| FBI Pushes for Surveillance Backdoors in Web 2.0 Tools | Author: Ryan Singel |
| The FBI is pushing for more online companies to build in real-time monitoring capabilities, even as the Obama administration calls on countries around the world to respect online freedom of speech. |
| USA wollten keine totale Demokratie | |
| Vielmehr habe sich die US-Regierung überlegt, wie sie in befreundeten Staaten wie Ägypten politische Änderungen vorantreiben könnte, ohne dass dabei gleich das ganze Regime zusammenbrechen und das Land im Chaos versinken würde. Konkret galt es zwei Güter gegeneinander abzuwägen: Die Amerikaner mussten die richtige Balance zwischen den US-Interessen, dem Wunsch nach einer stabilen Region, und den Forderungen der Bevölkerung nach demokratischen Reformen finden. Dies erkläre auch das zögerliche Verhalten von Obama vor dem Machtwechsel in Ägypten. |
| Secret Report Ordered by Obama Identified Potential Uprisings | |
| The 18-page classified report, they said, grapples with a problem that has bedeviled the White House's approach toward Egypt and other countries in recent days: how to balance American strategic interests and the desire to avert broader instability against the democratic demands of the protesters. |
It is spreading. 25,000 protested In Madison, Wisconsin today and then 4000 protested in Columbus Ohio where an almost identical bill is set to pass. This is is the biggest fear our leaders of our Corporatocracy have. Average Americans awakening! [link]
ChamberLeaks: Plan Solicited By Chamber Lawyers Included Malware Hacking Of Activist Computers
| Three stabbed in Trafalgar Square | |
| Three men are stabbed and 19 others arrested following a mass brawl in Trafalgar Square in central London. |
| Bahrain urged to show restraint | |
| Washington urges Bahrain to show restraint in dealing with protesters and calls for real reform after a bloody clampdown. |
| Die israelischen Arbeiter und die ägyptische Revolution | |
| Die ägyptische Revolution hat im gesamten Nahen Osten Schockwellen ausgelöst. In den Hauptstädten aller arabischen Staaten diskutieren despotische Herrscher und korrupte Regierungen, wie sie verhindern können, dass sich die Revolte der Massen von Kairo weiter ausbreitet. Niemand fürchtet die Auswirkungen des Volksaufstands in Ägypten mehr als die herrschende Klasse in Israel. Inzwischen bereitet Israel sich auf einen Krieg vor, möglicherweise sogar mit Ägypten. Der scheidende Oberbefehlshaber der israelischen Streitkräfte (IDF) Gabi Ashkenazi erlaubte einen höchst aufschlussreichen Einblick in diese Diskussionen. |
| Erneut große Proteste in Bahrain, Jemen, Libyen und Irak | |
| In mehreren Ländern des Nahen Ostens und Nordafrikas gehen die Demonstrationen gegen die jeweilige Regierung weiter. Die Demonstranten fordern politische Rechte und wirtschaftliche Verbesserungen. Damit entwickelt sich eine beispiellose Unruhe- und Widerstandswelle. Diese Aufstände haben in Washington, Paris, London und den Hauptstädten aller Großmächte einen Schock ausgelöst, denn sie richten sich gegen die Unterdrückung herrschender Eliten, die eng mit dem Imperialismus zusammenarbeiten. |
| Massenproteste im Nahen Osten breiten sich aus. Washington beruhigt Israel und die arabischen Diktatoren | |
| Trotz der zunehmenden Unterdrückung im Jemen weitet das US-Militär seine Ausbildung von jemenitischen Sicherheitskräften aus. Associated Press berichtete am Montag unter Bezugaufnahme auf Pentagon-Quellen, dass Washington ein 75-Millionen-Dollar-Programm in Gang setzt, um Jemens Anti-Terror-Truppen zu trainieren, eine Truppe, die derzeit 300 Mann umfasst. Das Programm soll dazu dienen, den Umfang der Truppe, die eine Schlüsselrolle im Unterdrückungsapparat von Saleh spielt, zu verdoppeln. |
| Diebstahl und Hehlerei | |
| Wie die EU von autoritären Regimen profitiert und ihre wirtschaftlichen Interessen auf Kosten unterdrückter Nationen durchsetzt Am 27. Februar dieses Jahres verlängert sich das Fischereiabkommen zwischen Marokko und der Europäischen Union automatisch, wenn es bis dahin nicht gekündigt wird. |
New documents show a Tucson firefighter refused to respond to the shooting rampage in that city last month that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) because of political differences with his crew. The 28-year-old firefighter has since resigned, facing disciplinary action.
