US, France agree on cease-fire draft; UNSC vote at 1 am  —  France and the United States reached a deal Friday on a final draft resolution that would authorize the deployment of 15,000 UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon to support a Lebanese force as it takes control of the region and Israel withdraws.

Pakistan: Suspected London Plane Terrorists Have Al Qaeda Connection  —  LONDON — Police arrested 40 people in cities throughout Italy in raids on Muslim gathering places in a security crackdown after Britain thwarted an alleged terror plot, the Interior Ministry said Friday …

Three Middle Eastern Men Found With 1000 Cell Phones  —  (TV5) — Around 1:00am August 11th three men purchased cell phones from the Wal-Mart store on M-81 near the corner of M-24 in Caro.  Wal-Mart places a limit on the number of cell phones that can be purchased at once, that number is three.

Democrats assail GOP fundraising effort  —  WASHINGTON - Democrats assailed the Republicans Friday for e-mailing a fundraising appeal mentioning the war on terror hours after British authorities disclosed they had disrupted a plot to blow up aircraft headed to the United States.

The War and the Democrats  —  A reader writes: … My only substantive quarrel with this is as follows: the proclaimed Bush policy was not mere deployment of brute force, torture, bombs and swagger as a response to the civil war within Islam.  It was ostensibly to create a beach-head for modernity and democracy in Iraq.

Vital Perspective Exclusive: Leaked Copy of the Security Council Resolution  —  Vital Perspective exclusive: We have obtained a copy of the draft Security Council resolution to be presented for a vote in New York, possibly as early as tonight.  This, to our knowledge, is the first outlet to present it publicly.

LGF Exclusive: How Much Does It Cost to Buy Global TV News?  —  An LGF reader who worked for Associated Press TV News sent me the following article explaining how APTN works, and suggesting a reason why their coverage of the Middle East is so overwhelmingly biased against Israel:

Montana Senate: Burns Bouncing Back  —  Candidates Tied at 47%  —  The most recent Rasmussen Reports election poll in Montana shows incumbent Republican Senator Conrad Burns and Democrat Jon Tester tied at 47% (see crosstabs).  This month's results mark an improvement for Burns …

State Still Checking Lieberman's Petitions  —  U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman is acting like he is a candidate in November's general election, but it won't be known for several days whether his petition drive to gain a spot on the ballot is successful.  —  The morning after his primary defeat to Ned Lamont …

BUSH AND CHENEY'S REIGN OF ERROR  —  VEEP SAYS CONN. VOTERS AIDING AL QAEDA.  NOW, THAT'S SCARY.  —  THESE PEOPLE have no shame.  Their contempt for democracy is so great they will stop at nothing to undermine it.  Their adherence to fundamentalist beliefs that blinds them to reality is frightening.

Peace activist murdered by Palestinian  —  Angelo Frammartino, a 24 year-old Italian student, planned to set up summer camp for Palestinians; He was attacked and murdered by Arab knifeman  —  Angelo Frammartino, a 24 year-old student from Italy who arrived in Israel as a human rights organization activist …