Taliban Video of US POW Bowe Bergdahl on Christmas Day

Video Original uncut

The man in the film, identifying himself as Private Bowe Robert Bergdahl, criticises the US over the Afghan war and relations with Muslims. Continue

Yemen air strikes kill 30 al "Qaeda suspects": Yemen's military hit suspected al Qaeda hideouts Thursday and targeted a gathering of top militant leaders, possibly killing a radical cleric linked to the U.S. Army major accused of the Fort Hood mass shooting, in strikes carried out with U.S. intelligence help, officials said.

Extrajudicial Killing US reiterates support for Yemen forces after Qaeda raid: The White House on Thursday reiterated its support for Yemeni authorities after "Yemeni aircraft" killed 34 suspected Al-Qaeda members.

Relatives: US-born Yemeni cleric alive and well: Friends and relatives of a U.S.-born Yemeni radical cleric say he is alive and well following reports he may have been killed in a Yemeni airstrike against suspected al-Qaida hideouts.

18 killed in Iraq violence: Eighteen people including six Shiite worshippers died in attacks across Iraq on Friday, despite intensified security for Christmas Day and Shiite Ashura rituals.

At least 27 killed in Iraq blasts: Thursday: Fears raised ahead of Shi’ite holiday: Bombs hit Shi’ite pilgrims in Baghdad and a central Iraqi city, killing at least 27 people and wounding scores more, in the latest attack in the lead-up to Ashoura, the sect’s most solemn annual rite.

Twelve militants killed in NW Pakistan: Gunship helicopters and warplanes bombed the hideouts of the militants in Ferozkhel Mela region of Orakzai tribal agency, as a result eight militants were killed and 10 others injured, the private channel ARY News reported.

8 killed after man detonates bomb, Afghan police say: A man driving a horse-drawn cart laden with explosives detonated the cache Thursday outside a guesthouse frequented by foreigners in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, killing at least eight people including a child, police said.

Canadian, Afghanistan Soldiers Killed By Roadside Bomb: Lieutenant Andrew Nuttall, along with an Afghan soldier, died when an improvised explosive device detonated in the town of Nakhoney, the military said early Thursday - Christmas Eve.

'No proof Iran nuclear program is military': Moscow is not convinced that Iran plans to weaponize its nuclear program, and has not been shown evidence convincing it otherwise, deputy Russian foreign minister Alexander Saltanov told The Jerusalem Post this week.

Senior US senator promises vote on new Iran sanctions: US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pledged Thursday to move forward to a vote legislation allowing President Barack Obama to sanction companies that export gasoline to Iran.

Egypt blamed for Gaza convoy delay: British politician George Galloway has criticised Egypt for denying a humanitarian aid convoy permission to enter the Gaza Strip.

December 24, 2009

Mr. 10%: Our Man in Islamabad

By Eric Margolis

Now, in a delicious irony, Washington is finally getting the democracy it has been calling for in Pakistan - and it's the Mother of all Backfires. Continue

Welcome to Pashtunistan
The Aim of America’s Secret War?

By Shaukat Qadir

Pakistan’s conspiracy theorists have long held that the real object of Xe, acting on behalf of the CIA, is to destabilise Pakistan so as to have an excuse to take over or destroy its nuclear assets, because Israel and the US remain uncomfortable with a nuclear Pakistan. I have long disputed this theory, but am finding it increasingly difficult to continue doing so. Continue

Christians United for War

By Philip Giraldi

As today is Christmas Eve, it might be useful for those of us who call ourselves Christians to recall the teachings of Jesus Christ regarding humility, charity, tolerance, and peacemaking. Continue

"Accountability for War Crimes is Imperative"

An interview with Cindy Sheehan

By Mike Whitney

The US has been committing war crimes for at least the last 100 years (off the continent) and none of our leaders have ever been held accountable and that's one of the reasons that the empire is able to keep rolling. Continue

America is not a Democracy

By Noam Chomsky

America is not a democracy, nor was it intended to be. Continue

Superpower

Superpower presents a view of US foreign policy, which lies in stark contrast to that depicted by corporate media, popular pundits, and US heads of state.

