keerzijde-Mstarz

(Reuters) - The U.S. Congress approved an increase in the country's debt limit through March 2015, bowing to President Barack Obama's demands for a debt limit increase without any conditions, but only after a dramatic Senate vote on Wednesday.

Final action in the Senate followed an.. Read more.

Reuters

Related,
- After G.O.P. Leaders Step In, Senate Votes to Raise Debt Ceiling (video) - NY Times
- US House raises $17.2 trillion debt ceiling, no strings attached - RT

Abby Martin features an exclusive interview with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges, concerning areas of extreme poverty that he refers to as 'sacrifice zones', as well as the reasons behind the collapse of complex societies. - Part I

RT

Related,
- Chris Hedge: The Military Mind & the Antidote to Defeatism Part II (video) - RT

The Occupy Movement was poorly organized and had too many causes which fractured it and caused it fall apart. 

In the spring of 2014 there are plans for a revival of the Occupy Movement and according to one of the organizers of the Anonymous Million Mask March,.. Read more + audio.

Voice of Russia

Since 1996, the United States Department of Defense has accumulated an $8.5 trillion black hole in its budget.

The number is so staggering that it is quite literally inconceivable. Several times larger than the annual budget for the entire federal government, it is equivalent to half of the entire fraudulent debt of the United States government itself. Read more.

Corbett Report

Media Roots presents American Anthrax, a documentary comprised of news footage that establishes how everything you’ve been told about the Anthrax Attacks is a lie. Conceptualized, edited and produced by Robbie Martin, co-host of Media Roots Radio.

September 11, 2001, shook the United States to the core, a country that had been nearly untouchable since its democratic inception. Read more.

Media Roots

In December 2013 compared with November 2013, seasonally adjusted industrial production fell by 0.7% in both the euro area (EA17) and the EU28, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In November industrial production rose by 1.6% and 1.3% respectively.

In December 2013 compared with December 2012,.. Read more (pdf).

(Reuters) - New York's financial regulator on Tuesday revealed new details on how the state plans to govern virtual currencies such as bitcoin, just as problems in the nascent market took a turn for the worse.

Benjamin Lawsky, superintendent of New York's Department of Financial Services,.. Read more.

Reuters

Related,
- Big Apple bit: New York to introduce regulations for bitcoin transactions - RT

China is developing its first national single mobile payment platform.

It's been created to lift domestic information consumption and boost economic growth, and could replace cash, credit and debit cards. Read more.

RT

Related,
- New mobile payment platform 'will go far' to lift consumption - China Daily

According to the latest statistics released by China Gold Association, China's gold consumption for the first time exceeded 1,000 tons to reach 1,176.4 tons in 2013, a year on year increase of 41.4 percent.

The gold consumption in 2012 was 832.2 tons, a year on year increase of 9.4 percent. Read more.

People's Daily

Related,
- Jim Grant: "Gold Is Nature's Bitcoin" - Zero Hedge

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych got rid of his government, but seems unsure what to do next. The protests are spreading to the east and big brother Russia is demanding that calm be restored -- with violence if necessary.

One hundred and fifty people are standing in front of the regional administration building in Dnipropetrovsk. Read more.

Spiegel

Related,
- Yanukovich and European commissioner discuss political settlement in Ukraine - ITAR-TASS

- EU diplomacy head, IMF chief to discuss to financial assistance to Ukraine - Interfax
- Ukraine to get financial aid in case of reforms by new government, according to EU Council's conclusions - Interfax

- Yanukovych accepts coalition government deal – Verkhovna Rada speaker - Voice of Russia
- Ukraine minister says no legal grounds for army intervention in home conflict - Kyiv Post

Police were investigating a bomb crater and other evidence discovered near the premises of Mercedes Benz in Varibombi, northern Athens, after a far-leftist guerilla organization Group of Popular Fighters claimed to have launched a rocket-propelled attack on the company on January 12, Skai reported late on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the guerilla group also claimed responsibiity for the attack on the.. Read more.

Ekathimerini

Opinion divided over ruling on law some called 'useless'

(By Sandra Cordon) (ANSA) - Rome, February 12 - Italy's Constitutional Court on Wednesday threw out as "illegitimate" a 2005 law that equates the possession of soft drugs to heavy drugs and has been blamed as a contributing factor to severe overcrowding in Italian prisons. Read more.

ANSA

Related,
- Constitutional Court throws out harsh drug law - ANSA
- Ruling against harsh drug law splits parties in Italy - ANSA

- Medics and patients hail end of strict drug law - ANSA

Despite 19 out of 28 EU member states opposing a genetically modified crop, it was authorized due to the bloc's voting system. Green MEP Bart Staes says the Commission would be ill-advised to go against the majority.

