A fake
bubble of certainty that has imprisoned us
in the west - and is now preventing us from
understanding what is really going on in the
world outside.
"You might ask what it takes
to remember
When you know that you've seen it before
Where a government lies to a people
And a country is drifting to war "
Three young
British Muslims tell the story of how they
came to be in US custody at Guantánamo for
over two years, and discuss the Kafkaesque
horrors that awaited them there
Explains how societies and nations can be measured by
the degree that power is concentrated and respect for
the individual is restricted.
====
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“Syria’s
ruling Ba’ath Party and its
allies have won the majority
of the votes in the recent
parliamentary elections in
the country, official
results show. -
Continue
British
citizens are now watched by
Big Brother more closely
than any other people in the
world. All activity by
British people on the web or
on the phone is now
monitored and stored. -
Continue
=========
U.S. Plans to
Step Up Military Campaign Against ISIS:
The Obama administration is preparing to
broaden its military campaign against
the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria by
increasing the number of Special
Operations forces who advise Syrian
rebels
4 killed in
rocket barrage from Syria, including 3
children:"
Four people were killed, including three
children, in southern Turkey on Monday —
the third day of rocket and artillery
fire from Syrian government controlled
areas — as Syrian rebels launched a new
offensive in the country's northwest.
Turkey denies
claims it fired on fleeing Syrians:
Turkey on Sunday denied claims that its
military opened fire on Syrian refugees
fleeing clashes between Islamic State
group jihadists and rebels in northern
Syria.
Ankara’s
anti-Kurd crackdown spills over border
onto Syrian civilians (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO):
While Ankara claims its ongoing military
crackdown only targets terrorists,
civilians often fall victim to the
offensive – and not just in Turkey’s
Kurdish-populated provinces, but also
across the border in Syria where people
suffer from cross-border shelling daily.
‘No visa-free
travel - no migrant deal,’ Turkey tells
increasingly wary EU:
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu has become the latest Ankara
official to threaten Brussels with the
abandonment of last month’s migrant
agreement, just as the EU is considering
making it easier to revoke the visa-free
privileges it promised.
Netanyahu vows
that Israel will never give up Golan
Heights:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
traveled to the occupied Golan Heights
on Sunday to declare that Israel will
retain full control of the mountainous
plateau forever and will never return
the strategic highlands to neighboring
Syria.
Bomb rips through
Jerusalem bus, wounds 21: A bomb blast
ripped through a bus in Jerusalem Monday
and sparked a fire, wounding at least 21
people, Israeli police said, in an
apparent escalation in a wave of
violence.
Palestine loses
$285M per year due to deal: The
Palestinian economy is losing hundreds
of millions of dollars every year over
outdated or insufficiently enforced
fiscal agreements with Israel, a World
Bank report said Monday.
Sweden’s housing
minister resigns over Israel comments:
Sweden’s housing minister, Mehmet
Kaplan, resigned on Monday partly over
comments he made seven years ago
comparing Israel’s treatment of
Palestinians to the plight of Jews in
Nazi Germany, increasing pressure on an
already unpopular government.
Suicide bomber
kills four Yemen troops near Aden
airport:
Four Yemeni soldiers were killed Sunday
in a suicide attack on a checkpoint near
the international airport in second city
Aden, home to a growing jihadist
presence, a security official said.
Algerian forces
kill 14 Jihadists, capture weapons:
Algeria has confirmed that 14 armed
militants have been killed since March
and a big load of war arsenal discovered
in the south-eastern province of El Oued
as part of a wide scale
counter-terrorism operation.
Russia's military
rejects U.S. criticism of new Baltic
encounter:
Russia's military rejected criticism by
U.S. European Command on Sunday that a
Russian jet had made aggressive
maneuvers near a U.S. reconnaissance
plane over the Baltic Sea, a second
incident in the region between the Cold
War-era foes in the past week.
9/11 families hit
Obama for ‘siding with Saudi Arabia,’
want secret report declassified:
Over the past week, families of 9/11
victims have criticized President Obama
because of reports stating that his
administration is lobbying Congress to
block a bill that would allow terror
victims to sue foreign governments
connected to attacks on American soil.
U.S. calls
for “democratization” more
often operate as punishment
to its enemies (“regime
change”) but rarely as a
gift to be bestowed upon
friends (“friendly
dictators.”). -
Continue
U.S. calls
for “democratization” more
often operate as punishment
to its enemies (“regime
change”) but rarely as a
gift to be bestowed upon
friends (“friendly
dictators.”). -
Continue
Russia gives U.S.
new ultimatum in Syria cease-fire:
Russia on Monday warned the United
States that it will start responding to
cease-fire violations in Syria
unilaterally starting Tuesday if the
U.S. refuses to coordinate rules of
engagement against the violators.
