| Africa, Australia and Canada likely hold the key to a geopolitical battle being fought to end China's stranglehold over obscure elements used to build high-tech items from headphones to missiles. |
| Chavez said speech on live TV he had already discussed the idea with some members of the ALBA bloc of left-wing Latin American nations and some other countries in Europe and South America and hopes they could create a commission that goes to Libya for talks with the Libyan government and the leaders of the opposition. "We want a peaceful solution ... We support peace in the Arab world and in the whole world," he said. |
| Libyan leader Muammar Al Qathafi's son, Seif al-Islam has once again told Britain's Sky News that the country's air force had not been used to attack civilians protesting against his father's rule, and that the attack they made at Brega, was to safeguard the town's important harbour, which is a an important hub for the export of oil, the lifeline of all the Libyan people. |
| Meanwhile, the Libyan government made its first official reaction to sanctions announced by the United Nations in a letter by its foreign minister, Mussa Kussa, calling for the travel ban and assets freeze ordered against Al Qathafi, his family and his close aides "to be suspended until such time as the truth is established". |
| Shocking new leaked emails show big corporations, defense contractors, and corporate law firms conspiring to run a "dirty tricks" campaign against their political enemies, including WikiLeaks. They proposed infiltrating groups under fake identities, smearing their reputation by planting false documents, and even hacking into their computers to try to steal information and disrupt their work. But while WikiLeaks is the target of a major government investigation, these guys are still major government contractors! Now some brave members of Congress are trying to change that, demanding a full investigation into these potential crimes: They just signed a letter urging the chairmen of several powerful Congressional committees to start holding hearings. Can you join them? |
| Feeling abandoned by their political leadership, Palestinian youth are pushing for change. |
Jon Stewart points out Faux News practicing hypocrisy in comparing the teachers in Wisconsin and the douchebags on Wall Street... [link]
Greenwald:Manning, an unconvicted US citizen, treated in ways expressly forbidden by the Geneva convention. Obama remains silent.
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| The Foreign Office is warning Britons against all travel to Yemen because of increasingly violent anti-government protests there. |
| Saudi Arabia bans all protests and marches in the country and warns police will use measures to prevent disruption. |
| Egypt's feared former Interior Minister, Habib el-Adly, denies charges of corruption at the start of his trial in Cairo. |
| Neuerdings erhalten Schüler der 9. Klasse sanktionsbedrohte Vorladungen von den Hartz IV Behörden (Jobcenter). Teilweise behindern diese Termine sogar die Schulpflicht, wie Dietmar Brach von der Arbeitslosenhilfe Rheinland-Pfalz berichtet. Hier sollten Eltern schnell handeln. Denn Schüler erhalten nach dem SGB II lediglich ein Existenzminimum, welches den Unterhalt sichert. |
| "Nicht nur einige schwarze Schafe" Wien - In der Justiz gebe es "nicht nur einige schwarze Schafe", sondern "gewisse Schwachstellen" im System, "die es ehestens ausmerzen gilt". Dies meint der Vorsitzende von Transparency International Österreich, Franz Fiedler, angesichts der Ermittlungen gegen 23 Beamte wegen des Verdachts der Weitergabe von Informationen gegen Bestechungsgeld. In einem Untersuchungsausschuss könnte der Frage nachgegangen werden, "was systemisch in der Justiz falsch läuft", meinte Fiedler in der "ZiB 24". |
| The Italian prime minister plans to attend all hearings in his upcoming trials, his lawyer says. |
| The Bank of England governor accuses banks of seeking to maximise short-term profits at the expense of customers and warns reforms must not fail. |
| Reagan: "Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost." Read what else the Wisconsin guv's idol had to say. |
| If a 14-year old boy coerces a 14-year old girl into making a sex video on a cellphone, then releases that video on the Internet, can he be charged as a child pornographer? A federal case in Kentucky may set key precedent. |
| Sometimes Bill O'Reilly justifies his big ratings. This was one of those times. |
| China's government called Saturday for higher social spending, controls on inflation and measures to urgently close a divisive rich-poor gap, betting that rising living standards, better services and heavy policing will dampen growing public expectations for change. |
| Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, has come under fire from leading economists after warning that Britain risks suffering another financial crisis without reform of the country's banks. |
On Feb 17, Gov. Walker said he'd received more than 8000 emails on his budget bill, with most urging him to "stay firm." Then, he upped it to 19,000. A paper asked to see them, by hand-delivered letter & the next week by emails to his spokesperson & legal counsel. No response. So they're suing him. [link]
Probable Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson, former NM governor, favors legalizing pot, supports abortion rights, opposes the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and doesn't go to church. "I don't think you'll ever hear me invoking God in anything I do." [link]
| Satellitenmonitoring - Libyen aus dem All: "und die Bilder erzählen eine andere Geschichte… " |
| These: der Westen hat kein Interesse daran, den Krieg in Libyen zu beenden. In Libyen kämpfen Muslime gegen Afrikaner. Der Westen profitiert vom Bruderkrieg politisch und wirtschaftlich um so mehr, je mehr der Krieg weitergeht. Da ein Sieg für keine Seite absehbar ist, gibt es nur einen Ausweg: Friedensverhandlungen, die möglichst schnell zu einem Ende des Blutvergießens führen. |
| The recent uprising in Egypt that toppled the country's long-sitting president, had no leader and no single hero, according to Wael Ghonim, a Google marketing manager in Egypt and one of the revolution's galvanizing forces who spoke at the TED conference this week. |
| Due to malware infecting their machines, last year some BitTorrent users were presented with a screen claiming that they had been caught infringing copyright by groups such as the RIAA and MPAA and needed to pay cash to settle. Now, thanks to leaked documents from the company that processed the credit card payments, we can see how many people fell for the scam. |
Al Jazeera passes litmus test of its objectivity. Publishes negative news about home base Qatar. [link]