The European Food Standards Authority has declared the genetically modified organism (GMO) variety safe,.. Read more.

DW

Related,
- Cultivation of new GMO maze in EU to destroy organic farming, ecosystem - expert - Voice of Russia

Hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes during six weeks of fighting between pro- and anti-government forces.

Violence in Iraq's Sunni-dominated Anbar province, where armed groups fully control one city and parts of another,.. Read more.

Al Jazeera

BEIRUT - Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has asserted that the terrorist groups responsible for a spate of recent attacks in the country were "in a state of collapse."

In a Wednesday statement, Suleiman reiterated his full support for ongoing efforts by the army and police to hunt down terrorist groups, the structures of which, he said, "have begun to collapse." Read more.

AA

Related,
- LAF Arrests Naim Abbas, Most Dangerous Terrorist in Lebanon - Al Manar
- Lebanese forces arrest Abdullah Azzam Brigades member, dismantle car bombs - Al Akhbar

- Army Arrests Top Abdullah Azzam Brigades Official, Defuses Car Bomb in Beirut - Naharnet
- Plots of Hefty Catch Abbas Unveiled as Army Seizes Rockets, Explosives in Saadiyat, Dibbiyeh - Naharnet

- Behind the Scenes: Terrorist Abbas Confessions "Tip of the Iceberg" - Al Manar
- Beirut steps up security around Russian embassy following tip-off - AA

Martin Schulz is heckled during speech to Knesset when discussing Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Israeli siege of Gaza; Bayit Yehudi MKs leave after he says Palestinians have less water than Israelis.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz must apologize for lying in the Knesset,.. Read more.

JPost

Related,
- Martin Schulz under fire after Israeli-Palestinian comments in the Knesset - DW
- Netanyahu: Many in Europe suffer from selective hearing, always accepting attacks on Israel - JPost

Erdogan says Israel answered several Turkish demands in negotiations, but won't agree to normalization of ties without lifting of Gaza blockade.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that he demands a.. Read more.

Haaretz

Related,
- Erdogan to Israel: Lift Gaza siege, or no reconciliation - JPost
- Erdoğan says no rapprochement with Israel until end of Gaza embargo - Today's Zaman

- Lifting Gaza blockade 'out of the question,' senior Israeli officials say - Haaretz
- No step back on legal cases against Israeli army in Mavi Marmara case: İHH head - Hürriyet

- #Gaza MP lauds #Turkish stance on #Israeli blockade - AA
- PA official: Israel to allow shipment of goods into Gaza - Ma'an

Did Turkey's secret service order the killing of three Kurdistan Worker's Party activists in Paris last year? Suspicion is growing that it did, and Germany's domestic intelligence agency has curtailed its cooperation with the Turks as a result.

The triple murders in January 2014 of Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) activists in Paris may.. Read more.

Spiegel

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has acknowledged that he called a media executive at the height of the Gezi protests to order the removal of news content, days after an alleged phone transcript of the exchanged was leaked online, sparking anger over political pressure on the media.

“About the phone call from Morocco, yes indeed, I called. Read more.

Hürriyet

Related,
- PM advisors' heavy role in media signal new level of engineering - Today's Zaman
- Turkey more free than most EU states, says Erdoğan - Today's Zaman

- Sad truths about the Turkish media - Hürriyet
- Turkey's parliament adopts controversial internet controls - DW

The 2014 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index spotlights major declines in media freedom in such varied countries as the United States, Central African Republic and Guatemala and, on the other hand, marked improvements in Ecuador, Bolivia and South Africa.

The same trio of Finland, Netherlands and Norway heads the index again,.. Read more.

RSF

Related,
- U.S. press freedom suffers under Obama, survey finds - Washington Times
- U.S. Plummets in Global Press Freedom Rankings - Huff Post

- Reporters without Borders: 'Security interests threaten press freedom' - DW

Scientists at the University of York today report the development of hemp plants with a dramatically increased content of oleic acid.

The new oil profile results in an attractive cooking oil that is similar to olive oil in terms of fatty acid content having a much longer shelf life as well as greater heat tolerance and potentially more industrial applications. Read more.

ScienceDaily

Government and Top University Studies: Fluoride Lowers IQ and Causes Other Health Problems

The Harvard School for Public Health reports:
In a meta-analysis, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and China Medical University in Shenyang for the first time combined 27 studies and found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect cognitive development in children. Read more.

Washington's Blog

Related,
- Impact of fluoride on neurological development in children - Harvard
- Professional Perspectives on Water Fluoridation (video) - FluorideAlert.org

- Fluoride blijkt (weer eens) funest voor het kinderbrein - Zaplog

NAHA — Several hundred people rallied Tuesday ahead of a visit by U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy to the Japanese island of Okinawa to protest plans to relocate an American military base there.

