October 16, 2014

Obama Knew Arming Rebels Was Useless, But Did It Anyway

By Dan Froomkin

What’s worse: Launching a disastrous military campaign under false pretenses to achieve goals you wrongly believe are attainable? Or launching a disastrous military campaign you know is doomed in order to help your party win an election? Continue

Will Washington Succeed in Having Northern Syria Ethnically Cleansed?

By Thierry Meyssan

At Kobané, where more than 300,000 Syrian Kurds are threatened with extermination by the Islamic Emirate, everyone can take the measure of NATO’s duplicity. Continue

Sectarianism In Mideast Is Not At All Coincidental?

By Ramzy Baroud

What the US truly founded in Iraq was Sunni militancy, a concept that has, till recently been alien to the Middle East. Continue

IS And The IDF: Canada’s Double Standard

By Eric Walberg

Why can westerners join the IDF while westerners joining IS are despised and killed? In what sense is the IDF scenario any less reprehensible than the IS one? Continue

The Two-state Solution is Ultimately Doomed to Fail

By Jonathan Cook

Israel is losing the moral argument in Europe, where the Zionist movement began. That tide will spread across Europe and ultimately lap up against the shores of Capitol Hill and the White House. Continue

The Saudi Oil War Against Russia, Iran and the US

By Pepe Escobar

Geopolitically, it gets juicier when we see that central to the House of Saud strategy is to stick it to Washington for not fulfilling its “Assad must go” promise. Continue

West Despotism Behind Saudi Death Sentence

By Finian Cunningham

Strip away the venal rhetoric from Washington and London, and what we see is the grotesque reality of their unswerving support for despots. Continue

Putin Warns Obama

By Paul Craig Roberts

Vladimir Putin Reminds Obama That Sowing Discord Between Nuclear Powers Can Undermine Strategic Security. Continue

What Claim Does America Have to Global Dominance?

By VOR

The belief in America’s right and duty to lead the world towards democracy is just as nationalist in its way as that of the hard-line chauvinists who basically hate the rest of the world. Continue

Our Souls Turned into Weapons

By Robert C. Koehler

Military glory — protection of the innocent — is a broken ideal, a cynical lie. Continue

Confronting Battered Citizen Syndrome

By James F. Tracy

Once a citizen recognizes how the psychological torment and terroristic violence they are suffering from is the fault of their government, it is only a matter of time before these victims understand the importance of taking responsibility and escaping their current situation. Continue

Tennessee Highway Is Now Patrolled by TSA

By Conor Friedersdorf

Despite billions spent on airport security, federal bureaucrats have escaped the terminal. Is your 4th Amendment safe? Continue

In the Blink of an Eye
Stocks Plunge 460 Points on QE Exit

By Mike Whitney

If stocks rode higher on an ocean of Fed liquidity, then how low are they going to go when the spigot is turned off? Continue

Bush- Blair Legacy Continues As - 59 IS militants killed in air strikes, clashes in Iraq: In Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, Iraqi army soldiers backed by Shiite militias carried out an offensive on IS positions in Mansouriyah area, some 100 km northeast of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, and fought fierce clashes with the extremist militants

Bush- Blair Legacy Continues As - Iraq : 'At least 50 killed' in wave of terrorist attacks across Baghdad: The Islamist group, which controls several major cities and towns surrounding the Iraqi capital, has claimed responsibility for the most deadly attack in the Dawlai district.

IS assembles forces strategically near Baghdad: Fighters from the Islamic State were mustering with tanks, armored vehicles and heavy weapons Wednesday near a strategically located rural town about 25 miles west of Baghdad in embattled Anbar province, local officials said. Militants were approaching the town from north, west and east and they appeared to be preparing a siege, officials said.

US hits IS with 14 air strikes near Syria border town: military: US warplanes struck 14 times near Kobane into Thursday, hammering Islamic State jihadists besieging the strategically important Syrian border town, the American military said.

Syrian Kurdish Official Calls for Arms for Kobani: It's unclear what friendly countries could do. Weapons for Kurdish fighters would have to cross through Turkey — a request the Ankara government is likely to rebuff.

Syrian refugees : UN refugee chief says Europe must open borders: The head of the United Nations refugee agency on Wednesday urged countries, particularly in Europe, to review their laws to allow entry to more Syrians fleeing their country's civil war.

Russia denies agreement with US to share intel on Islamic State militants: Moscow on Thursday denied a US assertion that it had agreed to ramp up intelligence-sharing with Washington over the Islamic State group, saying it would provide no such help without UN Secuity Council approval.

US paratroopers conduct largest drills since 9-11 with scenario reminiscent of fighting ISIS (VIDEO): Late last month, the US Army completed the largest simulated ground-combat exercise since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 in preparation for a confrontation with the likes Islamic State, which blends insurgent tactics with large ground-force maneuvers.

5 killed as Qaeda militants capture town in southwest Yemen: Suspected al-Qaeda militants have seized control of a town in southwest Yemen a security official said today. Five policemen were killed in the overnight offensive by militants on the town of Udain.

IED attack kills two soldiers in Yemen's Hadhramaut: TWO soldiers were killed and three others were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED), emplaced by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants

Israel gives Syrians aid so moderate rebels keep extremists from border, Ya'alon says: In an extensive interview, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon tells Haaretz about Israel's external enemies, but saves the emotion for cabinet disputes.

Defense Minister Ya'alon: I am not looking for a solution, I am looking for a way to manage the conflict: Op-Ed: Moshe Ya’alon is telling it like it is: What you see now in the West Bank and Gaza is Israel’s solution.

Palestinians still 2 votes short for Security Council resolution on deadline for Israel: On Wednesday evening, Abbas met with senior members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and his Fatah movement in Ramallah to discuss a request by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to put off any Security Council initiative until the beginning of next year, participants said.

Exodus campaign to Berlin sparks outrage in Israel: Thousands of exasperated Israelis have asked him for help in getting visas. He reasons that if Israelis vote with their feet and simply leave the country, the government will be forced to serve the public better.

Iran repeats it may send military forces to Pakistan: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Deputy Commander Brigadier-General Hossein Salami has repeated that if Pakistan does not take action against Iran’s Baluchi rebels, the Islamic Republic forces may enter the neighboring country’s territory, Iranian Fars news agency reported Oct. 16.

21 "militants" killed in Pak air strikes: At least 21 "militants" were killed on Thursday when Pakistani military choppers pounded their alledged hideouts in troubled Khyber tribal district near Afghan border, a day after suicide bomber blew himself up in a peace committee meeting killing five tribesmen.

15 Taliban Militants Killed In Drone Attack In Western Afghanistan: At least 15 Taliban militants were killed in a drone attack by NATO-led coalition forces in western Afghan province of Herat overnight, Xinhua news agency reported.

Car Bomb Kills 8 Afghans From Unit Linked to C.I.A.: The deaths, caused by a car bomb, occurred during a raid by the Khost Protection Force, a C.I.A.-trained paramilitary unit that has carried out operations along the border with Pakistan for more than a decade.

Rebel attack' in DR Congo leaves 26 dead: Twenty-six people have been killed in an attack in a major town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with the violence blamed on Ugandan rebels. The attackers hacked or stabbed their victims to death in the overnight onslaught in Beni.

Six killed in violence in Central African Republic's capital: At least six people were killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes in two days of violence involving the "anti-balaka" militia in the capital of Central African Republic, officials said on Wednesday.

UN: 3 peacekeepers killed in Darfur: Two peacekeepers serving in the joint United Nations-African Union force in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region were killed in an attack, and a third later died from his injuries, the U.N. secretary-general said Thursday.

Islamist Militants Resist Assault on Libya's Benghazi: Islamist militias held their ground today in the face of an assault by an ex-general backed by army units aimed at retaking Libya's second city of Benghazi, military sources said.

Egypt's Bombing of Benghazi Will Cost Libya Dearly: With the world's attention so focused on what the Islamic State is up to in Syria and Iraq, the conflict steadily building in Libya hasn't received much attention

Putin: If Ukraine siphons gas from pipeline, Russia will reduce Europe supplies: “There are large transit risks. If we see that our Ukrainian partners start illegally taking our gas from the export pipeline as it was in 2008, we will equally reduce the amount of supply as happened in 2008,” warned Putin on Thursday at a news conference in Belgrade

New Members Join UN Security Council: Venezuela, New Zealand, Angola, Malaysia And Spain: Venezuela's foreign minister, Rafael Ramirez, quickly dedicated "this huge triumph" to late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. He said the election win came despite a "malign campaign against our country."

Venezuela's Maduro: Eight People and Colombian Paramilitary Murdered Legislator Serra: Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, revealed on Wednesday details of the investigation into the murder of legislator Robert Serra. The young legislator and his partner were murdered in their apartment two weeks ago.

Falling Oil Prices Could Push Venezuela Over The Edge: While Saudi Arabia tests the mettle of North American producers, it could be Venezuela that is the most vulnerable

Bolivia’s Transformation: The Victory of Evo Morales: Evo Morales’ victory in the Bolivian elections for a third term with just over 60 per cent of the vote is no minor achievement.

New graves found in Mexico in hunt for missing students: The latest burial pits were found by members of a group of vigilantes who had travelled to Iguala to help with the search.

Ebola in US: Virus will spread around the world if allowed to 'rage without control' in West Africa : President Barack Obama insisted that the chances of a serious outbreak of Ebola on US soil remained “very, very low”, but warned the epidemic will "spread globally" if allowed the rage without control in West Africa

Obama May Send National Guard to Liberia to Fight Ebola: Sources: President Barack Obama is expected to issue an executive order Thursday paving the way for the deployment of National Guard forces to Liberia to help contain the Ebola outbreak there, sources told NBC News.

Air France jet isolated at Madrid airport amid Ebola fear: The passenger on Air France 1300 from Lagos, Nigeria, had started shivering with a fever during the flight which landed at Barajas International Airport in the Spanish capital.

U.S. Ebola Cases May Exceed Two Dozen by November, Researchers Say: There could be as many as two dozen people in the U.S. infected with Ebola by the end of the month, according to researchers tracking the virus with a computer model.