This Is A Must Watch Movie

The heart of Superpower lies in the analysis produced from a re-examination of history through a series of interviews with historians, documentarians, and academians such as Bill Blum, Chalmers Johnson, Michael Chossudovsky, and Noam Chomsky, and others with expertise in this subject such as the Executive Producer of The Unit, Command Sergeant (Ret.) Eric Haney; former Chief Economist for the US Department of Labor, Morgan Reynolds; three-time Noble Peace Prize nominee, Kathy Kelly; and Lt. Col. (Ret) Karen Kwiatkowski. Continue

Viva Palestina Update
Plea to Egypt to Open Rafah

By Press TV

George Galloway makes a plea to Mubarak of Egypt to open the Rafah Crossing and let the convoy through. Continued

A Patient’s View of the Senate Christmas Healthcare Gift

By Donna Smith

So, all the great fanfare and all the king's horses. The great and almighty U.S. Senate has spoken. I will have to buy private health insurance -- forever, amen. The defective product that has left me wanting for real healthcare for all of my adult life is now a step closer to being the law of the land. Continue

Extrajudicial Killing: Yemeni air strike kills 30, targets home of US cleric: "If the American government helped in attacking one of [its own] citizens, this is illegal," said Aulaqi, his voice cracking. "Nidal Hassan killed 13 people and he's going to get a trial. My son has killed nobody. He should face trial if he's done something wrong."

Iraq bomb explosions leave 23 people dead: A series of bomb attacks has killed at least 23 people in Iraq. The latest attacks, which appeared to target Shia Muslims, saw eight people killed in predominately Shia areas of the capital Baghdad.

Paskistan: 5 Killed in Peshawar Suicide Attack: A suicide bomber has killed at least five people and injured many more in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, after detonating explosives near an army and police checkpoint, police say.

US ground attacks reported in Pakistan: Amid a deepening political crisis in Pakistan and growing popular unrest over US missile strikes and mercenaries, it has been revealed that over the past five years US special operations troops have conducted a number of clandestine cross-border raids into the country’s tribal areas.

Mumbai terror suspect David Headley was ‘rogue US secret agent’: A key terror suspect who allegedly helped to plan last year’s attacks in Mumbai and plotted to strike Europe was an American secret agent who went rogue, Indian officials believe.

Afghan police say at least 3 people killed in explosion: Afghan police say at least 3 people killed in explosion near hotel in southern Kandahar city.

Afghan militia commander survives bombing; two guards killed: An anti-Taliban militia commander survived a roadside bombing Thursday in northern Afghanistan but two of his bodyguards were killed in the blast, officials said.

Canadian occupation force soldier killed in Afghanistan: A Canadian soldier serving under NATO has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the alliance said Thursday.

British occupation force soldier killed in Afghan explosion: A British soldier has been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran Iraq military lacks resources for Iran frontier: US soldiers: Iraq's border forces lack the resources to properly police the country's long frontier with Iran and keep out insurgents and smugglers, US soldiers engaged in training them say.

Israeli killed in West Bank shooting attack: An Israeli man was killed Thursday afternoon in a shooting attack near the illegal West Bank settlement of Shavei Shomron. Militants opened fire at an Israeli vehicle on the road between Shavei Shomron and another illegal settlement, and hit the man, apparently a resident of the settlement.

UN expert slams 'tragic' international failure in Gaza : Special Rapporteur for Occupied Palestinian Territories urges Israel's European, North American allies to threaten it with economic sanctions if blockade not lifted; calls for swift implementation of Goldstone Report conclusions.

Demonizing the Goldstone report: PM: Israel faces the 'Goldstone threat': "Goldstone is a codeword for an attempt to delegitimize Israel's right to self defense," Netanyahu told the lawmakers.

Russia will develop new nuclear missiles: The development comes as on December 19, the US and Russia failed to reach a new agreement to cut their nuclear arms despite the termination of an earlier Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed in 1991.

Under the radar, Obama pushes for Patriot Act renewal: With key sections of the U.S. Patriot Act set to expire Dec. 31, the Obama administration - essentially tiptoeing through the corridors of Congress and using the raucous health care debate as cover - has quietly maneuvered for renewal of the controversial provisions, which he opposed as a senator.

Flaherty Says Russia, China May Buy Canada Dollars: Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said China, with the world’s largest currency reserves of $2.3 trillion, may be poised to buy Canadian dollars as it seeks to shield its reserves against the U.S. dollar’s decline.

