International Jewish network condemns Israel and Zionism

"We intend to contribute to a growing international voice that challenges Zionism and its claim to speak on behalf of Jews worldwide; Israel and the Zionist ideology upon which it was built does not speak for us, nor does it reflect our vision of a just and safe world," says IJAN organizer Sara Kershnar. "The movement against Zionist apartheid must be as uncompromising as was the movement against South African apartheid. Anti-Zionism is part not only of the movement against racism but also the movement against war. We are convinced that we speak to a great unexpressed, in fact censored sentiment of support for this perspective, including among Jewish people."

McCain and Palin Are Playing With Fire

What I find most unconscionable is the refusal of the McCain-Palin tandem to publicly condemn the cries of "traitor," "liar," "terrorist" and (worst of all) "kill him!" that could be heard at recent rallies. McCain is perfectly capable of telling hecklers off. But not once did he or his running mate bother to admonish the people yelling these obscene -- and potentially dangerous -- words. They may not have been able to hear the slurs at the rallies, but surely they have had ample time since to get on camera and warn that this sort of ugliness has no place in an election season. But they have not. Simply calling Obama "a decent person" is not enough.

North Korea coming off terror blacklist

South Korean protesters burn portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il during a rally against North Korea's nuclear programs in Seoul, South Korea Friday, Oct. 10, 2008. North Korea marked the anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party on Friday amid questions about leader Kim Jong Il's health and indications that Washington was close to convincing the North to resume dismantling its nuclear program. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The act of striking North Korea from the list of countries said to be perpetrating terrorists acts could come as early as Saturday, now that Bush has approved it, say diplomats briefed on the initiatives pressing the North to abandon its atomic weapons program.

Amazing how differently states that HAVE nuclear weapons are treated...

Anti-Obama (anti-Arab) anger erupts at McCain events

Sen. John McCain greets supporters at a rally in La Crosse, Wis., on Friday.

A sense of grievance spilling into rage has gripped some GOP events as McCain supporters see his presidential campaign lag against Barack Obama. They're making it personal, against the Democrat. Shouts of "traitor," "terrorist," "treason," "liar," and even "off with his head" have rung from the crowd at McCain and Sarah Palin rallies, and gone unchallenged by them.

Something to note. The clip shown on TV is a woman voicing her distrust of Obama because she mistakenly believes he is "an Arab." McCain responds "no, no, he is a good man." Notice that McCain does not make the wider argument that being Arab does not automatically make one bad - he simply comments that Obama is not Arab, therefore Obama is not bad. For those who think America has made great progress when it comes to race relations, think again. The above exchange would indicate otherwise - at least when it comes to Arabs.

Ethics investigation finds Palin abused power

The investigative report concludes that a family grudge wasn't the sole reason Gov. Sarah Palin fired the public safety commissioner but says it likely was a contributing factor.

Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday. The politically charged inquiry imperiled her reputation as a reformer on John McCain's Republican ticket.

Stocks Lower After Day of Wild Swings

Between the start and the finish was a day in which the Dow Jones industrial average swung 1,000 points and a wild final hour in which the market moved from almost 400 points down to 300 points higher, only to close down 128 points or 1.4 percent.

Iran concerned about US acts of terror

"It is of great concern that many civilians are slain and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries are violated under the pretext of tracking down terrorists," Ishaq al-e-Habib told the UN session.

Up-State New York County issues ballots with "Barack Osama"

The absentee ballots sent to voters in Rensselaer County identified the two presidential candidates as "Barack Osama" and "John McCain." In the United States, the best-known individual named Osama is Osama bin Laden, leader of the al Qaida terrorist group behind the 2001 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City.

Putin: US image damaged forever over economy woes

"Trust in the United States as the leader of the free world and the free economy, and confidence in Wall Street as the center of that trust, has been damaged, I believe, forever," Putin said. "There will be no return to the previous situation."

US stocks swing sharply in early trading

A news ticker display the latest stock market news in Time Square, New York, Thursday Oct. 9, 2008. Stocks plunged in the final minutes of trading Thursday, sending the Dow Jones industrials down more than 675 points, or more than 7 percent, to their lowest level in five years after a major credit ratings agency said it was considering cutting its rating on General Motors Corp. (AP Photos/Bebeto Matthews)

Stock prices swung sharply in early trading Friday as investors again dumped stocks but also scooped up shares that have been devastated by more than a week of intense and panicked selling. The Dow Jones industrials, down nearly 700 points in the opening minutes of trading, recovered to a loss of just over 125 and then headed lower again.