Experts Offer Steps for Avoiding Public Hysteria, a Different Contagious Threat: As health officials scramble to explain how two nurses in Dallas became infected with Ebola, psychologists are increasingly concerned about another kind of contagion, whose symptoms range from heightened anxiety to avoidance of public places to full-blown hysteria.

The Planet Just Had Its Warmest September On Record, Continuing Hot Streak: This past September was the warmest since records began in 1880, according to new data released by NASA this weekend. The announcement continues a trend of record or near-record breaking months, including May and August of this year.

Sleeping 7-year-old girl shot in head during no-knock police raid on wrong home: A Special Response Team shattered a family’s window in the middle of the night, hurled a flashbang onto a couch next to a sleeping girl, then charged in and shot her in the head.

FBI and Local Cops Jointly Track “Outside Agitators”: It has only been a little over two months since a white cop gunned down Michael Brown, whose body was left to bake in the summer sun for four hours as if to remind Brown’s friends and neighbors and the whole Black world that U.S. police can do whatever they want to a Black teenager in America in the 21st century.
 

FBI Director: If Apple and Google Won't Decrypt Phones, We'll Force Them To: Everyone is stoked that the latest versions of iOS and Android will (finally) encrypt all the information on your smartphone by default. Except, of course, the FBI:

Study: U.S. squanders $150B a year on hospital bureaucracy; This study of hospital administrative costs in eight nations found that hospital bureaucracy consumed 25.3 percent of hospital budgets in the United States, far more than in other nations.

October 15, 2014

Why Regime Change Won’t Stop ISIS in Syria

By Tony Cartalucci

If regime change stood any chance of stopping ISIS – it should be carried out in the capitals of the nations currently arming and funding ISIS - Washington (Wall Street), London, Riyadh, Doha, Ankara, and Tel Aviv. Continue

Iraq Descends Into Anarchy
Shia Militias 'Abducting and Killing Sunni Civilians In Revenge For Isis Attacks'

By Patrick Cockburn

Iraq is in the last stages of disintegration. Continue

Investing in Junk Armies
Why American Efforts to Create Foreign Armies Fail

By William J. Astore

For a foreign occupying force to create a unified and effective army from a disunified and disaffected populace was (and remains) a fool’s errand. Continue

Obama Leads His Coalition of Arab Tyrants Into Another losing, Islamist-boosting War

By Michael Scheuer

This war will kill and maim so many American soldiers and Marines that those already killed in Afghanistan and Iraq will form no more than a corporal’s guard for the coming dead. Continue

'I Didn't Think of Iraqis as Humans,'
Says U.S. Soldier Who Raped 14-year-old Girl Before Killing Her and Her Family

By Daily Mail

Upon arriving in Iraq, Green said, his training to kill, the rampant violence and derogatory comments by other soldiers against Iraqis served to dehumanise that country's civilian population. Continue

Pirouetting Poroshenko and the Kiev Nutcracker Suite

By Finian Cunningham

Where is this arrogant, delusional regime getting its lead from? Continue

No One Has A Monopoly On Truth
Sergey Lavrov’s U.N. Address:

Video and English Transcript

“Washington has openly declared its right to the unilateral use of military force anywhere to advance its own interests. Military interference has become a norm, even despite the dismal outcome of all operations of force that the US has carried out over recent years. Continue

Putin: Nazi Virus ‘Vaccine’ Losing Effect in Europe

An Interview With Vladimir Putin

This is clearly demonstrated by open manifestations of neo-Nazism that have already become commonplace in Latvia and other Baltic states,” Continue

World War III: It's Here And Energy is Largely Behind It

By Kurt Cobb

We should prepare for a very long World War III. Continue

James Risen's New Book: Exposing the "War on Terror"

By Norman Solomon

After 13 years of militarized zealotry and fear-mongering in the name of fighting terrorism, the book -- subtitled "Greed, Power, and Endless War" -- zeros in on immense horrors being perpetrated in the name of national security. Continue

In Case You Missed It
Aldous Huxley: The Ultimate Revolution

Audio and Transcript

This ultimate revolution is not really very far away, that we, already a number of techniques for bringing about this kind of control are here, and it remains to be seen when and where and by whom they will first be applied in any large scale. Continue

Approximately 244 people killed in Syria on: By province : Aleppo ( 7 rebels, 2 civilians ), Reef Dimashq ( 5 rebels, 27 civilians ), Damascus ( 1 civilian, 5 rebels ), Idlib ( 3 rebels, 2 civilians ), Homs ( 6 civilians ), Hama ( 4 rebels, 1 civilian ), Dar’a ( 2 rebels ), Quneitra ( 7 rebels ), Der-Ezzor ( 1 civilian ). Tuesday :

Unknown gunmen assassinated a member of the Syrian Parliment in Hama: Unknown gunmen opened fire yesterday night on the car of the member of the Syrian Parliament “Waris al Younes” was also a leader in NDF

ISIS Militants And Kurdish Fighters Battle In The Streets Of Kobani: Intensified U.S.-led airstrikes and a determined Kurdish military force on the ground appear to have had some success in halting advances by Islamic State fighters on a strategic Kurdish town near Syria's border with Turkey — at least for now.

Fact or fiction? US: Strikes near Kobani have killed hundreds: A barrage of U.S.-led airstrikes in and around the Syrian city of Kobani, including 39 over the past two days, has killed hundreds of Islamic State fighters and has stiffened the city's Kurdish defenders, the Pentagon's spokesman said Wednesday.

Syria rejects buffer zones, pledges to maintain sovereignty: Syria has categorically rejected calls for the creation of buffer zones on its territory, saying it would treat any such bid as an act of aggression

US, Russia vow intel-sharing on Islamic State: The United States and Russia vowed Tuesday to renew cooperation on a broad array of global security matters, including intelligence sharing on Islamic State militants, even as the two powers remained deeply at odds over the crisis in Ukraine.

C.I.A. Study of Covert Aid Fueled Skepticism About Helping Syrian Rebels: The C.I.A. review, found that the agency’s aid to insurgencies had generally failed in instances when no Americans worked on the ground with the foreign forces in the conflict zones, as is the administration’s plan for training Syrian rebels.

Who benefits from U.S. war on Islamic State? Analysis - Al Qaida, analysts fear: There’s an unintended beneficiary emerging from the U.S.-led campaign to crush the Islamic State: the extremist group’s main rival, al Qaida.

Anger as wounded Kurdish fighters die stranded at Turkish border: "Once the soldiers realized they were dead, they said, 'Now you can cross with the bodies.' I cannot forget that. It was total chaos, it was a catastrophe," he said, choking back tears.

America's intelligence agencies agree: ISIS isn't that big of a threat. So why are we all freaking out about ISIS? :

59 ISIS militants killed in airstrikes, clashes in Iraq: In Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, Iraqi army soldiers backed by Shia militias carried out an offensive on ISIS positions in Mansouriyah area, some 100 km northeast of Iraq's capital Baghdad, and fought fierce clashes with the extremist militants, leaving at least 12 militants dead

How Mosul fell - An Iraqi general disputes Baghdad's story: Analysis - How Mosul was lost, and who gave the order to abandon the fight, have, until now, been unclear.

Washington concealed US troops exposure to chemical weapons in Iraq – intel docs: US forces "repeatedly encountered, and on six occasions were wounded by, chemical weapons” leftover from the Iraq-Iran War, reported the New York Times.

US military denied treatment to soldiers exposed to chemical weapons in Iraq: The New York Times's C.J. Chivers has dropped a bombshell of a scoop that details 17 US troops and seven Iraqi policemen who were exposed to old chemical weapons in Iraq, some of whom were declined appropriate medical care and service awards on the grounds of secrecy.

UN's Ban: Being born in Gaza is not a crime: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lashed out at Israel for striking his organization’s facilities in Gaza during the conflict this summer as he visited the Strip on Tuesday, and said he was considering launching his own investigation into the matter. He called on Israel to end its “occupation” of land over the pre-1967 lines and to lift all its restrictions on Gaza.

British Parliament sends a message to Obama: the people see Israel as a ‘bully’: The British public has been horrified by Gaza and its opinion of Israel has shifted. Even Conservative members of Parliament cited pressure from the public. As Labour’s Andy Slaughter said, Britain has witnessed a new “barbarism”:

12 killed as Libya's Haftar forces fighting to retake Benghazi: According to local media reports, several Haftar's tanks and warplanes were concentrating their fires on bases belonged to the Islamist armed group "Feb. 17 brigade."

Rival militias fight for Libya's Benghazi: Renewed fighting has broken out in Benghazi, a day after the retired general Khalifa Haftar vowed to "liberate" the city from what he called terrorists. Gunfire and explosions were heard early on Wednesday and that aircraft belonging to the general's forces were striking targets around the eastern city.

Egypt warplanes hit Libya militias, say officials: Egypt deepens its involvement in fight against Islamist militias who have taken over key parts of Libya, with unnamed officials saying Egyptian warplanes have bombed their positions in the city of Benghazi

Three killed in militia violence in Central African Republic's capital: At least three people were killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes in attacks by the "anti-balaka" militia in the capital of Central African Republic, officials said on Wednesday.

Bomber in Pakistan kills seven in attack on pro-government militia: A suicide bomber killed seven people in Pakistan on Wednesday in an attack on a government-backed militia near the Afghan border, security officials and residents said.

Pakistan, U.S. appear once again to be cooperating on drone strikes: The pattern of the attacks fits the description of American acquiescence to a behind-the-scenes request for help from the Pakistani military, but nobody in Islamabad or Washington is saying so.

Pakistani Taliban leaders pledge allegiance to Islamic State: In another sign of the Middle East-based Islamic State’s expanding influence, the chief spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban and five regional commanders declared allegiance Tuesday to the group and its chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Afghan governor killed by gunmen in Helmand; The governor of the Naad Ali district, in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, was killed by gunmen on Wednesday on his way home. No one claimed responsibility for Haji Anwar's assassination, but local sources said his bodyguard was also killed and six people were injured. (AGI) .