December 23, 2009

USA Spends Trillion Dollars to Make Terrorist War Last Forever

By Sergey Balmasov

“They spent a trillion dollars to add more fuel to the fire of the terrorist war. The Americans crushed Iraq and Afghanistan . There are too many people in these two countries who lost their homes, jobs and loved ones because of the USA, and those people are ready to do anything to harm the Americans. " Continue

The Troops Protect Our Freedom, and Other Lies I Learned in School

By Kevin Carson

The United States’ military does not “defend our freedom.” There hasn’t been a war in my lifetime that involved a genuine foreign military threat to our freedom, and the United States government has been actively involved in suppressing freedom around the world for decades. Continue

Interviewing Ahmadinejad in Shiraz

By Jon Snow

I have been applying for a period of months for an interview with President Ahmadinejad had twice been refused and was settling down for the Christmas break, or the prospect of it, when I was contacted from Tehran and told I would have an interview yesterday. Continue

Obama's Role in the Militarization of Mexico

By Mike Whitney

It is presented as a petition of the Mexican president Felipe Calderon for US help in the war on drugs but in reality it was designed in Washington as a way to "push out the borders" of the US security perimeter, that is, that Mexico would take on US security priorities including policing its southern border and allowing US companies and agents into Mexico's intelligence and security operations. Continue

Obama Double-Crossed Progressives on Health Care

By Matthew Rothschild

If you're a good progressive, and you wanted single-payer health care for all, or, second best, Medicare for All Who Want It, or third best, a robust public option, or fourth best, a paltry public option, now you've got nothing, nada, zippo. Continue

Bomb Blasts Kill 5 Afghan Civilians : At least five civilians were killed and eight others wounded Wednesday in two separate explosions in southern Afghanistan, officials say

Afghan senator killed in ‘police ambush’: An Afghan senator was killed when he drove through a police ambush set for Taliban militants in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, officials said.

British occupation force soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan: Death is third this week in Helmand province for UK troops

Fighters 'sent to Afghan Taliban': A senior Pakistani Taliban commander has said he has sent thousands of fighters into neighbouring Afghanistan to counter the rising level of US troops.

Pakistan: Eighteen militants killed in Orakzai: Eighteen militants, including a local leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, were killed in security forces’ shelling and a clash with a tribal lashkar in lower and upper Orakzai agency on Tuesday.

Zardari breaks all records of keeping foreign gifts: President Asif Zardari has set a new record within a year by taking one-third of all the expensive gifts presented to all Pakistani presidents and prime ministers. Of the gifts totalling Rs160 million, Zardari has taken gifts worth Rs62 million during the first year of his presidency.

Pakistan probe into 'Bhutto mansion millions': A MULTI-MILLION pound estate in Brook, near Godalming, is once again at the centre of an international scandal, as officials in Pakistan prepare to re-open a probe into links with the country's current president.

5 killed, would-be suicide bomber captured in Baghdad: Four policemen and a civilian was killed and three people wounded in separate attacks, while Iraqi security forces arrested a would-be suicide bomber in Baghdad, Iraqi security forces said Wednesday.

Bomb Kills 2 people in occupied Iraq, Targets Historic Church in Mosul: A bomb killed two men and damaged a historic church in a northern Iraqi city on Wednesday, one day ahead of Christmas Eve services that will be heavily guarded for fear of more attacks on the country's Christian minority.

Iraqi general assassinated: A senior Iraqi army officer has been shot dead in front of his home west of Baghdad, an interior ministry official said on Wednesay.

Chilcot's lessons on Iraq: The preparations for the aftermath of the invasion were criminally inadequate, which led to appalling acts of abuse

Brown to Testify at Iraq Inquiry Post-Election: British leader Gordon Brown won't testify before his country's investigation of the Iraq war until after the next general election, the committee behind the inquiry said Wednesday.

Carter apologizes for 'stigmatizing Israel': Former US president offers US Jewish community heartfelt apology for any contribution he may have had to Jewish nation's negative image

Exclusive: Israel wargame sees U.S. sidelining Netanyahu on Iran: Israel will find itself diplomatically sidelined and militarily muzzled as the United States pursues a nuclear deal with Iran next year, according to a closed-door wargame at Israel's top strategic think-tank.

Iran police clash with mourners, 50 arrested: reports: Iranian police clashed with mourners at a memorial service Wednesday for dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, arresting more than 50 and beating women and children, reports said

Demonizing Iran: : Iran behaves increasingly like a 'police state': US: The United States on Wednesday accused Iran of increasingly behaving like a "police state" after Iranian security forces clashed anew with protesters.

Demonizing Iran: Denmark: Muslim leaders criticized for meeting Ahmadinejad: "They should have at least distanced themselves from a regime that imprisons its citizens and punishes students for being homosexuals," said Martin Henriksen, a spokesperson for the Danish People's Party

Propaganda? Report: Bin Laden wife, children under house arrest in Iran: Report: Bin Laden wife, children under house arrest in IranDUBAI — Six of Osama bin Laden's children and one of his wives, missing since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, are under house arrest in Iran, newspapers reported on Wednesday, quoting a family member.

