Pre-election violence on Tahrir Square

Thousands of police clashed with protesters for control of Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday. The violence comes nine days before Egypt's first elections since the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Protesters hurled rocks at police, crowds attacked an armored police truck, rocking it and eventually setting it on fire. Egyptian security forces tried to stop activists from organizing a long-term sit-in in Cairo’s downtown. 

At least 81 people were injured, according to Egyptian state TV. AP reports that its cameraman saw at least three people arrested, when they refused to leave the square.

The violence began when riot police attacked around 200 peaceful demonstrators, who had camped out in the square overnight, and dismantled a tent camp set up to commemorate protesters killed in the uprising. Police were said to be firing rubber bullets, tear gas and beating protesters with batons to clear the area. Source

Hypersonic Death, Made In The USA

The US Army has tested a hypersonic missile, which travels six times faster than the speed of sound. It is part of a larger plan to have the capability to strike any place on the planet within an hour.

The missile, called the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW), was launched from Hawaii on Thursday, the Pentagon reported. A rocket delivered it to suborbital altitude, after which the glider went for its target on the Marshall Islands, some 3,700 kilometers away.

It hit less than 30 minutes later, which means its speed was at least 7,400 kilometer per hour, or about Mach 6. An aircraft must be able to fly faster than Mach 5, to qualify as hypersonic. Source

Like the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, the Pentagon's Falcon HTV-2 hypersonic plane is part of the Prompt Global Strike program (AFP Photo / Handout / Darpa)

The Reasons For China's Imminent Bust - Gordon Chang

The global dominant narrative about China is wrong, claims Gordon Chang. Don't expect it to be the 'pocketbook of last resort' that will rescue world markets from their current malaise.

And don't expect its remarkable economic growth to continue. 

In fact, expect a "hard landing" for China - and soon. Source

Max Keiser on Financial Apartheid, Germany 4.0, and Gold vs. SDR

As the eurozone crisis continues, could the options on the table include a German takeover? A leaked document from Germany's foreign ministry reportedly reveals the country may be preparing for a new European fund that will be able to take over the economies of struggling eurozone countries. Meanwhile, we know regulators have been trying to figure out what happened to the $600 million dollars missing from customers of MF global. And they now suspect at least some of that cash may not be missing, it may be gone. Regulators suspect it may have been used to cover trading losses at the firm that has, of course, now declared bankruptcy. The question remains as to whether more customers will react like Gerald Celente who we talked to this week and created a new interpretation of what MF really stands for. And from working on Wall Street to Occupying Wall Street, we'll talk to Max Keiser on his evolution from broker to leader of the so-called global insurrection against banker occupation. And with 75,000 layoffs expected on Wall Street, will we see more bankers join the fight?

Yardeni on European Debt Crisis, U.S. Risks

Edward Yardeni, president and chief investment strategist at Yardeni Research Inc., talks about how the U.S. faces debt problems similar to those in Europe, and the outlook for the euro. Yardeni coined the term bond vigilantes in 1983 to describe investors who protest monetary or fiscal policies by dumping bonds. He speaks with Sara Eisen, Scarlet Fu and Erik Schatzker on Bloomberg Television's "InsideTrack." Source

Bilderbergers taking over Europe?

Demonstrators in Italy and Greece marched in the streets yesterday to protest the austerity measures that are being brought forth by the new governments of both countries. The European Union has ordered these economic modifications and the people feel their only weapon against the measures are their voices. Charlie McGrath, founder of WideAwakeNews.com, compares the voices in Europe to the voices at the Occupy Wall Street movement.

A-macing approach: US police spray peaceful students

Police in the United States have used pepper spray on Friday against students who were taking part in a peaceful “Occupy” campaign in front of the University of California, Davis. Ten protesters have been arrested.

Demonstrators had been ordered to remove their camp, but after refusing, officers showed up and tore their tents down, using force against unarmed people.

Shortly afterwards, police began using pepper spray on students and arresting some of them, the crowd quickly swelled in number, and police chose to retreat.

The 'Technocratic Elite' Are Taking Over: Alex Jones

Back to Tahrir Square One: Egyptians Rally Again

Over 50,000 Egyptians are back on Tahrir Square to demand that the military hand over power to a civilian government. The rally, which has united Islamists and secular protesters, was organized by the Muslim Brotherhood after the government floated a controversial document bolstering the powers of the armed forces.

The document declares the military the guardian of "constitutional legitimacy," suggesting the armed forces could have the final word on major policies even after the presidential election. It also introduces clauses that would shield the military from civilian oversight.

The Brotherhood had avoided confrontation with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. However, now it warns of escalating protest campaign if plans to give permanent political powers to the military are not scrapped.

Protesters at Friday's rally argue that the generals are recreating the Mubarak regime by cracking down on opposition, refusing to order a thorough reform of the security services and by monopolizing decision making.

Mark Almond, professor of international relations at Bilkent University in Turkey, says the Muslim Brotherhood has personal scores to settle with the military. “There is this strange situation where the military and the Muslim Brotherhood seemed to cooperate at the beginning of the year to get rid of Mubarak,”he said. “But now Muslim Brothers fear that perhaps they have been used, as they were used back in 1952 against King Farouk, only then to be dropped by the generals and to find themselves made illegal. There is a legacy of deep suspicion between Muslim Brothers and the military.” Source

The Doomsday Klein Bottle: Charting Who Owes What To Whom

The Doomsday Klein Bottle: Charting Who Owes What To Whom (Hint: Lots And Everyone)

Submitted by Tyler Durden

Some version of the following BIS-sourced chart from the BBC appears every week somewhere, and by now the default Pavlovian reaction to seeing it should be to think of the Klein bottle. Yet this one may be the prettiest so far. In case anyone was still wondering what happens in a world in which every financial asset is someone else's liability, and that same liability is a third bank's asset (and so on), and where the amounts involved are in the tens of trillions, and when even the smallest debt haircut starts an avalanche of remarking to market, here is the explanation. Oh, and whatever you do, don't click on the US. Because the "US is fine."

Full interactive chart after the jump

Strong Green Resistance & Ongoing Imperialism - Lizzie Phelan

Lizzie talks to a Libyan about the activities of the Green Resistance.

Face to Face with Lizzie Phelan an Independent Journalist who started covering the Libyan assault eight months ago, Superb Analysis - Beyond Libya.

Eurasian Union Launched

The creation of the Eurasian Union serves as a statement of Moscow’s global ambitions and a powerful move to form a supranational alliance to eventually counterweight the unipolar world built after the end of the Soviet Union. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wants to justify his political decision to run for president for the third time, revealing this time a truly global agenda to be fulfilled, acknowledges international affairs analyst Aleksandr Selivanov.

“It sends a clear message to the rest of the world and to the West that Russia is interested in elevating its economical interests from just national level to a supranational level, engaging in building an original project similar to the European Union, but with the lessons learnt from its operations,” considers Selivanov.

Whether the Eurasian Union be only economical, or it will transform into a political one as well is an open question. Putin has already touched on the matter, mentioning there are already ongoing talks at a ministerial level between the three countries about lifting the visa regime, or at least easing it, Selivanov recalls.

“The Russian position is that the world is coming through the second stage of the economic crisis and the Russian answer to this crisis is also building a new economic alliance, and Russia really wants to become another economic pole in the world, in line with the concept of multipolarity,” shares analyst. Source