Afghanistan: the world's second most corrupt nation
As President Hamid Karzai is about to be inaugurated for his second five-year term, the country he leads now ranks globally ahead of only one other - Somalia - in the perceived level of public-sector corruption.

Obama warns Iran of consequences over nuclear standoff
U.S. President Barack Obama issued a strong warning to Iran on Thursday of consequences of its failure to respond to the offer of a nuclear deal and could have a package of steps to take "within weeks."

Iran Began Preparing for U.S. Bombing in 2002
New evidence contradicts the U.S. charge that Iran had been working on constructing a covert enrichment plant for several years – well before March 2007, when Iran announced that it would no longer inform the agency of new facilities as soon as the decision had been made to construct them.

Blair could still land Europe job after Belgian rival 'Rumpy' calls for new taxes
Tony Blair's bid for the presidency of Europe was gaining fresh momentum last night after his chief rival for the job called for the introduction of new EU taxes.

Developing nations outstrip rich on greenhouse gases
Developing countries now emit more greenhouse gas than rich countries, according to a study that will intensify demands for all countries to set targets for cutting emissions.

Russian lawyer who accused police of corruption dies in prison
A Russian lawyer jailed after uncovering evidence of police involvement in the theft of $230 million from the government has died in prison, officials said Tuesday, and his American partner is accusing the authorities of killing him.

Amazonians sue Chevron over toxic waste
Tens of thousands of Amazonians are suing Chevron, the American oil company, for poisoning their waterways in what is billed as one of the biggest environmental cases in history.

Ukraine reports 12 flu deaths in 24 hours
The death toll from the flu epidemic in Ukraine has reached 328, with 12 deaths registered over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

China questions costs of U.S. healthcare reform
It turns out the Chinese are kind of curious about how President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform plans would impact America’s huge fiscal deficit.

Silicon Sweatshops
Despite strict "codes of conduct," labor rights violations are the norm at factories making the world's favorite high-tech gadgets.

UN nuclear chief in secret talks with Iran over deal to end sanctions
United Nations and Iranian officials have been secretly negotiating a deal to persuade world powers to lift sanctions and allow Tehran to retain the bulk of its nuclear programme in return for co-operation with UN inspectors.

Israel approves 900 settler homes
Israel has approved the construction of 900 new homes at a Jewish settlement in mostly Arab East Jerusalem.

Army tells its soldiers to 'bribe' the Taleban
British forces should buy off potential Taleban recruits with “bags of gold”, according to a new army field manual published yesterday.

London talks to bring troops home
International talks in London could be used to set a "clear timetable" for the handover of power in Afghanistan, Gordon Brown suggested on Monday.

India puts nuclear plants on alert-report
India has put its nuclear power plants on alert and tightened security after intelligence about possible attacks, a report said on Monday.

Iraq's January vote placed in doubt by presidency
Iraq's general election in January was thrown into doubt on Monday when the war-torn country's presidential council demanded more clout be given to minorities and nationals living abroad.

Post-Saddam Iraq demands right to nuclear power
Vilified as a nuclear bomb-seeking threat to world peace before the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, Iraq now wants access to civilian nuclear power for its economic and energy needs.

Senate health bill woos moderates
Senate majority leader Harry Reid unveiled his long-awaited version of a sweeping health care bill last night, setting the stage for a tense Senate showdown pitting Republicans against a fragile and fractured Democratic majority.

Court: Army Corps of Engineers liable for Katrina flooding
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Army Corps of Engineers' failure to properly maintain a navigation channel led to massive flooding in Hurricane Katrina, a decision that could make the federal government vulnerable to billions of dollars in claims.

The 15 Biggest Congressional Recipients Of Wall Street Campaign Cash
Reforming Wall Street is a hot topic on Capitol Hill these days. Congress is currently weighing two financial reform bills that would, to varying degrees, reshape the way the financial system is regulated.

Bigger U.S. Role in Broadband Is Likely
The Federal Communications Commission began to lay the groundwork for a bigger federal role in the broadband business Wednesday, outlining the hurdles the U.S. needs to overcome to improve the availability of high-speed Internet access.

Gov't Wastes $98B in Taxpayer Dollars in 2009
More than $98 billion in taxpayer dollars spent by government agencies was wasted, much of it on questionable claims for tax credits and Medicare benefits, representing an increase of $26 billion from the previous year.