Iran complains about US intercepting its ships in int''l, territorial waters:" For the second time in a week, Iran on Tuesday complained and warned that it would retaliate against the "unlawful" acts by the United States Navy which pursued an Iranian commercial ship on the high seas last October and caused another Iranian fishing boat to sink in Iranian territorial waters last September.

Kidnapped Colombia governor killed: The body of a Colombian state governor who had been abducted, allegedly by leftist fighters, has been found with his throat slit, according to the Colombian president.

Honduras' Manuel Zelaya Stuck In Embassy For Christmas: Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya will spend Christmas with his family stuck inside the soldier-ringed Brazilian Embassy where he has been holed up for months after being toppled in a June coup.

Venezuela, China Sign Oil Deals: Venezuela and China gave a new boost to their thriving economic ties Tuesday, signing a package of agreements that advances China strategy of locking in access to the South American country's vast oil reserves.

Report says 225,000 Haiti children work as slaves: Poverty has forced at least 225,000 children in Haiti's cities into slavery as unpaid household servants, far more than previously thought, a report said Tuesday

Plan to Move Guantánamo Detainees Faces New Delay: Rebuffed this month by skeptical lawmakers when it sought finances to buy a prison in rural Illinois, the Obama administration is struggling to come up with the money to replace the Guantánamo Bay prison.

Ray McGovern: Break the CIA in Two: Covert action and analysis do not belong together in the same agency — never have, never will.

Go Back to the Drawing Board: Without a public option, Senate bill is a sop to the insurance industr

Small-business bankruptcies rise 81% in California: With credit tight and consumers still pinching their pennies, many business owners find they can't go on.

US home foreclosures top one million mark: The number of US homes in foreclosure topped the one million mark for the first time ever, according to figures released this week by federal agencies.

December 22, 2009

US Forces Mounted Secret Pakistan Raids in Hunt for al-Qaida

By Declan Walsh in Islamabad

US special forces have conducted multiple clandestine raids into Pakistan's tribal areas as part of a secret war in the border region where Washington is pressing to expand its drone assassination programme. Continue

US Army Depends on Afghan Security Firm for Protection

By Jeremy Scahill

The Army's arrangement with Burhan and other companies like it across Afghanistan demonstrates the extent to which the most powerful military on earth depends on protection from local Afghans. This phenomenon will only expand as the number of contractors in Afghanistan grows. Continue

Obama's Af-Pak War is Illegal

By Marjorie Cohn

The use of these drones in Pakistan violates both the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit willful killing. Targeted or political assassinations—sometimes called extrajudicial executions—are carried out by order of, or with the acquiescence of, a government, outside any judicial framework. Continue

Americans Are Hell-Bent on Tyranny

Paul Craig Roberts

Here in Great Moral America we only hold accountable celebrities and politicians for their sexual indiscretions. Tiger Woods is paying a bigger price for his girlfriends than Bush or Cheney will ever pay for the deaths and ruined lives of millions of people. Continue

Racism and War:
The Dehumanization of the Enemy

By Mike Prysner

Our real enemy is not the ones living in a distant land whose names or policies we don't understand; The real enemy is a system that wages war when it's profitable, the CEOs who lay us off our jobs when it's profitable, the Insurance Companies who deny us Health care when it's profitable, the Banks who take away our homes when it's profitable. Our enemies are not several hundred thousands away. They are right here in front of us. Continue

Ahmadinejad Denies Iran Nuclear Bomb Trigger Tests

By BBC

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has dismissed as a US forgery a document allegedly showing plans by Tehran to test a nuclear bomb trigger. Continue

Iran Sanctions Are a Precursor to War

By Ron Paul

If Iran was attempting to violate the non-proliferation treaty, they could hardly be blamed, since US foreign policy gives them every incentive to do so. Continue

Fact Or Fiction?
Al Qaeda in Yemen Says it is Fighting the US

By Al Jazeera

Men claiming to be leaders of al Qaeda have made a rare public appearance in Yemen, telling an anti-government rally the fight is against the US, not the country's army. The statement was made at an al Qaeda training camp in southern Yemen - the same one that was attacked by the Americans leaving more than 30 dead. Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley has this exclusive report. Continue

World Has Betrayed Gaza Civilians: Rights Groups

By AFP

The world has "betrayed" civilians in the Gaza Strip by failing to end a blockade of the Hamas-run enclave, 16 rights groups, including Amnesty International and Oxfam, said Tuesday. Continue

