The official story publicized by the US on the raid that supposedly killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden contains many inconsistencies, a prominent journalist tells Press TV's US Desk. - “Things that simply make no sense, in that they contradict what the Obama White House originally told us about the raid. Almost nothing about this so-called official history actually makes any sense,” said Russ Baker, an award-winning investigative reporter and founder of WhoWhatWhy.com, on Sunday. In his exclusive interview with Press TV, Baker questioned the authenticity of an article published by The New Yorker in early August, which detailed the May 1 raid against the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where bin Laden had allegedly hidden.

Written by Nicholas Schmidle, the article is titled “Getting Bin Laden: What happened that night in Abbottabad,” and was published on August 8. He said the article gives the impression that all the details of what took place was provided by the soldiers and the navy seals who conducted the raid, while its author was not even allowed to speak to any of the people who were actually present at the event. The investigative journalist cast serious doubts on the American magazine's account, saying it seems as if The New Yorker was given the details by an official in the Obama administration while trying to create the impression that this was real information from the scene. The official story of bin Laden's death caused by a US commando team raid has been seriously contested by many experts and officials alike.

Switzerland has taken the extraordinary step of setting a minimum rate for the franc against the euro and pledged to buy unlimited quantities of foreign exchange in a high-stakes bid to contain its surging currency. - The Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced Tuesday it would "no longer tolerate" an exchange rate below the minimum of 1.20 francs per euro with immediate effect, and would enforce this minimum rate by purchasing foreign currency in "unlimited quantities." The central bank is exercising what many analysts in recent weeks had called the last-ditch "nuclear option" because of the uncertain effects and risks to the normally strong Swiss economy. "The current massive overvaluation of the Swiss franc poses an acute threat to the Swiss and carries the risk of a deflationary development," the SNB said in a statement that described its goal as "a substantial and sustained weakening of the Swiss franc." The euro, which had been trading around 1.10 francs before the announcement, shot up to 1.2024 francs afterward.

RAMALLAH, West Bank — President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said Monday that he was going to the United Nations this month to seek membership for a state of Palestine, not instead of negotiations with Israel, but in addition to them. His goal, he said, was for a Palestinian state and Israel to live in peace and security next to one another. Even after any recognition by the United Nations, Mr. Abbas said, his hope is to negotiate with Israel. “Our first, second and third priority is negotiations,” he said. “There is no other way to solve this. No matter what happens at the United Nations, we have to return to negotiations.”

This is heart wrenching. I will never get used to the ongoing destruction of Palestine, never. Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh writes from his blog Popular Resistance. - Our hearts broke when we arrived to find that much of the Israeli uprooting of Palestinian olive trees was already done in Al-Walaja today. The old farmer Mohammed Al-Atrash (Abu Wajih) was standing there in shock, speechless, wondering where humanity is on this black day. Israeli authorities picked the day well: it was the day of returning to school and to work from the 5 day Eid (Holiday) at the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan. They brought massive forces starting at dawn and circled an area of over one square mile declaring it a closed military area. No media presence was allowed (so much for “democracy”) so that we could not even videotape the destruction as it happened, only its aftermath. Dozens of olive, almond, za’rur, and pine trees were destroyed. This despite the fact that there is a court case pending on this land to be heard at the end of this month. The villagers called for presence in the village tomorrow (Tuesday morning Sept 6).

Erdogan completely suspends trade, military and defence ties over Israel refusal to apologise over Gaza flotilla attack. - "Trade ties, military ties, regarding defence industry ties, we are completely suspending them," Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said in Ankara on Tuesday. "This process will be followed by different measures," said Erdogan, who referred to Israel as "a spoiled child". The call to suspend the ties comes a day after the Turkish minister of economy had said that bilateral commercial ties would continue as usual, Al Jazeera's Serpil Karacan reported from Istanbul. Suspension of "the miiltary ties is very significant between the two countries to the degree that it'll have some impact on Turkey as well, especially for the Heron planes and especially for military intelligence," she said. Turkey downgraded diplomatic relations with its former ally to the level of second secretary last week after Israel refused to apologise for the deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish-flagged protest flotilla that killed nine pro-Palestinian activists last year. On Friday, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador in Ankara, suspended military deals and vowed a greater naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Erdogan said the Israeli diplomats who have been ordered out of Turkey must leave by Wednesday. Erdogan hinted on Tuesday that he might make a visit to Gaza, though adding that no final decision had been made yet. "We are talking with the Egyptians on this matter ... A trip to Gaza is not finalised yet," Erdogan, who is due to visit Egypt next week.

