US-led airstrikes have hit a religious girls school in eastern Afghanistan, leaving at least 10 students and the school’s janitor injured, Press TV reports. - Afghan officials told Press TV that US-led NATO helicopters carried out the aerial attacks against the girls religious school in Nangarhar province on Wednesday as the students were studying. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed the attack, saying it has launched an investigation into the air raids. On February 8, US-led airstrikes killed eight Afghan children in the Nejrab district of Kapisa province as the victims were herding sheep in heavy snow. Hundreds of civilians have lost their lives in US-led airstrikes and ground operations in various parts of Afghanistan, with Afghans becoming more and more outraged over the seemingly endless number of deadly assaults. Afghan authorities have repeatedly warned NATO forces to avoid killing civilians during military operations.

The Virginia legislature is about to enact a law that requires a transvaginal ultrasound procedure for all women who have abortions (except in the case of a medical emergency). Apparently, the legislators are unaware that the law violates existing sexual assault code or that Virginians oppose the law by a wide margin. Here's the procedure:

"You will lie down on a table with your knees bent and feet in holders called stirrups. The health care provider will place a probe, called a transducer, into the vagina. The probe is covered with a condom and a gel. … The health care provider will move the probe within the area to see the pelvic organs."

Amine Derkaoui, a 21-year-old Moroccan man, is pissed at Facebook. Last year he spent a few weeks training to screen illicit Facebook content through an outsourcing firm, for which he was paid a measly $1 an hour. He's still fuming over it. - Facebook has turned the stuff its millions of users post into gold. But perhaps just as important as the vacation albums and shared articles is the content it keeps out of user's timelines: porn, gore, racism, cyberbullying, and so on. Facebook has fashioned itself the clean, well-lit alternative to the scary open Internet for both users and advertisers, thanks to the work of a small army of human content moderators like Derkaoui. But walking the line between keeping Facebook clean and excessively censoring its content is tricky, and Facebook's zealousness in scrubbing users' content has led to a series of uproars.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey made news over this week by calling an Israeli-led attack on Iran foolish if attempted anytime soon. Israeli officials aren’t impressed, however, and are responding with words of their own. - Gen. Dempsey denounced a strike on Iran in the near future as “destabilizing” and “not prudent” over the weekend while speaking to CNN in regards to America and Israel’s effort to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear warhead. Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has now addressed that statement himself, calling into question the US official’s intentions. Netanyahu is now suggesting that the US is adopting policies that will favor Iran, and not their historical ally: Israel. American intelligence believes that, if Iran is indeed developing a nuclear weapon as rumored, they do not stand to finish their research anytime soon. In the interim, the US hopes that diplomatic talks and negotiations will thwart that research before it matures. Israel, however, appears much more concerned and has condemned the US for not acting on the offensive already.

AWIP: US Gen. Dempsey: Iran rational actor, not after nukes

The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has endorsed the building of 500 new settlement units in Shilo settlement in the area between Ramallah and Nablus in the West Bank. - The Israeli government on Wednesday approved the plan to build the new houses and endorsed 200 other housing units, which were previously built without permit in another nearby settlement. Shilo, 30 kilometers to the south of Nablus, is inhabited by two thousand Jewish settlers while the other settlement is inhabited by 400 settlers.

PIC: "Israel" confiscates 30 dunums of Palestinian land in Yatta
Jason Ditz: Ignoring Court, Israeli Officials Bulldoze Palestinian Homes

The Israeli authorities’ decision to release a Palestinian detainee by mid-April is insufficient, Amnesty International said amid reports that he has agreed to end his 66-day hunger strike.

The organization has urged Israel to release Khader Adnan immediately to allow him to receive urgent medical treatment. The 33-year-old baker – allegedly affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement – is at immediate risk of death after more than 10 weeks on hunger strike.

“A deal which will see Khader Adnan released on 17 April unless significant new evidence emerges is insufficient when he needs urgent medical treatment to save his life now,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Interim Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “Even if reports that Khader Adnan has agreed to end his hunger strike are true, this does not mean he is out of danger nor does it lessen the need for highly specialized medical care. “He cannot constitute a ‘security threat’ in his current condition and should be released from custody immediately. The Israeli authorities have revealed no evidence justifying his continued detention.” Khader Adnan was given a four-month administrative detention order on 10 January. Israeli military orders allow the Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians from the occupied West Bank without trial indefinitely if they are deemed to be a “security threat”.

The Israeli Supreme Court had been due to address Khader Adnan’s appeal on Tuesday, but the hearing was cancelled following a reported agreement between his lawyer and the Israeli authorities. Both the Palestinian Authority and Israeli governmental spokespeople have reported that Khader Adnan has agreed to end his hunger strike, something Amnesty International has not been able to verify independently.