A Christmas Remembrance

By William A. Cook

Having witnessed American warships firing their guns at naked islanders in the Marquesas, Tahiti, and Hawaii and watched “rapacious hordes of enlightened individuals” seizing the “depopulated land” from the natives, reducing them to starving “interlopers” in their own country, he realized that the superior white Christian civilization epitomized absolute savagery and that cannibals treated others with more humanity than these self-identified enlightened me. Continue

Top Ten Worst Things about the Bush Decade;

Or, the Rise of the New Oligarchs

By Juan Cole

It isn't about which party is in power; parties can always be bought. It is about how broadly shared resources are in a society. Continue

Brace Yourself For a Hard Landing

By Mike Whitney

Ben Bernanke has been a bigger disaster than Hurricane Katrina. But the senate is about to re-up him for another four-year term. What are they thinking? Continue

Pakistan: Four suspected militants 'killed' in northwest: - Four suspected militants were killed in the troubled northwestern Swat district's Karakar area, security sources said on Tuesday. Two soldiers were also injured in the clashes, according to the security sources.

Pakistan: three killed in press club bombing: Three people have been killed and several others injured after a suicide bomber attacked a club for journalists in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar and a dozen more injured according to police

CIA, ISI intensify joint operations in Pakistan: A senior Pakistani official told us today that ISI and CIA have conducted over fifty joint operations recently.

26 militants, UK soldier killed in Afghan attacks: Police fought a three-hour-long gun battle in a provincial capital on Monday, killing two Taliban, who stormed a multi-storey market with dozens of civilians inside, an official said.

Taliban claim control of over 80pc of Afghanistan: He said the US and its allies had invaded their country, with a claim to make it prosperous and developed. “Instead, they turned Afghanistan into ruins. Thousands of Afghans were killed and their houses bombed in the name of the war on terror.

One civilian killed, four injured in Iraq bomb attack: One civilian was killed and four others were injured on Tuesday in a bomb attack on a minibus in the central Iraqi town of Iskandariyah, 60 kilometres south of Baghdad, police said.

73 Saudis killed in confrontation with Houthi rebels: report: Seventy-three Saudis have been killed and 26 others went missing in confrontation with the Yemeni Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, since fighting broke out in November on Saudi southern border with Yemen, the al-Arabiya reported Tuesday on its website.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: US warns Iran year-end nuclear deadline is serious: The United States warned Iran on Tuesday that December is 'a very real deadline' after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed an international ultimatum over its nuclear program.

Next steps have begun on Iran nuclear issue: White House: The White House has begun to take steps in case Iran fails to accept an enrichment fuel deal aimed at calming concerns about its nuclear program, spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Tuesday.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: ABC News: Exclusive Interview: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Video

Ahmadinejad: US bound to fail in ME: "The problem is that the US seeks to dominate the Middle East but the Iranian nation is an obstacle [to it]," President Ahmadinejad said, adding that issues such as Iran's nuclear program and human rights were nothing but mere "pretexts".

Iran to produce 20-percent fuel if West violates commitments: FM: "Iran will choose its final option to produce 20 percent-enriched fuel if the West does not live up to its legal commitments and refuses to accept the two choices discussed for Tehran research reactor fuel," he said a press conference in Lebanon.

Iran's president urges nuclear disarmament of U.S., Israel: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday called for the nuclear disarmament of the US and the Zionist regime, and stressed Tehran's resolve to pursue disarmament of all the arrogant states in possession of atomic weapons.

US ups funds for Israeli missile defense: US President Barack Obama has signed a defense spending bill that includes $202 million in funds for Israel's missile defense programs, the White House announced Monday.

Imprisoning people of Gaza: : Egypt defends Gaza wall: Egypt's foreign minister has said that a controversial wall being built along the country's border with the Gaza Strip will defend it "against threats to national security".

Galloway raps Arabs over forsaking Gaza: British Member of Parliament George Galloway has leveled strong criticism at Arabs over their inaction and failure to play a role in organizing aid convoys to the besieged Gaza Strip.

News From The Viva Palestina Humanitarian Aid Convoy: Video

Iranian crowd stops execution and frees convicts: The crowd overpowered security services and helped two men convicted of robbery to escape hanging in the province of Kerman, the Fars news agency reported.

Doctors and Torture, Iran Edition: Dr. Pourandarjani was an inconvenient witness to government-sponsored criminality.

Morales dismisses US warning on Iran ties: “Colonial attitudes have ended, at least while I am president. Hillary Clinton is making a mistake by warning me, threatening me, lifting a yellow card,” he added. “We are now going to continue to have ties with revolutionary and anti-imperialist nations, with more greater strength.”

