Sydney, Australia - A high speed police chase ending with the deaths of two teenagers, was the spark that created a firestorm of anti-police rioting in Sydney's southwest suburb. Police have been unable to end the violence which began four nights ago. A very small number of rioters have been arrested as crowds continue to block streets and hold off authorities with rocks and firebombs. The street where the teens died is marked by a memorial, banners and graffiti such as: "We know who the real criminals are, we just want justice", "Police will die", "Cops kill kids", and "We will kill you dogs".

Sacramento, California - Alleged Earth Liberation Front member Ryan Daniel Lewis, 21, of Newcastle, California has been held in Sacramento County Jail since his arrest on February 8. He was informed on by his father, and has been charged with two attempted fire bombings and one arson which occurred in the area. Since his capture two unexploded bombs have been discovered, one at the Placer County Courthouse and a second at the state Department of Motor Vehicles office, both in Auburn. After raiding his home authorities discovered surveillance footage of one of the targets, a partially constructed commercial office complex, and a passage on his computer identical to one sent to newspapers claiming responsibility for the attacks. In the wake of this and the recent conviction of Earth Liberation Front arsonist turned snitch, Billy Cottrell, the Earth Liberation Front Tactics Unit has released new security guidelines for people considering taking action.

Harrisonburg, Virginia - The Armed Forces Recruiting Center in Harrisonburg had it's windows smashed and paint thrown in it. A number of messages were left painted on the building including "Recruiting the poor to die for the rich." The recruiters felt that statement to be inaccurate because they had recruited two teenagers whose parents are doctors.

The Squatted Circle Community Centre

London, England - A group of squatters have been evicted, for the second time from their home, a former police station still owned by the department, in Arbour Square, Stepney. An embarrassed Scotland Yard hopes that this will be their final eviction effort as they plan to sell the building for £2million. Another group in Tufnell Park Road, Holloway have occupied the four abandoned St George's Theatre and put it to use as a community center. The Circle Community Centre, which oppened last November, offers a wide variety of workshops and performances in the building as well as yoga and meditation classes. The Pentecostal church group House On The Rock who own the site have been making efforts to evict the project, which is likely to drag on for years.

Brooklyn, New York - Sixth Grade students accuse soldiers of killing civilians and "destroying holy places like Mosques." Letters were sent to soldiers as part of social studies assignment by kids at Junior High School 51 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. 9 of the 21 letters attacked President Bush and the war.

New Jersey - All politicians are corrupt is belief commonly held by most Americans if not most people. That is a sentiment which is being exclaimed loudly, in New Jersey's Monmouth County, after ten officials including three mayors, were arrested Tuesday for extorting cash bribes and free work from a contractor who was working undercover for the FBI, another was charged with money laundering. 76 public officials in New Jersey have been charged or convicted in corruption-related cases in the last 37 months.

Brussels - 25-hundred police were deployed to protect President Bush during his visit to Brussels. The police were able to hold off anarchist and antiwar demonstrators, using a water cannon, as they were pelted with stones, bottles, fire crackers, flares, and petrol bombs.

UN arms inspector and former Marine Scott Ritter told an audience at Olympia's Capitol Theater, that President George W. Bush has "signed off" on plans to bomb Iran in June 2005, and claimed the U.S. manipulated the results of the recent Jan. 30 elections in Iraq.

East Orange, New Jersey Army recruiter Sgt. First Class William C. Howard says that antiwar sentiment seems to have grown more aggressive, the insults, dirty looks and other signs of discontent seem to be increasing. Recruiters are on edge and employing new safety measures after a number of increasingly violent incidents including one in which several hundred students at Seattle Central Community College surrounded two Army recruiters on campus, shouting insults and hurling projectiles until the recruiters were rescued by campus security guards who escorted them off campus. A number of recruitment centers have had their windows smashed, painted red, bloodied, sullied with manure, and even firebombed. Recruiters cars have also been firebombed, which makes a worried Sargent Howard wonder "how far is this all going to go."

New York, New York - 40 years after his assassination Malcolm X is honored by his family and parasitic politicians alike in the Audubon Ballroom where he was killed.

Michigan - Roseville artist Edward Stross, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 2 years probation, and a $500 fine for painting a mural of Michelangelo's "Creation of Man," which includes a bare breasted Eve, on the outside of his studio. Thanks to support from the Michigan Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, his sentence may be stayed pending an appeal. For now a portion of the mural deemed offensive has been covered.