| Bahrain tense amid funerals | |
| A doctor of Salmaniya hospital told Al Jazeera that the hospital is full of severely injured people after the latest shootings. "We need help! Our staff is entirely overwhelmed. They are shooting at people's heads. Not at the legs. People are having their brains blown out," a distraught Dr Ghassan said, describing the chaos at the hospital as something close to a war zone. |
| Die Schweiz im Spiegel der US-Depeschen | |
| Die Amerikaner zeichnen darin das Bild einer unbequemen, eigensinnigen Verbündeten. Über die des Atomschuggels bezichtigte Familie Tinner findet sich praktisch nichts - obwohl dieser Fall in den letzten Jahren das wohl heisseste Eisen in den Beziehungen Schweiz-USA darstellte. Das negative Image der USA in der Bevölkerung war ein weiteres Thema. Anmerkung des Übermittlers: Ich wusste gar nicht, dass die Schweiz als neutrales Land mit den USA verbündet sein soll ... |
| Das Ende des Freistaat Christiania | |
| Der Kopenhagener «Freistaat Christiania» hat den juristischen Streit um sein vor 40 Jahren erkämpftes Selbstbestimmungsrecht endgültig verloren. Dänemarks Oberstes Gericht sprach dem Staat das volle Nutzungsrecht über das Gelände des legendären Alternativ-Quartiers im Zentrum von Kopenhagen zu. |
| Alles Müll? | |
| Ein riesiger Teil der erzeugten Lebensmittel landet im Abfall, bevor er den Verbraucher erreicht. Dabei können alle etwas tun - vor allem Handelsketten und Politiker. |
| Egypt Asks EU To Freeze Top Officials' Assets, Not Mubarak's | |
| The Egyptian authorities have asked European Union countries to freeze the assets of some top officials of the former regime, but that request didn't include former President Hozni Mubarak's assets, the European Commission said Tuesday. |
| Huge protest over Djibouti leader | |
| Thousands of people march in Djibouti, calling for President Ismael Omar Guelleh to step down after 34 years in power. |
| Fox Reporter Greeted With 'Fox Lies' Chants In Madison | |
| Fox News anchor Chris Cotter and reporter Jeff Flock found the scene in Madison, Wisconsin a little bit inhospitable, as the gathered protesters chanted "Fox lies" over and over again during their afternoon hit from the state capitol building. One gentleman in a woolly hat was especially emphatic about his opinion that "Fox lies." |
| Ecclestone cautious on Bahrain GP | |
| Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says he will await developments over the weekend before deciding whether the season-opening grand prix can go ahead following further unrest in Bahrain. |
| BitTorrent Ponders Releasing World ISP P2P Speed Report | Author: Soulskill |
| Mark.JUK writes "The San Francisco-based inventor of the hugely popular peer-to-peer (P2P) internet file sharing protocol BitTorrent has revealed that it is considering whether or not to release the broadband performance (speed) data for more than 9,000 ISPs around the world. The technology company claims that the data forms part of its new project, which is sadly still in the very early stages of development, but could one day give consumers a near real-time perspective of how their ISP is performing. It wouldn't just cover P2P traffic either, with BitTorrent also tracking general HTTP transfers too. BitTorrent claims that its service can, for example, display that most UK ISPs 'aggressively throttle BitTorrent traffic after 6 p.m. at night,' with speeds suddenly going 'off a cliff.' Suffice to say that such information could prove to be very useful for consumers and advocates of Net Neutrality."Read more of this story |
| Berlusconi: Judicial reforms due | |
| Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi launches an attempt to reform the judicial system, days after being charged with having sex with an under-age prostitute. |
| BP beklagt sich über hohe Ausgaben für Ölpest | |
| Kritik an Verwalter des Entschädigungsfonds Der britische Ölkonzern BP hat zu hohe Ausgaben für die Entschädigung der Ölkatastrophe im Golf von Mexiko beklagt. In einem 25-seitigen Bericht kritisierte der Konzern den Verwalter des Entschädigungsfonds, Kenneth Feinberg. Er würde mögliche zukünftige Schäden zu hoch anzusetzen, so der Vorwurf des Ölkonzerns. Der Konzern verweist darauf, dass der Dezember 2010 etwa die beste Krabbenfang-Saison seit fünf Jahren gewesen sei und der Tourismus sich von der Katastrophe wieder erholt habe. |