Okinawa is home to more than half of the 47,000 American troops based in Japan under a bilateral defense pact. Read more.

Japan Today

Related,
- US envoy visits Okinawa amid long-running row over military bases - Guardian
- Kennedy visits Okinawa to meet local officials - Japan Times

- Japanese have taken to the streets to protest a plan to relocate a US military base there (video) - PressTV

UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi says the peace talks between the Syrian government and foreign-backed opposition in Geneva are not making much progress.

"The beginning of this week is as laborious as it was in the first week. Read more.

PressTV

Related,
- Obama: ‘Enormous frustration’ over ‘crumbling’ state of Syria (video) - Washington Post
- Russia Needs to Make Sure Syria Fulfills Commitments – Obama - RIA Novosti

- Russia proposes adopting UN resolution on antiterrorism efforts in Syria - ITAR TASS
- 'Both sides need to realize no military solution to Syria civil war' (video) - RT

- Russia Accuses US of Manipulation Over Syria Resolution - RIA Novosti

U.S. president says France, other allies committed to enforcing existing sanctions on Iran to dissuade it from pursuing its nuclear program.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the United States will come down like a "ton of bricks" on businesses that violate sanctions against Iran. Read more.

Haaretz

Related,
- Obama: US will come down 'like a ton of bricks' on violators of Iran sanctions - JPost
- Iran summons Swiss envoy over new U.S. sanction measures - Tehran Times

- Rouhani: Threatening Iranians, nonsense, childish - Mehr News
- Iran is open to UN nuclear inspections: Rouhani - Tehran Times

- Salehi: Iran would not retreat in its nuclear technology - Mehr News
- Iran says will not close any nuclear site - Tehran Times

- Russia opposes US unilateral sanctions against Iran - PressTV
- Iran ready for better, constructive relations with world: Rouhani - Mehr News

- Millions of Iranians marking 1979 Revolution anniv. (video) PressTV
- Iranians rally to mark 35 years of revolution (video) - Al Jazeera

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is considering authorizing the CIA or the military to kill an American citizen hiding in Pakistan who allegedly has helped Al Qaeda militants plan attacks against U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan and is actively plotting future attacks, officials said Monday.

Justice Department lawyers are reviewing the evidence and have not yet determined whether.. Read more.

LA Times

Related,
- US mulls strike against its citizen in Pakistan - SAMAA

ISLAMABAD: The family of an allegedly kidnapped Pakistani anti-drone campaigner spoke Tuesday of their fears for his safety, as his lawyer accused the government of wanting to make an example of him.

Kareem Khan was picked up by the security forces from his home in Rawalpindi on February 5,.. Read more.

Dawn

Related,
- Anti-drone activist kidnapped in Pakistan before he was due to testify in Europe - RT

- Khan vermist op verdacht moment (video) - NOS
- Pakistaanse vredesactivist ontvoerd - Ravage

The Bitcoin Foundation said the Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange in Tokyo is to blame for technical faults that prevented customer withdrawals of the virtual currency that lost as much as 21 percent of its value today.

“The issues that Mt. Gox has been experiencing are due to an.. Read more.

Bloomberg

Related,
- What’s Going On With Bitcoin Exchange Mt. Gox? - TechCrunch
- MtGox Blames Bitcoin For Withdrawal Suspension, Core Developers Say Otherwise: Who Is Really At Fault? - IBT

- Bitcoin growing strong despite attempts to tighten regulation rules - Voice of Russia

It's been a year since his death but his mission hasn't been forgotten. The organization co-founded by internet freedom fighter Aaron Swartz is leading a mass protest against the NSA's indiscriminate surveillance in a campaign called: "The Day We Fight Back." Read more.

RT

Related,
- The Day We Fight Back (video)
- Internet surveillance: today is the day we fight back - Guardian

- Protest tegen het afluisteren: The day we fight back - EenVandaag
- The Day We Fight Back: stilstaan bij online veiligheid en privacy - Softonic

StopWatching.us is a coalition of more than 100 public advocacy organizations and companies from across the political spectrum. Join the movement at https://rally.stopwatching.us.

This video harnesses the voices of celebrities, activists, legal experts, and other prominent figures in speaking out against mass surveillance by the NSA. Please share widely to help us spread the message that we will not stand for the dragnet surveillance of our communications.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a nonprofit civil liberties law and advocacy center that has been fighting the NSA's unconstitutional spying for years. Learn more at https://eff.org.

Humanitarian agencies are evacuating people from the besieged Syrian city of Homs as a ceasefire between the government and opposition is extended for another three days. Peace talks resumed in Geneva this week to try and end the war that's plunged the region into chaos.

And neighbouring Lebanon is one of the countries worst affected, with not only the deadly violence, but also a radical ideology that's spilling over the border. RT's Maria Finoshina reports on the shocking revelations on who's joining the rebels from across the Syrian border.