Sixty Days To Beat Ebola, United Nations Warns: The UN says the ebola outbreak must be controlled within 60 days or else the world faces an "unprecedented" situation for which there is no plan.

Ebola outbreak: 2nd health care worker in Dallas tests positive: Analysis - It's not clear how the second health care worker contracted the virus, and authorities declined to say what position she holds at the hospital or the type of care she provided.

Ebola Health Worker Flew Hours Before Reporting Symptoms : “Because of the proximity in time between the evening flight and first report of illness the following morning, CDC is reaching out to passengers,” the agency said. The plane had 132 passengers, the CDC said.

Airline Stocks Tumbling After News Hospital Worker With Ebola Flew On Commercial Flight: News that a health worker diagnosed with Ebola flew on a commercial flight the night before showing symptoms raised fears on Wall Street that the scare over the virus could reduce air travel.

Why Entrance Screenings For Ebola Don’t Actually Work: Enhanced entrance screenings for Ebola have begun at airports around the world, including in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States — even though experts say this is a fruitless endeavor that doesn’t actually keep us safer.

DHS: No evidence of ISIS Ebola threat: Analysis - Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that fighters with the Islamic State in Iraqi and Syria (ISIS) are planning to use biological weapons, including the Ebola virus, to attack the United States.

Glenn Greenwald: UN Report Finds Mass Surveillance Violates International Treaties and Privacy Rights: The United Nations’ top official for counter-terrorism and human rights (known as the “Special Rapporteur”) issued a formal report to the U.N. General Assembly today that condemns mass electronic surveillance as a clear violation of core privacy rights guaranteed by multiple treaties and conventions.

The American Government Tried to Kill James Risen’s Last Book: Risen is now facing potential jail time for refusing to divulge his sources for classified information. Nonetheless, he is standing firm. As he told 60 Minutes:

New Evidence Links CIA to American Psychological Association’s “War on Terror” Ethics: psychologists and other health professionals were directly involved in brutalizing “war on terror” prisoners in U.S. custody.

How One Man Refused to Spy on Fellow Muslims for the FBI—and Then Lost Everything: The case of Ayyub Abdul-Alim fits a decades-long pattern of government criminalization of African-American Muslims.

Dow Tumbles 450 Points: Markets were down sharply on Wednesday, with the Dow falling more than 450 point by early afternoon. Traders fled risky assets and piled into bonds. The slide came amid lingering fears of a global economic slowdown, and as the market sized up a batch of discouraging data on retail sales and manufacturing.

Dow Drops 1500 Points In 3 Weeks, Nasdaq Enters 'Correction' As VIX Breaks 30: From 17,350 intraday highs "proving the recovery is here," we are 1500 points down just 3 weeks later. The Nasdaq just fell 10.5% from its highs, officially in correction. VIX broke above 30. Perhaps, just perhaps, the gap to fundamentals is finally about to be filled...

October 14, 2014

US Army Drafts Blueprint for World War III

By Bill Van Auken and David North

The implementation of this doctrine of total war is wholly incompatible with democratic rights and constitutional government within the US. Continue

An Interview with "The Saker"
The Ukraine, As We Know It, Is Gone Forever

By Mike Whitney

The Ukraine is basically dead, it’s been reduced to rubble. It will take years to rebuild, and immense sums of money. Continue

United Nations Turning Into NATO Tool Of Aggressions

By Ramsey Clark

What happens in the international community is not by chance, and what happened In Libya is not by chance, what is happening in Syria and Iran is not by chance. And what is happening in Syria and Iran? Continue

The Disturbing Expansion of the Military-Industrial Complex

By Mairead Maguire

I believe NATO should be abolished and that steps be taken towards disarmament through non-violent action and civil resistance. Continue

Why I Cannot Support This Motion on Palestine

By George Galloway

“that this House believes that the Government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel”. Continue

Who Benefits from Billions Pledged for Gaza Reconstruction?

By Maureen Clare Murphy

Israel is the true beneficiary of this aid money. Continue

Glenn Greenwald: Why Privacy Matters

Video

"A society in which people can be monitored at all times is a society that breeds conformity, obedience and submission." Continue

Why We Should be Seething with Anger Over Inequality

By Paul Buchheit

If we were given proper media coverage of the endless takeaway of our country’s wealth by the super-rich, we would be infuriated. And we would be taking it personally.

How Did Harry Reid Get So Rich On A Government Salary?

2 Minute Video

“How does someone on a government salary most of their career accumulate your type of wealth?” Continue

Ten Facts About Homelessness

By Bill Quigley

One quarter of homeless people are children. Continue

One-Third of the World's Women in Prison Are Locked Up In The USA. All 201,200 Of Them.

By Zak Cheney-Rice

It's a huge problem the American public has only begun to recognize. Continue

50 IS militants killed in air strikes, clashes in Iraq: A total of 50 people were killed on Tuesday in clashes and air strikes against the positions of the Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq, security source said, APA reports quoting Xinhua

Shiite lawmaker among 23 people killed in Baghdad suicide attack: - Iraqi officials say a Shiite lawmaker is among 23 people killed when a suicide car bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a northern Baghdad security checkpoint.

Iraq: Suicide car bomb in Baghdad kills 19: The attack happened Tuesday in Baghdad's Shiite-majority Khazimiyah district. The official says at least six police officers were among the dead. Another 35 people were wounded.

Iraq: Shia militias 'killing Sunnis in reprisal attacks': The killings were in apparent revenge for attacks by Islamic State (IS). Amnesty said the militias had been supported and armed by the Iraqi government and operated with impunity.

The Influential Iraqi Cleric Rallying Muslims Against ISIS: Sistani called on the Shia-led government to keep Iraq united and reconcile with Sunnis. But he has also forcefully declared that foreign powers should not interfere in Iraq’s political affairs.

Iraq: ISIS advances in Anbar, stalls in Salah Al-Din: ISIS seized an Iraqi military camp in Hit on Monday, around 90 miles (150 kilometers) from Baghdad, after Iraqi forces carried out what it termed a “tactical retreat” from the area.

Army chief 'somewhat' confident Iraq can defend Baghdad: "I believe the capability is there to defend Baghdad. ... But we'll have to see what plays out over the coming days," he told reporters at the Association of the United States Army on Monday.

ISIS Releases “Letter” From Steven Sotloff to His Mother: To Mom, I do not have much time and will probably not get this opportunity again, so I would like to get straight to the point.

10 Syrian troops killed in clashes with IS: Monitor: At least 10 Syrian soldiers were killed on Tuesday in clashes with Islamic State group jihadists in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, a monitor said.: The clashes took place not far from Deir Ezzor military airport, a key remaining post for the Syrian army in the oil-rich province.

Kurds 'recapture key Kobane hill': Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State (IS) say they have recaptured a strategically important hilltop west of Kobane on Syria's border with Turkey. The advances were made after a series of air strikes by the US-led coalition.

IS militants penetrate into Turkey’s territory: The militants of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization penetrated into Turkey’s territory from the Syrian town of Kobani, where fighting is going on between the terrorists and the Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Milliyet newspaper reported Oct. 14.

Turkey bombs Kurdish PKK targets in south: Turkish forces have attacked suspected Kurdish PKK positions in the southeast of the country, in the first major confrontation with the rebel group since peace talks began two years ago to end a 30-year conflict.

Houthi rebels seize southern Yemen city: Houthi fighters have seized Yemen's southern city of al-Hudaydah, the second most important port after Aden, while southern secessionists have garnered more support, pushing the country towards the verge of disintegration.

Yemen president names new PM, Shiite Houthis welcome choice: Yemen's president on Monday appointed Khaled Bahah, the impoverished Arab country's envoy to the United Nations, as prime minister, in a move welcomed by the Shiite Muslim Houthi group which now controls the capital Sanaa.

Saudi forces, Yemeni tribesmen clash in Yemen's Sa'ada province: Saudi border guards have reportedly clashed with Yemeni tribesmen in Yemen’s northwestern province of Sa’ada, APA reports quoting Press TV.

The UK Parliment Has Voted to Recognize Palestine as a State : Voting by 274 to 12, a majority of 262, MPs on all sides urged the Government to 'recognise the state of Palestine'. Significantly Labour whipped its MPs to vote in favour of the resolution, raising the prospect that the party would defy Israel’s wishes and recognise Palestine as a state should it come to power at the next election.

It’s the settlements, stupid: As the resounding British ‘Yes’ vote on Palestine underlined, empathy for Israel’s vital interests is being eroded by anger at the expansion of building over the Green Line. “Who can defend settlement building — the colonization of another country? We are talking about 600,000 Israeli settlers planted on Palestinian soil.”

Jerusalem simmering over 'Judaisation' plan: An influx of ideological settlers into East Jerusalem threatens to put an end to the two state solution

Palestinians under 60 barred from Al-Aqsa mosque: Many worshippers trying to enter the compound were turned away by police, who prevented all but those aged over 60 from entering the site, forcing many Palestinians to offer their dawn prayers on the streets, Al Jazeera reported.

US security contractor shot dead in Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh: A US national was shot dead and another wounded in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Tuesday, police said, in what appeared to be the first killing of a westerner in years in a gun attack in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia to pressure Russia, Iran with price of oil:Saudi Arabia will force the price of oil down, in an effort to put political pressure on Iran and Russia, according to the President of Saudi Arabia Oil Policies and Strategic Expectations Center

Saudi billionaire prince warns gov. over oil price drop: Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, does not appear to be taking any action to deal with falling oil prices. In the past few years, the country has always considered a price level of $100 per barrel as good for both producers and consumers. Oil prices are now trading at less than $90 per barrel for benchmark Brent crude.

22 Afghan soldiers and policemen killed in Taliban ambush: Taliban insurgents ambushed a convoy of Afghan security forces in a mountainous northern area on Monday, killing 22 soldiers and police, an official said, as bombs in Kabul and another area killed three.

Afghanistan: NATO Airstrike Kills 7 Civilians: Hundreds of Afghan villagers protested Monday over their allegation that a NATO airstrike killed seven civilians. The protesters brought seven corpses to the governor's office in eastern Paktia province. The villagers said the strike targeted eight people collecting firewood and left one man wounded.

