The New York Times | 5 May 2010

It’s hard to ignore the $106.5 million price tag attached to the Picasso piece whose sale on Tuesday is the biggest-ever price tag for a work of art sold at auction.

But who could stump up that kind of cash?

The buyer remains a mystery, but tucked at the bottom of Carol Vogel’s report in The New York Times is a list of the usual suspects, including a few hedge fund moguls known for their art-collecting habits.

According to dealers who spoke to Ms. Vogel before the auction, the potential bidders could have included

* Kenneth C. Griffin of the Citadel Investment Group
* Steven A. Cohen of SAC Capital
* Roman Abramovich, the Russian financer

[Read more]

Institute for Public Accuracy
6 May 2010

COSTAS PANAYOTAKIS

Panayotakis is associate professor of sociology at the New York City College of Technology at CUNY. He said today: “Basically, you have a new government imposing the austerity policies that it ran against, attempting to solve the crisis on the backs of ordinary Greeks. And, as is usually the case with the International Monetary Fund, it’s also an attempt to indirectly bail out the German banks, French banks and [other] European banks that hold most of the Greek debt.” See interview on Democracy Now.

6 May 2010

Bethlehem – Ma’an – A former Yale professor was among the four detained by Israeli forces during protests against the construction of the separation wall in Al-Walaja on Thursday morning.

Witnesses said three others were lightly injured by border police, who used clubs and mace against protesters, in what witnesses said was a violent removal of the protesters from their positions around Israeli military bulldozers.

A border police spokesman confirmed that four were detained at the rally, adding that all were released a few hours after their detention.

At 2pm, sources confirmed to Ma’an that at least one of the three, former Yale professor Dr Mazen Qumsiyeh, remained in custody. Family members confirmed that he was being held at the Russian Compound in Jerusalem, and may be let out on bail later in the afternoon.

[Read more]

by taxikipali, libcom.org, 5 May 2010

Three people have suffocated to death as a result of a fire in Marfin Bank during ongoing battles between anti-measure protesters and police in Athens.

The Athens protest march marking the zenith of the general strike called for the 5th of May was attended by an approximate 200,000 (20,000 which is the foreign broadcast number referring to the PAME march alone), although because of lack of media coverage due to the media participation in the general strike no concrete estimates can be made. After the PAME (Communist Party union) protesters left Syntagma square, the first lines of the main march started arriving before the Parliament with the first clashes erupting at the end of Stadiou street. The march then walked on the Unknown Soldier grounds leading the Presidential Guard to retreat, and attempted to storm the Parliament but was pushed back by riot police forces which today demonstrated a particularly staunch attitude and resolve against the demonstrators. Soon battles erupted around the Parliament with protesters throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks, with one riot police armored van torched, and the police responding by extended use of tear gas that soon made Athens’ atmosphere unbearably acrid. As more blocks reached Syntagma square, the battles spread across the city center and lasted for more than five hours.

[Read more]

By Stuart Munckton, Green Left Weekly, 3 May 2010

Its censorship shows up the myth of the “democratic” West. Depicting the truth about the crimes of US troops, or Western-backed dictatorships, is clearly too much for the corporate giant Google.

In the United States, Google-owned video-sharing site YouTube has banned the video for hip hop star M.I.A.’s new single “Born Free”, citing the graphic nature of its content.

More than nine minutes long, the clip, directed by Romain Gavras, begins with heavily armed soldiers with US flags on their uniforms raiding someone’s home. The location is not known, but the setting is reminiscent of Baghdad or the Palestinian West Bank.

As the soldiers storm into the house, bass and drum-driven music begins pounding with growing intensity.

An older couple are interrupted having sex and dragged screaming from their beds. The soldiers brutally bash another man. Eventually, the soldiers find their target and violently drag outside a young white, male with red hair.

[Read the article/View the video]