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Okian Warrior writes "A man in Weare, New Hampshire was charged with felony wiretapping for recording the police during a traffic stop - based on a cell phone call he made as an officer approached his vehicle. From the article: Police considered it wiretapping because the call was being recorded by a voice mail service without the officer's consent." Read more of this story
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Anonymous Coward writes "A report in p2pnet.net says a 'declaration for a temporary council in the Republic of Libya' has been published. The story quotes Alive in Libya, which says Mustafa Abdul Jaleel is the president, and Abdul Hafid Abdul Qader Ghoga is the deputy president and official spokesman. No other details are given." Read more of this story
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| Protesters march on the headquarters of the country's secret police in Cairo demanding the organisation be dismantled. |
| "I think intervention in Libya would rob the moral force and dignity of indigenous Arab revolt that we have been seeing," Junaid Levesque-Alam said. "I think it would be a serious mistake that would put the US in yet another difficult quagmire. If the crisis truly gets out of hand, then it's up to the Arab League and the Afghan Union who have discussed their willingness to perhaps intervene if things did truly get out of hand. Any military adventure can end disastrously regardless the initial motives even if they are noble and benign which in itself is a heroic assumption, really." |
| The Venezuelan political activist Lina Ron - one of president Hugo Chavez's most radical supporters - dies of a heart attack at 53. |
| Why an army coup might undermine Tunisia revolution |
| Jeremy Bowen reports the risk of a prolonged Libyan battle is real |
| The UK government confirms it has a diplomatic team in Libya, but will not comment on reports SAS members have been seized by rebel forces. |
| Thousands of people join protests in the US state of Wisconsin against proposals that will limit the power of trade unions. |
| Slumdog Millionaire child actress Rubina Ali says precious Oscar souvenirs were lost when a fire ravaged her home in Mumbai. |
| The US warns its citizens to avoid travelling to Yemen and says those already there should consider leaving, citing "terrorist activities and civil unrest". |
| An opinion poll placing Marine Le Pen in front for next year's presidential vote sends shockwave through French politics. |
| Japan Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara resigns after being criticised for accepting a donation from a foreign national. |
| Four Libyan towns which forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi claimed to have retaken remain under rebel control, witnesses say. |
| Former Foreign Secretary David Miliband says it is "horrific" that a London School of Economics lecture in his father's name was held by Saif Gaddafi. |
| China mounts a huge security operation in the capital in response to renewed online calls for protests, inspired by those in the Middle East that have seen civil unrest and leaders ousted. |
| The leaders of the Republic of Ireland's two largest parliamentary parties say they have agreed to form a coalition government. |
| Afghanistan's president tells the US commander of foreign troops his apology over Nato's killing of children is "not enough" and that he must "stop the killings of civilians". |
| HSBC, Europe's biggest bank, has denied reports it is planning to move its head office from London to Hong Kong. |
| Foreign Secretary William Hague defends Prince Andrew after criticism of the Prince's links to a convicted paedophile. |
| A British diplomatic team detained by Libyan rebels in Benghazi have been freed and have now left the country, the Foreign Office says. |
the Department of Defense will not let Rep. Dennis Kucinich see Bradley Manning so he can asses the conditions. Is this even legal? [link]
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greenerd writes "Researchers from the University of Central Florida may have found the most efficient (and most bizarre) battery material yet - 'frozen smoke', also known as Aerogel. One of the world's lightest solids, aerogel contains multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) which each one several thousands thinner than human hair. The researchers, Associate Professor Lei Zhai and Postdoctoral Associate Jianhua Zou, believe that this material could soon become the best energy storage material for capacitors and batteries." Read more of this story
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Volunteers Heading Unarmed to Take On Gaddafi: "It's a trip we may not return from, but there's no turning back now. Revolution or death." [link]
| British sources said that although the battalion was being made ready, there were no immediate plans to fly troops to Libya. The soldiers would be used for humanitarian operations.. However, the British team could also provide advice to opposition figures on how to defend themselves and even on how to step up their resistance to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime. |
Libyan government claims: "Everything is safe. Tripoli is 100 per cent under control. What you are hearing is celebratory fireworks. People are in the streets, dancing in the square." He warned, however: "I would like to advise not to go there for your safety." [link]
Caught On Tape: Cops Talk About Stealing Man's Property Over Bag Of Weed. The officers have been charged. [link]
Prison Rape And The Government - Disturbing report on US prison service. Incidents of sexual abuse may be as high as 25 per hour. "Overall, most victims were abused not by other inmates but by corrections staff: agents of our government, paid with our taxes" [link]
| Abraham Lincoln told freed slaves they should found a colony in Latin America, and even made contact secretly with the British about making land available in what was then British Honduras, now Belize, according to a new book. WikiLeaks cables recount how U.S. pressured allies [link] |
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kkleiner writes "You may know that the cost to sequence a human genome is dropping, but you probably have no idea how fast that price is coming down. The National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the US National Institute of Health, has compiled extensive data on the costs of sequencing DNA over the past decade and used that information to create two truly jaw-dropping graphs. NHGRI's research shows that not only are sequencing costs plummeting, they are outstripping the exponential curves of Moore's Law. By a big margin."Read more of this story
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