NKorea launches rocket, defying world pressure
North Korea defiantly carried out a provocative rocket launch Sunday that the U.S., Japan and other nations suspect was a cover for a test of its long-range missile technology.
Blair steps up fight to be crowned first 'President of EU'
Tony Blair has emerged as the leading candidate to become the first permanent president of the European Union after Gordon Brown gave his grudging blessing to the plan. The former prime minister has stepped up his campaign for the job, which he wants to use to build a bridge between Europe and the new Obama administration.
Economist: US collapse driven by 'fraud' (Video & Transcript)
The financial industry brought the economy to its knees, but how did they get away with it? With the nation wondering how to hold the bankers accountable, Bill Moyers sits down with William K. Black, the former senior regulator who cracked down on banks during the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s. Black offers his analysis of what went wrong and his critique of the bailout
Geithner is charging, is covering up. Just like Paulson did before him. Geithner is publicly saying that it's going to take $2 trillion — a trillion is a thousand billion — $2 trillion taxpayer dollars to deal with this problem. But they're allowing all the banks to report that they're not only solvent, but fully capitalized. Both statements can't be true. It can't be that they need $2 trillion, because they have masses losses, and that they're fine.
These are all people who have failed. Paulson failed, Geithner failed. They were all promoted because they failed, not because... Complex instruments were deliberately created so that swindlers could exploit them. If you leave the failed CEO's in place, their not going to disclose the truth. Their deliberately leaving the failed CEO's in place because they don't want to disclose the truth.
Stiglitz: Bank Plan Makes Taxpayers Suckers
Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz lambastes the Obama administration’s plan for ridding banks of toxic assets as a boon for Wall Street and a bust for Main Street.
Pushing an Organ Commodities Market
Psychiatrist Sally Satel, of the American Enterprise Institute, has written about being diagnosed with eventual renal failure and her efforts to jump ahead of the organ waiting list (before going on dialysis) by finding someone to give her a kidney. (Her efforts failed until the author Virgina Postrel heard of Satel's illness and gave her one of hers--an act of utter selflessness since the two women did not know each other at the time.) Ever since her illness, Satel has been pushing for the creation of an organ market in which people would be able to sell a kidney, a slice of liver, etc.
Celebrities including Kate Winslett, Dame Helen Mirren, Clive Owen, Sir Michael Caine and the Irish actor Colin Farrell have all fallen victim to legislation that allows California's state government to take possession of bank accounts, stocks and the contents of security deposit boxes if they are dormant for longer than three years.
NATO leaders agree to resume direct talks with Russia
The leaders of NATO member states have agreed here on Saturday to relaunch talks with Russia in the framework of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC), suspended by the alliance unilaterally after the Russia-Georgia military conflict.
Top British judge attacks European Court
Lord Hoffmann, the second most senior Law Lord, accused the Court of going beyond its jurisdiction and imposing "uniform rules" on states.
In a lecture to fellow judges, published this week, Lord Hoffmann said the European Court, in the French city of Strasbourg, was unable to resist the temptation to "aggrandise its jurisdiction" by laying down a "federal law of Europe".
Gunman 'lying in wait' kills 3 Pittsburgh officers
A gunman wearing a bulletproof vest and "lying in wait" opened fire on officers responding to a domestic disturbance call Saturday, killing three of them and turning a quiet Pittsburgh street into a battlefield, police said.
U.S. Delivered Weapons to Israel in March, Group Reveals
A leading international rights group has revealed that the United States delivered hundreds of tons of unspecified weapons to Israel in March - only weeks after its war on Gaza that killed hundreds of civilians - saying the new shipment of munitions raises the question whether U.S. President Barack Obama would act to prevent further Israeli attacks "that may amount to war crimes."
But, unofficially, the authorities acknowledge there have been many more.
Almost all are connected to people-smuggling and drug-smuggling rings, confined to the Spanish-speaking immigrant communities.
Gays killed in Baghdad as clerics urge clampdown
Two gay men were killed in Baghdad's Sadr City slum, a local official said on Saturday, and police said they had found the bodies of four more after clerics urged a crackdown on a perceived spread of homosexuality.
