The last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called on Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to heed protester demands and quit politics.

Mikhail Gorbachev called on Prime Minister Vladimir Putin not to seek a third term as president next year.

He told the Moscow Echo radio: "I would advise Vladimir Putin to leave now. He has had three terms: two as president and one as prime minister. Three terms - that is enough."

Mr Gorbachev, 80, has been virulently critical of the elections that took place on December 4. Soon after the poll he said that the results of the poll should be annulled and new elections held due to "numerous falsifications and rigging."

"The results do not reflect the will of the people," Mr Gorbachev said at the time. "Therefore I think they [Russia's leaders] can only take one decision - annul the results of the election and hold new ones."

The former president was considering attending the march in central Moscow today, to which thousands ventured. He was, however, unable to appear but passed his greetings to the protestors.

Today I read an article on slashdot titled "New Study Confirms Safety of GM Crops". Before you navigate away from this article, please be assured they were not citing the National Enquirer. The study was conducted in France, with assistance from the usual suspects (British universities, biotechnology corporations, etc).

Also involved in the study were rodents - clearly a dietary staple of the French, and biologically (or psychologically?) identical to certain English academics.

The "evidence" cited in the study shows that - at least to monocled marsupials - GM plants are "nutritionally equivalent to their non-GM counterparts and can be safely used in food and feed." Of course "food and feed" are not exclusive aspects of GM agriculture - or even agriculture - but corporate-sponsored research has its own perspective . . . Never mind the trace minerals and everything else!

As usual, the slashdot comments were many, and the views varied; organic versus conventional, ridicule and support of both, with lots between - all shedding light on people's views of the subject. Admittedly, geeks may not be the best authority on such topics - often compiled of pizza and soft-drinks - but I fear they do provide an example of popular opinion regardless. Many see GM as a noble science, helping to feed the world's growing population. Some see "organic" anthropocentrically, reducing it to a matter of pesticides, nutrition, and prices. Few seem to have a balanced perspective though.

The killing of Osama Bin Laden in May brought a sense of resolution to Americans, but a ruling by a federal judge shows justice has not been delivered. In a decision that should forever change the story of 9/11 and the West's Middle East policy, Judge George Daniels has just ruled that Iran and Hezbollah are responsible for 9/11.

Judge Daniels concluded that 9/11 happened because of Iran and Hezbollah's direct support for the plotters, especially the hijackers, and probably would not have happened without it. The evidence presented in court goes even further, strongly indicating that 9/11 was a joint operation between Al-Qaeda and the Iranian regime. It took over 10 years after 9/11 for Iran's covert involvement to be exposed, a frightening testament to the ineptitude of our intelligence community and the experts who assured us that Iran would never work with Bin Laden's terrorist group or directly target the U.S.

Eight law firms acting under the leadership of Thomas E. Mellon presented reams of publicly-available information and over 25 hours of testimony from three Iranian intelligence defectors, whose accounts were deemed credible by Judge Daniels. The three defectors provided first-hand information to prove the culpability of Iran and Hezbollah.

Suicide bombers have hit two security service bases in Damascus, killing many civilians and some soldiers.

"Several soldiers and a large number of civilians were killed in the two attacks carried out by suicide bombers in vehicles packed with explosives against bases of state security and another branch of the security services," state television said tonight.

A Syrian official said the death toll was over 30.

"Initial inquiries hold al-Qa'ida responsible," the television added.

Witnesses said the bombers struck in the Kfar Suseh neighbourhood of the city. A car tried to ram its way into a state security compound, while another car exploded in front of a security service building in the same area.

The blasts came as an advance team was in Damascus to prepare the logistics for an Arab League observer mission intended to oversee a plan to end nine months of unrest that has killed more than 5000 people, according to the United Nations.

Pakistan's military on Friday rejected the findings of a Pentagon probe that concluded both Pakistan and the United States shared blame for an American-led coalition attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border, severely straining relations between the two countries.

In a brief response to the Pentagon report, the Pakistani military called it "short on facts" and questioned its conclusions. Infuriated by the attack, Pakistan shut down border crossings used by convoys delivering supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan, and ordered the United States to vacate an air base in southern Pakistan that in the past has been suspected as a launch pad for CIA drone attacks.

The American report, released Thursday, found that errors made by U.S. forces played a role in the deaths of the Pakistani soldiers. Mistakes included the use of incorrect mapping information that led to confusion about the actual location of Pakistani troops in the area where the firefight occurred.

But the investigation also determined that the incident was triggered by Pakistani soldiers who began firing at U.S. special operations troops carrying out a mission on the Afghan side of the border - an assertion that Pakistan strongly denies.

Government says at least 40 people killed by "al-Qaeda group", a day after arrival of Arab League observer mission.