| Wisconsin protesters staying put | |
| Thousands of union members and supporters amass in Wisconsin to keep up the pressure on a Republican-backed bill that would curb union rights. |
| Mutant Fish Safely Store Toxins in Fat | Author: Janet Raloff |
| Some fish in New York's Hudson River have become resistant to several of the waterway's more toxic pollutants. Instead of getting sick from dioxins and related compounds, Atlantic tomcod harmlessly store these poisons in fat, a new study finds. |
| Koch Industries Slashed WI Jobs, Helped Elect Scott Walker, Now Orchestrating Pro-Walker Protest | Author: Lee Fang |
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Wisconsin's newly elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker is facing a growing backlash over his attempt to cut pay and eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in his state. Although Walker is claiming his power grab is an attempt to close a budget gap, the budget "crisis" was engineered by Walker as soon as he got into office. As Brian Beutler reported, half of the budget shortfall comes from Walker's own tax cuts for businesses and other business giveaways enacted in January. A number of the big business interests standing with Walker are beneficiaries of his administration's tax giveaways. But the greatest ally to Walker is the dirty energy company Koch Industries. In response to the growing protests in Madison, Koch fronts are busing in Tea Party protesters to support Walker and his union-busting campaign. Last night, MSNBC's Ed Schultz reported on the involvement of Club for Growth and the Koch-financed Americans for Prosperity in the pro-Walker protest scheduled tomorrow.
Koch Industries was one of the biggest contributors to Walker's gubernatorial campaign, funneling $43,000 over the course of last year. In return, Koch front groups are closely guiding the Walker agenda. The American Legislative Exchange Council, another Koch-funded group, advised Walker and the GOP legislature on its anti-labor legislation and its first corporate tax cuts. According to the EPA, Koch businesses are huge polluters, emitting thousands of pounds of toxic pollutants. As soon as he got into office Walker started cutting environmental regulations and appointed a Republican known for her disregard for environmental regulations to lead the Department of Natural Resources. In addition, Walker has stated his opposition to clean energy jobs policies that might draw workers away from Koch-owned interests. Moreover, other organizers for the pro-Walker protest are from groups associated with corporate and Koch interests. American Majority, a Virginia-based front group founded by organizers funded by millionaire investor Howie Rich, is on the ground contacting Wisconsin Tea Parties to support Walker in Madison. Austin James, an American Majority official who was caught teaching Tea Party members to spam Amazon.com profiles of liberal books with negative comments, is the contact for the Facebook page organizing the pro-Walker protest. Eric O'Keefe, a longtime conservative operative who helps lead American Majority, attends Koch strategy meetings. |
| US vetoes UN resolution on Israel | |
| The US vetoes an Arab resolution at the UN Security Council condemning Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories. |
| Barclays reveals corporation tax | |
| Barclays paid £113m in corporation tax to the UK in 2009, 2.4% of its annual profit of £4.6bn, a Labour MP reveals. |
| Egypt's military bans strikes | |
| Egypt's ruling military council says it will not tolerate any more strikes which disrupt the country's economy, as Egyptians celebrate the victory of their revolution. |
| Kentucky Aims to Become 'Sanctuary State' for Big Coal | |
| Two bills are advancing in the Kentucky legislature that would encourage coal companies to continue the controversial practice of mountaintop removal mining. One of the bills would declare Kentucky "a sanctuary state" from the EPA's "regulatory actions against coal-producing counties." |