NATO picks Dane as new secretary-general after overcoming Turkey's objections
NATO leaders appointed Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as NATO's new secretary-general Saturday after overcoming Turkish objections to a leader who angered Muslims around the world by supporting the right to caricature the Prophet Muhammad.
Police Fear 'Serial Killer' Was Just DNA Contamination
A notorious German serial killer known as "the Phantom of Heilbronn" might not exist. Police believe DNA evidence which pointed to a 15-year trail of crimes across Germany was a case of contaminated cotton swabs.
The UK Minority Report: Has 'Precrime' Finally Arrived?
By Patrick St James
A recent article in the UK Independent entitled, Police identify 200 children as potential terrorists, heralds what looks to be the unofficial beginning of British law enforcement's own "Pre-crime" program. For the first time, we can begin to see intelligence gathering and emerging technologies converging in a culture of pre-emptive law enforcement
Egyptian student cleared in Florida explosives trial
A U.S. jury acquitted an Egyptian student on Friday of two explosives charges that could have sent him to prison for up to 20 years in a case that resulted in a terrorism conviction against another student.
The UK Border Agency plans to start exchanging fingerprint data with the US, Canada and Australia in the near future
The organisation, which gained full executive agency status on 1 April 2009, says in a business plan issued on the same day that that it plans to work with the USA, Canada and Australia to "introduce a system of appropriate data protection arrangements for fingerprint checks and data sharing". This is intended to help identify and bar foreign criminals from entering the country, and is planned for "early 2009".
Blackwater murderers to return to Iraq?
Most of the guards working for private US-based firm Blackwater will possibly return to Iraq despite its role in a massacre.
US to fight 'anti-Israeli crap' at UN
US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said that the new US administration wants to rejoin the sometimes troubled UN Human Rights Council, to – among other things – "battle the anti-Israel crap."
Tax Day party count nearing 2,000 U.S. cities
While WND has been tracking 400 individual tea parties across the nation, the American Family Association has announced its count is nearing 1,600 – for Tax Day alone.
AIG’s airplane business and its ties to covert U.S. ops
By Wayne Madsen
WMR previously reported on Sir Allen Stanford’s aviation fleet and its curious links to covert U.S. intelligence operations. American International Group (AIG) is also in the aviation business and its subsidiary, International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), is one of the largest aircraft leasing businesses in the world.
The Smooth Criminal Transition from Bush/Cheney to Obama
By Larry Chin
To sober, clear-eyed observers of history and political deception, the ascension of Barack Obama held the promise for unprecedented new dangers: a revitalized New World Order, led by the Anglo-American empire’s neoliberal criminal faction and an iconic, deceptive new facilitator; and a continuation of Bush/Cheney criminality and war, under smarter and much more effective management.
Now, just months into their tenure, the Barack Obama administration has more than fulfilled the promises he made to his elite constituency, deepening the mass destruction of Bush/Cheney, while charming its victims all over the world into enjoying their own demise.
Another Example of How Gun Control Kills
Gun control laws not only result in needless deaths of those who otherwise could have armed and protected themselves, but they also inoculate the people to the fact that we're all responsible for protecting ourselves and our own families in the first place, and therefore brainwash us into believing we should ultimately place our fate in the hands of the state.
Rocket Fuel Chemical Found in Baby Formula
When a parent puts a bottle of baby formula to a child's lips, the parent might not know exactly what ingredients are in that thick, nutritionally packed mix. But rocket fuel? That's not an ingredient many expect to find.
Crackdown on illegals produces crime decline
Following a crackdown on illegal immigration, officials in Prince William County in northern Virginia are reporting their numbers reveal a significant decrease in violent crimes committed.
FBI rules out Taliban claim on New York killings
The FBI on Saturday ruled out Pakistani Taliban militant leader Baituallah Mehsud's claim that he was responsible for an attack on a U.S. immigration assistance center in New York state in which 14 people were killed.
The Economist gulps, reconsiders its Obama endorsement
You just can’t find a newspaper with more solid economic credentials than the Economist. So a lot of people were surprised when it endorsed a radical, inexperienced candidate like Barack Obama. Now the respected economic publication seems to be having second thoughts.