RT

TRNN Replay: Traboulsi on the roots of militias and the bloody civil war in Lebanon. Read more + video.

TRNN

Related,
- Hezbollah and the modern history of Lebanon 12 parts (video) - TRNN

Syrian government and opposition delegates are starting a fresh round of UN-brokered peace talks, a day after 600 people were evacuated from the city of Homs as part of a negotiated deal.

The first face-to-face meetings mediated by the UN-Arab League envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, adjourned 10 days ago with little progress other than a deal brokered by the UN to allow aid teams access to Homs. Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports live from Beirut and James Bays reports live from Geneva. Read more.

Al Jazeera

Related,
- Cease-fire in Syrian city of Homs extended for another three days: U.N. (video) - CNN
- Morning session between Syria's official delegation and Brahimi concluded - SANA

- As Second Round of Syrian Talks Begin, U.N.’s Mediator Steps Cautiously - NY Times
- OPCW/UNO Confirms Third Chemical Weapons Extraction from Syria - Prensa Latina

- 42 women, children and elderly people murdered in massacre by Jabhet al-Nusra in Maan, Hama - SANA

United Nations, Feb 10 (Prensa Latina) The OPCW/UNO joint mission for the dismantling of Syria''s chemical weapons confirmed today the third extraction of dangerous agents through the port of Latakia, and will be destroyed on the high sea.

According to a press release circulated here,.. Read more.

Prensa Latina

US Ambassador Dan Mozena on Monday reiterated that Bangladesh ought to hold fresh elections as soon as possible.

He called for holding the dialogue immediately to find a way for holding the elections. Read more.

New Age

Related,
- US Senate hearing on Bangladesh again - BDNews24

Manila, Feb 10 (Prensa Latina) At least six rebels of the Abu Sayyaf group died and nine were injured during clashes with the Philippine Army in the southern province of Sulu, the local media reported.

On Saturday, soldiers inspected Talipao locality and.. Read more.

Prensa Latina

Related,
- AFP kills 6 Abu Sayyaf, nab 2 NPA leaders - Manila Times
- 3 ranking NPA leaders bagged in Southern Luzon - Manila Times

According to the "Labor Panorama 2013" report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Bolivia ranks as the country in Latin America with the highest increase in minimum wage in real terms, with an increase of 12.8%, a figure collected between December 2012 and October 2013. 

Next in this category are the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

teleSUR

Related,
- Bolivian Central Bank to Report on Management - Prensa Latina

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro reiterated that the country will not give a single dollar more to parasitic companies. 

He also called on various sectors to follow the guidelines of the Fair Price Act to ensure the reordering of the economy.

teleSUR

RIO DE JANEIRO — When Argentina fell into the economic abyss a decade ago after defaulting on its sovereign debt, Brazil suffered right along with it, nearly following its neighbor into insolvency.

Argentina’s economy is again facing a currency plunge and inflation spike,.. Read more.

Washington Post

Related,
- “Argentina's economy on the right course” K ambassador tells the Washington Post - MercoPress

- US dollar lower at 7.82 pesos; 'blue' falls 50 cents - Buenos Aires Herald
- CFK defends Precios Cuidados price-watch program - Buenos Aires Herald

Colombian congressmen want to forward approved peace legislation to the United States to assure Washington that FARC members guilty of crimes against humanity will not be granted immunity in the event of a peace deal with the government.

Senate President Juan Fernando Cristo is reportedly being encouraged by members of Congress to.. Read more.

Colombia Reports

“To strengthen the proposal of the people and advance in unity, we will head to the Agrarian Summit: rural, ethnic and laborer” : such is the motto of this month’s upcoming national summit, which hopes to bring together Colombia’s indignant rural and minority communities seeking resolutions in the face of growing social unrest and government neglect.

Following a pre-summit last December in which participants.. Read more.

Colombia Reports

An exhibition of weapons and vehicles of the armed forces of Mexico is being exposed in the main square of the country, El Zocalo.

The military says that this exhibition is aimed at building bridges to society, but human rights experts warn that the Mexican government is attempting to clean the image of its army, which is accused of abuse of authority, arbitrary arrests and killings of civilians.

teleSUR

The situation in Michoacan, Mexico, is getting worse. Self-defense groups have entered the city of Apatzingán peacefully, which is the main stronghold of the Knights Templar cartel who have demanded the army and federal police to not allow the community police forces to further progress, warning that they would otherwise "not claim responsibility for all the deaths of innocents that may occur.

teleSUR

NEW DELHI, Feb 8 2014 (IPS) - A spate of sudden infant deaths following vaccination in India has prompted leading paediatricians to call for stronger regulatory mechanisms to evaluate new vaccines for safety and efficacy before their acceptance into the national immunisation programme.

