The New York Police Department has detained prominent peace activist and former CIA agent Ray McGovern, with witnesses saying he was “yelling in pain” during arrest. McGovern was detained ahead of a David Petraeus speech that he planned to attend. McGovern was detained before the start of a talk between former CIA director David Petraeus, retired US Army Lt. Col. John Nagl, and author Max Boot on American Foreign Policy at the 92nd St Y., an Upper East Side cultural community center. Anti-war group 'The World Can’t Wait' said the activist was arrested “at protest of speech.” He was reportedly prevented by security from entering, charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, and will not be arraigned until Friday. The group has called for McGovern’s release on Twitter and Facebook. [...] It appeared that the activist was detained even before entering the venue, despite having a ticket for the event.

Kevin Gosztola ■ Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern Arrested While Trying to Attend David Petraeus Event in New York

Hungary has decided to shelve a proposed tax on internet data traffic after mass protests against the plan. ● "This tax in its current form cannot be introduced," Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. Large-scale protests began on Sunday, when demonstrators hurled old computer parts at the headquarters of Mr Orban's ruling Fidesz party. The draft law - condemned by the EU - would levy a fee on each gigabyte of internet data transferred. The protesters objected to the financial burden but also feared the move would restrict free expression and access to information. The levy was set at 150 forints (£0.40; 0.50 euros; $0.60) per gigabyte of data traffic. After thousands protested the government decided to cap the tax at 700 forints per month for individuals and 5,000 forints for companies. But that did not placate the crowds.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has admitted presence of foreign mercenaries in volunteer battalions that are taking part in the military operation in eastern Ukraine. “There are volunteers in the Donbass battalion and other battalions who are helping to defend our state,” Avakov told journalists on Friday. Some of them, he said, are seeking to obtain Ukrainian citizenship. Taking into account their merits to Ukrainian state, President Petro Poroshenko is likely to grant their request for citizenship, Avakov added. In July Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that Sweden, Finland, the Baltic states and France conduct a thorough investigation into alleged participation by mercenaries from these countries in hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

A political cartoon published Thursday by Hebrew daily Haaretz incited international controversy with its depiction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu piloting a plane labeled "Israel" toward a tower flying the American flag, intended to evoke the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Amos Biderman, the artist who authored the comic, told The Times of Israel the image was intended to imply Netanyahu is leading the country to "a disaster in Israel-US relations on the scale of 9/11," pointing to the Prime Minister's "arrogance" and his handling of settlement construction in Jerusalem as poor diplomacy. The cartoon was composed and published in response to an article in The Atlantic Tuesday that quoted an anonymous source inside the White House as calling Netanyahu a "chicken[expletive]" criticizing the Prime Minister as "cowardly" for his handling of relations with Palestine. [...] Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Israel have been deteriorating in recent years as Israel has struggled and at times failed to navigate its troubled relationship with Palestine without alienating the international community. The announcement of plans to construct a settlement of 1000 homes for Israelis in a section of Jerusalem considered territory claimed by Palestinians against the Obama administration's objections further strained relations already fraught with tension. Despite its timeliness, however, Biderman's lampoon was not well received on social media, with commenters calling the comic [the truth] "tasteless" and "revolting" and "filth."

Les Visible ■ They Did It! They do it AND...That's It! || Behind the scenes and inside the minds of these Morlocks the tide has shifted. Nothing seems to be going their way. Everything they do turns on them. Normal human hearts and minds in sad decline cannot fathom the absence of all conscience and remorse in these creatures. How it will come I do not know. When it will come I do not know but... come it will and the force of justice will manifest upon these brigands and beasts. It is only a mater of time. That millions and millions of the indifferent and gullible will follow them into perdition is unfortunate but given they are magnetized by lies they shall go with the pull of destiny in every case.

Masters of Deception: Zionism, 9/11 and the War on Terror Hoax (PDF-Book)
Israel celebrates successful 9/11 operation on Purim holiday ■ 9/11:Israel did it ■ 7/7: Made in Israel

Early this morning in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Tor, Israeli police shot and killed Mutaz Hijazi, who they claim shot far-right settler Yehuda Glick last night. Witnesses said that plain-clothes Israeli police in unmarked vehicles and uniformed police arrived before 6 am. They took positions around the house and stormed it. On the roof, Hijazi, 32, was shot dead. Police officials claim that a firefight took place, however, witnesses dismissed the official narrative. "I saw everything. He didn't have a weapon or a gun,” said one neighbor who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of police reprisals. "He was on the roof, so the police could have captured him but they didn't want to. They wanted to kill him,” he added.

Hundreds defy police restrictions to attend Hijazi funeral in Jerusalem
Profile: Who is Yehuda Glick? [A very bad man...that's the long & short of it.]

Most people in the English-speaking parts of the world missed Putin's speech at the Valdai conference in Sochi a few days ago. Western media did their best to ignore it or to twist its meaning. Regardless of what you think or don't think of Putin, this is probably the most important political speech since Churchill's “Iron Curtain” speech of March 5, 1946. In this speech, Putin abruptly changed the rules of the game. To sum it all up: play-time is over. Children, put away your toys. Now is the time for the adults to make decisions. Russia is ready for this; is the world?

Key quotes from Putin's Valdai speech in Sochi - His strongest yet against the Western Empire
PaulCraig Roberts ■ Vladimir Putin Is The Leader Of the Moral World

The Abbott government's chief business adviser says too much time has been spent focusing on global warming and as a result Australians are "ill prepared" to deal with the prospect of global cooling. Maurice Newman, who has been vocal in his climate change scepticism, has attacked governments, including the former Labor government, for pursuing "green gesture politics" by introducing carbon price signals in an opinion piece for the Murdoch-owned News Corp publication The Australian. He likened the measures to "primitive civilisations offering up sacrifices to appease the gods".

Eric Worrall ■ Maurice Newman, Aussie PM Abbott’s most senior advisor, on the dangers of global cooling

Central to the planning phase of the Cold War exercise was the consideration of how law and order would be preserved in the aftermath of [...] an onslaught. Jane Hogg, a Home Office official cited in the National Archive documents, predicted police officers would be occupied in assisting “inadequate” individuals. Others, therefore, would have to be recruited to preserve law and order, she suggested. Hogg further claimed that psychopaths would be “very good in crises” as “they have no feelings for others, nor moral code, and tend to be very intelligent and logical.” Her superiors, however, were unconvinced by the proposal.