In the war on terror America was happy to send suspects to Syria. Now the US cries torture. - In recent weeks, US officials have been falling over one another to denounce the brutality of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. President Obama has accused it of committing "outrageous bloodshed" and called for Assad to stand down; Hillary Clinton has referred to the Syrian leader as a "tyrant"; Elliot Abrams, deputy national security adviser under George W Bush, has called Syria a "vicious enemy". The evidence is overwhelming: in the months and years after 9/11, the US collaborated closely with Syria, which became an ally in the war on terror and a frequent destination for victims of extraordinary rendition. Syrian torturers worked hand in hand with US interrogators. These days, however, US politicians from across the spectrum piously condemn the Syrian regime for its crimes against humanity; two weeks ago, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a resolution condemning Assad for "gross human rights violations" and the use of "torture".

AhrahmOnline: US signals possibility of arming Syrian rebels
Russia Today: US to pump weapons into Syrian warzone?
Chicago Tribune: U.S. hints at possibility of arming Syrian rebels
[The US has been doing this for a long time already - the CIA has blood on its hands]
Jason Ditz: Clashes in Syria Focus on Rebel Supply Line to Turkey
Uruknet: Syria Protests February 21, 2012 : A Video Roundup

Stephen Lendman: Escalating Syrian Tensions- For nearly a year, externally generated violence wracked Syria. Dirty Western hands planned and implemented it. Rogue regional despots were enlisted for support. Replacing an independent regime with a pro-Western one and isolating Iran are planned. Russia and China thwarted two Security Council resolutions designed to facilitate intervention.

Patrick Martin: International tensions mount over Syria conflict - Unverified atrocity reports by US-backed opposition groups are being used to pave the way for imperialist military intervention, on the model of Libya—where the allegedly impending “bloodbath” in Benghazi became the pretext for the US-NATO bombing.

US-backed Bahraini troops have attacked hundreds of people mourning the death of an elderly man killed by the Al Khalifah regime forces over the weekend, Press TV reports.

The violence erupted in the eastern city of Sitra where people had come out to mourn the death of 85-year-old Mansour Salman who died after inhaling toxic tear gas in an anti-regime rally. The protesters who had taken out to the street also condemned the continuous crackdown on anti-regime demonstrators and called for the downfall of the regime. Similar incidents of violence have also been reported in the villages of Dair, Boory and several other locations across the country. Bahrain has been hit by a wave of anti-regime protests since February 2011. Dozens have been killed and hundreds wounded in the regime's brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators. Despite the ongoing crackdown, demonstrations have recently escalated in the kingdom.

Medea Benjamin: Police Chief Timoney, Meet Bahraini Mothers
Tighe Barry: Silence as Bahraini children are stabbed and gassed

Because here in New Zealand are a lot of people who could do with a little help from you too. Come to think of it dear Anonymous just wipe the global lot and let us all start afresh without the central banking system. Oh, and also could yo please wipe the surplus of the bank accounts of the 1% too. Thank you Anonymous!

Thailand’s Shia Leader Says MEK Behind Car Terrorism. - We’ve previously noted that there are real questions about who carried out the recent car bombs in India, Thailand and Georgia. We’ve also noted that both America and Israel support the terrorist group MEK, made up of Iranians trying to overthrow the Iranian government through terrorism and through forged documents. The Bangkok Post noted Sunday:

Four Iranians suspected of involvement in a botched bomb plot targeting Israeli diplomats in Bangkok were members of an exiled Iranian opposition group which wanted the incident to reflect badly on Teheran, Syedsulaiman Husaini, Shia leader of Thailand, said on Sunday. He claimed the f0our belonged to the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organisation (also known as MEK, MKO and the People’s Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran, or PMOI) which aims to overthrow the current Iranian government.

Iran is primarily a Shia nation, and so the Shia leader of Thailand may just be supporting the Iranian government. But given the fact that it makes no sense that Iran would attack its closest allies, it’s worth looking further, instead of rushing to war based upon incomplete evidence.

AWIP: Anti-Iran MKO behind Bangkok blasts: Thai cleric

Disclosures released today by the Obama campaign cite more prominent Jews among Obama’s top fundraisers. - Prominent additions in the latest quarterly report include American Council for World Jewry chair Jack Rosen and former chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Alan Solow. The Forward reported in December that Obama had lost no prominent Jewish fundraisers between 2008 and 2012. Today’s disclosure covers fundraising on behalf of the Obama campaign by individuals through the fourth quarter of 2011. Bundlers are grouped into broad categories by the amount they raised, with the highest grouping including those who have raised over half a million dollars. Rosen, who was not on the bundler list released following the third quarter of 2011, is now acknowledged to have raised over half a million dollars for the campaign. He hosted a fundraiser at his home for Obama in late November. Solow, who was also not on the previous list, is now listed as having raised between $200,000 and $500,000. Solow was among the hosts of a January Jewish community fundraiser at which Obama spoke, though funds raised at that event would not be covered in this report.