BBC: Turkey suspends Israel defence ties over Gaza aid raid
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Khalid Amayreh: Give the Palmer report the contempt it deserves
Robert Stevens: UN issues apologia for Israeli massacre on Gaza aid ship
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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Villagers and veteran hunters have captured a one-ton saltwater crocodile which they plan to make the star of a planned ecotourism park in a southern Philippine town, an official said Monday.

Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said dozens of villagers and experts ensnared the 21-foot (6.4-meter) male crocodile along a creek in Bunawan township in Agusan del Sur province after a three-week hunt. It could be one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in recent years, he said, quoting local crocodile experts. Elorde said the crocodile killed a water buffalo in an attack witnessed by villagers last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July. He said he sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province.

After initial sightings at a creek, the hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday, he said. About 100 people had to pull the crocodile, which weighs about 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms), from the creek to a clearing where a crane lifted it into a truck, he said. The crocodile was placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town plans to build an ecotourism park for species found in a vast marshland in Agusan, an impoverished region about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila, Elorde said.

Australia's special forces commander has defended his troops' use of US drones to kill insurgent leaders in southern Afghanistan, a deadly military tactic that gives the enemy no chance to surrender. Major-General Peter ''Gus'' Gilmore confirmed his senior officers have used missiles, fired from unmanned US aircraft, and defended the tactics and intelligence used when his soldiers go out on missions to ''capture or kill'' Taliban fighters. The targets have no chance to surrender, and the Afghan government has raised concerns. The drone strikes are dubbed ''Kill TV'' or ''Taliban TV'' because soldiers watch live video feeds of bombs and missiles detonating, with one source admitting it is uncomfortable viewing: ''You can see everything.'' General Gilmore commands soldiers from the secretive Commando and SAS regiments who take part in the NATO-led campaign targeting insurgency leaders. Coalition special forces - including Australians - have tripled their activities, with 1879 missions and 916 ''targets'' killed or captured this year. In 2009 there were 675 missions with 306 killed or captured, according to figures recently released.

"Assange Is Right To Publish All Cables" I'd go further. We shouldn't be confusing the sources used by journalists, and rats. The people we are talking about here are rats, slimes who betrayed their own people to one of the most vile and evil institutions ever to exist, the American government. The Americans lost their own data, and are only concerned about the leak because they fear it will deter future rats. I hope it does. Rats don't deserve protection, ever. Assange has the same problem he always does. He hasn't a clue on how to judge character (Asperger's trait?). His mistake has nothing to do with leaks, and everything to do with getting into bed with the scum at The Guardian.

MONTEVIDEO — Leonard Peltier, an indigenous rights activist jailed in the United States for decades, has received the first Mario Benedetti Foundation international human rights prize, the group said Monday.

The group called Peltier, a Native American activist convicted in 1977 for the murder of two US FBI agents, the longest serving political prisoner in the Americas. The case stemmed from a shootout at a reservation in the US state of South Dakota.

"Leonard Peltier, who on September 12, 2011 will turn 67, has spent more than half his life in prison. He is a symbol of resistance to repressive state policies by the United States, where there are people in jail for ethnic, racial, ideological and religious reasons," a foundation statement said.

Ricardo Elena, a member of the foundation's honorary board, said Peltier's case "is one that is repeated over and over: violation (of rights); persecution, eviction, invasion and expropriation of the indigenous people from the time it was 'discovered' until now.

Former CIA Asset Who Revealed Presence of US Special Forces in Mexico Says Hit Squads Targeting Narco Splinter Groups. - A small but growing proxy war is underway in Mexico pitting US-assisted assassin teams composed of elite Mexican special operations soldiers against the leadership of an emerging cadre of independent drug organizations that are far more ruthless than the old-guard Mexican “cartels” that gave birth to them. These Mexican assassin teams now in the field for at least half a year, sources tell Narco News, are supported by a sophisticated US intelligence network composed of CIA and civilian US military operatives as well as covert special-forces soldiers under Pentagon command — which are helping to identify targets for the Mexican hit teams.

Natural News: US government openly admits arming Mexican drug gangs with 30,000 firearms
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Stephen Lendman: Plan Mexico: Plan Colombia Heads for Mexico