Port-Au-Prince, Haiti - An armed group stormed Haiti's main prison allowing possibly as many as 500 prisoners to escape and made off with former Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert, who served under ousted ex-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. One guards was killed and others fled when the assault began.

US - 22-year-old New Jersey native Christopher McIntosh was arrested on the streets of Philadelphia for allegedly setting fire to a Seattle McDonald's outlet in the early morning of January 20, 2003. The fire which cost about $5,000 worth of damage was claimed on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front. Investigators named McIntosh as a suspect after discovering fingerprint and DNA evidence left on a can of spray paint and sunglasses found at the scene. A former girlfriend also told investigators that she served as a lookout for McIntosh when he set the fire. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia; a Seattle court date has not yet been set.

London, England - Activists Helen Steel and Dave Morris, who oppose McDonald's and took action through passing out fliers about them were finally vindicated in court of committing libel against the company after over 15 years of legal and extra-legal harassment.

Louisiana - A .223-caliber sniper rifle, a .308-caliber sniper rifle, a semiautomatic assault rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, a .38-caliber revolver and several boxes of ammunition, body armor, an assault helmet, a night vision system and goggles, handcuffs, two scopes for the rifles and several holsters were taken out of the back of a Louisiana State Police vehicle.

Orlando, Florida - David Pieski, a chemistry teacher, at Freedom High School, was arrested for allegedly teaching his students to make bombs. He was charged with possessing or discharging a destructive device and culpable negligence, and released on $1,000 bail. School officials reassigned Pieski to a desk job.

Mexico City, Mexico - Environmentalists and other bicycle advocates go up against car culture in one of the most traffic-congested and air polluted cities in the Western Hemisphere. They take to the streets in a bicycle only monthly ride called Critical Mass, and dare to ask "why should we be slaves to the kingdom of the car?"

• Pennsylvania - West Homestead Police Chief David Ausburn was arrested after being investigated by the federal, state and local units, which handle investigations of child pornography, child exploitation and Internet coercion throughout Western Pennsylvania. Ausburn 35, rendered his resignation, which was granted, when the investigation first became public. Details including the charges have been sealed and are unkown.

• Kentucky - Shepherdsville Police Officer Adam Wheeler has been indicted by a grand jury for engaging in deviant sexual intercourse with a girl less than 12 years old. Wheeler wasn't required to post bail, but the police department suspended him.

• New Jersey - More than a third of the Waterford Township Police Department has been suspended or fired in the wake of a drug and sex scandal which involves officers having sex in patrol cars while on duty. Investigators claim to have evidence of such activity dating back to 2002.

• Texas - Three former Houston area law officers have been arrested for pulling a scam which involved using "prostitutes" to lure men who they would threaten with arrest and then rob. The three who were veteran officers ran the scam for at least six months, but were fired recently for unrelated reasons.

California - Another bomb was discovered in the early mourning hours at the Auburn Department of Motor Vehicles. Nobody was injured when authorities detonated the bomb hours later with the aid of a robot. The Earth Liberation Front is suspected to be behind this string of unexploded bombs and the eyes of local citizens including school children have been frightened into keeping an extra vigilant alert for anything suspicious.

A "Top Secret Laptop," which was created by SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare Systems) a San Diego military contractor, has been stolen from the Imperial Beach Border Patrol station. The computer held classified detailed information about US border security.

Togo - The West African nation of Togo is in a state of unrest as street protests and a general strike threaten to unseat the government. A number of demonstrators were shot and killed by riot police after police say they attempted to seize arms. Most businesses are closed down as are many streets which are blocked by burning barricades. Faure Gnassingbe acceded to the presidency shortly after the February 5, death of his father President Gnassingbe Eyadema, who died of a heart attack, after 38 years of oppressive rule.

California - A bomb was left on the door step of the Placer County Courthouse in Auburn, California near Sacramento. The Earth Liberation Front group which attempted to burn down other buildings in the area lately is suspected to be responsible.

California - Supreme Court Judge and former district attorney Lloyd Jeffrey Wiatt took his own life after facing allegations of child molestation. Wiatt, 61 is survived by his wife and two children.

California - Federal agents have arrested 21-year-old Ryan Daniel Lewis and are holding him in connection with last month's discovery of incendiary devices at a partially constructed office complex near Sacramento. The attempted arson was claimed by the group the Earth Liberation Front. The FBI is not saying why they believe Lewis is responsible, but they are still looking for more suspects. He will be held in Sacramento County Jail on a no-bail hold, at least until his is next scheduled court appearance on February 24.