Global Markets Dive in Relentless Selloff

For almost 10 minutes on Friday, Wall Street seemed in a free-fall. The Dow Jones industrial average fell almost 700 points or about 8 percent in that time. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, declined almost 8 percent.

World Markets Plummets

Worldwide panic sparks sell-off

A man looks at a video display showing financial data in downtown Tokyo October 10, 2008. The Nikkei average tumbled 11 percent on Friday, leaving it facing its biggest one-day drop since the 1987 stock market crash on fears the financial crisis will lead to a global recession.(Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

European stock markets slumped in early trading Friday following massive sell-offs on Wall Street and Asia as lending rates between banks continue to rise despite this week's efforts by central banks to break the logjam in credit markets.

In Reversal, Democrats Shelve Iran Resolution

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Banking Chairman Barney Frank. After realizing that H.Con.Res.362 could lead to war with Iran, Frank - a cosponsor - has vowed to oppose the bill until its aggressive language is changed. (Photo: AFP / Getty)

Falling from shoo-in status to widely rejected legislation within the space of four months, a resolution that would have opened the door for a naval blockade on Iran was officially shelved at the end of September, after several of its cosponsors withdrew their support.

What happened? Can't afford another war??

Moscow calls for anti-US alliance

Divide and rule … the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, centre, and France's Nicolas Sarkozy leave their meeting in Evian. Photo: AFP

THE President of Russia has called on Europe's leaders to create a new world order that would minimise the role of the United States.

In Case You Missed This: Bin Laden: Goal is to bankrupt U.S.

The Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera released a full transcript Monday of the most recent videotape from Osama bin Laden in which the head of al Qaeda said his group's goal is to force America into bankruptcy.

Dow plunges more than 678 to fall below 9,000

Stocks plunged in the final minutes of trading Thursday, sending the Dow Jones industrials down more than 675 points, or more than 7 percent, to their lowest level in five years after a major credit ratings agency said it was considering cutting its rating on General Motors Corp. The Standard & Poor's 500 index also fell more than 7 percent.

Stocks Plunge Again; Dow Under 9,000

The sell-off comes as investor confidence falls further, despite news that Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson may use his new bailout powers to buy stakes in banks to help ease the financial crisis. General Motors is facing a major downgrade.

Many US states can't meet employee payrolls

California is going to Washington, D.C., to ask for $7 billion to cover its budget shortfall. Otherwise it won't be able to pay for its teachers, cops, firemen, and other essential services. Unfortunately, California won't be alone. A number of other states are experiencing a huge dive in tax revenue and could be going cap in hand to Uncle Sam alarmingly soon. How bad could it get? The potential cost for all the 31 states facing both major and minor shortfalls could be as much as $53.4 billion.

Israeli Arab lawyer handcuffed-pants forcefully removed by Israeli airport security

Dukhi was flying from Tel Aviv to Eilat on Monday to provide legal assistance to Sudanese refugees working in hotels in the southern city when security officials at the Sde Dov airport asked him to remove his pants after a hand-held metal detector beeped when it was waved over them. When he said he would rather leave the airport, the officials called the police, who informed Dukhi he was under arrest, handcuffed him, and removed his pants to complete the search.

Christian-Hindu "holy war" strikes India

35 Christians killed and 50,000 forced from their homes by Hindu mobs enraged at Swami's murder

Holding her daughter close, she told how a baying Hindu mob dragged her husband – a Christian pastor – from his bed, beat him to death with stones and iron rods and then threw him into a river. She found his corpse two days later, washed up on the bank. When she went to the police, they told her to go away.

Inside Dubai's labour camp (15 pictures)

A hidden army of exploited immigrant workers are building Dubai's skyscrapers. Ghaith Abdul-Ahad visited the labour camps they inhabit to capture their lives.

US debt clock runs out of digits

Until last month, the clock had enough digits to measure US debt levels

The US government's debts have ballooned so badly the National Debt Clock in New York has run out of digits to record the spiralling figure.

'Yom Kippur riot' in Israeli city - Jewish youth attack Arab man

"...for years, young Jews have gathered at city entrances on Yom Kippur and stoned passing Arab cars, endangering the lives of the passengers."

Tensions are simmering in Acre on Thursday after a group of Jewish youths allegedly assaulted an Arab man who drove into the eastern part of the city on the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur. The incident touched off large-scale rioting between Jews and Arabs, resulting in extensive damage of dozens of cars and shops.

US military admits killing 33 civilians in Afghanistan air strike

Afghans are seen over the graves of family members allegedly killed after a US raid on Azizabad in Afghanistan in August. Photograph: Fraidoon Pooyaa/AP

US expresses regret for deaths last August but blames Taliban for taking position near village

The issue of civilian deaths has outraged Afghans and strained relations with foreign forces which are in Afghanistan to help fight the insurgency. The Afghanistan president, Hamid Karzai, has warned US and Nato for years that they must stop killing civilians on bombing runs against militants, saying the deaths undermine his government and the international mission.

The US military sound exactly like the Israeli IDF - "It's their fought - They made us kill them!"

Nearly 1 in 6 US homeowers owe more than homes are worst

The relentless slide in home prices has left nearly one in six U.S. homeowners owing more on a mortgage than the home is worth, raising the possibility of a rise in defaults -- the very misfortune that touched off the credit crisis last year. The result of homeowners being "under water" is more pressure on an economy that is already in a downturn. No longer having equity in their homes makes people feel less rich and thus less inclined to shop at the mall.

Israel's Ethiopian Jewish immigrants protest harsh treatment

Protestors outside PM's Office (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Two days after settling outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem in protest of the harsh conditions in their absorption center and their difficult economic situation, dozens of Ethiopian immigrants agreed Wednesday to adhere to the Jewish Agency and Immigrant Absorption Ministry's call, and return to the Beit Alfa absorption center.

Muslims Demand Fairness Not Favors

Muslims and Arab living here and elsewhere do not wish to have their faith or ethnicity equated with violence and terrorism. Muslims as well as Arabs are on the forefront when it comes to denouncing terrorism against innocent Jews and Christians here or abroad. In the meantime Muslims and Arabs are subjected to attacks and public insults in both electronic and print media on a daily basis.

U.S. court blocks order to free Chinese Muslims

A group of Chinese Muslims set to be freed into the U.S. this week from Guantanamo Bay found their freedom stymied yet again after a simple government plea: What's a couple more weeks or so in jail after nearly seven years?

As I have said time an again - Zionists hate to lose...

U.S. may take stakes in banks

Henry Paulson, U.S. treasury secretary, pauses during a news conference on Wednesday.

(Evan Vucci/The Associate Press)

Having tried without success to unlock frozen credit markets, the Treasury Department is considering taking ownership stakes in many United States banks to try to restore confidence in the financial system, according to government officials.

The American recapitalization plan - Nationalization by any other name...

Israel: wedded to war?

Far from learning the lessons of past conflict, the country's military seem ever more willing to resort to brute force

Using brute force to "sear" certain truths into the consciousness of Arabs of varying descriptions has a certain heritage in Israeli and Zionist thought, going all the way back to Jabotinsky's theory of the "iron wall". In the 1920s he wrote candidly that "every indigenous people will resist alien settlers as long as they see any hope of ridding themselves of the danger of foreign settlement". The need then was for an "iron wall" of force to bring the Palestinians to the point of giving up "all hope".

Smuggling by tunnel goes legit in Gaza

Gaza's smugglers are going legit: Owners of the scores of tunnels running under the Gaza-Egypt border have registered with the Hamas authorities, pledged to pay workers' compensation and hooked up their operations to the electricity network.

An invention called 'the Jewish people'

Shlomo Sand

Israel's Declaration of Independence states that the Jewish people arose in the Land of Israel and was exiled from its homeland. Every Israeli schoolchild is taught that this happened during the period of Roman rule, in 70 CE. The nation remained loyal to its land, to which it began to return after two millennia of exile. Wrong, says the historian Shlomo Zand, in one of the most fascinating and challenging books published here in a long time. There never was a Jewish people, only a Jewish religion, and the exile also never happened - hence there was no return. Zand rejects most of the stories of national-identity formation in the Bible, including the exodus from Egypt and, most satisfactorily, the horrors of the conquest under Joshua. It's all fiction and myth that served as an excuse for the establishment of the State of Israel, he asserts.

Cognitive Dissonance – America’s Mental Illness

By Patriot – The Jingoist
Oct 9, 2008

Imagine, it’s raining outside and all of your friends are at the beach having a barbecue. Or, better yet, imagine that your apartment building is on fire and as you rush out to find safety, you notice the rest of the tenets sitting in their living rooms watching the ball game. Would you think something odd?

What if you sounded the fire alarm and no one responded? What if you sounded the alarm and everyone looked at you wide-eyed with wonder about the danger? What if your friends at the beach told you that it wasn’t really raining – that the sun was actually shinning, and the wet clothes they’re wearing weren’t really wet? Would you think this odd?

What if the fireman who responded to the alarm, looked at the apartment building – all ablaze – and then yelled at you for calling in a false alarm? What if the meteorologist you tuned in to on the radio to check the weather forecast – reported clear skies and sunshine? Would you think this odd?

Would you think it odd that for everyone else, it is business as usual, but for you it is not? Would you think that everyone else is odd? Or, would you think you were odd?

It really doesn’t matter how you answer the above questions. In either case, you are in a state of cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term which describes the uncomfortable tension that may result from having two conflicting thoughts at the same time, or from engaging in behavior that conflicts with one's beliefs. In detailed terms, it is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions, where "cognition" is defined as any element of knowledge, including attitude, emotion, belief, or behavior.

The theory of cognitive dissonance states that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to reduce the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions.

This is the state of Americans when it comes to Israel.

What Americans are told, taught and spoon-fed about Israel, is often in conflict with the actions of Israel and the deeds of the Jewish people. Americans are told that Israel is a shinning example of democracy in the Middle East. But, Americans see how Israeli Arabs, Ethiopian Jews, and the Palestinians are treated and know, from the experiences of their own country, that Israel is not a democracy but a theocracy.

Americans are told that Israel is America’s “closest Middle East ally. Yet, Americans need only to do a quick Goggle search to realize that Israel’s track record as an ally is questionable at best. For example, Americans know that allies don’t:

• commit espionage on America and Americans
• vend American military secrets to America's enemies
• pirate sensitive American technology
• amass weapons of mass destruction
• calculatingly attempt to sink an American naval vessel in international waters
• deliberately allow Americans to be killed
  

Yet, Israel has done all of these things at one time or the other, and probably continues to to this day. This is not Islamic or self-defaming Jewish propaganda. This information is available for verification with a little research.

The following are only a few examples:

CIA Asserts Israel Sold Arms Programs To Chinese Military

Four Decades of Twisting Facts About Israel’s Attack on the USS Liberty

Israel Charged with Systematic Harassment of U.S. Marines

Israeli Friends

Israeli Spying on the United States

Pentagon, GAO Report Israeli Espionage And Illegal Technology Retransfer

The Spy Who Loves Us

The Troubling Reticence Over U.S. "Terrorism" Cases

With full knowledge of the above facts, American presidents, defense officials, and political leaders continue to declare to the American people that Israel is America’s “closest Middle East ally.” Clearly, this misrepresentation of the facts, course of dis-information, and frankly, program of propaganda increases dissonance in the American psyche.

Dissonance increases with (1) the importance of the subject to us; (2) how strongly the dissonant thoughts conflict, and (3) our inability to rationalize and explain away the conflict. The American people can in no way reconcile their leaders glowing praise of Israel with Israel’s actual deceitful, conniving, and underhanded behavior.

So, Americans are essentially mentally ill when it comes to Israel. Here’s why.

Cognitive dissonance is central to many forms of persuasion to change beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors. The tension can be injected suddenly, as was the case with 911, or gradually over time, as is the case with Israel. People can be moved in many small hops over time or one giant leap. To release the tension we must:

• change our behavior.
• justify our behavior by changing the conflicting cognition.
• justify our behavior by adding new cognitions.
  

In the case with Israel, Americans were basically unaware that they were being mentally manipulated by a foreign government. The dissonance, while constant, has been introduced slowly over a prolonged period of time. To accommodate for the gradual increase of psychological discomfort brought on by the tension, Americans slowly began to change many of their beliefs regarding Israel. Once those original beliefs are changed, the dissonance occurs during the decision-making process, which forces many Americans to take actions or positions they would never have taken prior to the conditioning.

Fed orders emergency rate cut, other banks follow

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke speaks to the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) about the current state of the economy in Washington, October 7, 2008. (Mitch Dumke/Reuters)

The Federal Reserve, acting in coordination with other global central banking authorities, cut a key U.S. interest rate by half a percentage point Wednesday to steady a teetering economy.

LA killings put mental health counselors on alert about money woes

Los Angeles County Coroners remove one of six bodies found at a home in a gated community at Porter Ranch in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles on Monday, Oct. 6, 2008. An unemployed accounting industry worker who was despondent over financial problems shot and killed his wife, three children, mother-in-law and then himself in an upscale home in a gated community, police said Monday. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Mental health counselors were on the alert Tuesday for calls from people depressed or possibly suicidal about money woes, after an unemployed financial manager killed five family members and himself.

UK: Darling details £50 billion bank bailout plan

Chancellor Alistair Darling today launched a drastic rescue of Britain's high street banks in move designed to head off a cataclysmic failure of confidence by announcing a part-nationalisation plan with £50 billion of taxpayers' money.

3 Jews arrested for anti-semitic messages on Jewish institutions

One of the men is a member of Baltimore Hebrew Congregation in the 5500 block of Slade Ave,. where the word Nazi and a swastika were spray-painted on signs, said Cpl. Michael Hill, a police spokesman. Signs at Beth Tfiloh Community School in the 3300 block of Old Court Road were similarly defaced.

Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde warns nation of bankruptcy

A man walks out of a branch of Landsbanki in Reykjavik, Iceland Tuesday Oct. 7, 2008 . Iceland nationalized its second-largest bank Landsbanki on Tuesday under day-old legislation and negotiated a euro4 billion (US$5.4 billion) loan from Russia to shore up the nation's finances amid a full-blown financial crisis. The moves came a day after trading in shares of major banks was suspended, the Icelandic krona lost a quarter of its value against the euro, and the government rushed through emergency legislation giving it new powers to deal with the financial meltdown. Prime Minister Haarde warned late Monday that the heavy exposure of the tiny country's banking sector to the global financial turmoil raised the spectre of 'national bankruptcy.

'This volcanic island near the Arctic Circle is on the brink of becoming the first "national bankruptcy" of the global financial meltdown. "Everything is closed. We couldn't sell our stock or take money from the bank," said Johann Sigurdsson as he left a branch of Landsbanki in downtown Reykjavik.

Asian stocks plunge on fears of global recession

Passersby look at a chart showing a sharp drop of Japanese stocks in front of a Tokyo brokerage Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008. Japan's stock market plummeted 9.4 percent — its biggest one-day drop in 21 years — Wednesday as investors rushed for the exits on deepening fears over the global financial crisis. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index nose-dived 952.58 points to 9,203.32, a five-year low. (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)

A meltdown in confidence strangled Asian stock markets Wednesday on accelerating fears that the widening financial crisis could spawn a global recession.

Japanese Nikkei plunges nearly 10%

A trader works on the trading floor of Daiwa Securities SMBC Co. in Tokyo, October 7, 2008. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

Panic over the fast-spreading financial crisis dragged down markets across Asia, with Japanese steelmakers such as Nippon Steel Corp (5401.T) sliding, as the Nikkei set another five-year closing low. It has lost 19 percent in the past five days.

McCain, Obama clash over economic crisis

As Sen. Barack Obama looks on, Sen. John McCain answers a question at the debate in Nashville, Tenn.

Barack Obama and John McCain clashed repeatedly over the causes and cures for the worst economic crisis in 80 years Tuesday night in a debate in which Republican McCain called for a sweeping $300 billion program to shield homeowners from mortgage foreclosure.

As usual, a question about Israel made it's way into the US presidential debates - one would think US presidential candidates were running for prime minister of Israel.

In tonight's debate, the question was something to the effect, if Iran attacked Israel, would you use force to support Israel? To this, McCain dutifully repeated the now well debunked "wipe Israel off the map" and "stinking corpse" fabrications and vowed to never permit a "second holocaust." Obama to his credit, and a major reason I think he will be the next president, was not so vivacious in his support of the Jewish state. While Obama did his obligatory "Israel is our #1 ally in the Middle East" routine, he did not go as far as McCain in his statement of support for Israel and he certainly did not indicate a readiness to intercede with American blood and treasure on Israel's behalf. Obama, it seems, understand that Americans are in no mode to fight a 3rd war against an Islamic country - on it's own behalf let alone for Israel. He seems to recognize that there are costs associated with supporting the Jewish state, and the costs may be higher than the American people are willing to pay.

Expect the viewers to give a clear victory to Obama in tonight's debate and the gap between Obama and McCain to widen. Of course, the media will continue to emphasize the economy as the main reason for McCain's demise, but McCain's blind support for Israel and his readiness to use force against Israel's enemies is undeniably a major factor.

Obama starting to pull away

The Electoral College map that used to be a wash of red (with a few exceptions like the West Coast and the Northeast) is starting to look like the Smurfs are progressively marching across the country. (In other words, the map is turning a Democratic blue.)

The news media and political pundits will tell you the economy is the reason for Obama's surge. But I have another possible explanation. See my comments to the posts here and here. However, as relates to the US economy, Americans know who "control" their economy and financial institutions. Its the same people who "control" the US Congress - and, it AIN'T the American people...

Dow falls 508 as panic takes over Wall Street

The Dow Jones industrials fell 508 points, or 5.1%, to 9,447. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 108 points, or 5.8%, to 1,755, and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index was off 61 points, or 5.7%, to 996.

Saying Outlook Has Worsened, Bernanke Hints at Cut

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke spoke at the National Association for Business Economics in Washington on Tuesday.

“Over all, the combination of the incoming data and recent financial developments suggests that the outlook for economic growth has worsened and that the downside risks to growth have increased,” Mr. Bernanke told members of the National Association for Business Economics.

Stocks tumble as Street worries about financials

Wall Street extended its steep declines Tuesday as enthusiasm over the Federal Reserve's latest efforts to inject frozen credit markets with a dose of much-needed confidence gave way to concerns about financial companies' balance sheets. Trading remained fractious, with the Dow Jones industrial average losing more than 225 points.

Judge: Let Chinese Muslims from Guantanamo into US

"Because the Constitution prohibits indefinite detentions without cause, the continued detention is unlawful," Urbina said in a ruling that brought cheers and applause from a standing-room only courtroom filled with dozens of Uighurs and human rights activists.

Rare Islamic artifact sells for $5.5 million

In this file photo dated Oct. 2, 2008, Sara Plumby, an Islamic specialist at Christie's is seen behind one of only seven known Fatimid carved rock crystal ewers, at Christie's auction house, London. A rare Islamic crystal jug that was mistaken earlier this year for a cheap French claret pitcher has sold at auction for almost $5.6 million. An anonymous bidder bought the 1,000-year-old rock crystal ewer, one of only seven of its kind known to exist, during a sale of Islamic and Indian art at Christie's auction house in London. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

An anonymous bidder bought the 1,000-year-old rock crystal ewer — one of only seven of its kind known to exist — during a sale of Islamic and Indian art at Christie's auction house in London. The sale price of $5.58 million includes the buyer's premium.

Retirement accounts have lost $2 trillion

In this photo provided by John Howe, John Howe, right, his wife Linda, left, and dog Jane are shown in Kingsville, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008. (AP Photo/John Howe)

"Unlike Wall Street executives, America's families don't have a golden parachute to fall back on," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the panel chairman. "It's clear that their retirement security may be one of the greatest casualties of this financial crisis."

Abu Dhabi invests in US chip maker

AMD will be split into two firms, one designing and the other making computer chips [AP]

Advanced Micro Devices, the second largest computer chip maker in the US, has announced that it will split into two firms, with its factories becoming a joint venture with investors from the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Christian minister apologizes over call to tattoo gay people

He wrote: "It is time that religious believers began to recommend... discouragements of homosexual practices after the style of warnings on cigarette packets. "Let us make it obligatory for homosexuals to have their backsides tattooed with the slogan SODOMY CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH and their chins with FELLATIO KILLS."

Iran says it forced down US warplane

The Iran News Agency says a US warplane violated the country's territory and was forced to land. The agency said five senior US military officials had been interrogated at an Iranian airport and released a day later after it became clear that the plane had not entered intentionally.