12 Pakistan rangers killed in recent firing between the troops along the border: The Indian Border Security Force may have killed as many as a dozen Pakistani Rangers, including one officer, while injuring three personnel of Pakistan Army during the recent exchange of fire between the troops of the two countries along the border, officials familiar with the matter said.

Ukraine far right battles police at parliament in Kiev: Ukrainian nationalists have hurled smoke canisters and stones at riot police during clashes outside the parliament in Kiev. Violence erupted when the protesters demanded that MPs pass a law to recognise a World War II nationalist group which opposed Soviet forces.

Is the US Getting Ready to Dump Poroshenko?; It looks like Poroshenko's days are numbered. His most likely replacement? The extreme right.

Gazprom's profit falls by 23 percent: The main reason for the fall in Gazprom’s profits was the 215.83 billion rouble debt from Ukraine for the natural gas they imported in the first six months of 2014, the company said.

Doctors Without Borders reports that 9 of its health workers have died of Ebola: Juli Switala, a doctor working for the international aid organization who just returned from Sierra Leone, said the number of those who have died from Ebola is probably an underestimate because many families hide their sick and dying loved ones.

UN medical worker dies of Ebola in Germany: Leipzig hospital says 56-year-old man, who caught disease in Liberia, has died despite 'intensive medical procedures'.

WHO: 10,000 new Ebola cases per week could be seen: West Africa could face up to 10,000 new Ebola cases a week within two months, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday, adding that the death rate in the current outbreak has risen to 70 percent.

Mexican anti-riot police sent to Guerrero after clashes: Anti-riot police have been deployed to the Mexican city of Chilpancingo after protesters attacked local government buildings in anger at the disappearance of 43 students on 26 September. Hundreds of demonstrators set fire to part of the Guerrero state headquarters and demanded the resignation of Governor Angel Aguirre.

The US Is Jailing Immigrant Women And Children Under Appalling Conditions: Most asylum seekers are law-abiding but are detained in spite of international law.

Why the ranks of America’s unmarried moms keep growing.: Compared to a decade ago, higher rates of American women are getting pregnant unintentionally; indeed, the United States has one of the highest unintended birth rates in the developed world.

US Marriage rates hit new, all-time low: According to the latest available census data, the percentage of U.S. adults who have never been married has hit a new, all-time high. In 1960, about one in ten adults over the age of 25 fell into that category. By 2012, the number had jumped to one in five.

Are you among the world's wealthiest?: If you have $3,650, you’re among the wealthiest half of people in the world

Richest 1% of people own nearly half of global wealth, says report: The richest 1% of the world’s population are getting wealthier, owning more than 48% of global wealth, according to a report published on Tuesday which warned growing inequality could be a trigger for recession.

12 Charts That Show The Permanent Damage That Has Been Done To The U.S. Economy: In this article I am going to share with you 12 economic charts that show that we are in much, much worse shape than we were five or ten years ago.

October 13, 2014

Drumbeat Grows for US Troops in Middle East War

By Peter Symonds

While the US is determined to prop up the Iraqi puppet regime in Baghdad, Washington’s main objective is over the border in Syria. Continue

Propaganda War of Islamic Extremists

By Robert Fisk

Isis has turned the internet into the most effective propaganda tool ever. Continue

Noam Chomsky: The Origins Of ISIS

Video

Professor Chomsky gives us a glimpse of the complex politics of the Middle East and his opinion on the future. Continue

Saudis Dump Oil To Increase Leverage Over U.S. Middle East Policies

By Moon Of Alabama

This strategy will not only allow the Gulf dictators to retain their market share but the Saudis and others will use this strategy to slow down, if not stop, U.S. overtures to Iran. Continue

Now Playing: The Great Father Personality Cult

By Jack Perry

The Great Father needs less power, not more. The keys to the aircraft carrier need to be taken away from him, because he is too drunk (with power) to drive. Continue

The U.S. Soldier Who Killed Herself After Refusing to Take Part in Torture

By Greg Mitchell

"She said that she did not know how to be two people; she... could not be one person in the cage and another outside the wire." Continue

The United States is No. 1 – But in What?

By Lawrence Wittner

United States emerges No. 1 among nations in its capacity for violence and falls far behind other nations in providing for the well-being of its people. Continue

Twenty Fourteen
Oceana in Nineteen Eighty Four?

By Paul Street

Take a look at the U.S. in Twenty Fourteen. Behold a vast and powerful nation –the world’ sole Superpower – where absurdity reigns. Continue

Columbus Day
The Myth of "America"

By Dahr Jamail and Jason Coppola

What a disgrace to our country's honor that year after year the sanitized memory of this greed-obsessed, homicidal psychopath is honored. Continue

Building an Ark: How to Protect Public Revenues from the Next Meltdown

By Ellen Brown

As we peer into the jaws of another economic meltdown, moving our public funds into our own banks is an investment we can hardly afford not to make. Continue

Thirty killed in three bombings in Baghdad: Three bombs have exploded in Shi’ite parts of Baghdad, killing 30 people, police and medical officials said, continuing a wave of attacks targeting Iraq’s majority religious group.

7 ISIS militants killed in Fallujah says Operations Command: 7 ISIS militants killed in Fallujah says Operations CommandAl-Anbar (IraqiNews.com) On Monday, a source in Anbar Operations Command said that Iraqi forces managed to kill 7 ISIS militants and destroy an armored vehicle as well as a residency belonged to ISIS in southern Fallujah

Iraqi military training camp falls to ISIS as airstrikes fail to stop militants’ advance: Iraqi troops, overstretched and overwhelmed by ISIS’s summer blitz that seized large swaths of territory, continued to come under pressure Monday

Islamic State now controls half of Syrian border town and intensifies attacks in Iraq: Jihadists have fought their way into the centre of the Syrian border town Kobane, while in Iraq more than 180,000 have fled fighting in Anbar province.

US: American carried out suicide attack in Syria: The American -- fighting under the name Abu Hurayra al-Amriki -- carried out a suicide truck bombing in the Syrian town of Idlib. Watch a video showing the operation carried out by the U.S. citizen here.

Heavy clashes between Syrian gov forces and Syrian rebels: Video report

Syrian Kurds Refuse To Fight Assad Army: Kurdish Leader: Kurds are not going to fight alongside Turkey against Syrian President Bashar Assad in Syria, Syrian Kurds leader Salih Muslim said in an interview with the Hurriyet newspaper Monday.

IS group pouring reinforcements into Syria's Kobane: monitor: With the world's press massed just across the nearby border with Turkey, the fight for the town has become one the jihadists cannot afford to lose

Syria’s Kurdish PYD rounds up conscripts for battle against ISIS : Youths between 18 and 30 were being taken off for training before joining YPG fighters.

Iraqi city falls to ISIL as army withdraws: The Iraqi army has withdrawn from its last base in the city of Hit in Anbar province following weeks of fighting with the ISIL, leaving the group in full control, security sources have said.

American military advisers, 200 armored vehicles arrive near Tikrit: “Tens of US military advisers accompanied by 200 armored vehicles arrived to back Iraqi forces who are positioned in the University of Tikrit.”

Future ground role for US military advisors in Iraq likely: Dempsey: "Mosul will likely be the decisive battle in the ground campaign at some point in the future," Dempsey said in an interview with ABC's "This Week," referring to the northern Iraqi city seized by IS militants in June.

US Says Turkey OKs Use of Bases Against Militants: Turkey will let U.S. and coalition forces use its bases, including a key installation within 100 miles of the Syrian border, for operations against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, American defense officials said Sunday.

Turkey denies new deal reached to open air bases to US in fight against Isis: Prime minister’s office says talks are continuing on the subject, in comments that run contrary to US defence officials’ statement

Turkey 'allows Syria rebel training': Turkey has agreed to allow "moderate" Syrian rebels to be trained on its soil, the US says, in its bid to combat Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

ISIS Training Video - Video -

Billions set aside for post-Saddam Iraq turned up in Lebanese bunker: More than $1bn earmarked for the reconstruction of Iraq was stolen and spirited to a bunker in Lebanon as the American and Iraqi governments ignored appeals to recover the money, it has been claimed.

Israel's plan to build 600 new homes in E. Jerusalem earns UN’s anger: "I once again strongly condemn the continued settlement activity by Israel," the UN chief told journalists after a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in Ramallah.

UN chief Ban: Israeli occupation led to Gaza war: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon blamed last summer’s Gaza war on Israel’s “occupation” of Palestinian territories, as he called on both parties to finalized an agreement for a two-state solution.

UN Human Rights Commission to Investigate Suspected Israeli War Crimes: International legal scholars have raised serious concerns over Israel's actions in the conflict this past summer.

Hundreds of Israeli public figures urge British Parliament to recognize the State of Palestine: 363 Israeli public figures have signed a letter to the Members of the British Parliament, calling upon them to vote in favor of British recognition of a Palestinian State, to be created side-by-side with Israel.

'Obama took Netanyahu’s threats to attack Iran seriously': Recent memoirs by Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta disclose U.S. efforts to dissuade Israel from striking Iranian nuclear facilities back in 2012.

25 killed in Afghan Taliban ambush‚ bombings : Taliban insurgents ambushed a convoy of Afghan security forces in a mountainous northern area on Monday, killing 22 soldiers and police, an official said, as bombs in Kabul and another area killed three.

Modi's bravado ups the ante in India-Pakistan fighting: "The message we have been given from the prime minister's office is very clear and precise," said a senior Indian Home Ministry official. "The prime minister's office has instructed us to ensure that Pakistan suffers deep and heavy losses."

6 killed as deadly car bomb explodes near Mogadishu cafe: At least six people have been killed by a car bomb in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a police officer has said. Police officer Major Nuur Farah said that several wounded people were taken to hospital after Sunday's blast near a popular hotel and cafe.

Egypt students plan more university protests: At least 13 students were arrested on Sunday during police raids on large anti-government protests at the campuses of at least two major universities, including the University of Cairo and al-Azhar in the capital.