Extremist attack
kills six soldiers in western Iraq:
At least six soldiers were killed Monday
in an attack in western Iraq claimed by
ISIS that began with five suicide
bombers ramming explosives-laden
vehicles into a checkpoint, officials
said.
Iraqi Shiite
militias say US troops ‘forces of
occupation,’ demand withdrawal:
Iran-backed Shiite militia forces in
Iraq have strongly opposed new US troops
deployed in the country. The militias
warned that if Washington does not
withdraw its forces "immediately," they
will deal with them "as forces of
occupation."
Bomb attack kills
three soldiers in southeast Turkey:
Local security officials said on Monday
that the incident took place in the
southeastern town of Nusaybin near the
border with conflict-stricken Syria as
the convoy was passing through the
volatile region.
11 killed in
Saudi aerial attacks on Yemen's Jawf
Province:
The Yemeni al-Masirah television said on
Monday that at least seven civilians
lost their lives after Saudi fighter
jets bombed Dahouk Academy in al-Matun
district of the troubled northern
province.
Over 50,000
Refugees Stuck in Greece Amid West
Balkan Route Closure:
More than 50,400 refugees are stranded
in Greece, as of early Monday, just
weeks after Western Balkan states sealed
their borders in a bid to stop the flow
of migrants into Europe, a Greek migrant
crisis coordination center said in a
statement.
Carbon emissions
highest in 66 million years, since
dinosaur age:
The rate of carbon
emissions is higher than at any time in
fossil records stretching back 66
million years to the age of the
dinosaurs, according to a study on
Monday that sounds an alarm about risks
to nature from man-made global warming.
Castro government
welcomes Obama, US corporate heads to
Cuba:
The large influx of US corporate and
government officials has reportedly
taken up 1,200 hotel rooms and displaced
travelers during the days of the visit,
with prices for hotel rooms tripling to
$600 per night.
Guantanamo
prisoners may not be too dangerous after
all:
The first 23 decisions announced by the
Periodic Review Board as of this month
have skewed heavily in favor of the
prisoners. It has unanimously cleared 19
for release and said five will continue
to be held but will be re-evaluated
later.
Would-Be Asylum
Seekers Are Stuck At Guantanamo Bay:
Entirely ignored in that debate is the
fact that Guantanamo also holds another
group of people the U.S. doesn’t want to
let into the country: people fleeing
persecution — mostly from Cuba and Haiti
— who the Coast Guard picked up at sea
before they made it to U.S. shores.
New study says
entire regions of US will remain in
slump until the 2020s:
The lack of decent job opportunities in
large swathes of the country has created
a reserve army of unemployed and
underemployed workers who are competing
for a shrinking number of jobs in areas
that are more or less permanently
distressed
Invincible
Ignorance -Many Americans
are so malnourished on
accurate news – and so busy
trying to make ends meet –
that they would seem to
qualify for this
dispensation, with pardon
for not knowing about things
like the coup in Kiev and
other key happenings
abroad. -
Continue
Despite a
concerted effort by the U.S.
Empire to snuff out the
ideology, a 2016 poll found
young Americans have a much
more favorable view of
socialism than capitalism. -
Continue
=========
Yemen clashes
kill 35:
At least 35 fighters have been killed in
Yemen in clashes between Shiite rebels
and pro-government forces in Taiz, the
country's third-largest city, according
to officials.
ISIL attacks kill
24 Iraqi troops:
At least three suicide bombers target
municipal building as US announces more
Marines deployed on the ground in Iraq.
US deploys more
troops on the ground in Iraq to fight
ISIS:
Washington has sent a detachment of US
Marines to Iraq to bolster the fight
against the Islamic State (IS, formerly
ISIS/ISIL) terror group. The Marines
will reinforce US forces already there.
Death toll climbs
from airstrikes on ISIS-held Syrian
city:
Syrian pro-opposition activists say the
death toll from purported Russian
airstrikes the ISIS-held city of Raqqa
in the past 24 hours has climbed to at
least 55, mostly civilians.
Kenya Says Its
Forces Killed 34 Al Shabaab Fighters in
Somalia:
On Saturday, the Kenya Defence Forces
(KDF) killed 21 of the insurgents in the
southern town of Afmadow in the ambush
in which the two soldiers died. Kenyan
troops killed a further 13 fighters just
north of Ras Kamboni, also in southern
Somalia.
