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U.S. drone strike kills two in eastern Afghanistan; 10 severely injured


Press TV
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 18:23 UTC
Image
© AP
At least two people have been killed and several others severely injured in a fresh strike by a US killer drone in the troubled eastern Afghanistan, security sources say.

Local Afghan security officials said on Tuesday that the attack took place in volatile Kunar Province.

At least 10 others, including women, were also wounded in the deadly strike. The injured have been shifted to a local hospital to receive medical treatment.

Local security sources also said all the victims were members of the Taliban militant group. However, the militant group has not commented on the deaths yet.

US officials claim that the airstrikes target militants, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.
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People

Russian MPs recognize need to protect citizens from 'professional' protesters


RT
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 09:36 UTC
Image
© RIA Novosti/Vladimir Astapkovish
A group of MPs are seeking to introduce additional punishment for repeated violation of the law on rallies, saying there is a need to protect citizens from 'professional' protesters.

The amendments are being prepared by three State Duma deputies representing the conservative majority party United Russia and the center-left Fair Russia caucus.

The lawmakers have presented statistics showing the majority of trouble makers at rallies are repeated violators. According to Interior Ministry data, of 36 people who were detained for illegal protest in the Moscow city center on February 6 this year, 21 had been previously been found guilty of administrative offense. Two of these people had each violated the law on rallies 16 times. A similar situation occurred on February 24 - of the 49 detained for illegal protest, three had a record of over 10 convictions for the same offense.
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Snakes in Suits

NATO suspends civilian and military cooperation with Russia


RT
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 18:51 UTC
Image
© AFP Photo / John Thys
A photo taken on April 1, 2014 shows a view of the Foreign Affairs meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
NATO has announced that it is suspending all military and civilian cooperation with Russia over the Ukrainian crisis, the bloc said in a joint statement.

"We have decided to suspend all practical civilian and military cooperation between NATO and Russia. Our political dialogue in the NATO-Russia Council can continue, as necessary, at the Ambassadorial level and above, to allow us to exchange views, first and foremost on this crisis," the statement reads. The alliance plans to review its relations with Russia at a meeting in June.

The decision could affect cooperation on Afghanistan in areas such as training counter-narcotics personnel, maintenance of Afghan air force helicopters and a transit route out of the war-torn country.

NATO foreign ministers also urged Moscow in "to take immediate steps ... to return to compliance with international law."

The bloc said that it was stepping up its cooperation with Ukraine, promoting defense reforms and increasing the activity of a liaison office in Kiev.
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Folder

Proposed overhaul to UK trespass law allow fracking firms access to land without permission

James Chapman
The Daily Mail
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 17:12 UTC
Image

Anger: Police tackle protesters at Balcombe, West Sussex, who were objecting to a test-drilling site there.
  • Scientists say UK is sitting on enough shale gas for 40 years' supply
  • But critics warn fracking can pollute water and could cause earthquakes
  • New rules will make it easier to fracking firms to ignore objections
Fracking firms will be allowed to access vast reserves of underground gas without the permission of landowners under controversial laws being drawn up by the Government.

Ministers are preparing an overhaul of trespass legislation to make it easier for firms to ignore objections.

One source said the reform, which will infuriate anti-fracking campaigners, was likely to be included in the Queen's Speech setting out the Government's plans for its final year.

Chancellor George Osborne is offering generous tax breaks to kickstart the technology. He believes fracking for shale gas could herald an energy revolution that will boost the economy, make Britain more self-sufficient and put an end to sky-high bills from greedy energy firms.

Comment: Obama tells EU to do more to cut reliance on Russian gas - Will give them U.S. supplies (...forget U.S. taxpayers)

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Stock Down

U.S. stock markets are rigged, sez author Michael Lewis

John McCrank
Reuters
Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:45 UTC
Image
© REUTERS/CARLO ALLEGRI
A Wall Street sign is pictured outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York, October 28, 2013.
The U.S. stock market is rigged in favor of high-speed electronic trading firms, which use their advantages to extract billions from investors, according to Michael Lewis, author of a new book on the topic, "Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt."

High-frequency trading (HFT) is a practice carried out by many banks and proprietary trading firms using sophisticated computer programs to send gobs of orders into the market, executing a small portion of them when opportunities arise to capitalize on price imbalances, or to make markets. HFT makes up more than half of all U.S. trading volume.

The trading methods and technology that make HFT possible are all legal, and the stock exchanges HFT firms trade on are highly regulated. But Lewis said these firms are using their speed advantage to profit at the expense of other market participants to the tune of tens of billions of dollars.

"They are able to identify your desire to buy shares in Microsoft and buy them in front of you and sell them back to you at a higher price," Lewis, whose book is available on Monday, said on the television program "60 Minutes" on Sunday.
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Cookies

Marijuana possession decriminalized in Washington DC


Reuters
Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:39 UTC
Image
© Reuters/Anthony Bolante
Marijuana plants are displayed for sale at Canna Pi medical marijuana dispensary in Seattle, Washington, November 27, 2012.
District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray on Monday signed a bill that decriminalizes possession of up to an ounce (28 grams) of marijuana in the U.S. capital.