According to data obtained from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Read more.

IPS

Gerelateerd,
- 54 baby's sterven door nieuw vaccin in India - De Wereld Morgen

If you have plans to visit this nutsy country in the fourth week of march, prepare yourself to enter a country that is under martial law. 

Why? Because Obama and 57 other destructive crooks are coming together in The Hague. Read more.

Krapuul

(Reuters) - Some of the euro zone's lenders have no future and should be allowed to go under if they fail a health check, the bloc's new banking supervisor told the Financial Times, underscoring a tougher approach to banking oversight. 

Daniele Nouy told the newspaper that if any of the region's participating banks fail.. Read more.

Reuters

Related,
- Interview with Financial Times - ECB
- Nouy in Credibility Drive Says ECB Will Let Banks Fail - Bloomberg

- Daniele Nouy: Staatsleningen niet risicovrij, laat zwakke banken sterven - FT - Beurs.nl

Dutch bankers "swear to God" they'll be honest from now on, Barclays chief waves his bonus, and Lloyds vows to hire more women. Katie Pilbeam investigates whether this is all part of a new social moral movement in the much demonized banking sector, or merely good public relations.

Plus, international sports stars are now in Russia and our Sochi reporter fills us in on the Olympic revenue already being raked in. We explore which gold medalists will receive the biggest cash prizes when they return to their native countries. And - find out what her favorite pancakes are, all in Katie's corporate news!

RT

The financial scandal in Argentina has intensified after the international financial giant "Deutsche Bank" removed its local office’s vice-president in a corruption case.

Global financial regulators have probed Deutsche Bank’s vice-president in Argentina, accusing him of manipulating international currencies rates against the Argentine peso. Read more.

PressTV

Related,
- Argentina Probes Deutsche Bank’s Dismissal of Trader - Bloomberg
- Exclusive: Deutsche Bank fires Argentine trader in wake of FX probe: source - Reuters

- Currency Market Unsettled by Trader Exits on Lawsky Probe - Bloomberg

- 9 die in fire destroying Argentine bank archives - Washington Post
- Suspicious: Central banking records destroyed by fire in Argentina - Examiner

Welcome to New World Next Week — the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news.

New World Next Week

Lyric

Government adviser Davide Serra says this year’s stress tests by European authorities are likely to find fresh problems in the eurozone banks.

Eurozone banks are facing a new capital black hole of as much as €50bn (£42bn), according to one of the UK’s most respected financial analysts. Read more.

Telegraph

Related,
- Davide Serra: German banks are bad news - Telegraph

Following rate-rigging scandals, FX manipulation debacles, insider-trading idiocy, and over-aggressive lending practices, bankers are taking a different approach in regaining some public trust. As Jamie Dimon gives himself a "well-deserved" pay rise, Dutch bankers are turning to God...

As Bloomberg reports, all 90,000 Dutch bank employees will take an oath.. Read more.

Zero Hedge

Related,
- Dutch Bankers "Swear To God" They'll Be Honest From Now On - Bloomberg

In de Week van Bitcoin #14 praten Paul Buitink en Tuur Demeester over de prijsval van vrijdag 7 februari, de perikelen bij Mt Gox en het verbod op Bitcoin in Rusland.

Ook gaan ze uitgebreid in op het verwijderen door Apple van de Blockchain app in de app store en bespreken ze hoe open source soft- en hardware en een nieuw gedecentraliseerd, versleuteld Internet een oplossing kunnen bieden bij het terugwinnen van online privacy en vrijheid. Tenslotte wordt kort ingegaan op de Auroracoin.

deBitcoin

Laboratory study has illustrated that high-dose vitamin C can boost the cancer-killing effect of chemotherapy and develop patients’ treatment.

The study, conducted by the scientists of the University of Kansas, showed that getting vitamin C shot kills cancer cells without harming normal ones. Read more.

PressTV

Related,
- High-Dose Parenteral Ascorbate Enhanced Chemosensitivity of Ovarian Cancer and Reduced Toxicity of Chemotherapy - Science

New research shows that higher consumption of yogurt, compared with no consumption, can reduce the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes by 28 percent.

Scientists found that in fact higher consumption of low-fat fermented dairy products,.. Read more.

ScienceDaily

About 70,000 gather in central Kiev demanding president's resignation and formation of pro-Western government.

About 70,000 pro-Western Ukrainians have gathered in central Kiev,.. Read more.

Al Jazeera

Related,
- Huge crowds gather for 10th weekly anti-govt rally in central Kiev (video) - RT
- Opposition leaders call for people to join self-defense teams to protect EuroMaidan - Kyiv Post

Couple who ran garment factory where blaze killed 112 denied bail after presenting themselves to authorities.

