Patrick Clawson of the influential neo-con Washington Institute for Near East Studies OPENLY suggests that the US should provoke Iran into taking the first shot. This Israel Lobbyist suggests False Flag attack to start war with Iran. Just like 911 in New York causing the deaths of American civilians and soldiers, a million dead Iraqis and for what?

Washington's Blog: Will Israel Blow Up Something and Falsely Blame It On Iran?

The United States would consider stationing troops on New Zealand soil if our Government asked for them as part of a burgeoning defence relationship, US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta says. Mr Panetta left New Zealand on Saturday after a whistlestop visit as part of a broader US push to shore up allegiances in the Pacific... His visit marked a watershed in the relationship, after he announced the US would lift a ban on New Zealand naval ships using US ports, and scrap the requirement for a waiver before defence top brass from both countries meet.

Despite the official US military withdrawal last December, American special forces "recently" returned to Iraq on a counter-terrorism mission, according to an American general in charge of weapons sales there. The mission was reported by the New York Times, in the fifteenth paragraph [LOL!] of a story about deepening sectarian divides. The irony is that the US is protecting a pro-Iran Shiite regime in Baghdad against a Sunni-based insurgency while at the same time supporting a Sunni-led movement against the Iran-backed dictatorship in Syria.

Hundreds of prisoners have been confined in California’s high-security segregation units (Security Housing Units, SHUs) for 10 or more years in conditions of severe isolation and reduced sensory stimulation. This report describes Amnesty International’s concerns about these conditions. It also examines recent proposals put forward by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to reform the method for assigning prisoners to the units and to provide a route out of SHUs through a protracted four-step process lasting at least four years.

Maya Nasser, 33, correspondent working for Iran's Press TV, killed, and bureau chief injured, amid fierce fighting in capital.

A corespondent for Iran's Press TV was shot dead on Wednesday while reporting from the scene of devastating twin explosions in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Maya Nasser, a 33-year-old Syrian national, was killed after being hit by "insurgent" sniper fire, Press TV said. The channel's Damascus bureau chief, Hussein Murtada, who also works for the Arabic-language Al-Alam TV network, was injured after coming under attack, the channel said. Nasser tweeted news of the explosions soon after 7am on Wednesday. He then appears to have set off with his Lebanese colleague to the scene, as fierce fighting continued. Murtada was reportedly shot in the back. Nasser, reportedly a Christian, was one of the few correspondents based in Damascus to have reported on Syria's brutal war in English. His blog had been sympathetic to the Syrian government, and blamed the conflict on the "west and al-Qaida". But it also gave a vivid portrait of life under fire and the perils of driving through checkpoints.

PressTV: Press TV correspondent killed in Syrian capital

No fix for 'Jesus rifles' deploying to Afghanistan - U.S. military issued rifle scopes bearing New Testament Bible verses still in circulation years after correction was ordered. - When the so-called "Jesus rifle" came to light in Jan. 2010, it sparked constitutional and security concerns, and a maelstrom of media coverage. The Pentagon ordered the removal of the secret code referring to Bible passages that the manufacturer had inscribed on the scopes of the standard issue rifles carried by U.S. soldiers into battle in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly three years later — despite the military's assertion that is making "good progress" — the code remains on many rifles deploying to Afghanistan, which some soldiers argue is endangering their lives by reinforcing suspicions that the United States is waging a crusade against Muslims.

The code on an ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) made for the U.S. military by defense contractor Trijicon. The lettering at the end, JN8:12 refers to the Bible passage John 8:12: Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Alan Ireland: At daggers drawn with 'demonized flesh'

Last December, we wrote about a report put out by the Swiss executive branch noting that, based on their research, it appeared that unauthorized file sharing was not a big deal, showing that consumers were still spending just as much on entertainment, and that much of it was going directly to artists, rather than to middlemen. In other words, it was a market shift, not a big law enforcement problem. At the time, we wondered if Switzerland had just bought itself a place on the USTR's "Special 301 list" that the administration uses each year to shame countries that Hollywood doesn't like. That list doesn't come out for a bit, but there's another, similar list, put out by the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus (yeah) that has added Switzerland to its "bad countries" list along with China, Russia and Ukraine. I

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has called on the United States to move from words to actions, and put an end to its persecution of WikiLeaks, its people and its sources. He made the statement during an address to a panel of UN delegates.

Addressing the representatives of the United Nations' member countries, the WikiLeaks founder spoke of the difference between words and actions, praising US President Barack Obama for his words.

Assange was highly critical of US involvement in the Arab Spring, denouncing Obama as audacious for exploiting it. He added that it is "disrespectful of the dead" to claim that the US has supported forces of change.

Julian Assange also spoke at length about Bradley Manning, the US private accused of supplying WikiLeaks with hundreds of sensitive diplomatic and military cables. Assange accused the US government of detaining Manning without charge and mistreating him, even attempting to offer him a deal in exchange for Manning's testimony against Assange. The WikiLeaks founder told the UN panel that Bradley Manning, accused of 'death penalty crimes', was "degraded, abused and psychologically tortured."

The Age: US calls Assange 'enemy of state'

Reuters: Assange mocks Obama via video at U.N. event - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lashed out at U.S. President Barack Obama for supporting freedom of speech in the Middle East while simultaneously persecuting his organization for leaking diplomatic cables.

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has slammed the current global politics as discriminatory, based on inequality, and characterized by unilateralism and double-standards.

“Unilateralism, application of double-standards, and imposition of wars, instability and occupation to ensure economic interests and expand dominance over sensitive centers of the world have turned to be the order of the day,” Ahmadinejad said during his speech at the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. Ahmadinejad stated that the world is in urgent need of a new order and the “abysmal global situation is because of the mismanagement of the world by a small minority that has a destructive behavior.”

John Glaser: Ahmadinejad Condemns Israel’s ‘Continued Threats’ of War

Hundreds of thousands participated in demonstrations in Greece on Wednesday to protest against the latest package of austerity measures introduced by the coalition government led by the head of the conservative New Democracy party, Antonis Samaras. The demonstrations were the first major mobilisations since Samaras became prime minister three months ago. Millions of workers also responded to the call for a 24-hour general strike by the country’s two main trade union federations, representing workers in both the private and public sectors—the General Confederation of Employees of Greece (GSEE) and the Civil Servants’ Confederation (ADEDY). Transport and public services, including schools, universities and hospitals, came to a halt in many parts of the country. Many flights were cancelled and ferry services were severely disrupted. Staff at the tax, customs and finance ministries declared they would continue their strike until Friday.