Sears Tower bomb plotter jailed
A judge in the United States has handed down a six-year jail term to one of five men convicted of planning to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago

Army's record suicide rate 'horrible,' general says
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli on Tuesday called the Army's record suicide rate this year "horrible" and said the problem of soldiers taking their own lives is the toughest he has faced in his 37 years in service.

Holder Downplays Concerns Over War-Time Prisoners Entering Civilian Court
Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday stood by his decision to send five alleged Sept. 11 conspirators to New York for trial, saying his team carefully considered the potential downsides of taking the case out of the military commission system but ultimately determined federal court was the best option.

Reid 'optimistic' about getting 60 votes on health bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid scrambled Tuesday to lock down votes behind a health-care bill that he may present as early as Wednesday.

CIA paid millions of dollars to ISI since 9/11: Report
The CIA has paid millions of dollars to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) since 9/11, accounting for as much as one-third of the foreign spy agency's annual budget, says a media repor

NYC papers' circulation offices raided
Investigators in New York City raided circulation offices at some of the nation's largest newspapers Tuesday as part of a union corruption probe, a law enforcement official said.

“Ukraine swine flu ‘burns’ lungs”– source
British scientists suspect that swine flu virus has mutated in Ukraine. Some doctors say that flu in the country has shown unprecedented symptoms, creating the effect of “burnt” lungs, the Daily Mail reports.

Aerosol Spraying, Weaponized Viruses, and Baxter (Video)
This would explain why BO declared a "National Emergency" here in the states Oct 29 - likely the very day or day before the low-flying planes aerosol-sprayed the viral plague into the mountains around Kiev.

Internet Governance Forum goes to Egypt and hits a few snags
Now it seems that the United Nations is also getting into the Internet debate and dipping its toes into the Net Neutrality debate.

CO2 still going up, but temperature not following the same trend
Despite the economic effects of the global financial crisis (GFC), carbon dioxide emissions from human activities rose 2 per cent in 2008 to an all-time high of 1.3 tonnes of carbon per capita per year, according to a paper published today in Nature Geoscience.

WHO says swine flu samples from Ukraine showed no significant mutation
The World Health Organization says tests on swine flu samples from Ukraine show no significant mutation of the virus.

Cryptographic voting debuts
Scantegrity ensures that if just 2 percent of voters confirm their codes, it’s statistically almost impossible for vote tampering to go undetected.

Chemicals used in plastics feminise the brains of little boys 'so that they avoid rough and tumble games'
Chemicals used in plastics are 'feminising' the brains of baby boys, a disturbing study shows

Bank of America, UBS, JPMorgan Sued Over Derivatives
Bank of America Corp., UBS AG and JPMorgan Chase & Co. were sued by a California public utility over claims they rigged sales of municipal derivatives and shared illegal profits through kickbacks.

Fed May Not Increase Rates Until 2012, Bullard Says
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said past experience suggests policy makers may not start to raise interest rates until early 2012, while concern borrowing costs have stayed “too low for too long” may prompt an earlier move.

Mexico, Colombia Plan Samurais to Tap Japan Investors
Mexico and Colombia plan to sell Samurai bonds, joining Poland and the Philippines in turning to Japanese investors to help finance widening budget deficits

Obama: Too much debt could fuel double-dip recession
President Barack Obama gave his sternest warning yet about the need to contain rising U.S. deficits, saying on Wednesday that if government debt were to pile up too much, it could lead to a double-dip recession.

U.S. Economy: Homebuilding Drops as End of Tax Credit Loomed
Residential construction in the U.S. unexpectedly dropped in October amid concern a homebuyer tax credit would expire, illustrating the market’s dependence on government help to sustain a recovery as job losses mount.

Janet Tavakoli: Goldman Sachs Nearly Bankrupted AIG
Goldman wasn't the only contributor to the systemic risk that nearly toppled the global financial markets, but it was the key contributor to the systemic risk posed by American International Group, Inc.'s (AIG) near bankruptcy in September 2008.

FDIC Sells Most Real Estate Since 1994 on U.S. Banking Debacle
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has already sold the most real estate this year since 1994 as the regulator takes over properties held by failed lenders.

House Dems sharpening "too big to fail" plan
A key U.S. congressional panel moved toward toughening a plan for dealing with "too big to fail" financial firms on Tuesday, while rejecting a Republican alternative that is expected to reappear later.