Colombian state governor abducted: Authorities suspect Monday's attack in Florence, the capital of Caqueta state, was committed by the Teofilo Forero unit of the anti-government Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), although this is unconfirmed.

Modern Day Slavery in Mexico and the United States: Human trafficking is the fastest growing illegal industry in the world and, by 2010, it is predicted to surpass the illicit drug trade, which will make it the world’s largest criminal activity.

In Ireland's deep budget cuts, an omen for a heavily indebted United States?: Is this the ghost of America's future?

Tax increases abound in healthcare reform legislation: While it would take days to read the entire bill, my cursory review of the legislation identified at least 19 tax increases.

Unemployment funds going ‘absolutely broke’: 40 state programs to be emptied by the jobless tsunami within two years

More prime mortgages default in 3rd quarter: Also: Many homeowners with modified mortgages fall behind again. And the number of homes in foreclosure rises, though new foreclosures are steady, report shows.

December 21, 2009

Cruise Missile Attacks in Yemen

By Glenn Greenwald

For many people, the mere assertion by anonymous U.S. Government officials that these attacks targeted "suspected al-Qaeda sites" will be sufficient to deem them justified. Continue

Gaza, Afghanistan and International Law
 
 Interview with Richard Falk
 
 Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and author of "Crimes of War: Iraq" and "The Costs of War: International Law, the UN, and World Order after Iraq" recorded October 17, 2009 in Seattle. Continue

Gaza Must Be Rebuilt Now

By Jimmy Carter

Despite offers by Palestinian leaders and international agencies to guarantee no use of imported materials for even defensive military purposes, cement, lumber, and panes of glass are not being permitted to pass entry points into Gaza. The US and other nations have accepted this abhorrent situation without forceful corrective action.Continue

Bended Knees: Zionist Power in American Politics

By James Petras

The key to the power of the Zionist Power Configuration is that it is a mass grassroots organization, bolstered by the financial support by scores of millionaires and dozens of billionaires and a complicit mass media. Continue

Fidel Castro on Copenahgen:

The Moment Of Truth

By Fidel Castro

“…the wealthy nations should welcome all the immigrants affected by climate change instead of forcing them to return to their countries as they are doing now…” “…our obligation is to save all of humanity and not half of humanity.” Continue

Now I’m Really Getting Pissed Off

By David Michael Green

You know, I've really been trying not to write an article every other week about all the things I don't like about Barack Obama. But the little prick is making it very hard. Continue

They're All Against Jobs

By Sen. Fritz Hollings

Everyone is crying for jobs, but no one seems to understand why there aren't any. And the reason for those opposing jobs is money. Continue

Nader’s Utopia: The World According to Ralph

By Chris Hedges

The fantasy of the rich going to the rescue of ordinary Americans is born out of Nader’s deep despair over the decline of our democratic mass movements. It will take angels—and this is what the super-rich become in the book—to descend from the heights to save the country from corporate neofeudalism. Continue

Saudi attack on Yemen kills 54 people: Yemeni Shi'ite Muslim rebels said Saudi air attacks on northern Yemen killed 54 people on Sunday, many of them women and children.

Images of the dead children killed by the U.S. bombs in Yemen: Warning - Pictures reflect the reality of attacks on Yemen

Mullen praises Yemen air strikes, raises concern over Iran: The top US military officer Admiral Michael Mullen on Sunday praised US military strikes against a suspected Al-Qaeda cell in Yemen.

'US aided' deadly Yemen raids: Video shows women and children killed in attacks

60 People Killed as Suspected al-Qaida leader in Yemen Escapes Raid: Witnesses put the number killed at over 60 and said the dead were mostly civilians, including women and children. They denied the target was an al-Qaida stronghold, and one provincial official said only 10 militant suspects died.

Yemen accused of rights abuses: "Illegal immigration is a big problem for Yemen's government, but hunting asylum seekers down like criminals and sending them back illegally is no way to solve the problem," Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said.

Clashes in Somalia leave 15 people dead: A heavy fighting between Somali government and Islamist rebels has killed more than 15 people, mostly civilians, and wounded 45 others sources said on Monday.

Ethiopian troops back in Somalia: Residents in Beledweyn told AfricaNews that they saw convey of Ethiopian troops digging trenches in Kalabeyr, a town 22Km (14 miles) from the Somali border and Ethiopia

UN Says Nearly Half Somalia's People Need Aid: The United Nations recently appealed for 690 million dollars for humanitarian operations in Somalia throughout 2010. The U.N. says there was a decline in contributions in 2009, so agencies will have little or no money to carry-over for projects in the New Year.

