Leak of two million emails and documents from Britain's offshore financial industry expose offshore accounts. - The identities of thousands of holders of hidden wealth have been revealed after more than two million emails and documents were leaked from Britain's offshore financial industry. A number of high profile names were linked with offshore trusts and accounts, based mainly in the British Virgin Islands, including presidents, wealthy individuals and families, government officials, a British millionaire, and the eldest daughter of former president of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos. More than 200GB of financial data stretching back more than a decade was analysed by the Guardian and other international media as part of a project in collaboration with International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, based in Washington. The files include data on the global transactions of BVI private incorporation agencies, and entities in Singapore, Hong Kong and the Cook Islands in the Pacific.

ICIJ: Secret Files Expose Offshore’s Global Impact
HuffPo: EXPOSED: OFFSHORE TAX SECRETS OF THE MEGA-RICH
CBC News: Massive data leak exposes offshore financial secrets
The Guardian:_ Leaks reveal secrets of the rich who hide cash offshore

Just-released declassified documents reveal new details about government surveillance of peaceful political activism in the name of fighting terrorism:

Government documents obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) through its FOIA records requests reveal that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an agency created after the September 11 attacks under the rubric of combating terrorism, conducts daily monitoring of peaceful, lawful protests as a matter of policy. Functioning as a secret political police force against people participating in lawful, peaceful free speech activity, the heavily redacted documents show that the DHS “Threat Management Division” directed Regional Intelligence Analysts to provide a “Daily Intelligence Briefing” that includes a category of reporting on “Peaceful Activist Demonstrations” along with “Domestic Terrorist Activity.” (p. 68)

The nationwide surveillance system has become the contemporary version of J. Edgar Hoover’s Gestapo-style FBI, watching, subverting, and harassing political dissenters in an extra-legal environment that disregards the First Amendment. The DHS has used the inflated powers granted to it post-9/11 to expand the definition of “domestic terrorist” to anyone who disagrees with the government and acts on it.

Republican lawmakers are refusing to support universal background checks, the cornerstone of the Senate’s gun violence prevention package, for fear that the measure will lead to a national gun registry the government will use to confiscate guns from legal gun owners. On his Wednesday radio show, former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee fanned the flames of the confiscation conspiracy, suggesting gun regulation is a ruse to enact a dictatorship akin to Nazi Germany.

Hang the Bankers: MMA Fighter: US is a police state, George Orwell's 1984 happening before us - Video

Hundreds of European Muslims have joined the Syrian rebels in their fight against the rule of Bashar Assad, the latest study reveals. Most of them hold UK passports. - An estimate of the International Centre of for the Study of Radicalization (ICRS), based on more than 450 open sources, has found that up to 5,500 foreign fighters have traveled to Syria since the beginning of the uprising against the ruling regime. Of them, up to 11 per cent originate from Europe. "Between 140 and 600 Europeans have gone to Syria since early 2011," researcher Aaron Y. Zelin says. Britain accounts for the biggest number of arrivals, with up to 134 people joining the cause. The Netherlands comes second with up to 107 people, next are France (up to 92), Belgium (up to 85) and Denmark (up to 78).

Tony Cartalucci: World Must Unite Against US-Saudi-Israeli Proxy War in Syria

In 2002, President George Bush defined the 'Axis-of-Evil' as Iraq, Iran, and North Korea (Syria is added later on). As Mid East countries opposed to Israeli expansion, it is not surprising that the Zionist dominated Bush administration (Libby, Perle, Feith, Wolfowitz, Frum, et al) have targeted Iran, Syria, & Iraq. But why North Korea??? Did You Know...Israel and North Korea, despite being on opposite ends of the Asian continent, are bitter enemies? North Korea does not recognize Israel, and has condemned its treatment of the displaced Palestinians? [Note: This is not to glorify the North Korean regime but only to expose the sinister hand of Israel behind America's potential coming conflict with North Korea / China] More importantly, North Korea sells its missile technology to Middle Eastern nations that are on Israel's 'Hit List'.