WikiLeaks: 445 days of banking blockade - no process
Assange: 442 days detainment - no charge
Manning: 639 days in jail - no trial

[Video] We are forced to put all our efforts into raising funds to ensure our economic survival. For almost a year we have been fighting an unlawful financial blockade. We cannot allow giant US finance companies to decide how the whole world votes with its pocket. Our battles are costly. We need your support to fight back. Please DONATE now.

[Google Translate:] An internal WikiLeaks documents that Expressen noted the Wikileaks threatens to publish a previously unknown American diplomats report that Foreign Minister Carl Bildt pointed out as an informant for the U.S. since the 1970s. - He will be forced to resign. It may mean the end of his political career, says a person familiar with the Wikileaks material and planning. Carl Bildt, who yesterday was in London, did not respond to Wikileaks accusation. Carl Bildt himself has never made any secret that he knows Karl Rove, they tend to "meet regularly" and Bildt has described Rove as one of "my oldest friends." But Wikileaks internal memo goes further: The documents list clear what kind of "services". The person identified as Bildt's initial contact is Karl Rove, American political consultant, for the chief adviser and deputy chief of staff of former U.S. President George W. Bush. Carl Bildt made the USA, says Expressen's source familiar with the Wikileaks planning. [Source]

Australia's Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has resigned amid widespread reports of a leadership tussle between him and Prime Minister Julia Gillard. - He made the announcement at a press conference in Washington DC, where he had earlier met US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. There has been ongoing tension in the Labor Party in recent weeks over the leadership. Ms Gillard ousted Mr Rudd as prime minister in June 2010. Amid the leadership wrangling she had faced calls from backbenchers to sack Mr Rudd - who said her failure to defend him from these attacks had helped him come to a decision. He did not say if he would be challenging Ms Gillard for the leadership, but confirmed that he would leave the US the next day, arriving home in Brisbane on Friday morning. He said he would not be involved in a "stealth attack on a sitting prime minister". "We all know that what happened then was wrong and it must never happen again," he said, referring to how he was ousted. Mr Rudd said he would consult his family and community before making an announcement about his future. He would do so before parliament returned next week, he said.

[Vincent Di Stefano:] We have in the present age become desensitised to violence. It is glorified in movies, simulated in computer games, sanctioned in contact sports and casually glossed over in the blur of daily news broadcasts. Yet every act of violence can create psychic and emotion shock-waves that reverberate thereafter in the lives of those affected by it.

A Beautiful Bohemian. Remembering Darren Jones offers a sixth anniversary remembrance of the death by knifing of Australian musician Darren Jones who was killed in an unprovoked attack while returning home from the Victorian College of the Arts in the early afternoon of February 23rd 2006.

[An] audio presentation was developed through a series of depth interviews with 11 people - many of them fellow musicians - who were part of Darren Jones' intimate circle. It explores the effects of this shocking event on the lives of a community of artists and reflects the slow and painful process of healing that follows such an existential collapse.

The music heard in this program is drawn from recordings of several bands in which Darren Jones participated as guitarist and vocalist. It also includes three musical tributes composed and performed by Nico Di Stefano, Ben Kelly and Dan Licht . The track Blood Stain was composed and performed by fellow musician and friend, the late Heath King who was himself tragically killed in a road accident in September 2008. A Beautiful Bohemian can be downloaded here. A shorter half-hour version was broadcast on 360 Documentaries (ABC Radio National) in September 2010. It can be heard here.

An ambassador of Abkhazia says Nauru, Vanuatu and Tuvalu face economic sanctions by the West for recognising Abkhazia as an independent country. - Juris Gulbis has told the Voice of Russia that the United States and Britain intentionally disrupt the recognition of Abkhazia’s independence. He says countries beginning to establish ties with the breakaway Georgian republic are simply told not to do so. Those who don’t obey, Mr Gulbis says, face tough economic sanctions, adding that as a result the West has stopped the financing of vitally important projects in some countries. The Russian-backed area declared independence from Georgia in 1999 and is recognised by Nicaragua and Venezuela, as well as the three Pacific countries. Last week, Georgia cut diplomatic ties with Tuvalu - a year after setting them up.

Georgian Daily: Georgia cuts Tuvalu links in row over rebels

Colombia, the host country for this April’s Summit of the Americas, will decide whether Cuba is admitted to the conference, according to the Organization of American States [OAS] Secretary of Legal Affairs. - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has found himself in the middle of a political tug-of-war between the United States and the the left-leaning bloc of ALBA countries, who have insisted Cuba be admitted. ALBA’s political council—made up of Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, the Commonwealth of Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines—has threatened to boycott the summit if Cuba is not invited. The U.S. said that Cuba should not be included because it is not a democracy.