also said NATO's effectively joined one of the warring sides in the conflict. And more responsible action should be taken instead.

PressTV: Putin: Who authorized Gaddafi hit?
Bill Van Auken: US, UK plot Libya war escalation
AWIP: Libya: NATO's Tripoli Attack An Assassination Attempt
AWIP: US senators call for Gaddafi’s assassination
AGI News: FORMER CIA CHIEF PRAISES COL. GADDAFI
AFP: Ex-CIA chief: Kadhafi was good partner

A pipeline carrying gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan has exploded after an attack by an armed gang in the north Sinai area of Egypt.

A tower of flames shot into the air and forced the pipeline to be shut down, Egyptian security officials say. It is the second such attack in a month on the pipeline, south of the town of El-Arish, just 30 miles (50km) from the border with Israel. On that occasion, when gunmen planted explosives, they failed to detonate. "An unknown armed gang attacked the gas pipeline," an unnamed security source told Reuters, adding that the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan had been hit. Neighbouring Jordan depends on Egyptian gas to generate 80% of its electricity while Israel gets 40% of its natural gas from the country. Syria also imports gas from Egypt. Any disruption would force Jordan to rely on more expensive diesel fuel.

Bahrain arresting doctors because they have accurate statistics on injured or killed protestors. Security forces have seized at least eight health workers from two separate medical facilities in Bahrain, sources tell Al Jazeera. The Aali Health Centre in Manama was raided early on Tuesday morning, as shown in an image posted by an activist on Facebook. Medical staff working in the two centres were beaten and an unknown number were arrested. Human rights groups have accused Bahrain of arresting patients and medical staff suspected of taking part in protests, and sacking hundreds of public workers. Bahrain says it targets only those who committed crimes during the unrest in March.

Two civilians have been killed by US-led foreign troops in eastern Afghanistan, amid growing discontent over the rising number of civilian fatalities in the war-ravaged country. The civilians lost their lives on Tuesday in Ghazni province, a Press TV correspondent reported. The two Afghan civilians were killed when the US-led forces opened fire on them as they were on their way on a motorcycle. The incident occurred nearly two months after the death of nine children in northeast of the Asian country during the US-led air strikes. Thousands of Afghan people have so far been killed as a result of military operations by the foreign troops since the 2001 US-led invasion.

A 24-country poll found that most people believe WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange is not a criminal and should not be charged by the U.S. government for releasing thousands of secret U.S. documents.

The poll by Ipsos found 79 percent of people were aware of WikiLeaks and two-thirds of those believed Assange should not be charged and three-quarters supported the group's bid to make public secret government or corporate documents. The countries found least likely to support legal action against Assange by the U.S. government were South Africa, Germany, Russia and Argentina, while the highest support was in the United States, South Korea, Britain, India and Indonesia.

U.S. respondents had a far more critical view, with 81 percent aware of WikiLeaks and 69 percent of those believing Assange should be charged and 61 percent opposing WikiLeaks' mission. WikiLeaks obtained more than 250,000 leaked U.S. cables and since late last year has released embarrassing disclosures that exposed U.S. intelligence and views and revealed confidential discussions with foreign governments. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

EuropaPress: La mayoría de las personas cree que Assange no debería ser juzgado
20Minutes: Julian Assange n'est pas considéré comme un criminel, selon un sondage mondial

At a stage where governments around the world have tried to hide away from the embarrassment caused by WikiLeaks expose on black money, founder Julian Assange speaks exclusively to Times Now's editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami on the Swiss bank data and Indian names features in the same.

Julian Assange, made a stunning disclosure, that there could be Indian names in the data that WikiLeaks would publish. In the course of the interview, Assange appealed to Indians to absolutely not lose hope that the names of those with secret Swiss accounts will come out at one point in the future. Hinting that Wikileaks might work with specialized agencies before releasing the Swiss bank data he pulled up the Indian government for not being aggressive like Germany in going after the list of Indian account holders. In fact he said India should be more aggressive because India seems like it is losing per capita more tax money than Germany. This is the first time Assange has spoken about Indian accounts in these Swiss banks, and comes at a time when the national debate over Swiss Bank accounts has sharpened.

