Peace Action Wisconsin

The number of civilian casualties resulting from the conflict in Afghanistan has risen for a fifth consecutive year, according to a report (pdf) by the United Nations. The number of civilian deaths in 2011, according to the report, was up to 3,021 - an increase of eight per cent on the previous year's total of 2,790.

Hundreds of Syrians have been killed and many more seriously injured in the Syrian town of Homs following widespread demonstrations on Friday, according to reports. Worldwide condemnation was evident at Syrian embassies around the world with anger focused on the brutal crackdown of the Assad's military and security forces.

UPDATE: (1:12 PM EST): Russia and China have vetoed a UN Security Council vote.

Bradley Manning, the US Army Private accused of releasing nearly 700,000 US diplomatic cables and military combat material to the media organization Wikileaks, including footage of an US military assault on innocent civilians in Iraq which became known as Collateral Murder, will face a military court martial in the United States. The decision was announced late on Friday.

Police arrived before dawn this morning in McPherson Square in Washington, DC.

UPDATE: (2:35 PM) AP reports:

Police by mid-day had arrested six people, including four protesters who refused to move from beneath a statute and two others for crossing a police line.

Arizona State University is reportedly blocking students’ access to the petition and advocacy site Change.org and to messages from the site to ASU email addresses. A popular website that uses petitions to create social change, Change.org is hosting a petition by ASU students to lower tuition rates.