A Syrian government official says at least 40 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by two suicide car bombs in Damascus ahead of calls by anti-government activists for fresh protests across the country.

At least 100 other people were wounded in Friday's attack on two security facilities in the Kfar Sousa district, Faisal Mukdad, Syria's deputy foreign minister, said.

A series of bomb blasts across Iraqi capital leaves 65 people dead and 176 injured amid rising sectarian tensions.


Dozens of people have been killed and many more wounded in a series of blasts in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

At least 63 people died and 176 people were wounded in 12 bombings across the capital on Thursday morning, health ministry sources told Al Jazeera.

Two more bombs exploded in Baghdad late in the evening claiming two more lives, according to the Reuters news agency.

The wave of bombings come amid renewed fears of sectarian strife following the withdrawal of US troops and a deepening political crisis over an arrest warrant issued for Tariq al-Hashimi, the country's vice president and most senior Sunni politician.

The Texas governor has one driving passion: selling off government to the highest bidder


Early morning in a nearly filled corporate ballroom at the Cobb Energy Centre, a second-tier event stadium on the outskirts of Atlanta. It's late September, and a local conservative think tank is hosting a get-together with Rick Perry, whose front-runner comet at the time is still just slightly visible in the bottom of the sky. I've put away five cups of coffee trying to stay awake through a series of monotonous speeches about Georgia highway and port reform, waiting for my chance to lay eyes on the Next Big Thing in person.

By the time Perry shows up, I'm jazzed and ready for history. You always want to remember the first time you see the possible next president in person. But as every young person knows, the first time is not always a pleasant experience. Perry lumbers onstage looking exceedingly well-groomed, but also ashen and exhausted, like a funeral director with a hangover.

In a voice so subdued and halting that I think he must be sick, he launches into his speech, which consists of the following elements: a halfhearted football joke about Texas A&M that would have embarrassed a true fan like George W. Bush, worn bromides about liberals creating a nanny state, a few lines about jobs in Texas, and a promise to repeal "as much of Obamacare as I can" on his first day in the White House.

"I will try," he says, "to make Washington, D.C., as inconsequential in your life as I can."

Then he waves and walks offstage. The whole thing has taken barely 10 minutes.

I can't believe it, and neither can the assembled crowd of Georgia conservatives, who hesitate before breaking into polite applause. I feel like a high school cheerleader who just had her leg jizzed on in the back of a convertible. That's it? It's over? That was Rick Perry's stump speech?

"Low energy, low substance," sighs Justin Ryan, one of the conference attendees. "That's sort of the candidate in general."

But this is America, remember, where one should never underestimate shallow. And Rick Perry brings shallow to a new level. He is very gifted in that regard. He could be the Adolf Hitler of shallow.

Strongly recommend this piece at the Huffington Post by Jeff Connaughton, a former aide to Senator Ted Kaufman. Jeff is one of the smartest guys on the Hill and is particularly strong on issues surrounding Wall Street and the regulatory system. In this piece, he takes apart the oft-stated mantra that what Wall Street firms did during and after the crisis was maybe unethical, but not illegal.

He takes particular aim at Barack Obama, who recently tossed that line out on 60 Minutes in what I thought was one of the real low moments of his presidency. Here's Jeff's take:

Speaking in Kansas on December 6, [Obama] said, "Too often, we've seen Wall Street firms violating major anti-fraud laws because the penalties are too weak and there's no price for being a repeat offender." Just five days later on 60 Minutes, he said, "Some of the least ethical behavior on Wall Street wasn't illegal." Which is it? Have there been no prosecutions because Wall Street acted legally (albeit unethically)? Or did Wall Street repeatedly violate major anti-fraud laws (and should thus find itself in the dock)?

The President is confusing "legal" with "difficult to prosecute successfully."

Gold prices took a beating in late 2011, but many experts think the path in 2012 is still paved with higher prices.

Gold had a wild 2011, starting the year at $1,412 (U.S.) an ounce, hitting a low right out of the gate of $1,314 and then rallying to an intra-day high of $1,923 an ounce.

The past few months have not been kind for gold. The precious metal tanked 13 per cent in September and 8 per cent in just three days last week as a strong dollar hammered prices. Gold's haven status looked to be a thing of the past as negative headlines out of Europe triggered a rush into the dollar instead of gold as liquidity dried up.

But gold's recent massacre is not scaring most experts.

"What I am looking for is a gold price of $1,800 an ounce in 2012," says Jeffrey Wright, senior research analyst at Global Hunter Securities. Wright says there could be spikes to $1,900 or $2,000, especially if gridlock in Congress brings up another budget battle and highlights the U.S.' own fiscal problems. "Once we get back into those discussions, there will be further pressure on the U.S. dollar and a refocusing on gold as a safe haven asset."