Six militants killed, 17 arrested in Pakistan: At least six militants were killed and 17 others arrested during military operations in northwest Pakistan in the last 24 hours, the army said in a statement on Monday.

Analysis: Hard reality as US pushes Pakistan: A senior U.S. diplomat hinted at a separate agreement that would allow the U.S. itself to take on some of the hidden war against Pakistan's militants.

2 killed as Taliban clash with Afghan forces: Two Taliban fighters have been killed in a clash with Afghan police near a police station in eastern Paktia province, officials have said.

2 occupation force soldiers killed in Afghanistan: Two soldiers of the NATO-led occupation force were killed in the militancy-ridden southern region of Afghanistan, a press release of the alliance said on Sunday.

British occupation force soldier shot and killed in Afghanistan: A British soldier has been shot and killed in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence in London announced Monday.

Five killed in Iraq suicide bombing: The head of the municipal council in the town of Tel Afar, Hussein Mohammed Al al-Kris, was among the dead. The suicide bomber, who had the explosives strapped to his body, was also killed, according to police

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: Iran's President: 'Smoking Gun' a U.S. Fabrication: Iran's president is dismissing a newly revealed secret document that purportedly shows Iran has been trying to develop a crucial component of a nuclear bomb, calling it a fabrication concocted by the U.S. government.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran? Iran 'holding bin Laden relatives': Iranian authorities are holding several family members of Osama bin Laden, according to Abdul Rahman bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader's second son.

U.S. won't rule out Iran strike; France touts new nuclear sanctions: Military force would have only limited effect in stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons but must remain an option, the top U.S. military officer said Monday.

No Attack on Iran: “The lesson of George W. Bush invading Iraq and leaving North Korea alone is that if you have a nuclear bomb, the United States will leave you alone.”

Limbaugh Calls For "Massive Bombing Raids," War With Iran (AUDIO): On his show Friday, Rush Limbaugh warned his listeners that "if we don't pound Iran into submission at some point they are going to get the bomb."

Finkelstein: Livni 'proud' of Gaza 'war crimes': Prominent Jewish-American professor says Gaza rockets were 'symbolic resistance' to Israeli siege.

Israel to seek another 1b euros Holocaust in reparations from Germany: Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz will demand between 450 million to 1 billion euros in reparations from Germany on behalf of Jews forced into slave labor during the Holocaust, it emerged on Sunday.

Israel admits to organ thefts: Israel has admitted that it harvested organs from the dead bodies of Palestinians and Israelis in the 1990s, without permission from their families.

Israeli video confirms theft of Palestinian organs: The 57-minute video was filmed by Yehuda Hiss, the director and chief pathologist at the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine, and explains how he authorized organ theft, gave instructions to doctors to do so and said he would sometimes snatch the organs himself.

Chavez warns Colombia not to attack Venezuela: He told his countrymen that they must be calm but fully alert as Colombia has sent two army battalions to the Venezuelan border

President Hugo Chavez to army: Shoot American ‘spy’ planes: President Hugo Chavez yesterday accused the United States of violating Venezuela’s airspace with an unmanned spy plane, and ordered his military to be on alert and shoot down any such aircraft in the future..

Colombia to build new military base on Venezuelan border: Army Commander General Oscar Gonzalez meanwhile announced Saturday that six air battalions were being activated, including two on the border with Venezuela.

Venezuela's Chavez accuses Dutch of aggression: President Hugo Chavez on Thursday accused the Netherlands of planning "aggression" against Venezuela by allowing U.S. troops access to Dutch islands off the Caribbean coast of the OPEC nation.

Colombia 'facing foreign threat': Silva did not specifically mention Venezuela in his interview with El Tiempo, but spoke of the "growing risk" of a foreign power taking action against Colombia.

World’s Sole Military Superpower’s 2 Million-Troop, $1 Trillion Wars: After allotting over a trillion dollars for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq alone and packing off more than two million of its citizens to the two nations, the U.S. military establishment and peace prize president have already laid the groundwork for yet more wars. Boeing, Raytheon and General Electric won’t be kept waiting.

Plan C: Life after Cop15: It's The End Of The World As We Know It And I Feel Fine

Deep South calls in Iran to cure its health blues: In ground-breaking project, one of America’s poorest communities is turning to the Middle East to try to resolve its crisis

Moody's Warns U.S. Could Lose Triple-A Rating: Credit rating agency Moody's (MCO) said Tuesday that the United States, along with 16 other countries, could lose their Triple-A credit rating if fiscal deficits and heavy debts are not effectively managed.

