Reporting from Washington – The Obama administration, grappling with a spate of recent Islamic terrorism cases on U.S. soil, has concluded that the country confronts a rising threat from homegrown extremism. Anti-terrorism officials and experts see signs of accelerated radicalization among American Muslims, driven by a wave of English-language online propaganda and reflected in aspiring fighters’... 

On the eve of Copenhagen, senior scientist raises the stakes over stolen emails Are the Russians behind the leaked ‘Climategate’ emails, the awkward series of messages from scientists at the University of East Anglia’s world famous Climatic Research Unit (CRU) which threaten to undermine the already precarious global warming summit opening in Copenhagen today? That’s the theory... 

American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is the single most powerful lobby in the world. So powerful that Washington politicians carefully weigh each and every vote they cast based on the approval of this lobby. Yes, a foreign lobby has that much clout, power and control over American leaders and thus, the American people. AIPAC has become so overpowering that they have risen above government... 

The Haaretz newspaper said on Friday that Moscow refused an American overture calling on the international quartet to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and give it the right to annex the major settlement outposts in the West Bank to its borders. The newspaper said that US secretary of state Hillary Clinton proposed during telephone calls a week ago with the quartet members to issue a joint statement... 

Michelle Obama’s Servant List and Pay Scale First Lady Requires More Than Twenty Attendants 1. $172,200 – Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff) 2. $140,000 – Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady) 3. $113,000 – Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary) 4. $102,000 –... 

Europe’s anti-immigrant party leaders hailed a decision by Swiss voters to ban building minarets and called for similar referendums to be held in other countries. Europe’s anti-immigrant party leaders hailed a decision by Swiss voters to ban Muslims from building minarets last Monday and called for similar referendums to be held in other countries. Immediately after the 29 November Swiss... 

U.S. President Barack Obama is looking for help in Afghanistan from Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan even as tensions simmer between the NATO allies on Iran and the Middle East. Before leaving to the U.S. on Sunday, however, Erdogan said Turkey has already contributed the “necessary number” of troops. Turkey took over the rotating command of the NATO peacekeeping operation in... 

Time is running out for Iran to avoid sanctions over its nuclear program, Reuters quoted White House spokesman Robert Gibbs as saying on Thursday. He added that Teheran’s deadline is still the end of the year for responding to international demands. Iran has ignored a deal offered by the Western powers that would have Iran sending its low-enriched uranium abroad for processing into uranium for... 

Israeli authorities deny Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin permission to visit the impoverished coastal sliver of Gaza which has long been under an Israeli siege. Speaking at the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs on Friday, Martin said no substantive reason had been given for the refusal. “I just wanted to go in myself and see Gaza,” he said according to the Irish... 

The price tag for bailing out UK banks has hit 850 billion pounds ($1.4 trillion) but Britain’s spending watchdog says the final cost to taxpayers will not be known for years. The independent National Audit Office (NAO) said on Friday the government was justified in asking the public to shore up the shaken sector at the height of last year’s financial crisis — although lending to... 

“In recent years, China has become the world’s fastest growing automotive producer,” according to a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. “[China’s] annual vehicle output has increased from less than 2 million vehicles in the late 1990s to 9.5 million in 2008. In terms of production volume in 2008, China has surpassed Korea, France, Germany, and the United States,... 

Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich (Kogan), of Jewish descent, was born in Kubany, near Kiev, Ukraine, in 1893. In 1911 he joined the Jewish-founded Communist Party and became involved with the Bolsheviks. Kaganovich took an active part in the 1917 takeover of Christian Russia by Communism and rose rapidly in the Party hierarchy. From 1925 to 1928, he was first secretary of the party organization in Ukraine... 

Tensions are growing between the European Union and Israel over a draft document that slams Israeli policies in East Jerusalem and calls on EU countries to strengthen Palestinian claims to the city. A second document, to be discussed in Brussels next week, seeks EU recognition of East Jerusalem as capital of a Palestinian state. In addition, an Israeli human rights group says Israel is stripping Palestinians... 

It was one of the deadliest tragedies to hit Russia in recent years. Investigators said the fire appeared to have started late on Friday night after an indoor fireworks display went wrong, setting light to wicker panels that decorated the packed venue’s walls and ceiling. There is no certainty about the cause of the explosion so maybe this could be another Muslim act of terrorism following... 

In the current climate, perhaps given: — America’s police state laws; — no due process or judicial fairness for any state target; — mass illegal surveillance; — targeting dissent; and — the power of the Israeli Lobby over Congress, the media, academia, the clergy, and most anyone confronting them. During Israel’s war on Gaza, only 5 of 535 congressional members...