Refugees drown
off Libya, hundreds rescued:
Nine refugees trying to reach Europe
have drowned off Libya and hundreds more
been rescued, the Red Crescent said on
Sunday amid fears of an increase in
crossing attempts as the route from
Turkey closes.
Greek officials
say more time needed to begin refugee
deportations
: Greek Prime Minister
Alexis Tsipras told ministers to be
ready to begin deportations the
following day. Tsipras said that 2,300
security and legal experts are set to
arrive in Greece to help enforce the
deal. With Germany and France promising
to send 600 police and asylum officials
to Greece
Lawyer of Paris
attacks suspect Abdeslam to sue French
prosecutor:
On Sunday, Mary accused the chief French
investigator, Francois Molins, of
violating judicial confidentiality,
after the prosecutor disclosed
Abdeslam's private admission to a
magistrate when the official was
speaking to the media, the lawyer
alleged.
600 left France
to join ISIS, 800 more want to, says
French PM
: rench Prime Minister Manuel Valls said
on Sunday that 600 people have already
left France to join Islamic State and
approximately 800 more want to do so in
the future despite the fact that ISIS
has suffered battlefield defeats in
recent months.
Brazil's Rousseff
lacks Senate votes to defeat
impeachment: senator:
On Sunday, Estadao newspaper quoted
sources close to Senate Speaker Renan
Calheiros, also a member of the PMDB, as
saying he believed that if the lower
house approves the ongoing impeachment
process it would create an unstoppable
wave of support for removing Rousseff.
China leads
global U.S. debt dump:
The largest owner of U.S. debt, China
sold $18 billion of U.S. Treasury debt
in December. And it's not alone. Japan
sold even more: $22 billion. In the past
year, Mexico, Turkey and Belgium have
also lowered their holdings of U.S.
debt, all of which have led to a record
annual dump by central banks.
Tick, Tock, Tick
Tock: Flint’s Disposable Poor Children:
America’s political blame game continues
while children continue to suffer life
impairing harm. Lead causes biological
and neurological damage linked to brain
damage, learning disabilities,
behavioral problems, developmental
delays, academic failure, juvenile
delinquency, high blood pressure and
death.
Fourteen at nuke
base probed for illegal drug activity:
The command is responsible for the
entire fleet of 450 Minuteman 3 nuclear
missiles that stand in underground
launch silos, one third of them operated
by the 90th Missile Wing.
Clinton: Destroy
Syria for Israel -:
A newly-released Hilary Clinton email
confirmed that the Obama administration
has deliberately provoked the civil war
in Syria as the “best way to help
Israel.” Clinton also wrote that it was
the “right thing” to personally threaten
Bashar Assad’s family with death.
In case you missed it:
Saban: Hillary
Clinton is ideal candidate for Israel:
A United States led by Hillary Clinton
would be “great” for Israel, Haim Saban
said in an exclusive interview with The
Jerusalem Post.
Cruz in Utah:
Glenn Beck Says He’s Fulfillment of
Mormon Prophecy’:
Beck said that he, like many Mormons,
believe in a prophecy that the
Constitution will hang by a thread in
the last days. He said he believes that
now is that time, and people like Lee
and Cruz will save it.
Ted Cruz Is an
Anti-Muslim Bigot, Too:The
GOP has an anti-Muslim hate problem: Ted
Cruz’s foreign-policy team is anchored
by America’s biggest Islamophobe.
Cops pepper spray
Trump protesters during NYC march
(VIDEOS):
Police in New York pepper sprayed a
crowd of protesters marching toward
Trump International Tower on Saturday
after pushing and shoving broke out
between the NYPD and some of the
protesters.
How must it
feel in Obamas skin, knowing
that he is one of the most
hated men in the world, that
he is a criminal, a
spineless stooge of the
western oligarchs. -Continue
Israeli
Defence Minister Moshe
Ya’alon admitted, that the
overthrow of Mohamed Morsi
and the installation of
Egyptian President Abdel
Fatah Al-Sisi was planned,
in cooperation with generals
in the Egyptian and Gulf
armies and intelligence
agencies. . -Continue
Thanks to the
newly leaked Clinton email
archive we may have a
document that provides
confirmation that the Yinon
Plan was, de facto, an
Israeli strategy to create
sectarian chaos in the
Middle East. -Continue
The study
concluded, being aware of
government surveillance
“significantly reduced the
likelihood of speaking out
in hostile opinion
climates.” -Continue
Syrian troops
push toward Palmyra, with Russian
support:
Backed by Russian aircraft, Syrian
troops pushed Friday toward the historic
central town of Palmyray. Syria’s state
news agency SANA reported that scores of
IS fighters have been killed or wounded
in Syrian artillery fire near the town.