The law makes possession a civil violation with a penalty of $25, lower than most city parking tickets. Possession had been a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

"He did sign it this morning," said spokeswoman Doxie McCoy. Gray is facing a tight race in the Democratic primary on Tuesday after being tarnished by links to a campaign finance scandal.

Proponents had backed the marijuana measure as an issue of fairness. A study by the American Civil Liberties Union had shown that blacks in Washington were eight times more likely to be arrested for pot than people of other races.

Comment: Reefer madness will spread - if it works

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Safe

Paul Craig Roberts: The Federal Reserve's lack of integrity speaks volumes about corrupt U.S. government

Paul Craig Roberts and Dave Kranzler
Paulcraigroberts.org
Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:44 UTC
Image
© Coinweek
As we documented in previous articles, the gold price is driven down in the paper futures market by naked short selling by the Fed's dependent bullion banks. Some people have a hard time accepting this fact even though it is known that the big banks have manipulated the LIBOR (London Interbank Overnight Rate - London's equivalent of the Fed Funds rate) interest rate and the twice-daily London gold price fix.

Almost every week it is possible to illustrate the appearance of a large number of contracts shorting gold at times of day when trading is thin. The short-selling triggers stop-loss orders and margin calls and hammers down the gold price.

The Fed has resorted to this practice in order to protect the value of the US dollar from Quantitative Easing.

In order for the Fed to effectively support the reserve status of the U.S. dollar by pushing it higher when it starts to drop, the Fed has also to prevent the price of gold from rising. Intervention in the gold market has been occurring for a long time. However, in the last several years the intervention has become blatant and desperate, as rising concerns about the dollar are causing countries such as China and Russia to accumulate fewer dollars and more gold.
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Eye 1

John Kerry calls off meeting with Palestinian President Abbas


The Voice of Russia
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 23:41 UTC
Image
© Voice of Russia
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday called off a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah for last-minute talks on extending peace talks with Israel, a senior State Department official said. That's according to Reuters.

"We are no longer travelling tomorrow. We are in close touch with the team on the ground," the official said.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas signed a request to join several UN agencies on Tuesday, in a move that could derail a US push to revive faltering peace talks with Israel. The demands for membership will be sent immediately to the relevant agencies, he said.

"The Palestinian leadership has unanimously approved a decision to seek membership of 15 UN agencies and international treaties, beginning with the Fourth Geneva Convention," Abbas made a statement after signing the demand during a meeting at his Ramallah headquarters.

Comment: Coincidence?
From March 31, 2014: Kerry makes unscheduled trip to Israel after Paris talks with Russia's Sergei Lavrov

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War Whore

Dick Cheney talks about bombing Iran and calls NSA spying 'hogwash' in leaked speech

Andy Kroll and David Corn
Mother Jones
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 08:28 UTC
Dick Cheney
© Rose Palmisano/The Orange County Register/ZUMA
What do former Vice President Dick Cheney, billionaire megadonor Sheldon Adelson, and Republican activists and funders talk about - and applaud - when they're behind closed doors at a Las Vegas hotel? Bombing Iran.

This past weekend, the Republican Jewish Coalition held its spring leadership meeting at Adelson's Venetian hotel, where several possible 2016 contenders, including ex-Gov. Jeb Bush and current Govs. Chris Christie, Scott Walker, and John Kasich, showed up to kiss the ring of the casino magnate, who's looking to bankroll a viable Republican presidential candidate. Though the heavy-on-Israel speeches of the White House wannabes were open to the press, the keynote address delivered by Cheney on Saturday night was off-limits to reporters and the public. But Mother Jones has obtained a recording of Cheney's talk, during which he once again derided President Barack Obama on foreign policy, blasted the isolationists within his own party, assailed critics of the National Security Agency, and seemingly endorsed the idea of an Israeli strike against Iran.
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Arrow Down

Saudi Arabia declares all atheists are terrorists in new law to crack down on political dissidents

Adam Withnall
The Independent, UK
Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:26 UTC
King Abdullah
© The Independent, UK
Atheists, peaceful protesters and those who go to fight abroad have all been brought under the auspices of new "anti-terror" laws.
Saudi Arabia has introduced a series of new laws which define atheists as terrorists, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.

In a string of royal decrees and an overarching new piece of legislation to deal with terrorism generally, the Saudi King Abdullah has clamped down on all forms of political dissent and protests that could "harm public order".

The new laws have largely been brought in to combat the growing number of Saudis travelling to take part in the civil war in Syria, who have previously returned with newfound training and ideas about overthrowing the monarchy.

To that end, King Abdullah issued Royal Decree 44, which criminalises "participating in hostilities outside the kingdom" with prison sentences of between three and 20 years, Human Rights Watch said.

Yet last month further regulations were issued by the Saudi interior ministry, identifying a broad list of groups which the government considers to be terrorist organisations - including the Muslim Brotherhood.
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