Roubini: Worst Yet to Come
Think the worst is over? Wrong. Conditions in the U.S. labor markets are awful and worsening.

China turns to Adam Smith
What is more unexpected is that it is China that has an appetite for the father of modern capitalism, while the West is rediscovering Marx.

IMF Head Calls For New Global Currency
The imperative of greater global currency stability means the world can no longer rely, as it has done since the end of the gold standard, on a currency issued by a single country, the head of the IMF said on Tuesday.

Stocks Overvalued, Recession Will Return: Meredith Whitney
Stocks are overvalued and the US economy is likely to fall back into a recession next year, well-known analyst Meredith Whitney told CNBC.

What Is Money?
Part 16: Inflation and the Savior State
By Gary North
I have argued that the debate over monetary theory begins with a debate over sovereignty. Here is the central question: "What is sovereign in this world?"

Tea Parties Need Teeth
By Dr. Edwin Vieira, Jr., Ph.D., J.D.
Revitalization of the Militia will enable WE THE PEOPLE to exercise community self-reliance and ultimately true self-government in “a free State” with a sound free-market economy.

Gideon Levy on Israel's addiction to the occupation
Gideon Levy, one of the most prominent Israeli journalists working with Ha'aretz speaks to The Real News' Lia Tarachansky about Israel's addiction to the occupation of the Palestinian Territories.

Not even Houdini could escape the two party system
By Jon Christian Ryter
If the American people can remember this simple adage, and remember that the most important election battle is not the general election but the primary election, they will always win.

Pentagon’s Global Reach: Around The World In 12 Days
By Rick Rozoff
Despite the Obama administration’s pledge to the contrary, July’s war supplement may not be the last one.

Bill O’Reilly: “I Don’t Care About The Constitution” (Video)
FOX’s Bill O’Reilly ["I Don't Care About The Constitution" ] vs. FOX’s Judge Napolitano Over 9/11 NYC Terror Trial

The Struggle for Net Neutrality
By Stephen Lendman
During his 2008 campaign, Barack Obama promised to "Support the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet."

Federal Reserve or Super Regulatory Agency? … Neither
For those who understand what has happened in reference to regulators before and during the current economic crisis, the idea of taking authority and responsibility away from the Federal Reserve and placing it within a new super regulatory agency, as is being proposed, is ignorant, to be kind.

Dying to prosecute Hasan
By Jerry Mazza
The White House went ahead Thursday, according to the Washington Post, and charged Major Nidal M. Hasan with 13 counts of murder.

The Fed Talking About Reducing Leverage Is Like A Crack Cocaine Dealer Handing Out “Just Say No” Stickers
The New York Federal published a report in July entitled “The Shadow Banking System: Implications for Financial Regulation”.

About “Our Choice”
On a page by itself, we find this inside the front cover of Al Gore’s latest climate fraud promotion book.

COMEX commercial shorts in retreat for silver
By Gene Arensberg
Gold traders have their eyes on two non-confirmations that so far have refused to “answer” gold’s push to new all time nominal highs – the relative price of silver to gold and the performance of the equities of mining companies.

Demand Congress stop withholding taxes now
By Devy Kidd
The shadow government run by the banking cartels want you to continue running debt as your way of life.

The Emerging Medical Dictatorship
By Adam Murdock, MD
Not only is the government seeking to monitor foreign, domestic, and economic terrorists but you can now add medical dissidents to the list.

Competition With the Government?
By Ron Paul
Washington is keenly interested in healthcare reform, but it is certainly not going to increase competition or to expand your options for healthcare.

Man arrested after refusing to show TSA his identification
Frequent traveler Phil Mocek discovered there is no law requiring you to show your identification between interstate traveling, despite the numerous signs in airports ordering you to present your ID before boarding.

Big Brother quiz for new school parents: Officials launch 83-point probe into families' lives
Parents of five-year-olds starting school have been sent an 83-point questionnaire that probes personal details of their lives.

Fines for too-tall grass could rise to $1,000 a day in Flordia
An overgrown lawn could cost a homeowner $1,000 a day.

Active Duty Military Personnel “Volunteer” as Counterinsurgency Advisors with Salinas Police Department (In violation of the Posse Comitatus Act)
Volunteer veterans help California city use counterinsurgency strategy to stem gang violence

UK - Health and safety snoops to enter family homes
Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents.