In a high profile pre-Super Bowl interview on NBC, President Barack Obama attempted to calm fears of an impending war with Iran, saying that Israel hadn’t yet decided on whether to attack Iran, but assuring that the US was committed to remaining “in lockstep” with Israel whatever it decides and describing Israel’s security as his “top priority.” - Alhough Obama insisted that he personally prefers a diplomatic solution to the endless dispute with the Iranian government, his comments suggest that the decision is really Israel’s to make. He refused to say whether Israel had been warned against starting the war or even whether Israel intended to inform the US before starting it. Even as Obama was committing the US to the war, he sought to assure that the US would not be significantly affected by it, insisting there was “no evidence” that Iran even had the theoretical capability to retaliate against the United States if war broke out. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has warned that if the US attacks it would “harm America.”

Andrew Murray: An attack on Iran must be stopped
ANSWER: “No War on Iran” protests Feb. 4 set for at least 56 cities

Jason Ditz: Israel-Iran War Would Quickly Spread - War Would Be 'Catastrophic' for Much of World - Much of the talk of an Israeli attack on Iran makes it sound like a push-button operation. The Israeli government sends word, a few warplanes fly to Iran and bomb a few remote locations, and the whole thing blows over. This is, after all, what essentially happened in 1981 when Israel attacked the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq. Yet an attack on Iran, if indeed it happens, is a much bigger matter, potentially involving weeks of bombings by Israel and inevitable retaliation by an Iranian government that has been preparing for decades. The war would not be limited to Israel and Iran, but would have enormous global repercussions.

Author Norman F. Dacey made powerful enemies. He turned the cozy estate-planning industry upside-down after publishing How to Avoid Probate in 1965. The book sold 2 million copies as Dacey barnstormed [.pdf] the country advising Americans how to structure their estates to avoid the costs, delays, and publicity of probate by setting up trusts. Dacey engaged in fierce battles with various bar associations who tried to shut down publication of the book by claiming he was practicing law without a license. The tenacious Dacey returned fire, filing scores of libel and First Amendment lawsuits. Newly declassified U.S. State Department documents reveal a lesser-known but equally intense battle fought by Dacey. The chairman of the American Palestine Committee and close confidant of “Rabbi Outcast” Elmer Berger nearly succeeded in having American Israel Public Affairs (AIPAC) Director Morris Amitay prosecuted for trafficking classified national defense information in the mid-1970s.

In a string of attacks today, members of the digital activist group Anonymous apparently hacked into the Web site of defense lawyers for a U.S. Marine accused of leading a civilian massacre in Iraq, and have reportedly acquired e-mails exchanged by attorneys in the case. - They also reportedly: published the names, addresses and other information of more than 700 officers in Texas after compromising the Texas Police Association's Web site allegedly over a cop being investigated for child porn; attacked a Salt Lake City police Web site to protest an anti-graffiti bill; defaced a Boston police department site over alleged police brutality during Occupy Boston protests; and attacked the site of Greece's justice ministry over the country's bailout by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. The Web site of the law firm Puckett & Faraj, which represented Marine Sgt. Frank Wuterich in his recent court martial, was inaccessible this morning. Wuterich allegedly led a group of Marines in shooting 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2005. The original murder charges were reduced and ultimately dropped entirely as part of an agreement last week in which Wuterich pled guilty to one count of negligent dereliction of duty. He was demoted in rank to private and will have to forfeit some of his pay, but will serve no time.

While officials in Washington tirelessly admonish Russia and China for blocking another resolution on Syria, Rick Rozoff of the Stop NATO group tells RT that the UN has been hijacked by the US and NATO. - On Saturday, the United Nations voted on a resolution on Syria, drafted by Morocco. In the end of the day, the document was vetoed by Moscow and Beijing. This move provoked a wave of anger from the West, with most harsh rhetoric heard from the US; American Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said Washington was “disgusted” by the veto, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the vote a "travesty."‎ But Rozoff says the US is going overboard in its pursuit for international democracy. “The very name of the international community has been appropriated by the US and its NATO allies – now including the Arab world,” Rozoff told RT. Syrian opposition groups operate with complete impunity inside Turkey – which is a NATO member – with a green light from the Turkish government. Without arms and sponsorship from outside Syria, the opposition would never dare to take up arms against the Syrian army, Rozoff concludes. Thus, Damascus is stripped of its natural right to protect itself from foreign assault.

The remains of a house destroyed in a CIA drone
strike in Waziristan, April 2009 (Noor Behram)

As part of its ongoing investigation into the US covert war the Bureau has examined thousands of credible media reports relating to more than 310 Central Intelligence Agency drone strikes in Pakistan.

These incidents were reported by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, CNN, ABC News, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, the BBC, Al Jazeera, and reputable Pakistani media (see bottom table).

CIA drone strikes tend to be reported on a case-by-case basis. Yet it became clear to the Bureau that a number of specific tactics were being deployed. These included multiple attacks by drones on rescuers attempting to aid victims of previous strikes. There were also a number of credible reports of funerals and mourners being attacked by CIA drones.

With the aid of Pakistani journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai in Peshawar, the Bureau has spent four months working with independent researchers in Waziristan seeking to validate the reports. Villagers, militants and local officials have been questioned, and attempts made to identify those killed in the strikes.

Bureau of Investigative Journalism : Obama terror drones: CIA tactics in Pakistan include targeting rescuers and funerals

A Statement of Condemnation from Homs the Coastal Cities (Alawites) - We the citizens, political activists, and intellectuals from the Alawite sect in Homs and the surrounding suburbs of the coastal cities, strongly condemn the massacres committed by Bashar al-Assad. In particular, we condemn the bombardment of our city, the brave city of Homs, where hundreds were martyred and hundreds more wounded, including women and children. These people are oppressed innocent Syrians that have been affected. We condemn the massacres and raids committed by the regime in Damascus, Hama, Idlib, and all the Syrian cities and towns. Out of fear for our beloved Syria, we are committed to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. We call upon all sects and ethnic minority groups to unite as one and to halt all efforts put forth by the Assad regime to drag the country into a never-ending civil war.

