In an attempt to thwart growing discontent with the war in Libya, two top senators on Tuesday unveiled a resolution that would give President Obama the authority to continue operations there for one year. - The President did not seek congressional approval when he launched airstrikes on Libya on March 19, which in mid-May became illegal under the War Powers Resolution. Disregarding the legal advice of his top administration and military lawyers, Obama held last week that U.S. military operations in Libya are exempt from the requirements of the War Powers Resolution. After various bipartisan attempts in Congress to effectively force the President to terminate all Libya operations absent the consent of the legislature, and after a provocative legal case laid against Obama for engaging in an illegal war, Senator John McCain and Senator Kerry have now introduced a resolution in order to validate Obama’s war in Libya before the growing opposition could stop him.

Joseph Kishore & Barry Grey: Kerry, McCain push Senate resolution to sanction war in Libya

Police have said they believe dissident republicans were responsible after a photographer was shot during violence in east Belfast on Tuesday. - It happened during a second night of trouble at a sectarian flashpoint on the Lower Newtownards Road. Police said the trouble was orchestrated by the loyalist paramilitary group, the UVF. NI First Minister Peter Robinson has offered to try and resolve the situation. Police have told the BBC that detectives believed dissidents were responsible after a Press Association photographer suffered a gun shot wound to his leg.

"Just a day after admitting killing 9 civilians in an airstrike, NATO has been accused by the Libyan authorities of causing at least another 15 deaths.

"NATO confirmed they had carried out another bombing, but has not responded to the allegations of civilian casualties.

"An RT crew in Tripoli has shot some shocking footage of bodies mutilated in NATO bombings."

PressTV: NATO defends raids on Libyan civilians - NATO has defended its recent airstrike near the Libyan capital that killed several civilians, claiming its warplanes had targeted a "high-level" command and control node. The military alliance said in a statement that it bombed "a legitimate military target" in the suburb of Sorman. A NATO spokesman in Naples said new information indicated the military alliance conducted a "precision strike" on a "high-level command and control node" near Sorman in the early hours of Monday. Libyan officials say 19 people, including eight children, died in attack.

Chris Marsden: Nato attack kills 19, including women and children

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has called for a suspension of hostilities in Libya to allow humanitarian aid to be brought to the war-torn country. - Mr Frattini also said Nato must provide data on results of its bombing campaign and guidelines on targeting errors. Arab League Chairman Amr Moussa also urged a ceasefire on Tuesday, voicing reservations about the Nato campaign. On Sunday a Nato missile apparently misfired striking a residential area. The Libyan government said nine people including two young children were killed in the strike. The alliance acknowledged that civilian casualties may have resulted from it. Meanwhile Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi described Libya's opposition National Transitional Council as an "important dialogue partner" and an "important domestic political force". Rebel leader Mahmoud Jibril has been holding talks with the Chinese leadership in Beijing.

Raw Story: Italy calls for an end to NATO’s bombing campaign in Libya

Eight prominent activists accused of plotting a coup in Bahrain during protests earlier this year have been sentenced to life in prison, according to the country's state news agency.

The court on Wednesday also sentenced other defendants, from among the 21 suspects on trial, to between two and 15 years in jail. The Bahrain News Agency said the life sentences were issued against a prominent Shia political leader, Hassan Mushaima; activists Abdulhady al-Khawaja, Abduljalil al-Singace and five others. Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera that many people were unhappy about the sentences. "Abdulhady al-Khawaja is one of the most respected human rights activist in the whole Arab region, so people are very angry," Rajab said. "Hundreds of people have been brought up for charges in the past few days, and hundreds more are waiting to be tried."

Stephen Lendman: Bahrain Sues to Suppress Police State Terror Truths

Italians voted last week to overturn laws established by Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s government. Voters blocked efforts by the Italian government to privatize water, reestablish the nuclear energy program and grant Berlusconi immunity from prosecution. If you’ve perused some of the articles in places like The Washington Post, The New York Times or Bloomberg, you may have noticed that most of the attention was paid to Berlusconi and his political survival. But, to many of us, the most critical element of this story is that the people of Italy do not want their water privatized.

The government has declined a loan from the World Bank because it found the terms of the loan incompatible with the national interest, Egyptian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abul Naga said on Monday. - The minister added that the government would not accept conditions dictated by the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, especially since the 18-day uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. However, Abul Naga said the Saudi government has granted Egypt a loan of US$200 million to be directed to small and medium enterprises. Last week, The Wall Street Journal said Egypt was wary of the United States’ recent offer of financial support, doubting possible ulterior motives behind it. It also said Abul Naga had lodged a complaint with the US Embassy in Egypt, and warned of violating Egypt’s sovereignty by dictating conditions for loans.

The existence of Eva Braun - Adolph Hitler's mistress for more than 12 years and, in the end, his wife - was one of the most successfully guarded secrets of Nazi Germany.

According to Hitler's chauffeur Erich Kempka Eva Braun was "the unhappiest woman in Germany. She spent most of her time waiting for Hitler." He had always kept her out of sight - as soon as guests arrived, he almost invariably banished her to her room. Joachim Fest tells in his biography of Hitler how Eva Braun continued to be kept in semi concealment during the years, stealing in by side entrances and using rear staircases, contenting herself with a photograph of Hitler when he left her alone at mealtimes. But gradually she accepted her frustrating role - content to be sole woman companion of the great [evil] man.

Hitler's personal valet, Heinz Linge, later recalled how the staff used to call her the "girl in a gilded cage". But Hitler became genuinely fond of Eva and found relaxation in her company. "Fraulein Braun is a young girl," Hitler once said to Linge, "too young to be the wife of one in my position. But she is the only girl for me. So we live as we do. But one day I shall give up the leadership of the Reich. I shall cease to be the Fuhrer and retire to Linz to a house that can be managed by a small staff. Then I will marry Fraulein Braun..."

The country's two largest internet providers agreed to voluntarily block more than 500 websites from view. - [THE PRETEXT:] Telstra and Optus confirmed they would block access to a list of child abuse websites provided by the Australian Communications and Media Authority and more compiled by unnamed international organisations from mid-year. But internet experts have warned that the scheme is merely a "feel-good policy" that will not stop criminals from accessing obscene material online and could block websites unfairly.

A group of UK copyright lobbyists held confidential, closed-door meetings with Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries to discuss a plan to allow industry groups to censor the Internet in the UK. The proposal has leaked, and it reveals a plan to establish "expert bodies" that would decide which websites British people were allowed to see, to be approved by a judge using a "streamlined" procedure. The procedure will allow for "swift" blocking in order to shut down streaming of live events.

A joint Norwegian-American report claims that 71 percent of alcoholics have inherited the condition genetically, a far higher total than expected or previously put forward. - The results of the project, which comes from cooperation between Virginia Commonwealth University and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, contradict previous findings that suggested genetic causes lay behind half of cases. The study, carried out in Virginia, conducted two intervals with a year’s gap between them of 4,203 identical and non-identical white male twins aged 18 to 56. Based on the research, it is believed that some genes involved in inheriting alcoholism control how the body breaks down alcohol, while others deal more generally with people’s predisposition to addictive behaviour.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has forever changed our view of the moon, literally bringing it into sharper focus and showing us the whole globe in unprecedented detail. - This rich new portrait has been rendered by LRO's seven onboard instruments, which together have delivered more than 192 terabytes of data, images and maps -- the equivalent of nearly 41,000 typical DVDs. "This is a tremendous accomplishment," says Douglas Cooke, Associate Administrator of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "The exploration phase of the mission delivered a lot more than it originally promised, and that's been just the beginning for LRO."