In a newly disclosed file by WikiLeaks that was written in 2005, Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu was identified as a “probable member of Al Qaida and a member of the African Extremist Network”.

The revelation will raise concerns about the range of factions fighting Gadaffi in Libya, some of whom have been associated with Al Qaeda. Qumu was previously a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, but allegedly left the proscribed group in 1998 to join the Taliban. In the report, US investigators classified Qumu as a “medium to high” risk because he was “likely to pose a threat to the US, its interests and allies”. Qumu was imprisoned in Libya for ten years for alleged “murder, physical assault, armed assault and distributing narcotics”, but escaped in 1993 and fled to Afghanistan.

The watch can be found the world over and costs only a few euros. According to secret documents obtained by SPIEGEL through the WikiLeaks whistleblower platform, US interrogators at Guantanamo Bay identified potential terrorists by the watch they wore on their wrist.

They're cheap, easy to buy anywhere in the world and, apparently, are the hallmark of a terrorist: a digital Casio wristwatch -- strictly speaking, the black F-91W model or its silver variant, the A-159W. The United States military considers this watch to be "an indicator of al-Qaida training in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs)" and with it the identifying feature of a potential terrorist.

This information is contained in the secret documents about prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay US military prison camp in Cuba, which have just been released by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks and SPIEGEL, along with other international media. The " Gitmo Files" comprise the records of 765 former and current Guantanamo prisoners. Thousands of pages labeled "secret" and "Noforn" ("Not releasable to foreign nationals") contain detailed information about the prisoners, their life in the military prison, the conduct of intelligence agencies and their treatment of the prisoners.

WASHINGTON — Anyone surfing the Internet this week is free to read leaked documents about the prisoners held by the American military at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to print them out or e-mail them to friends. Except, that is, for the lawyers who represent the prisoners.

On Monday, hours after WikiLeaks, The New York Times and other news organizations began publishing the documents online, the Justice Department informed Guantánamo defense lawyers that the documents remained legally classified even after they were made public. Because the lawyers have security clearances, they are obligated to treat the readily available files “in accordance with all relevant security precautions and safeguards” — handling them, for example, only in secure government facilities, said the notice from the department’s Court Security Office. It is only the latest absurdist challenge posed by the flood of classified material obtained by WikiLeaks over the past year: field reports from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; State Department cables; and now the military’s risk assessments of 700 past or present Guantánamo prisoners.

This was filmed between 4th and 11th April 2011. I had the pleasure of visiting El Teide.

Spain´s highest mountain @(3718m) is one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars and is also the location of Teide Observatories, considered to be one of the world´s best observatories.

The goal was to capture the beautiful Milky Way galaxy along with one of the most amazing mountains I know El Teide. I have to say this was one of the most exhausting trips I have done. There was a lot of hiking at high altitudes and probably less than 10 hours of sleep in total for the whole week. Having been here 10-11 times before I had a long list of must-see locations I wanted to capture for this movie, but I am still not 100% used to carrying around so much gear required for time-lapse movies.

A large sandstorm hit the Sahara Desert on the 9th April (bit.ly/​g3tsDW) and at approx 3am in the night the sandstorm hit me, making it nearly impossible to see the sky with my own eyes.

Interestingly enough my camera was set for a 5 hour sequence of the milky way during this time and I was sure my whole scene was ruined. To my surprise, my camera had managed to capture the sandstorm which was backlit by Grand Canary Island making it look like golden clouds. The Milky Way was shining through the clouds, making the stars sparkle in an interesting way. So if you ever wondered how the Milky Way would look through a Sahara sandstorm, look at 00:32.

AWIP: NORWAY: Northern Lights