Iraqi forces kill
15 ISIS fighters during clashes west of
Ramadi:
“The security forces and tribal fighters
of Albu Nimir and Albu Mihl clans
conducted a tactical military
operation,” pointing out that,
“Confrontations and violent clashes
erupted between the clan fighters and
ISIS elements in the area of Jabba,
resulting in the killing of 15
IS jihadists kill
US marine in Iraq:
"Earlier today a US Marine providing
force protection fire support at a
recently established coalition fire base
near Makhmur in northern Iraq was killed
after coming under ISIL (IS) rocket
fire," a statement said.
Istanbul shopping
area hit by suicide bomber:
A suicide bomb attack at a busy shopping
area in the Turkish city of Istanbul has
killed at least four people, officials
say. Another 36 were injured - 12
foreign nationals - as the bomb went off
near a government building on Istiklal
Street.
Appointment of
Israeli spokesman viewed as snub to US:
US-born David Keyes replaces Mark Regev,
who became familiar to English-language
audiences as the voice of the Netanyahu
government during Israel's repeated
attacks on Gaza. Regev will be Israel's
new ambassador to the UK.
Trump and Clinton
headline pro-Israel lobby conference:
Parts of the Jewish Republican
establishment may be warming to Trump.
Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas casino
magnate and pro-Israel political
financier, said he may be willing to
back his fellow businessman. "Why not?"
he reportedly said.
Bernie Sanders
turns down invitation to address AIPAC
confab:
Citing his campaign schedule, Bernie
Sanders said he would not address
AIPAC’s conference next week, making him
the only presidential candidate that
will not attend the large annual
pro-Israel gathering this year.
Nigeria: Army
kill 35 bandits, arrest 39 in North West:
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1
Division, Nigeria Army, Major Gen.
Adeniyi Oyebade, on Friday said no fewer
than 35 armed bandits have been killed
in the last two months in the North
West.Oyebade said 38 of the bandits were
arrested by soldiers and handed over to
the police for prosecution.
At least 13
Egyptian policemen killed in Sinai
attack:
At least 13 Egyptian policemen were
killed in the Sinai Peninsula when
Islamist militants fired a mortar round
at a security checkpoint in the city of
Arish, security and medical sources said
on Saturday.
Tunisian forces
kill 2 'terrorists' near border attack
town:
Tunisian authorities said two
"terrorists" were killed Saturday close
to the southern town of Ben Guerdane
near the border with Libya where
jihadists mounted a deadly assault
earlier this month.
Heavy gunfire in
Libya capital as rivals clash:
Heavy gunfire broke out in the Libyan
capital Tripoli on Saturday after two
rival armed groups clashed in the city
over the killing of one of their
fighters, a local security source and
witnesses said.
Pakistan: Four
terrorists among 6 suspects killed in
encounters:
Police on Saturday claimed to have shot
dead six suspects including four
terrorists of outlawed organisations
during separate encounters in different
areas. Ammunition, suicide jackets and
explosive material were recovered from
their possession.
Risk of nuclear
war in Europe growing, warns Russian
ex-minister:
"The risk of confrontation with the use
of nuclear weapons in Europe is higher
than in the 1980s," said Igor Ivanov,
Russia's foreign minister from 1998 to
2004 and now head of a Moscow-based
think-tank founded by the Russian
government.
How Russia Ruined
American Plans in Crimea:
All the financing of Maidan in Ukraine
was driven by one particular goal, for
which the U.S. State Department spared
neither suitcases with dollars, nor
cookies from Mrs. Nuland - Crimea
EU, Turkey seal
deal to return migrants, but is it
legal? Or doable?:
"I have no illusions that what we agreed
today will be accompanied by further
setbacks. There are big legal challenges
that we must now overcome," Merkel said
after the 28 EU leaders concluded the
deal with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu.
Italy rescues 910
boat migrants, finds one body:
On Saturday, the Italian coast guard
said it had rescued 378 migrants in two
separate operations and found one body.
Another 112 migrants were picked up by a
vessel operated for the European Union
border agency Frontex and another 420
people by a ship under the EU's EUNAVFOR
mission in the Mediterranean.
UK PM David
Cameron delays release of Iraq report as
EU referendum looms:
British Prime Minister David Cameron
will postpone publication of the Iraq
war inquiry report until after the
European Union referendum, leading to
accusations that he is deliberately
delaying controversial announcements.