Argentina - Over 2,000 inmates at the San Martin maximum-security penitentiary in the province of Cordoba in central Argentina, overpowered guards and have taken control of the prison. More than two dozen guards, the warden, and a number visitors are being held hostage inside the prison. The prisoners are demanding better living conditions and more visitation hours.

Repression in the United States

A recent crackdown on speech in the United States has lead to the conviction and possible 35 year sentence of attorney Lynne Stewart.

Usually an attorney is allowed to represent her client to the press. She can make statements protesting innocence, or give information to the general public about the case. In 1996, however, Congress passed 28 C.F.R. § 501.3 The Prevention of Acts of Violence and Terrorism, which allowed the attorney general, the director, or the bureau of prisons to give someone Special Administrative Measures ('SAM'). This prevents some people who may not have been convicted of anything from using the mail, the media, the telephone, or visiting with non-family members.

Lynne's client, Sheikh Abdel Rahman was given 'SAM', after he was convicted of ordering the world trade center bombing in 1993. He was believed to have provided religious guidance to the bombers, and he was also implicated in a plot to kill the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak.

Lynne Stewart has been Sheikh Abdel Rahmen's court-appointed attorney since the bombing. The government imposed SAM prevented Stewart from speaking to the media about the case, and she was not allowed to talk to her client about anything other than the case. Stewart does not speak Arabic, and her client does not speak English, so they communicated via a translator, Mohammed Yousry. The complaint alleged that on a few occasions Stewart spoke in English and Yousry did not translate, but provided special information to Rahman. Rahman communicated other information to the translator but Stewart was not privy to this. The government charged that Stewart somehow knew that the information was not being translated appropriately, and that she made extraneous comments in order to 'cover' for the actual exchange.

The exchanges were all videotaped, as per the SAM requirements. It is unclear whether Stewart was aware of the videotaping, or whether the Patriot Act allowed the federal government to videotape her without permission.

Later, Stewart held a press conference to inform the public that Rahman was no longer supporting the cease-fire. The public already knew this, as Yousry had issued a statement via the new leader of Islamic Group, Ahmed Abdel Sattar. Stewart is also charged with condoning a statement by Sattar that Rahman was being denied his insulin in prison.

Stewart was convicted of speaking in English, and informing people of something they already knew. Her actual charges were: (1) Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Islamic Group (2) Providing Material Support to Islamic Group; (3) Conspiracy to Defraud the United States; (4) False Statements. She was convicted on all counts today after a jury deliberation of 13 days. During Stewart's trial the jury was subjected to a video of National Enemy Osama Bin Laden calling for the release of her client. The court somehow found this sufficiently relevant to Stewart's case to allow the jury to view it.

Oddly, an organization actually committed to terrorizing Stewart is not being prosecuted.

The right wing media is presently attacking its next target: Ward Churchill. Bob Newman, right-wing pundit has discovered the Treason statute: 18 USC 2381, and he is trying to drum up public support for a prosecution. His argument has migrated from AM radio to the Colorado Governor's Office, and Joe Scarborough's show on MSNBC. Churchill has resigned as the chair of the Ethics Department, and the Board of Regents is currently combing through his voluminous body of work to try to find a statistical anomaly that will allow them to fire him from his tenured position.

Lawyers and academics unfriendly to the United States are being purged. It's getting dangerous.

Nepal - Police crack down on pro-democracy demonstrators in Nepal's capitol, Kathmandu, but rebels in the country side successfully fight back. Less than two weeks after King Gyanendra dismissed the Parliament and seized power hundreds of Maoist rebels, launched simultaneous attacks on a jail, a branch of Nepal's central bank and two police stations. Armed with crude bombs and automatic weapons the insurgents were able to liberate a prison in the remote western town of Dhangadi. The other attacks were repressed by military forces loyal to the King.

According to a University of Iowa study one in four college males hope to participate in some sort of riot or public disturbance during their college experience.

Cop Watch

• Brooklyn, New York - Three members of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Lumumba Bandele, Desaw Floyd, and Djbril Toure were arrested in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn early this morning a attempting to witness and document police as they allegedly beat another individual. They were charged with assault and obstruction of governmental administration. The three's attorney Kamau Karl Franklin stated that "they were involved in completely legal activities" and their "arrest is outrageous."

• Bronx, New York - Michael Soguero, the Bronx principal who was arrested last week while trying to mediate an altercation between an unruly student and a police officer, who wanted to arrest the youth, has received an outpouring of support from parents and faculty. Many believe that the arrest was payback for filing a civilian complaint against the arresting officer after a previous incident involving another student. "Flooding schools with police officers and safety agents, particularly when there is this divided responsibility where the principal does not have authority of the building, has always struck me as a potentially dangerous strategy," said Eva S. Moskowitz, chairwoman of the City Council's Education Committee, at a committee hearing yesterday.

• San Antonio, Texas - The niece of a high ranking police official at the San Antonio Police Department has accused her uncle of raping her multiple times over the past year. According to a police report, the woman was "frightened and shaking" after driving herself to a local hospital, were she told officers that her uncle had threatened her life. The woman also said that the officer told her, "Nothing will happen anyway, because of who I am." The officer remains on the job and no charges have yet been filed.

• Jacksonville, Florida - Four high-powered sniper rifles with scopes and 80 rounds of 308 ammunition were stolen out of an unmarked FBI van early Sunday morning. A spokesperson for the FBI said that they are doing everything possible to try and find whoever took their weapons.

Spain - A molotov cocktail sparked a fire, which burned the court house, in the Basque town of Errenteria.

California - Rumors of a Mardi Gras party, which never materialized, brought together a 1,000 person crowd who created their own party. The revellers rampaged through the streets of Old Sacramento and Downtown, pelting police officers with projectiles, attacking property, and shoplifting en mass.

The Animal Liberation Front smashed up a McDonald's restaurant in Torrance, California.

California - The new Pinewoods apartment complex, about 45 miles east of Sacramento, California, was engulfed by flames at around 3 a.m. this morning. Sutter Creek Chief of Police Robert Duke said "there were seven individual fires and some kind of incendiary device with very, very crude triggering mechanisms." Graffiti at the site claimed that the fires were set by the Earth Liberation Front who have been particularly active in the area in the past few months. No other statements have been released yet.

Canada - A 35-year-old man was arrested after witnesses say he threw molotov cocktails at the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver.

San Fransisco - Gay anarchists and others in San Fransisco stand up for their right to own handguns, as the city tries to criminalize them. They are members of the Pink Pistols, and they say that the right to own guns may be even more important than the right to marry.

Cop Watch

• Los Angeles - After five months the district attorney has decided not to pursue criminal charges against Officer John Hatfield, who was caught on video tape brutally beating and kicking auto theft suspect Stanley Miller last June. The assault, which was caught on video by a local traffic copter, has been compared to the Rodney King video that sparked the 1992 LA riots. LAPD Chief William Bratton was quick to hold meetings with Al Sharpton and other civil rights activists to give the allusion of justice in action.

• San Jose - 22-year veteran of the San Jose Police Department, Stephen Gallagher is being held without bail after being caught on video tape sexually abusing his own 1-year-old daughter.

Prisoners at the Apalachee Correctional Institution in Sneads, Florida attacked their captors leaving 12 guards injured including one who was stabbed with an improvised knife. Reportedly no inmates were hurt, but 52 now face charges and 102 were transferred to another facility.

Canada - More than 150 angry homeless people and their supports stormed the Toronto City Council as they were about to debate a proposal to ban the homeless from sleeping in Nathan Phillips Square. Mayor David Miller and most of the council members fled out a private back entrance as they were heckled by the crowd, who occupied the assembly room for another 45 minutes and then left. The demonstration had been organized by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP).

Ohio - Anti-war protesters smashed the windows of a military recruiting center in Toledo, Ohio and then threw a bucket of manure inside. The phrase "War is Shit" was painted on the wall and in many other places around town. A group of the same name released a statement of responsibility for the action.

Iraq - A prison uprising at Camp Bucca, located south of Basra near the Kuwaiti border, was brought put down when US troops opened fire on the inmates. More than 2,900 of about 5,300 prisoners housed at the facility were involved in the rioting which lasted about 45 minutes and ended with four dead.

New York - Two Army recruiting centers, one in The Bronx and one in Manhattan were targeted by anarchists who left numerous broken windows and obscene graffiti. In the Bronx David Seigel, 19, was arrested after allegedly throwing burning rags inside the station. He is being held on $150,000 bail in the Bronx. Police have no suspects in the other attack, but the Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating it.

A Bronx teenager's distaste for police leaves one officer with blood in his mouth. Hunts Point McDonald’s employee Albert Garcia Jr., 18 was arrested in a sting operation only hours after serving a hamburger stuffed with glass to a New York City Police Officer. The officer was treated and released from Long Island Jewish Hospital for cuts in his mouth and throat. Serving tainted and sometimes potentially deadly food to police officers is not a new thing for fast food employees. Garcia was busted for spiting in another officer's burger which in some states is not actually against the law.