China, Russia Sign CNY150 Billion Local-Currency Swap As Plunging Oil Prices Sting Putin: The Kremlin itself is starting to hurt, if not so much as a result of the European trade embargo but mostly due to crashing oil prices, which have been driven lower almost exclusively by Saudi Arabia as part of its most recent secret bargain with the US, a bargain which as we read today is likely to tear OPEC apart.

Ukraine: National Guard picket Poroshenko’s office in Kiev, demand demobilization: Video - Ukrainian National Guard troops are protesting outside the presidential administration office in Kiev as they demand demobilization. They are refusing to return to their barracks outside the capital.

“Terrorist” sword seized in Australian police raids is plastic:The inscribed Arabic sword seized during unprecedented police raids on September 18—and portrayed by the media as the weapon that would be used in an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-inspired plot to kidnap a random person and behead them in the street—was actually a plastic ornament.

UK: How 'Plod' can spy on YOUR phone...in just three clicks: Officers can access mobile phone and internet firms' mainframes

Evo Morales: Wins Election: 'This Is a Victory of the Anti-Imperialists': Evo Morales has accepted his victory, addressing a large crowd outside the governmental palace.

CIDRAP: "We Believe There Is Scientific Evidence Ebola Has The Potential To Be Airborne": We believe there is scientific and epidemiologic evidence that Ebola virus has the potential to be transmitted via infectious aerosol particles both near and at a distance from infected patients, which means that healthcare workers should be wearing respirators, not facemasks.

WHO: Ebola is modern era's worst health emergency: The World Health Organization called the Ebola outbreak "the most severe, acute health emergency seen in modern times" on Monday but also said that economic disruptions can be curbed if people are adequately informed to prevent irrational moves to dodge infection.

Liberia’s attempt to contain Ebola hit as health workers go on strike: Liberia’s efforts to contain Ebola suffered a further blow on Monday after health workers demanding increased danger money for looking after patients with the disease began their threatened walkout.

Logan flight quarantined after sick passengers reported: Logan International Airport officials are sending in a team in full hazmat suits after reports that five people on board a United Arab Emirates flight from Dubai are exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

CDC Director: Possible U.S. Will See More Cases of Ebola in Coming Days: The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more people in the U.S. may contract Ebola after a Texas healthcare worker had a positive result to a preliminary test for the disease.

U.S. CDC head criticized for blaming 'protocol breach' as nurse gets Ebola: Some healthcare experts are bristling at the assertion by a top U.S. health official that a “protocol breach” caused a Dallas nurse to be infected with Ebola while caring for a dying patient, saying the case instead shows how far the nation’s hospitals are from adequately training staff to deal with the deadly virus.

State: Don't bring waste from Ebola victim's personal items here: State Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is seeking a temporary restraining order to block the disposal of incinerated waste from the Dallas Ebola victim's personal items and belongings at a Louisiana landfill.

Southcom Commander Warns of Potential Ebola-Driven 'Mass Migration' from South of Border: Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, predicted last week that the Ebola virus will not be contained in West Africa, and if infected people flee those countries and spread the disease to Central and South America, it could cause “mass migration into the United States” of those seeking treatment.

Manic-Buying Turns To Panic-Selling As 'Illiquid' Stocks Plunge To 5-Month Lows; US Airlines have fallen for 6 straight days, crashing 17% (with today's 7% plunge - driven by chatter over airborne Ebola - its biggest in over years).

Pentagon to unveil plan for dealing with climate change: At a meeting that brings together many of the world's foremost military leaders, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to reveal how the ongoing effects of global climate change pose an urgent risk to national security and require extensive rethinking of many aspects of the U.S. military.

Bolivia's Morales claims re-election victory: Bolivian President Evo Morales declared a landslide re-election victory on Sunday, hailing it as a triumph for socialist reforms that have cut poverty and vastly expanded the state's role in the booming economy.

Thousands March in St. Louis for Police Reform & Arrest of Officer Darren Wilson: Video report: Defying a militarized crackdown that drew world headlines, the young activists have made Ferguson ground zero for the movement against police brutality and racial bias.

Protesters target Ferguson, Missouri police department: Police arrested a handful of protesters outside the police headquarters including activist, author and academic Cornel West.

Ferguson activists reject religious leaders’ platitudes: Younger black generation rails at ineffectiveness of peaceful tactics as day of mass civil disobedience begins across city

US Slips to 12th in Economic Freedom: A new report of "economic freedom" around the world finds the US ranked 12th among 152 countries, tied with the United Kingdom, and lower than neighbor Canada or Australia

October 12, 2014

Ebola and the Five Stages of Collapse

By Dmitry Orlov

If Ebola is not stopped, it has the potential to reduce the human population of the earth from over 7 billion to around 3.5 billion in a relatively short period of time. Continue

War Against Isis: US Strategy In Tatters As Militants March On

By Patrick Cockburn

American-led air attacks are failing. Jihadis are close to taking Kobani, in Syria – and in Iraq western Baghdad is now under serious threat. Continue

Did Censoring A 9/11 Report Pave The Way For ISIS?

By Brent Bambury

A former U.S. senator and co-chair of the Joint Congressional Inquiry into the 9/11 attacks says the rise of ISIS could have been stemmed if 28 pages from the inquiry's report had not been classified. Continue

NATO Games in Ukraine Push World 5 Minutes Before Nuclear Midnight - Stephen Cohen

Video

Will the world once again know the horror of a Nuclear War looming over the humanity? We ask these questions to a prominent American scholar on Russian studies, Professor Stephen Cohen. Continue

Color Revolutions: A New Method Of Warfare

By Andrew Korybko

They have replaced ‘traditional’ CIA coup action and have become the modus operandi of covert regime change. Continue

Zbigniew Brzezinski:
How Jimmy Carter and I Started the Mujahideen

By Alexander Cockburn And Jeffrey St. Clair

it was July 3, 1979 that President Carter signed the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul. And that very day, I wrote a note to the president in which I explained to him that in my opinion this aid was going to induce a Soviet military intervention. Continue

The Hidden Government Group Linking JFK, Watergate, Iran-Contra and 9/11

By Peter Dale Scott

The more I study these deep events, the more I see suggestive similarities between them, increasing the possibility that they are not unrelated external intrusions on American history, but parts of an endemic process. Continue

Islamic State vs Jewish State

By Jamal Kanj

For the majority of people in the Arab and Muslim world, there is no difference between a dagger held to the neck of innocent Westerners by an IS member or a blown-up brain of a six-month-old baby by American-made Jewish State plane. Continue

Shlomo Sand: ‘I Wish To Resign And Cease Considering Myself A Jew’

By Shlomo Sand

His past was Jewish, but today he sees Israel as one of the most racist societies in the western world. Historian Shlomo Sand explains why he doesn’t want to be Jewish anymore. Continue

The UN Is A Colossal Fraud
Just ideas—or disaster—will triumph

By Fidel Castro

Absolutely no one has the right to destroy cities; murder children; pulverize homes; sow terror, hunger and death anywhere. Continue

The Sordid Contra-Cocaine Saga

By Robert Parry

The ugly story of the Reagan administration’s cover-up of the Contra-cocaine scandal and the U.S. media’s complicity. Continue

Noam Chomsky Exclusive: Pope Francis, Oscar Romero and the Horror of Reagan Foreign Policy

By Emanuel Stoakes

Washington’s legacy of destruction in Latin America, sadly, is still news to many north of the Rio Grande. Continue

The Lie Machine

By Paul Craig Roberts

America is already ruled by corporations. If these faux “trade agreements” go through, Europe and Asia will also be ruled by American corporations. Continue

Russia Dumping Dollars To Use To Protect Currency And Falling Oil Prices

By Kenneth Schortgen Jr

The United States expands its proxy war against Russia and the BRICS nations through a newly discovered secret deal with Saudi Arabia to force down global oil prices. Continue

Postcard from the End of America: Osceola

By Linh Dinh

By the time I got there, the war was over. Something happened, though, that bothers me to this day. Continue

Final death toll for Saturday 11/10/2014, approximately 138 people killed in Syria.: 10 civilians, 22 rebels, 11 Non-Syrian Islamic fighters, 16 NDF, 24 Regular forces, 3 unknown rebels, 36 ISIS, 8 YPG, 2 Hezbollah, 2 non-Syrian fighters allied to regime forces.

Islamic State video shows battle for Kobane - Video - Video provided by the Islamic State show the fighting on the streets of Kobane near the border with Turkey.

Turkish formin says Kobani corridor for weapons, fighters unrealistic: Kurdish leaders have been calling for Turkey to establish a corridor to Kobani to allow aid and military supplies to reach the town which lies within sight of Turkish territory.

Despite Demands, Syria No-Fly Zone a No-Go for US: The Obama administration's promise to limit U.S. military engagement against Islamic State militants makes it difficult to accept Turkey's terms for joining the fight in neighboring Syria.

US says Turkey will train moderate Syrian rebels but presses for details: White House says Turkish government has agreed to help but is yet to commit to allowing training on its soil

At least 31 killed in Turkey protests: minister: In addition to the toll of 31 people killed in protests, two policemen were shot dead in the southern city of Bingol late Thursday while inspecting the scene of a demonstration and five "terrorists" suspected of gunning them down were themselves killed, Interior Minister Efkan Ala told reporters.

Kurdish PKK fighters called back to Turkey after protests: A leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) warned on Saturday it had called all its fighters back to Turkey and could resume attacks, after protests over the government's policy on Syria left dozens dead.

50 killed in multiple Iraqi bomb attacks: At least 38 people were killed in two car bombings in Shia-dominated areas of western Baghdad on Saturday night. A third blast caused by a suicide bomber killed another 12 people and injured 40 others.

ISIS rallies ‘10,000 militants’ at gates of Baghdad: An Iraqi senior government official claimed that up to 10,000 Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters are on the outskirts of Baghdad ready to attack the capital, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday.

Iraq asks for US ground troops as Isil threaten Baghdad: Amid reports that Isil forces have advanced as far as Abu Ghraib, a town that is effectively a suburb of Baghdad, a senior governor claimed up to 10,000 fighters from the movement were now poised to assault the capital.

British soldiers are training peshmerga forces in Iraq, says MoD: ‘Small specialist team’ working on ground near Kurdish capital of Irbil to provide instruction in use of heavy machine guns

Suspected Qaeda attack kills two Yemen soldiers: Two Yemeni soldiers were killed on Saturday when a roadside bomb exploded in the restive southeastern province of Hadramawt, a military source, said blaming Al-Qaeda for the attack.

US, Saudi Arabia can't stop Yemen victory: Analysis: Over recent weeks, hundreds of anti-regime protesters have been killed in bombings and shootings carried out by Al Qaeda-linked groups. This week saw one of the deadliest attacks when nearly 50 people, including children, were killed in a bomb attack in a central square in the capital Sana'a.

Israel Starts Building 600 New Squatter Houses: Hundreds of new housing units under construction by Israel in occupied East Jerusalem are expected to be inhabited by squatters within two years.

Qatar pledges $1 bn for Gaza but other donors hit with ‘fatigue’: Western contributions have fallen since 2009 because of a sense of donor 'fatigue' say dimplomats

Militia fighting in Libya's west kills 23: Emad Khalifa Abdul-Salam of Gharyan hospital, south of the capital Tripoli, said an ongoing, intense battle continued Sunday in the nearby town of Kikla. It also left 43 people injured including ten in critical condition - mostly from shrapnel wounds.

287,000 Libyans flee clashes, says UNHCR: UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters that some 100,000 people had fled over the past three weeks from Warshefana, on the outskirts of the capital Tripoli. Another 15,000 people were estimated to have been displaced around Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, he said.

Nine killed in eastern DRC attack: “The attack took place during the night of the 8th to 9th October when the rebels invaded the town of Oicha and killed nine people belonging to two families, including the children,” the United Nations' Monusco peacekeeping mission said in a statement.

Algeria claims five jihadists killed in hunt for French tourist’s killers: Algerian soldiers have killed five jihadi gunmen during the hunt for the killers of French tourist Hervé Gourdel, the defence ministry and army announced on Friday. Officials say they have identified the five men involved in Gourdel’s beheading last month.

2 peacekeepers killed in Central African Republic: Two people were killed in fighting in the capital of Central African Republic and six peacekeepers from Burundi and Cameroon were wounded in an ambush, a spokeswoman for the United Nations mission in the country (MINUSCA) said on Saturday.

Egypt police storm 2 universities to quell protests: Security officials say police backed by armored vehicles have stormed the campuses of at least two prominent Egyptian universities to quell anti-government protests by students.

Afghanistan:22 killed within day: ministry; About five Afghan army soldiers and 17 Taliban militants have been killed within the last 24 hours, the country's Defense Ministry said on Sunday morning.

Pakistan: 21 killed in NWA, Khyber Agency airstrikes: At least 21 suspected militants were killed in military airstrikes in the restive North Waziristan and Khyber tribal regions on Sunday.

US Kills 8 People In Pakistan: : In the first attack, a drone fired two missiles at a compound in the Chancharano Kandaw area on the zero line of Tirah Valley of Pakistan's Khyber border tribal district and the Nazyan district of Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Sixteen-Year-Old Malala Yousafzai Warns Obama: ‘Drone Attacks Are Fueling Terrorism’: “I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fueling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people.”

Chinese state-run paper blames US for Hong Kong democracy protests: The newspaper said the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a Washington-based nonprofit group, became involved in the Hong Kong protests as part of a US strategy to undermine foreign governments in the name of promoting democracy.

Five killed in eastern Ukraine clashes: authorities: Shelling in eastern Ukraine's rebel-held eastern regions killed five people over the past 24 hours, local authorities said Saturday, in the latest deadly violations of a ceasefire.

Nobel Peace Prize winner calls on Kiev to protect children of Ukraine: “It is the responsibility of the Ukrainian government to save their citizens particularly children. Safety of children will be their utmost priority. I will appeal to the Ukrainian government so as to ensure that such incidents against children will not occur in future,” Satyarthi said in an interview to Rossiya Segodnya news agency.

Kiev secretly received data from MH17 crash investigators – Ukrainian hacktivists: Ukrainian CyberBerkut hacktivists claim that they have penetrated the internal network of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and found proof that Kiev is getting secret data from MH17 crash investigators, including information which implies its involvement.

'Thousands' of extremists in London: Britain's security forces are monitoring "thousands" of potential extremists in London alone, Boris Johnson has suggested.

American suicide bomber’s travels in U.S., Middle East went unmonitored: There were no U.S. air marshals watching the newly clean-shaven passenger on the transatlantic­ flight, no FBI agents waiting for him as he landed in Newark in May 2013 after returning from Syria’s civil war.

Snowden urges internet users to get rid of Dropbox: “We are no longer citizens, we no longer have leaders. We’re subjects, and we have rulers,” Snowden told The New Yorker magazine in a comprehensive hour-long interview.

Photos: Ferguson’s ‘Weekend Of Resistance’: In one of the most visually striking statements, protesters carried a coffin covered in cracked mirror:

Asset seizures fuel police spending: Police agencies have used hundreds of millions of dollars taken from Americans under federal civil forfeiture law in recent years to buy guns, armored cars and electronic surveillance gear. They have also spent money on luxury vehicles, travel and a clown named Sparkles.

Texas health care worker tests positive for Ebola; "A health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who provided care for the Ebola patient hospitalized there has tested positive for Ebola in a preliminary test at the state public health laboratory in Austin,” said a statement from Texas Department of State Health Services.

October 10, 2014

"Don't Do Stupid Shit"
Has Obama Changed His Mind About Syria?

By Mike Whitney

Erdogan wants to defeat the Kurdish fighters in Kobane and put an end to Kurdish nationalism. And he doesn’t care how he does it. Continue

ISIS, Double Standards, and the Fight in Kobani

By Ajamu Baraka

While ISIS moves to slaughter Kurds in Kobani, the current situation is part of the cynical farce that is the fight against ISIS. Continue

ISIS, Turkey, and the Propaganda of Intervention

By Eric Draitser

The notion that Turkey, the country perhaps most directly responsible for the rise of ISIS, is somehow failing NATO and the Kurds by not taking action is a complete inversion of reality. Continue

Why Are The Media Playing Lapdog And Not Watchdog – Again – On War In Iraq?

By Medea Benjamin

The credit for selling Obama’s war on ISIS must go to the mainstream American media. Continue

Carter Unhappy with Obama’s Policies in Middle East

By Jim Jones

“I really object to the killing of people, particularly Americans overseas who haven’t been brought to justice and put on trial,” he said. “We’ve killed four Americans overseas with American drones. To me that violates our Constitution and human rights.” Continue

"Crush the Seed of Ishmael"
A "Final Solution" to the "Muslim Problem"

By William N. Grigg

We have reached a point in our nation's descent into psychotic tribalist fear where people of stature and apparent sobriety unabashedly use the expression “final solution” when discussing the existence of Muslims. Continue

Bill Maher Isn’t a ‘Politically Incorrect’ Liberal, He’s Just a Bigot

By Murtaza Hussain

Aside from the near-daily instances of assault and harassment against Muslims as a result of anti-Islamic prejudice, there are countless Sikh and Hindu-Americans in America today being beaten up and even killed for the crime of “looking Muslim.” Continue

Mainstream News Coverage of Ukraine, Shows Western Propaganda Machine at Work

Dan Falcone Interviews Edward S. Herman

Media analyst and professor emeritus of finance at the Wharton School, Edward S. Herman, co-author with Noam Chomsky of Manufacturing Consent, discusses the propaganda embedded in US mainstream media coverage of the Ukraine crisis. Continue

Hong Kong Protests
Why Imperialists Support ‘Democracy’ Movement

By Sara Flounders

“Promoting democracy” has become a cover for attacks on the sovereignty of countries all around the world. Continue

Cuba Sees a Crisis, and Sends Docs; The US Sees an Opportunity and Sends Troops

By Dave Lindorff

The US is not sending 3000 troops to Africa as an act of charity. It’s safe to say that once those non-medical troops get their “command and control” center established in Africa. they will stay there. Continue

Again The Peace Prize Not For Peace

By David Swanson

The committee once again makes a false pretense of loyalty to Nobel and confuses and conceals the plan for world peace that Nobel intended to support. Continue

The Coming Revolution
Evolutionary Leap or Descent Into Chaos and Violence?

By David DeGraw

We are at a critical crossroad. Are we on the verge of an evolutionary leap, or will shortsighted greed descend us into madness and destruction? Continue

Analysis: How The CIA Got Away With Murdering Revolutionary Che Guevara

By Ramona Wadi

Che Guevara’s body was uncovered from beneath a Bolivian landing strip 10 years after his death, but the truth behind how his body ended up in that secret burial location wouldn’t surface for several decades. Continue

53 IS militants killed in strikes north of Baghdad: At least 53 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed Friday in multiple operations by Iraqi warplanes in the al-Doloue'ia region, 90 km north of Baghdad, a security source told Spanish news agency Efe.

ISIS within 8 miles of Baghdad airport, and armed with MANPADs - CBS News: - Militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have infiltrated one of Baghdad's outer suburbs, Abu Ghraib which is only eight miles from the runway perimeter of Baghdad's international airport.

Islamic State Close to Seizing Iraq's Anbar Province: Islamic State militants are threatening to overrun a key province in western Iraq in what would be a major victory for the jihadists and an embarrassing setback for the US-led coalition targeting the group.

Iraqi minister: ISIS controls 80% of the Anbar province : The Iraqi minister warned about the "army and police forces losing control of the city of Ramadi," noting that "ISIS have been fighting for control of the city of Ramadi for months. This will be their pathway to the capital, Baghdad."

US Commanders Pushing Obama To Fight ISIS With Ground Troops In Iraq: Top U.S. generals have told President Barack Obama that if the fight against ISIS is to succeed in Iraq, they will need U.S. boots on the ground.

Jihadists seize Kurdish HQ in Syria’s Kobane, massacre feared: Kurdish militias in northern Syrian town appeal for urgent military aid to stave off final blow by Islamic State
 

ISIS now controls 40% of Kobani – top US official: Islamic State forces have made new gains in Kobani, now controlling about 40 percent of the Syrian town of Kobani on the Turkish border and might well capture it, Deputy US National Security Adviser Tony Blinken has said.

Second Lebanese soldier defects to Nusra Front: A Lebanese soldier Saturday reportedly announced his defection and joined the ranks of Nusra Front, the second military personnel to do so this week.

Israel TV: UN had Qatar pay $25m ransom to free Golan peacekeepers: Channel 2 broadcasts footage it says shows UN officials and Al-Nusra rebels finalizing deal last month to secure release of 45 Fijian troops

Israelis: "Ni&&ers go home!" : Video - My footage from an anti-African rally by Jewish Israelis in Tel Aviv on October 5, 2014

UK parliament to vote on historic Palestine motion: British MPs will vote on Monday on an historic motion to symbolically recognize Palestine as an independent state. With Labour instructing its MPs to vote in favour, the non-binding motion would increase pressure on PM David Cameron over the issue.

Egypt says almost two dozen militants killed in raids in Sinai, Nile Delta: Egypt's troops have killed almost two dozen jihadist fighters during offensives on militant hideouts in several provinces, Egypt's army said in a statement on Friday.

Car Bomb Kills One in Libya's Benghazi: A car bomb killed one person and wounded another on Friday in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, hospital and military sources said, with neither the authors nor the motive immediately clear.

U.N.: 100,000 displaced in Libya over 3 weeks: More than 100,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Libya in the past three weeks, the U.N. reported Friday.

French troops destroy al Qaeda convoy in Niger: - French troops have destroyed an al Qaeda convoy in Niger that was transporting weapons from Libya to Mali, and also captured some of the group's fighters, the French presidency has said, according to Al Jazeera.

Arms deal 'financially raped' South Africa, says critic: “South Africans have been financially raped by the international war business and their governments, albeit with the collusion of our government,” arms deal critic Terry Crawford-Browne told the inquiry’s hearings in Pretoria.

Ukraine: Three civilians killed in Ukraine’s Donetsk: The Donetsk mayor’s office said the clashes, in which five people were wounded, lasted nine hours.

Novorussian field commander Givi talks about the Donetsk airport situation: Video - The rockets land very close to Givi and yet while everybody runs for cover, Givi remains absolutely impassible. His cool is most impressive and says a lot about the kind of man Givi is.

Angry Modi spews vitriol against Pakistan: This is not the time for empty boli‘ (talk) by them, but for goli (bullet) by our jawans,” he said.

India and Pakistan trade warnings over heavy Kashmir fighting: Pakistan said on Thursday it was capable of responding "befittingly" to Indian border shelling, and warned against an escalation of the worst fighting between the nuclear-armed rivals in more than a decade.

Nobel’s Peace Prize is not a human rights prize: The Nobel Committee has, once again, violated the letter as well as the spirit of Nobel’s will.
 

Edward Snowden Doc 'Citizenfour' Reveals Existence of Second NSA Whistleblower: A second National Security Agency whistleblower exists within the ranks of government intelligence.

Edward Snowden Speaks: A Sneak Peek at an Exclusive Interview: We recently met with the courageous whistleblower for over three hours in Moscow for a wide-ranging conversation on surveillance, technology and politics.

Edward Snowden Doc Premieres: Citizen Four is the shocking doc about Edward Snowden made by Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras. Just screened tonight was the two hour film will be released by the Weinstein Company this month. It doesn’t paint the Obama administration in a very good light as Snowden explains how the government has violated privacy rights on a massive scale.

Core Secrets: NSA Saboteurs in China and Germany: The National Security Agency has had agents in China, Germany, and South Korea working on programs that use “physical subversion” to infiltrate and compromise networks and devices, according to documents obtained by The Intercept.

How The NSA Plans To Recruit Your Teenagers: Kids across America no longer have to wait until college to plan on being a part of the National Security Agency. In fact, they could start preparing for their NSA careers as early as age 13.

Court Spotlights the FBI’s Super-Secret National Security Letters: Can the government make demands for data entirely in secret?

WHO: Ebola Death Toll Above 4,000: The Geneva-based U.N. agency said that 4,033 deaths confirmed, probably or suspected to have been caused by Ebola have now been recorded.

Brazil says it has a suspected Ebola case: The patient, Souleymane Bah from Guinea, presented himself after coming down with a fever at a public health centre in the town of Cascavel in the southern state of Parana.

Ebola Terror Threat Suicide Bio-Weapons Threatens Multiple 9/11's, Global Plague: Those that automatically dismiss this as just scaremongering need to realise that this is about as low tech as suicidal terror tactics go as no combat training or concealed explosives are necessary to achieve terror on a scale of the 9/11

Sao Paulo water supply at risk in extreme drought: The reservoir provides water to some 6 million residents, and Sao Paulo's worst drought in decades has turned it into a cracked-earth landscape. The fall in the water level has exposed dozens of old cars dumped into the reservoir over the years.

Cuba warns of serious dangers facing humanity at the UN: Cuba yesterday warned of the serious dangers threatening the existence of the human species at the United Nations General Assembly, and called for commitments to address them.

A Wrongful Conviction Robbed William Lopez of His Freedom, and Then His Life: William Lopez spent more than 23 years in New York prisons for a crime he didn’t commit. He was finally released in 2013. But then a different nightmare began.

Amnesty International slams US in death penalty report for executing mentally disabled prisoners: Human rights group Amnesty International has published a report criticizing nations, including the United States, for allowing inmates with mental or intellectual disabilities to be executed — a violation of international standards, the group wrote.

St Louis protesters clash with police ahead of ‘Weekend of Resistance’: Following the death of Vonderrick Myers Jr., in which a police officer allegedly shot the 18-year old black teenager 17 times, a wave of clashes has erupted between law enforcement and protesters in the city for two consecutive nights, with hundreds of protesters taking to the streets.

Riot Police meet protesters in South St. Louis (Grand & Arsenal Ave.) RAW video

14-Year-Old Films Violent Traffic Stop, Opens Up About Excessive Force By Police: Video - “I was scared, but that’s what really gave me the courage to keep videotaping, because I was scared — and I knew if we took this to court, we had something to fight against them, because police have more power than us,” said the 14-year-old, who used his cellphone to record the incident.

WATCH: Body cam video shows suspect begging cop to call off out-of-control K9: Police in Carroll County, Arkansas, have released disturbing body-cam video of a K9 police dog attacking a compliant and handcuffed suspect after the dog broke free from his handler.

Dashcam Shows Cop Drive By Woman Whose Kids Were Being Taken at Gunpoint: Video - “Right here what, baby? I’m on a call.” Those were the words uttered by 28-year veteran of the Dallas PD, Cpl. Les Richardson as he drove by a mother screaming for his help as her children were being taken at gunpoint.

American nightmare; : 40,000 Americans kill themselves each year: Report: Nearly 40,000 Americans kill themselves each year due to mental illness and other difficulties, a staggering death toll largely ignored by the country, according to a new report. There's a suicide in the United States every 13 minutes, a health crisis that US officials and the public are almost complacent with 

October 10, 2014

Erdogan Fears US Treachery Over Syria

By Finian Cunningham

For the US and Turkey this is not about humanitarian suffering or the defeat of the ISIL terror group. Continue

Notice that ISIS Isn’t Beheading Swiss Citizens

By Jacob G. Hornberger

Wouldn’t  you think that if radical Muslims hate the United States for its freedom and values, they would also hate Switzerland for its freedom and values. Continue

The Neoconservative Hit List:
Iraq, Libya and now Syria? A Plan for Global US Military Supremacy

By Steven MacMillan

Countries that resist being absorbed into the Anglo-American-European international order and allow multinational corporations to exploit their resources, are targeting for regime change well in advance of the pretext they give to intervene. Continue

Destabilization – US Weapon in Energy War

By Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya

Creating instability looks to be part of a packaged approach. Whatever the case is, its creation appears to be used to support US negotiations and bargaining. Continue

Fidel Castro Compares NATO Chief to IS

By TeleSur

Castro accused the U.S.-led Western alliance of promoting a “war of extermination” against the Russian Federation. Continue

In Case You Missed It
Massacred Democracy in Mexico

By John M. Ackerman

Two recent massacres committed by government officials indicate that the country may be headed towards a rerun of the "dirty wars" of the 1970s, in which the government hunted down and killed or jailed thousands of activists. Continue

The Question of State Legitimacy

By Lawrence Davidson

Should states that adopt practices such as “extraterritorial targeted killing” or adhere to the racist practices of apartheid continue to be regarded as legitimate, or should they be seen as criminal “rogue states” Continue

Guantanamo’s Force-Feeding Challenged

By Ray McGovern

In the Kafkaesque world of Guantanamo, even inmates cleared for release are held indefinitely and – if they try to kill themselves via hunger strikes – are brutally force-fed to keep them alive. Continue

US Has More Sanctions Against Russia Than Against Ebola

By Paul Craig Roberts

One would think public officials would have halted traffic to and from west Africa. Continue

Happy Birthday Mr. President!
Israelis: Send Obama Ebola

By Ben Norton

According to a recent poll, 46% of Israelis “said they wanted to give Barack Obama an envelope containing the Ebola virus as a present for his 53rd birthday.” Continue

Civil Forfeiture
“Legalized Robbery by Law Enforcement”

Video

US Police can currently seize your assets without a conviction of a crime. Continue

Exposed: The Carlyle Group
Shocking documentary uncovers the subversion of Americas democracy.

Video

I defy you to watch this 48 minute documentary and not be outraged about the depth of corruption and deceit within the highest ranks of our government. Continue

112 Killed Across Iraq: Fighting against militants continued today, but it does not appear to be working in Anbar province where leaders said the region would soon fall to the militants. Across the country, 112 people were killed and 37 were wounded.

ISIS on verge of seizing “complete control” in Anbar: tribal official: Anbar is on the verge of completely falling into the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) unless urgent action is taken to address military failures, the Anbar Tribal Council warned on Wednesday.

Islamic State uses MANPADS against Iraqi helo: The Islamic State branch in Iraq's Salah-al-Din province has released images showing a militant firing a Chinese FN-6 man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS) at an Iraqi Army helicopter near the town of Bayji.