WRH: THE BIG LIE SELLING YOU WAR WITH NORTH KOREA

During his first term, President Barack Obama declared October 2009 to be “National Information Literacy Awareness Month,” emphasizing that, for students, learning to navigate the online world is as important a skill as reading, writing and arithmetic. It was a move that echoed his predecessor's strong support of global literacy—such as reading newspapers—most notably through First Lady Laura Bush's advocacy. Yet, disturbingly, the Departments of Justice (DOJ) of both the Bush and Obama administrations have embraced an expansive interpretation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) that would literally make it a crime for many kids to read the news online. And it’s the main reason why the law must be reformed.

A survey conducted by Public Policy Polling, labeled by many as a pro-Obama outfit, seems to be aimed at ascribing belief in "crazy conspiracy theories" to Republicans by mixing in real cover-ups and conspiracies with outlandish ideas. However, despite the constant media drumbeat about the clear move towards centralization of power being a baseless conspiracy theory, the poll reveals that 28 per cent of Americans believe that "a secretive power elite with a globalist agenda is conspiring to eventually rule the world through an authoritarian world government, or New World Order." 46 per cent of respondents do not believe this notion, while 25 per cent are not sure.

Tariq Aziz is being slowly assassinated by the current rulers of Iraq. Inhumane treatment that amounts to torture. The whole Western political class and human rights bodies should be held responsible if he dies in custody, because of their inaction and negligence. - What follows is a letter that Tariq Aziz’ son wrote to the BRussells Tribunal. We urge politicians, Human Rights Organisations and the media to finally take some decisive action for the release of Tareq Aziz and all other political prisoners. Human rights should be defended. We also republish the appeals of Denis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck, both Former UN Assistant Secretary Generals & United Nations Humanitarian Coordinators for Iraq.

Stephen Lendman: Tariq Aziz: Victim of US Imperialism - He's ill, isolated and fading. His life hangs in the balance. Washington likely wants him dead. He blames America, Israel and Britain. They bear responsibility for destroying Iraq. [...] Separately, von Sponeck and Halliday said they know Aziz. They worked with him. He's a "highly motivated Iraqi nationalist." "He cooperated with the United Nations fully whenever he believed that the benefits of the humanitarian exemption for the Iraqi people could be enhanced." He and Halliday want him released. In 2005 and early 2007, they raised concerns. They "made public appeals for his release on humanitarian grounds." They made subsequent attempts to do so. He's still imprisoned. He's denied due process. He requires urgent medical care. None's forthcoming. He may not last much longer. America and complicit allies want him gone. They're killing him slowly. Death by willful neglect constitutes premeditated murder.

Several groups of peace activists have demonstrated in New York to generate a public uprising across the United States against the government’s use of assassination drones. - The protesters rallied in New York on Wednesday to call for an immediate halt to US assassination drone attacks in other countries and to voice their opposition to any use of drones inside the US. Wednesday's protest is part of a series of public protests, dubbed April Days of Action, which the organizers say will spread nationwide and target the infrastructure -- the military bases, universities and companies -- that supports the US government's overseas drone program. The protesters rallied in New York on Wednesday to call for an immediate halt to US assassination drone attacks in other countries and to voice their opposition to any use of drones inside the US. Wednesday's protest is part of a series of public protests, dubbed April Days of Action, which the organizers say will spread nationwide and target the infrastructure -- the military bases, universities and companies -- that supports the US government's overseas drone program.

In yet another shooting incident at US military base, a civilian Army employee has been shot to death at Fort Knox Army base in the state of Kentucky. - The assailant in the Wednesday afternoon shooting remained at large as of Wednesday night, Army authorities announced. The shooting prompted a security lockdown at the major military base, according to officials, who further elaborated that it was “not a random act.” "Special Agents from the US Army Criminal Investigation Command are investigating a personal incident and not a random act of violence," said the spokesperson for the independent Army investigative agency, Chris Grey, in a brief statement. The shooting came less than two weeks after a US Marine training officer shot two fellow Marines as well as himself to death at the major Quantico Marine Corps base in Virginia, near the US capital.

Hang the Bankers: Every mass shooting over last 20 years has one thing in common...and it's not guns