Barney Frank and Ron Paul team up on hemp
Liberal Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and libertarian Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas Republican who made a fine show in the GOP presidential primaries last year, find common ground today on hemp farming:
Their new bill, "The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 otherwise known as HR 1866, would remove restrictions on the cultivation of non-psychoactive industrial hemp. They claim nine other sponsors, nearly equally divided between the parties.
Pentagon fires Khadr's lawyer
He had become the most vocal opponent of the trial of Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr, taking on a position more akin to politician than lawyer and launching a two-year public and media campaign that landed him on the front pages of newspapers and inside glossy magazines.
Fannie, Freddie Bonuses Total About $210 Million
In a compensation program that has drawn angry protests from lawmakers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expect to pay about $210 million in retention bonuses to 7,600 employees over 18 months, according to a letter from the mortgage companies' regulator.
Explosives Found in World Trade Center Dust
The scientific paper Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe conclusively shows the presence of unignited aluminothermic explosives in dust samples from the Twin Towers, whose chemical signature matches previously documented aluminothermic residues found in the same dust samples.
Italian Union Says 2.7 Million Protesters in Rome
As many as 2.7 million people have joined a protest in Rome to protest the Italian government’s response to the economic crisis, the Associated Press said, citing CGIL, the country’s biggest national labor union.
Activists protest bailouts near Wall Street
Several hundred demonstrators protested near Wall Street on Friday against the handling of the U.S. economic crisis, government bailouts of private banks and corporations and bonuses paid out at insurer AIG.
Banks with taxpayer money could buy toxic assets
Banks that received billions of dollars of taxpayer money to bolster their capital could place bets on the same toxic assets that got them into trouble in the first place -- and with government support.
Anti-NATO protesters burn French border post
Anti-NATO protesters set ablaze a hotel and former frontier post on the Franco-German border on Saturday and riot police fired volleys of tear gas and shock grenades to try to contain growing violence.
Inquiry into torture allegations announced
MPs are to undertake the most far-reaching inquiry into Britain's role in human rights abuses in decades as allegations mount to suggest that officials repeatedly breached international law.
New York Times threatens to shut Boston Globe
The New York Times Co (NYT.N) has threatened to shut The Boston Globe unless the newspaper's unions agree to $20 million in concessions, the Globe reported on Friday, quoting union leaders.
From Twin Towers to Twin Camelots
By Alexander Cockburn
The world falls in love with a charismatic young president, his stylish wife, and their charming young children. In the campaign for the presidency he has defeated his opponent in part by charging Republican failure in the war against America’s enemies.
Britain should not fear asking for IMF cash
Britain should not be afraid or ashamed of taking money from the International Monetary Fund, a senior Cabinet minister has told the Daily Telegraph.
Biden vows to tackle gun violence after NY massacre
United States Vice President Joe Biden says a new approach must be taken to deal with senseless gun violence after the shooting deaths of 14 people in New York state.
Hedge fund paid Obama adviser Summers $5.2 million
Lawrence Summers, a top economic adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama, was paid about $5.2 million by hedge fund D.E. Shaw in the past year, financial disclosure forms released by the White House showed on Friday.
Administration Seeks an Out On Bailout Rules for Firms
The Obama administration is engineering its new bailout initiatives in a way that it believes will allow firms benefiting from the programs to avoid restrictions imposed by Congress, including limits on lavish executive pay, according to government officials.
Obama for nuke-free world
US President Barack Obama called for a world without nuclear weapons on Friday after arriving in France for a Nato summit, where he won French endorsement of his new Afghanistan strategy.
IMF sale will hit gold price
Gold prices are expected to slump by five per cent before the end of this month to $855 per ounce as leaders of G-20 nations agreed on Thursday that the International Monetary Fund should sell gold from its reserve to help stimulate the world economy.
Analysts say the prices may dip further by June once the supply of the precious metal rises due to sale by the IMF. The IMF can sell up to 403.3 tonnes, which is the equivalent of one-eighth of its holdings.
Suspected N.Y. shooter may have lost job
The gunman who went on a murderous rampage in a roomful of immigrants at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, N.Y. on Friday was an immigrant and a gun owner. But little else was known about him Friday, and it remained unclear what triggered his rage. More handiwork of those that want more gun control? Was the shooter a mind controlled assassin?