Two owners of a garments factory in Bangladesh where a fire killed 112 workers have turned themselves in to face homicide charges, a prosecutor said. Read more.

Al Jazeera

Related,
- Tazreen MD, chairman sent to jail - Daily Star

(Reuters) - Global pharmaceutical firms are pressuring the United States to act against India to stop more local companies producing up to a dozen new varieties of cheap generic drugs still on-patent, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

An Indian government committee is reviewing patented drugs of foreign firms.. Read more.

Reuters

Related,
- Big Pharma presses US to quash cheap drug production in India - RT

(Reuters) - Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives have penciled in a possible vote next week on legislation to raise the debt limit as the Treasury warned on Friday that it could start to face payment problems after February 27.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Friday left a spot open in his.. Read more.

Reuters

Related,
- U.S. starts emergency measures to buy time under debt ceiling - Reuters

Despite a real economic recovery, the Fed is winding down quantitative easing, throwing developing countries' economies into chaos

TRNN

Related,
- Deutsche Bank: "We've Created A Global Debt Monster" - Zero Hedge

New Internet legislation will get cyberspace under control and make it safer and freer, according to Turkey PM

ISTANBUL - The new Internet bill was introduced in order to control cyberspace and render it safer and freer, Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. Read more.

AA

Related,
- Turkey: Water cannon drive protesters out of Taksim Square (video) - RT

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) announced Saturday that the civilian casualties in Afghanistan conflict, has increased by 14 percent in 2013.

UNAMA, in its 2013 Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict which was released on Saturday,.. Read more.

Khaama Press

Related,
- Civilian casualties up by 14pc in 2013: UN - Pajhwok
- UN report: Civilian deaths up in Afghanistan (video) - DW

The conversation was held on the American initiative

MOSCOW, February 08, 21:23 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a telephone conversation with.. Read more.

ITAR-TASS

Residents of Kiev were prevented from removing barricades from the city streets on Saturday, despite a plan to clean the city centre by thousands adamant of 'liberating' it from artificial mountains of tyres forming blockades.

The citizens were faced with protesters adorned with helmets who were brandishing shields and batons on Kreschatik Street, who had turned out in order to prevent possible attacks on the barriers. People set on cleaning the city's streets began to leave the area soon after it was clear the guards were not going to stop defending their handmade blockades.

RT

Related,
- Several hundred 'titushkis' advance on protester barricades in Kyiv, but then retreat - Kyiv Post
- Authorities are about to continue constructive negotiations with opposition – Yanukovych - UNIAN

- No Russian Aid to Ukraine If Gas Bill Unpaid - Minister - Ria Novosti
- Support from side of USA and IMF to be considerable for carrying out of reforms in Ukraine-Nuland -UNIAN

- US shouldn't interfere in EU-Ukraine relations – Rompuy on Nuland statement - Voice of Russia

- EU to discuss preparation of sanctions against Ukraine - senior EU diplomat - Interfax
- European Parliament calls on EU to prepare sanctions against Ukraine, not speaking about their use - Interfax

Mass protest against austerity measures imposed by the "troika" of international lenders , is currently taking place in the capital of Cyprus.

Thousands of unemployed , pensioners, defrauded investors , farmers, civil servants , students, journalists and.. Read more.

CypLive

Related,
- Cyprus: Cypriots besiege ministries over troika credit terms (video) - RT

Bitcoin plunged more than 8 percent today after a Tokyo-based exchange halted withdrawals of the digital currency, citing technical malfunction.

Mt. Gox, a popular exchange for dollar-based trades,.. Read more.

Bloomberg

Related,
- Bitcoin plunges 20% on big Japan-based exchange as withdrawals halted - RT

- Bitcoin maakt koersval na technisch probleem bij wisselsite - NU
- De week van Bitcoin #14: de toekomst van het Internet (video/audio) - deBitcoin

Apple's removed Blockchain wallet from the app store so people destroyed their phones to get rewarded with a Nexus 5.

This video was inspired by the iconic "heres to the misfits.." ad by Apple from 1984 with voiced over by Steve Jobs. It was made for reddits "Think Different About Bitcoin" - Contest.

This should remind Apple where they came from.

2Somemedia

Related,
- Bitcoin Lovers Destroy iPhones After Apple Pulls Blockchain Wallet App - Forbes
- Bitcoin-gemeenschap zeer boos op Apple - ZDNet

An international campaign to boycott Israel is gaining momentum in Europe.

Eight years ago, pro-Palestinian activists started a boycott targeting Israel's economy in an effort to end the occupation.The impact has so far been minimal. But if US-led peace talks fail, some Israelis fear the movement will accelerate, especially with growing pressure from the European Union, a major trading partner.

