Weak US economic growth, worldwide debt concerns send major indexes reeling. - The stock market plunged by more than 4 percent yesterday in its worst day in more than two years and investors flooded safe-haven investment alternatives, driven by escalating fears the wobbly global economy may stumble into a new recession. The benchmark Dow Jones industrial average fell 512.76 points to close at 11,383.68. Another key marker, the Wilshire 5000 Total Market index, the broadest measure of US stocks, lost $800 billion in value - its worst single-day performance since January 2009. Yesterday was the eighth day in nine trading sessions that stock prices have declined, and the Dow has now exceeded the 10-percent drop from recent highs that mark a so-called "market correction," signaling a shift in investors' sentiment that the immediate economic future is worsening.

The Guardian: Markets panic after Wall Street meltdown
BBC Business: Wall Street and global markets tumble on debt fears
The Guardian: FTSE falls sharply on opening as crisis deepens
ZeroHedge: Where Are The Markets Headed Next?
Justin Raimondo: Why Is America Committing Suicide?

New U.S. envoy in Israel to clear obstacles for Obama’s second term: Dan Shapiro was not sent here to promote peace between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but between Obama and American Jewish leaders. - The newly-arrived diplomat's decision to jump immediately into the media water and the friendly, almost fawning, content of his interview show that Shapiro was not sent here to promote peace between the Israeli leader and his Palestinian counterpart. Rather, his goal is to promote peace between the American president and American Jewish leaders. His main job will be to dismantle every Israeli land mine on his boss' road to a second term.

The reliability of NATO’s air strike targeting in the ongoing war in Libya was thrown further into doubt today, with angry locals reporting a NATO air strike hit the home of a local physics teacher, killing his wife and two children. - The strike hit in suburban Zlitan, a town near the rebel-held city of Misrata. Zlitan has been the site of considerable recent fighting as rebels briefly attempted to contest the city and the regime launched a counter-offensive, neither of which appeared to gain much ground. The fact that fighting has been going on in the region was little comfort for the neighbors, with one complaining that there are “no military in this neighborhood.” NATO confirmed that a “target” was struck but declined to offer details on what was attacked.

di-ve:Gaddafi's youngest son Khamis, killed in NATO raid over Tripoli
CBS News: Qaddafi's son reportedly killed in Libya strike

It turns out US soldiers are being prescribed powerful, side-effect laden drugs to treat their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These Big Pharma mind altering concoctions are ineffective and can be downright dangerous. - Multiple studies show around 30 percent of Americans soldiers who have served in combat now suffer from PTSD. It's not surprising when you consider these facts. Imagine being so young you might still be called a "kid" by some. Only you are a soldier and instead of going to college classes and rock concerts you are watching friends your age die (about 20 percent of those killed in the U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are between 18 and 21).

Snipers are deployed on the rooftops of all high buildings to target any moving object, they even targeted women and children, especially in Allimeen area where they are heavily deployed. Security forces are wandering the streets finishing of the wounded people and this also occurs in hospitals sometimes, they sometimes ask someone before killing him about who of his family was murdered in 1980s, or they shoot civilians for no reason while they are drinking tea and joking around.

SMH: 'People are being slaughtered like sheep'

Camera spies what could be streams of salt water.

Using a powerful camera on a spacecraft in orbit around the red planet, scientists have spied what may be small streams of salty water flowing on Mars during warm seasons. Scientists have identified seven craters on Mars in which dark, finger-like features appear and seem to flow down slopes or tiny gullies during late spring through summer.

The most plausible explanation is that these features are caused by salty, or briny water.

“We do not have direct detection of water,” said Alfred McEwen, a University of Arizona planetary geologist who led the team that made the discovery. "But these features are clearly associated with warmer temperatures on Mars, and we see them grow incrementally and fade."

Scientists have previously found large deposits of ice at the Martian poles, as well as water vapor in the atmosphere. There's also a wealth of evidence, such as ancient shorelines and river beds, of abundant surface water in Mars' past. But from the standpoint of finding living organisms on Mars today, the existence of water in a liquid form could make a big difference.

Raw Story: "Flowing water" on Mars sparks hunt for ancient life

As I reported last month, ten NGOs, including Amnesty International, Liberty and Reprieve, announced their intention to boycott the government’s proposed inquiry into UK complicity in torture following the 9/11 attacks, on the first anniversary of Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement that an inquiry would take place. Although the inquiry was initially greeted with guarded optimism, it rapidly became apparent that it was intended to be a whitewash, as I reported here, here, here and here.

Raw Story: Jeremy Scahill: Bush administration authorized ‘sick torture tactics’ - Video
The Independent: Human rights groups boycott rendition and torture inquiry

The Guardian: UK's secret policy on torture revealed - A top-secret document revealing how MI6 and MI5 officers were allowed to extract information from prisoners being illegally tortured overseas has been seen by the Guardian. The interrogation policy – details of which are believed to be too sensitive to be publicly released at the government inquiry into the UK's role in torture and rendition – instructed senior intelligence officers to weigh the importance of the information being sought against the amount of pain they expected a prisoner to suffer. It was operated by the British government for almost a decade.

Angry that a woman was driving a few miles below the speed limit, Donald Eichler, a 63-year-old US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent from Connecticut, decided to drive dangerously close to her, and pull out his TSA badge while off duty and pretend to be a police officer in order to intimidate her into driving faster. Eichler's aggressive driving and behavior was so intimidating that the woman immediately called 911 out of fear. Eichler was eventually arrested and charged with "driving a vehicle to harass or intimidate," though he rightfully should also be charged for impersonating a police officer as well, which is a felony. Eichler's case is set to be heard on August 8 at Manchester Superior Court.

Unfortunately, Eichler's arrogant display of illegitimate authority in this situation is not isolated -- it is part of a much bigger, and growing, epidemic within the TSA. TSA agents repeatedly violate the law, and are collectively assuming the role of a phony domestic police force owned and operated by the federal government.

In a move condemned by peace groups as a cynical attempt to distract attention from the housing protests, the Israeli Interior Ministry today announced another expansion of settlements in occupied East Jerusalem, with 930 new homes being planned in Har Homa. The move was clearly linked to the housing crisis by Interior Minister Eli Yashal, who said that the settlement expansion was crucial in providing “small, affordable housing units” inside Jerusalem. Except, of course, that the settlement units are not in Jerusalem, but are rather southern East Jerusalem, territory annexed by the Israeli military in 1967. Israel claims the settlement is within the “city limits” but its claim to the territory is not recognized internationally.

CSM: In Israel, raft of new laws shows rise of the right

The war of words between Russia and the U.S. takes a twist. The same old zionists and war whores in the Senate, featuring Lieberman and McCain, want a law passed that criticizes Russia's practice of human rights. The hypocrisy is a cliché.

Besides threatening to stop 'helping' to reign in Iran and to prevent shipment of supplies to Afghanistan, Putin also blasts out at the U.S. financial debacle. "They are living beyond their means and shifting a part of the weight of their problems to the world economy." "They are living like parasites off the global economy and their monopoly of the dollar."

But a funny thing happened on the way to the shouting match. Putin becomes a gatekeeper for the global mafia and disavows the concept that 9/11 was a false flag. Of course Putin would be shy about accusing the U.S. or Israel of a false flag. Russia has had its fair share of 'inside jobs' and 'holocausts.' No need to stir up that black cauldron. He was correct in saying "It would be impossible to conceal it." 9/11 wasn't concealed. Millions of people know basically the hows, the whys and the whos and it wasn't Arabs. Controlling the media and the investigations, etc. only prevents the prosecutions and that's exactly how Putin wants to run his own country...and does.