"I accept resonsibility. They were my men. I gave them orders in reaction to US drone attacks," Baituallah Mehsud told a news agency.
Earlier reports said two Asian males were taken from the scene with their hands bound, but police said these individuals were innocent and not responsible for the shooting.
The US Should Fear Its Friends
By Ivan Eland
President Warren Harding once said, "I have no trouble with my enemies," but noted that his friends "keep me walking the floor nights." That maxim should have applied to U.S. foreign policy since 9/11 and even before that.
Suspected US missile attack kills 13 in Pakistan
A suspected US missile strike on a militant hideout early Saturday killed at least 13 people and injured several more in Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan, an intelligence official said.
Unseen Footage: Riot police attack peaceful protesters at G20
Riot police use shields and batons in unprovoked attack on peaceful protesters. It took place at the Climate Camp on Bishopsgate in the City of London during the first day of the G20 protests on Wednesday 1st April 2009.
Senate OKs Measure Calling on Fed to Name Firms
In an unusual political challenge to the Federal Reserve, the Senate on Thursday called on the central bank to disclose the names of institutions that receive emergency loans and pushed for a study to determine the "appropriate" number of regional fed banks.
During a ride-along with a Temple University senior journalism student, the officer, William Thrasher, who is white, was quoted as calling the residents of the predominantly black 22d District "animals" and the violence that happens there "typical n- s-" or "TNS.
Maryland Police Accused of Beating Shackled Teen, Covering It Up
Two Baltimore police officers beat a teenager with a baton and a pool stick while he was handcuffed and shackled, then tried to cover up the attack with their sergeant's help, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Darkside of the Looking Glass
Anyone interested in why the Naked Short Selling/Fraudulent Stock Transaction crisis is the largest financial crisis to hit our market system in the last hundred years should pay close attention to the presentation - it doesn't get any clearer.
Yet Another Copyright Lobbying Group Caught Infringing
These days, it's nearly impossible not to infringe on copyright in one way or another during your regular day -- but it's always amusing when big-time copyright supporters are caught infringing (and it seems to happen quite frequently).
Obama to Bankers: “My Administration Is The Only Thing Between You And The Pitchforks.”
Tough talk which accurately reflects the righteous fury of the American people. Too bad Obama is just throwing our money at the banks and allowing them to game the system, and isn't actually doing anything to ensure that the banks act in the interests of the American people.
Fake faith and epic crimes
By John Pilger
The Brussels War Crimes Tribunal and the newly established Blair War Crimes Foundation are building a case for the former British prime minister’s prosecution
Clock ticks for Iran despite Obama's offer of talks
The United States will push for new U.N. sanctions against Iran later this year if President Barack Obama's effort to improve relations fails to stop Tehran from pursuing its nuclear program.
White House says U.S. needs H-1B visas to avoid 'competitive disadvantage'
President Barack Obama has so far reversed a number of actions taken by President George W. Bush -- on embryonic stem cell research, species protection and medical research -- but his administration has so far shown no interest in reversing a Bush-approved rule that has drawn the ire of H-1B opponents.
PPG loses bid for World Trade Center
A local manufacturing plant won’t have its glass on the new One World Trade Center building after all. Instead, the glass will be manufactured in China.
One in 10 Americans gets help to buy food
A record 32.2 million people -- one in every 10 Americans -- received food stamps at the latest count, the government said on Thursday, a reflection of the recession now in its 16th month.
Twitter switch for Guardian, after 188 years of ink
Consolidating its position at the cutting edge of new media technology, the Guardian today announces that it will become the first newspaper in the world to be published exclusively via Twitter, the sensationally popular social networking service that has transformed online communication.
Cops storm G20 'rioters HQ'
Police hunting G20 rioters threatened 70 squatters with tasers after storming their derelict HQ yesterday.
Democrats Duck Bush Torture Probe
Despite now overwhelming evidence that ex-President George W. Bush and many top aides engaged in a systematic policy of illegal torture, national Democrats appear to be shying away from their recommendation last year for a special prosecutor to investigate these apparent war crimes.
Obama: Stop Filling Administration with RIAA Insiders
Nearly two dozen public interest groups, trade pacts and library groups urged President Barack Obama on Thursday to quit filling his administration with insiders plucked from the Recording Industry Association of America.