Al Jazeera's Atia Abawi reports from the Jordan Valley.

Al Jazeera

Related,
- Scarlett Johansson Controversy Brings International Attention to BDS Movement (video) - TRNN

The number of young people in Fukushima Prefecture who have been diagnosed with definitive or suspected thyroid gland cancer, which is often associated with radiation exposure, has risen to 75, prefectural officials said Feb. 7.

That is 16 more than in November,.. Read more.

Asahi Shimbun

Tokyo Electric Power Co. corrected its radioactivity readings for groundwater from a well at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant to a record-high 5 million becquerels of strontium per liter.

TEPCO officials said the strontium levels were gauged again.. Read more.

Thousands of Greek teachers and municipal workers have scuffled with police during a protest at job layoffs as police respond with pepper spray.

The state teachers and municipal workers held a demonstration in the capital Athens.. Read more + video.

PressTV

Anti-government protests spread across Bosnia and Herzegovina for a third consecutive day. 

Demonstrators have torched a government building in the capital Sarajevo after setting fire to another in the city of Tuzla. Also in Zenitsa, the country's fourth largest city, protesters threw stones at a local government building there. Officials say dozens of people have been wounded in clashes with the police.

The protests were ignited by unpaid workers of four privatized companies in the north-eastern city of Tuzla on Wednesday. The demonstrations later gained momentum and rapidly spread with people expressing their anger at high unemployment and rampant corruption.

PressTV

Related,
- Situation in Sarajevo is Calmer But Cantonal Government Building is Still Burning - Sarajevo Times

- Bosnia protesters attack presidency building (video) - Al Jazeera
- Chaos in B&H: Government Buildings Set on Fire in Sarajevo, Zenica and Tuzla - Balkan Chronicle

In the weeks leading up to the Sochi Winter Olympics, the Western Media has released a dribble of “trustworthy reports” examining “the likelihood” of a terrorist attack at the height of the Olympic games.

In late January, the British government warned “that more terrorist attacks in Russia (following the Volgograd attack in December) are “very likely to occur before or during the Winter Olympics in Sochi”. (BBC, January 27, 2014). Read more.

Global Research

Turkish security forces on Friday detained a Ukrainian plane passenger suspected of making a bomb threat in an attempt to hijack a flight to Sochi, Russia, where the Winter Olympics were opening under tight security.

An F-16 fighter was scrambled as soon as the pilot on the flight from Kharkiv, Ukraine, signaled there was a hijacking attempt and.. Read more.

Hürriyet

Related,
- Attempt to hijack Turkish plane to Sochi foiled - Today' s Zaman

Turkey’s credit rating outlook was cut to negative from stable by Standard & Poor’s, which said there’s a growing risk of a “hard economic landing” as reserves decline and policy makers spar over interest rates.

The lira reversed gains after the announcement late yesterday,.. Read more. Bloomberg.. Read more.

Bloomberg

Related,
- S&P cuts outlook on Turkey ratings citing erosion in governance - Reuters
- S&P Lowers Outlook on Turkey to Negative From Stable -WSJ

Turkey's Parliament has approved Internet controls enabling web pages to be blocked within hours in what the opposition decried as part of a government bid to stifle a corruption scandal with methods more suited to "times of coups."

Members of opposition parties have lashed out.. Read more.

Today's Zaman

Related,
- Opposition calls on Turkish President Gül to veto law on Internet - Hürriyet
- US 'shares concerns' regarding Turkey’s Internet bill - Hürriyet

The National Security Agency is collecting less than 30 percent of all Americans’ call records because of an inability to keep pace with the explosion in cellphone use, according to current and former U.S. officials.

The disclosure contradicts popular perceptions that the government is sweeping up virtually.. Read more.

Washington Post

David Davis says police would be able to approach central NHS database without a warrant as critics warn of catastrophic breach of trust

The database that will store all of England's health records has a series of "backdoors" that will allow police and government bodies to access people's medical data. Read more.

The Guardian

Related,
- Thanks to Care.data, your secrets are no longer safe with your GP - Wired

For a second straight month, weak U.S. job growth has raised concern that the economy has lost the vigor it showed late last year.

A tepid gain of 113,000 jobs in January followed December's puny increase of 75,000 — far below last year's average monthly gain of 194,000. Read more.

ABC

Related,
- US employment figures fuel fears job market recovery may have stalled - The Guardian
- U.S. Adds 113,000 Jobs, in Latest Worrying Sign on Growth - WSJ

- US employment figures fail to thrill analysts - DW

Germany's Constitutional Court has dodged a decision on the European Central Bank's bond-buying program used to shore up debt-laden EU economies. The judges passed the ruling on to the European Court of Justice.

Germany's Constitutional Court referred the task of reaching a verdict to the.. Read more + video.