Informed Comment: Syria Veto and the Revenge of the BRICS - Syria’s high officer corps is disproportionately drawn from the Allawi sect, to which the president also belongs. Allawis, a form of Shiite Islam, make up about 10% of the Syrian population, but are more powerful in the ruling Baath Party than their numbers might suggest. There have been no high officer defections, but NCOs and troops from the Sunni branch of Islam (who make up over 70% of the population) have defected, and formed a militia that has ambushed and killed loyalist troops and officers. The regime appears to be holding the families of those defectors hostage or taking revenge on the defectors by targetting the neighborhoods where their clans live.

Russia Today: Syrian rebels claim 50 killed, govt says attack staged - Video
Jason Ditz: Reports: Dozens Killed as Syrian Forces Bombard Homs

A default by Greece would not only reverberate throughout Europe but could have a major impact on American banks and financial institutions which, while not heavily involved in direct loans, face large payouts on credit default swaps if bankruptcy is declared. - Leaders of the political parties comprising the Greek coalition government will meet the premier, Lucas Papademos, later today to give him their reply to demands for sweeping austerity measures in return for a further €130 billion in bailout loans. If agreement to the demands, imposed by the so-called troika—the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund—is not forthcoming, Greece could default on its loans as early as next month.

American anti-war protesters have planned nationwide rallies against US warmongering policies towards Iran with organizers urging the Americans to voice their opposition to Washington's policies. - The call for street protests on Saturday comes amid escalating war rhetoric by the US and Israeli politicians who have frequently threatened Iran with the option of military strike in order to persuade Tehran to give up its peaceful nuclear program. The decision to hold rallies comes after a large number of US-based anti-war organizations agreed during a conference on January 17th to hold nationwide protests on February 04, 2012. US peace activists have warned against any hostile moves against Iran, saying any form of military intervention is a threat to the entire region and to international peace.

Stephen Lendman: Former US Policymakers Promote War on Iran
Alex Lantier: American intelligence agencies, media stoke war drive against Iran

Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway, said Monday his massacre was necessary to prevent his country's cultural destruction.

"We in the Norwegian movement will not sit and see that we are made a minority in our own country," the anti-Islam fanatic told a packed courtroom in only his second public comments since the attack in July. "The attacks on the government headquarters were preventive attacks on people committing cultural destruction of Norwegian culture and Norwegian ethnicity," he said and demanded to be released immediately. The 32-year-old has admitted detonating a fertilizer bomb that killed eight people at a government building in Oslo in July and hours later committing a shooting spree at an island camp for the Labor Party youths, killing 69. Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway, said Monday his massacre was necessary to prevent his country's cultural destruction.

The 32-year-old has admitted detonating a fertilizer bomb that killed eight people at a government building in Oslo in July and hours later committing a shooting spree at an island camp for the Labor Party youths, killing 69.

Tore Sinding Bekkedal: Utøya: English version
Prableen Kaur: Helvete på Utøya / Hell on Utøya Island
Wayne Madsen: After Oslo: Time to Crack Down On Mossad Terrorism
Charles E. Carlson: Anders Breivik Declared Insane: Who is Guilty? (Part1)

Despite the changes sweeping Libya, violence and bloodshed have not stopped. In shocking revelations, military and security forces stand accused of torturing detainees to death. Rights groups say Libya's new rulers have not addressed the problem.

Amnesty International says in recent weeks, it met with detainees in Tripoli, Misrata and Gharyan who showed visible signs of torture – open wounds to the head, limbs, back and other parts of the body. "Several detainees have died after being subjected to torture in Libya in recent weeks and months amid widespread torture and ill-treatment of suspected pro-Gaddafi fighters and loyalists," Amnesty said. "The torture is being carried out by officially recognized military and security entities, as well as by a multitude of armed militias operating outside any legal framework," the statement reads.

Medecins Sans Frontieres has suspended its work in Libya’s third-largest city Misrata over similar claims. The group says it encountered formidable obstacles it could not overcome. Burns from electric shocks and cigarettes, heavy bruising and renal failure – all this, evidence of continuing torture of prisoners, the organization says. When two more inmates died after beatings, the international group halted its mission in protest.

John Glaser: Aid Groups Find Evidence of Widespread Torture in Libya
John Glaser: Torture and a Brewing Civil War in America’s Latest Liberated Country
Stephen Lendman: Violence Rages in Libya
Glenn Greenwald: The human rights “success” in Libya

King Abdullah II of Jordan met the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Khaled Mashal, on Sunday in Amman. Mashal is conducting his first official visit to Amman in twelve years; the official visit was conducted under the direct mediation of Qatar. - Mashal arrived in Amman along with the Crown Prince of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and were welcomed at the Amman Airport by Jordan’s Crown Prince, Hussein Bin Abdullah. The officials then headed to Amman, and held a meeting with King Abdullah at the Royal Palace in Amman. The Hamas leadership left Amman in 1999, and the movement opened its office to the Syrian Capital, Damascus. Mashal was also accompanied by his deputy, Mousa Abu Marzouq, in addition to Mohammad Nasr, Izzat Al-Rishiq, Sami Khater and Mohammad Nazzal; all are members of the Hamas Political Bureau. During the meeting, the officials discussed the situation in Palestine and the efforts to implement the national unity agreement in Palestine.

Khalid Amayreh: The Amman fiasco