Lenders reject homeowners who apply for Obama plan: Ten months after the Obama administration began pressing lenders to do more to prevent foreclosures, many struggling homeowners are holding up their end of the bargain but still find themselves rejected, and some are even having their homes sold out from under them without notice.

December 19, 2009

US Attack Kills 120 In Yemen

Obama Ordered U.S. Military Strike on Suspected "Terrorists"

By BRIAN ROSS, RICHARD ESPOSITO, MATTHEW COLE, LUIS MARTINEZ and KIRIT RADIA

As many as 120 people were killed in the three raids, according to reports from Yemen, and opposition leaders said many of the dead were innocent civilians. Continue

U.S Kill 63 Civilians, 28 Children in Yemen Air Strikes

By Press TV

Yemen's Houthi fighters say scores of civilians, including many children, have been killed in US air-raids in the southeast of the war-stricken Arab country. The Shia fighters on Friday reported the deaths of 63 people, including some 28 children, in the southeastern province of Abyan. Continue

Deadly Intentions:

The Truth Behind The Iran Rumors

By bSoraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

Saudi Arabia, in a change of tactic, spun a story about Iran invading an Iraqi oilfield which led to an immediate hike in oil prices. Could this have been intended as a punishment aimed at the Chinese for not cooperating while projecting Iran as an extreme threat? Continue

Foreclose on the Banks

How to Give America Its Best Christmas Ever

By Ted RalL

Citibank is suspending foreclosures and evictions for 30 days, until after the holidays. Mighty white of them. Continue

Obama ordered deadly blitz on Yemen: US media: US Nobel Peace Prize laureate President Barack Obama has signed the order for a recent military strike on Yemen in which scores of civilians, including children, have been killed, a report says.

'US aided' deadly Yemen raids: Residents of Abyan said that there was no al-Qaeda training camp in the area and that the raids had destroyed several homes. Abbas al-Assal, a local human rights activist who was at the scene, said 64 people were killed, including 23 children and 17 women.

Yemen Opposition Says Govt Attacks Killed Civilians: "In a dangerous precedent, ... the Sanaa regime committed a brutal massacre against our people," exiled southern leader Ali Salem al-Beidh said in a statement, calling for an investigation by the United Nations, and by Arab and Muslim countries.

11 militants killed in NW Pakistan tribal area: At least 11 militants were killed Saturday during military operations in northwest Pakistan's tribal area, local TV channel reported.

US attacks in Pakistan kill at least 20 people: US drones launched missiles into North Waziristan in Pakistan in a barrage of attacks Thursday and Friday. It was one of the largest such attacks in the controversial program the Obama administration has continued and intensified.

12 people killed, 30 injured in suicide attack in Pak's NWFP: Taliban militants on Friday hit Pakistan's lawless NWFP as a suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden car outside a mosque after Friday prayers at Timergarah in Dir district, killing 12 people, mostly policemen.

Amnesty gone, Pak warrant for Malik, Defence Minister’s China trip stopped: Political turmoil deepened in Pakistan as the anti-corruption agency barred Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar from leaving for China and banned 250 officials from going abroad while a court issued an arrest warrant against Interior Minister Rehman Malik after the Supreme Court struck down a graft amnesty.

10 Taliban militants killed in S. Afghanistan: Afghan National Army(ANA) backed by NATO-led forces eliminated 10 Taliban militants during a cleanup operation in Taliban's former stronghold Helmand province, spokesman for local administration said on Saturday.

US occupation force soldier, six Taliban killed in Afghanistan: The US soldier waskilled by a roadside landmine in southern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement. It did not give more details. Separately, the Afghan police and army killed six Taliban in the country's northern province of Kunduz.

'NATO air strike kills three Afghan civilians': A NATO air strike against suspected militants in occupied southern Afghanistan killed three civilians and wounded one other, local government and hospital officials said Friday.

British occupation force soldier killed in Afghanistan: Officials say the soldier was killed while on foot patrol in volatile Helmand province. He was from the 2nd Battalion of The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment

Up to 56,000 more contractors likely for Afghanistan, congressional agency says: The surge of 30,000 U.S. troops into Afghanistan could be accompanied by a surge of up to 56,000 contractors, vastly expanding the presence of personnel from the U.S. private sector in a war zone, according to a study by the Congressional Research Service.

Headlines Continued

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