DW

Related,
- German Judges Refer E.C.B. Bond-Buying Plan to European Court - NY Times
- Under attack: Germany says European Central Bank’s quantitative easing illegal - RT

- The German court and the European Central Bank: Who is exceeding their powers? - The Economist

FRANKFURT, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday decided to keep interest rates unchanged at a regular governing council meeting here.

The Governing Council of the ECB decided that the interest rate on the main refinancing operations.. Read more.

Xinhua

Related,
- Draghi Starts Policy-Action Countdown as ECB Awaits Data - Bloomberg
- Euro climbs after ECB's Draghi says no deflation in euro zone - Economic Times

- No Change: European Central Bank keeps rates low over deflation fears - RT
- Eurozone 'sleepwalking into a decades-long deflation trap’ - Balkan Chronicle

Until recently, investors viewed China, Brazil and India as a sure thing. Lately, though, their economies have shown signs of weakness and money has begun flowing back to the West. Worries are mounting the BRICS dream is fading.

It was 12 years ago that Jim O'Neill had his innovative idea. An investment banker with Goldman Sachs, he had become.. Read more.

Spiegel

Three confirmed dead in Fayoum, Ismailia and Menya as Friday clashes continue nationwide; at least four security personnel injured in early-morning Giza bomb blast

At least three, including a teenager, were killed on Friday after supporters of.. Read more.

Ahram

Related,
- Pro-Morsy protesters clash with police Friday across Egypt, 2 dead, 8 injured - Egypt Independent

- Local residents clash with Brotherhood supporters in Cairo district - Aswat Masriya
- Clashes in Alexandria between Brotherhood supporters and security forces - Aswat Masriya

- Police arrest 34 Brotherhood supporters in Alexandria - Aswat Masriya
- European parliament urges Egypt to show restraint and end violence - Aswat Masriya

Police use rubber bullets and stun grenades in Sarajevo, amid protests over unemployment and political inertia.

Police have fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of protesters in Bosnia's capital.. Read more.

Al Jazeera

Related,
- Sarajevo police use stun grenades, rubber bullets as countrywide riots paralyze Bosnia - RT
- Chaos in B&H: Government Buildings Set on Fire in Sarajevo, Zenica and Tuzla - Balkan Chronicle

- Bosnians demonstrations frustrated at high joblessness, rampant corruption (video) - PressTV

More than six million Colombians, some 12% of the country’s total population, has been directly or indirectly victimized in the country’s ongoing armed conflict, the government said Thursday.

The governmental Victims’ Attention and Reparation Unit released a registry of.. Read more.

Colombia Reports

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Thursday that the international community failed to win the “War on Drugs” and reiterated his call to debate possible new ways to combat drug abuse and trafficking.

“This was that was declared, in the breast of the United Nations, is a war that today, unfortunately, we can say we haven’t won,.. Read more.

Colombia Reports

In an apparent U-turn, the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has given up on pushing for a vote on an anti-Iran bill after one of the authors of the bill changed course on Thursday.

On Thursday, 42 Republican senators asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) in a letter to schedule.. Read more.

PressTV

Related,
- AIPAC demonstrates muscle, then partially retreats on Iran - JPost
- Reversing course, AIPAC says now is not the time for new Iran sanctions - Haaretz

A scandal is brewing as Washington's real stance on Ukraine may have leaked on the web. An alleged phone conversation between US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and the US ambassador to Ukraine has appeared on Youtube.

"F**k the EU," Victoria Nuland allegedly said in a recent phone call with US ambassador to Kiev Geoffrey Pyatt, as the two were discussing a deal to end the crisis in Ukraine.

RT

Related,
- In recording of U.S. diplomat, blunt talk on Ukraine (video) - Washington Post
- Russia Claims U.S. Meddling Over Ukraine - NY Times

- US apologises to EU for leaked barb - Al Jazeera
- US-EU Clash on How to Install a Puppet Regime in Ukraine. Victoria Nuland - Global Research

Freedom and democracy are said to be guarantees of human rights, but as the NSA spying scandal and the Arab Spring recently showed, that isn't always the case. Are all people inherently qualified for freedom and democracy? What happens when it's thrust upon them before they are ready? And what does it mean to be free?

Oksana is joined by the founder of the Free Software Foundation, Richard Stallman, to discuss these issues.

RT

As hundreds of Europeans who joined the fight in Syria return home, the alarms being raised they are bringing jihad back with them. A group of extremists with British citizenship who are fighting in the Middle Eastern warzone, are now threatening to carry out terror attacks in the UK.

And they are already spreading the virus of extremist propaganda, issuing posters urging people to join their cause. Among the targets - public transport and financial centers, and not just in the UK - one of the pictures shows a militant in front of the White House in Washington.

RT