Exposing lies about U.S. guns and Mexican crime
An ATF spokesperson explained to CNSNews.com that the bureau does not actually count, acquire, inspect, or warehouse the weapons confiscated in Mexico; and it does not know for sure how many guns in total have been confiscated by Mexican authorities, or how many confiscated guns may not have serial numbers.
Holder Pledges Caution in Prosecuting Public Corruption Cases
Attorney General Eric Holder, taking charge of a U.S. Justice Department wounded by allegations of partisanship and overreaching, pledged to exercise care in managing a stepped-up drive against public corruption.
G20 supports IMF's plan to sell 403 tons of gold
Leaders from the Group of 20 nations Thursday endorsed the International Monetary Fund's plan to sell 403 tons of gold to raise funds to support the world's poorest countries.
Carlos Santana wishes Obama would legalize pot
President Barack Obama brushed off a question about legalizing marijuana in his online town hall last month, but guitar god Carlos Santana says he wishes he would seriously consider it.
Art Nadel 'Ponzi Pal' linked to 5-ton coke bust
A hedge fund partner of accused Ponzi Fraudster Arthur G. Nadel, the current owner of what used to be terror flight school Huffman Aviation, was well-known in the New York Tri-State area as the “Garbage King of New Jersey,” the MadCowMorningNews has learned.
Phoenix police raid home of blogger whose writing is highly critical of them
In what should send a frightening chill down the spine of every blogger, writer, journalist and First Amendment advocate in the United States, Phoenix police raided the home of a blogger who has been highly critical of the department.
The latest handsets are so advanced they can reveal the location of the owner to within a few yards - along with their internet shopping habits, their interests and the names and addresses of their friends.
Clashes on Thai-Cambodian border
Troops from Thailand and Cambodia have exchanged heavy gunfire twice during the day in a disputed border area.
Japan aims for walking robot on the moon by 2020
Japan hopes to have a two-legged robot walk on the moon by around 2020, with a joint mission involving astronauts and robots to follow, according to a plan laid out Friday by a government group.
House, Senate budget plans boost Obama agenda
Passage by both House and Senate of companion budget plans gave President Barack Obama and his allies on Capitol Hill a key victory, but the debates also exposed some of the president's vulnerabilities.
G-20 Shapes New World Order With Lesser Role for U.S., Markets
Global leaders took their biggest steps yet toward a new world order that’s less U.S.-centric with a more heavily regulated financial industry and a greater role for international institutions and emerging markets.
US March payrolls fall 663,000, jobless rate 8.5 pct
U.S. employers slashed 663,000 jobs in March, lifting the unemployment rate to 8.5 percent, the highest since 1983, official data showed on Friday in a report underscoring the growing distress in the labor market.
NASA's Embattled Inspector General Resigns
NASA's embattled Inspector General Robert "Moose" Cobb has resigned from his post as the space agency's internal watchdog after years of criticism from lawmakers.
Under New Accounting Rule, Toxic Assets May Be Revalued
The board that sets U.S. accounting rules voted yesterday to let financial firms report higher values for some troubled assets, a controversial step likely to increase some banks' reported earnings but also heighten suspicions that the companies are concealing problems.
Robo-scientist's first findings
Scientists have created an ideal colleague - a robot that performs hundreds of repetitive experiments.
The robot, called Adam, is the first machine to have independently "discovered new scientific knowledge".
Failure Rate Rises on Mortgages Revised in Late 2008, U.S. Says
Mortgages modified in the third quarter failed at a faster pace than those revised in the first, and the delinquency rate on the least risky loans doubled, signs of deteriorating credit quality, U.S. regulators said.
Churchill wins CU suit but awarded just $1
Ward Churchill won his case against the University of Colorado today as a Denver jury unanimously decided he was fired in retaliation for his controversial essay about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Clashes at Nato summit protests
Police have clashed with several hundred protesters, with scores of people being arrested, ahead of a Nato summit in Strasbourg.
Obama in France to discuss Afghan plans with NATO
U.S. President Barack Obama was mobbed by cheering crowds after arriving in France Friday for a NATO summit, where he hopes to secure backing for his new strategy over Afghanistan.