Iain Duncan Smith
resigns:
The Grim Reaper is gone: In a career as
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
that has spanned six years, he has had a
long and illustrious reign of
disapproval, disdain, disgust,
disparagement and disregard for the most
vulnerable people in society
Next Financial
Crisis Could Overwhelm World's Defenses,
IMF Says:
A system-wide shock could overwhelm the
world’s crisis resources, which include
nations’ foreign-exchange reserves,
central-bank swap lines, regional funds
such as the euro area’s European
Stability Mechanism, and the IMF itself,
the lender said.
Governor Blocks
$2.85 Minimum Wage Increase After Giving
Staffers $73,405 Raises:
Republican Gov. Robert Bentley signed a
bill banning Alabama cities from raising
their minimum wages. News has emerged
that Bentley recently gave four of his
cabinet members $73,405 raises — an 80
percent increase from the $91,000
salaries they were making previously.
Merrick Garland
Often Deferred to Government in
Guantánamo Cases:
The judge’s vote was part of a pattern:
As one wartime detention case after
another has pitted state security powers
against individual rights, he has often
— though not always — deferred to the
government.
Arizona: Trump
protesters block streets in Fountain
Hills:
Maricopa County sheriff's deputies were
seen directing tow trucks to start
hauling the violators away. Earlier in
the morning, protesters were lining up
in Phoenix in advance of Donald Trump’s
appearance at a campaign event at the
Phoenix Convention Center.
Protesters clash
with SLC police outside Trump rally:
Video clips captured outside the Donald
Trump rally in Salt Lake City Friday
night shows protesters in a shoving
match with officers in riot gear. In the
video, the protesters can be heard
shouting "Trump Stinks!"
No, Donald Trump,
we are not giving Iran $150 billion for
'nothing':
Trump’s statement makes it sound like
we’re cutting Iran a $150 billion check.
In reality, the money is already Iran’s
to begin with, just frozen under the
many economic sanctions levied against
the country.
Meet The People
Behind Ted Cruz’s Terrifying Foreign
Policy Plan:
Frank Gaffney, who served in the
Department of Defense under President
Reagan, was named as a foreign policy
adviser for Cruz, has been described as
“one of America’s most notorious
Islamophobes” by the Southern Poverty
Law Center.
Who Is The Real
Ted Cruz?:
Cruz has been gorging at the table of
the ultimate insider of all insiders –
Goldman Sachs and Citibank .
Kasich's
Contradictory Foreign Policy:
“[I]t’s time that we punched the
Russians in the nose,” Kasich told radio
host Hugh Hewitt during a December
presidential debate. “They’ve gotten
away with too much in this world, and we
need to stand up against them . . . in
Eastern Europe where they threaten some
of our most precious allies.”
How ‘ghost
corporations’ are funding the 2016
election:
Corporations are on track to far exceed
the $86 million they gave to super PACs
in the entire 2012 presidential cycle,
when such donations totaled 10 percent
of the money raised by such groups,
according to data from the nonpartisan
Center for Responsive Politics.
The conflict emanates from Washington and is
perpetuated by Washington. Why? To justify
what would otherwise be seen as simply
outrageous US militarism in the Asia
Pacific.
The wars on Afghanistan
and Iraq are part of a broader military agenda,
which was launched at the end of the Cold War. The
ongoing war agenda is a continuation of the 1991
Gulf War and the NATO led wars on Yugoslavia
(1991-2001).
The overt theme is
unilateralism, but it is ultimately a story of
domination. It calls for the United States to
maintain its overwhelming military superiority and
prevent new rivals from rising up to challenge it on
the world stage.
A SECRET blueprint for
US global domination reveals that President Bush and
his cabinet were planning a premeditated attack on
Iraq to secure 'regime change' even before he took
power in January 2001.
02/25/03 - The Project
for the New American Century, or PNAC, is a
Washington-based think tank created in 1997. Above
all else, PNAC desires and demands one thing: The
establishment of a global American empire to bend
the will of all nations.
A highly classified
British memo, leaked in the midst of Britain's
just-concluded election campaign, indicates that
President Bush decided to overthrow Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein by summer 2002 and was determined to
ensure that U.S. intelligence data supported his
policy.
MINISTERS were warned
in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking
part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they
had no choice but to find a way of making it legal.
Those who have hoped
that a U.S. military victory in Iraq would somehow
bring about a more peaceful world are in for a rude
awakening. The final resolution of this war and the
U.S. occupation of Iraq will likely not be the end,
rather, only the prelude to a succession of future
crises: in Kashmir, Syria, North Korea, and Iran.