Yemen: Carnage as two suicide bombs kill 70: Two suicide bombers struck in Yemen yesterday - one targeting a gathering of Shiite rebels in the country's capital and the other hitting a military outpost in the south - in attacks that killed nearly 70 people, officials said.

US raids killed civilians in Syria: Report: American intelligence officials say the US bombing campaign in Syria only killed one or two key terrorists while a dozen civilians were killed in the strikes.

U.S. Strikes Killed Just Two in Al Qaeda: Though the U.S. fired 46 cruise missiles at eight locations in Syria last month targeting members of an Al Qaeda cell, only one or two key members of the group were killed, according to U.S. intelligence officials.

Islamic State seizes large areas of Syrian town despite air strikes: - Islamic State fighters seized more than a third of the Syrian border town of Kobani, a monitoring group said on Thursday, as U.S.-led air strikes failed to halt their advance and Turkish forces looked on without intervening.

Turkey action in Syria 'unrealistic': Expectations that Turkey will lead a ground operation against Islamic State in Syria on its own are "not realistic", its foreign minister says.

Hagel: US wants use of Turkey base, help training: - U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday that the key military assistance the United States would like to get from Turkey would be access to the Turkish air base at Incirlik and an agreement to help train and equip the moderate Syrian forces.

At least 10 killed in ongoing unrest in Turkey (PHOTOS, VIDEO): At least ten people have been killed in Turkey as the unrest in the country enters its fourth day. Overall around 30 people were killed in violent protests over the fate of the Kurdish town of Kobani assaulted by the Islamic State jihadists in Syria.

US does not rule out buffer zone, nor rules it in: The US has said it has never ruled out Turkey's proposal of a buffer zone, a key demand by Ankara to protect Syrian refugees and bolster Turkey's borders, yet added that it is not considering the implementation at the moment.

France says backs idea of creating Syria buffer zone: France said on Wednesday it supported the idea of setting up a buffer zone between Turkey and Syria to create a safe haven for displaced people, President Francois Hollande's office said after he spoke to his Turkish counterpart.

Turkey, France to meet in Kuwait over IS: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will meet with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Kuwait Friday to discuss strategic cooperation between the two nations but the talks are certain to mainly focus on the ongoing struggle against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (IS)

Fighting the Islamic State — how much will it cost?: Twelve years ago we stumbled into a war in Iraq with little thought as to how much it would cost or how we might pay for it. Trillions of dollars later, we are about to wade into another protracted conflict, and once again there is no financial strategy.

'Draconian Cuts' Have Been to US Public Services, Not War Budget: The U.S. continues to spend more on the military than the next 11 countries combined, and for the year 2015, 45 percent of U.S. income tax money is slated to go to current and past military spending.

Uruguay receives first group of Syrian refugees: Forty-two refugees, belonging to five families, were greeted on arrival by the Uruguayan President, Jose Mujica. They will spend two months in accommodation near the capital Montevideo where they will learn Spanish and attend classes on local customs.

Did Israel Bomb Iran’s Parchin Nuclear Facility?: There is circumstantial evidence that points to another Israeli covert attack on a major Iranian nuclear facility, this one in Parchin. Local reports say a major fire and explosion broke out:

Palestinian unity government meets in Gaza: The meeting is the first ever to be held in Gaza, four months after the Palestinian unity government was sworn in.

Militia chief among 17 killed in Libya fighting: A militia chief was among at least 17 people, mostly soldiers, killed this week in fighting over the airport in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, medical and military sources said Thursday.

15 Militants Killed in Military Raid in Egypt: At least 15 militants were killed and 25 others injured during a military raid today in the Egypt's restive North Sinai province, a security source said.

Nine killed including UN peacekeeper in Central African Republic: A U.N peacekeeper from Pakistan was killed in an ambush in the capital of Central African Republic on Thursday bringing the death toll in 48 hours of fighting to at least nine, according to the United Nations and the country's Red Cross.

Fresh clashes break out in CAR: Heavy gunfire and explosions were heard throughout the night and again on Thursday. Shops have shut and residents are staying indoors.

26 "militants killed", 13 others injured in Afghan army operations: The Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesman, Gen. Zahir Azimi, said Thursday that the operations led by Afghan National Army (ANA) forces were conducted in the past 24 hours.

Five more Pakistanis killed in Indian shelling: Indian security forces continued to pound the working boundary and the Line of Control (LoC) for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, killing five more Pakistani nationals and injuring over 50.

US kills another 4 people in Pakistan; A US drone strike has killed at least four people in a restive northwestern Pakistani tribal area on the Afghan border, officials have said, taking the death toll from a flurry of such strikes this week to 25.

HK students call for fresh protests New: Hong Kong's student protest leaders call for a major rally on later on Friday after the government calls off planned talks on democratic reform.

Ebola is 'entrenched and accelerating' in West Africa; WHO deputy head Bruce Aylward warned that the world's response was not keeping up with the disease in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

EU steps up screening as Ebola fear spreads: UK government announces tests at London's airports and train terminal after suspicious death of Briton in Macedonia.

‘You’re all screwed!’ Man jokes he has Ebola, taken off plane by hazmat-suited medics: During a flight from Philadelphia to the Dominican Republic, the 54-year-old American – who remains unidentified – reportedly yelled, “I have Ebola, you are all screwed,” according to the Dominican news outlet Diario Libre.

Ebola scare: LaGuardia on strike, 58% of Americans want to ban flights from W. Africa: ?Airplane cabin cleaning crews at New York’s LaGuardia International Airport began a 24-hour strike on Wednesday, citing, in part, possible exposure to the Ebola virus. Meanwhile, a poll found most Americans want flights banned from Ebola-ravaged areas.

Staff numb the horror as bodies pile up in Ukraine morgue: Like most staff at this east Ukrainian morgue, Olga Georgiyevna takes sedatives to numb the horror of seeing the bodies pile up. The ceasefire deal has done nothing to make her job easier.

Islamic State Grooms Chechen Fighters Against Putin: When the Islamic State commander known as “Omar the Chechen” called to tell his father they’d routed the Iraqi army and taken the city of Mosul, he added a stark message: Russia would be next.

MH17 passenger 'had oxygen mask on': The Dutch foreign minister says a victim of the east Ukraine air disaster was found wearing an oxygen mask, suggesting not everyone died instantly.

UKIP gains first elected MP with Clacton win: Mr Carswell, who defected from the Conservatives, knocked his old party - which enjoyed a 12,068 majority at the 2010 election - into second place. He then told UKIP supporters there was "nothing that we cannot achieve".

Not Just The Largest Economy – Here Are 26 Other Ways China Has Surpassed America: China now has the largest economy on the entire planet, but that is not the only area where China has surpassed the United States. China also accounts for more total global trade than the U.S. does, China consumes more energy than the U.S. does, and China now manufactures more goods than the U.S. does.

Fact or fiction? Canadian authorities uncovered ISIS-inspired public attack plot: Report: Authorities recently uncovered an ISIS-inspired plot to carry out a "knife and gun" attack at a "public place" in Canada, NBC News reports.

Four anti-Islamic State Kurds arrested entering U.S. from Mexico: Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said four members of a Kurdish group that opposes Islamic State were arrested last month trying to enter the United States illegally from Mexico. He said investigators had determined the four were members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK.

Mexico missing students: New mass graves found in Iguala: Four more mass graves have been found near the southern Mexican town of Iguala, where 43 students went missing last month, officials say.

Settlement Denies Exxon Mobil's Excessive Claim: Venezuela comes out on top in long-standing dispute over nationalization of energy resources.

Document Reveals EU Bullied Ecuador Into Trade Agreement:" A ?document leaked today shows that Ecuador's government was threatened with isolation and a devastating loss to its trade if it didn't return to the negotiating table for the EU-Andean Trade agreement.

Cuba Denounces US for Manipulation of Terrorism Claims: In a statement before the United Nations, Cuba denounced the United States for its use of the term “terrorism” saying they manipulate the term for political purposes.

SWAT Team Raids House And Kills Homeowner: Here's a timeline of an incident that led to the death of a homeowner during a SWAT team raid in search of drugs it never found.

October 09, 2014

From Pol Pot to ISIS:
“Anything that Flies on Everything that Moves”

By John Pilger

Under U.S. bombs, Cambodia's Khmer Rouge grew from 5,000 to a formidable army of 200,000. ISIS has a similar past and present. Continue

Chomsky: U.S. Spawned a Fundamentalist Frankenstein in the Mideast

C.J. Polychroniou Interviews Noam Chomsky

Like Britain before it, the US has tended to support radical Islam and to oppose secular nationalism, which both imperial states have regarded as more threatening to their goals of domination and control. Continue

Key Democrats, Led by Hillary Clinton, Leave No doubt that
Endless War is Official U.S. Doctrine

By Glenn Greenwald

The last thing the Washington political class and the economic elites who control it want is for this war to end. Continue

A War for Power

By David Mizner

The “war on terrorism” is a farce. But unless we stop them, US elites will carry it on forever. Continue

Where is the Antiwar Movement?

By Alex Kane

This U.S. war is commencing with no serious opposition to slow the president down. Continue

Financial Ebola

By Keiser Report

"For the first time in history we have a true global empire" - Max interviews John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman. Continue

The US Is Copying Ancient Athens
Obama Attempting To Impose His Own Rule of Law Over The Entire World

By Martin Armstrong

Russia is rising and Obama is the direct cause of handing power to Russia in the EXACT same manner as we saw the fall of Athens. Continue

Did The UN Just Pass The Global Patriot Act?:

Video

The text could allow countries to increase surveillance under the name of counter terrorism, as well as giving states new tools to crack down on dissent by simply labeling activists ‘terrorists’. Continue

Israel’s Occupation is More Complex Than a Genocide

By Jonathan Cook

Mr Netanyahu and his allies have been secretly plotting to force many Palestinians into Sinai, with the US arm-twisting the Egyptians into agreement? If true, the bombing campaigns of the past six years may be better understood as softening-up operations before a mass expulsion from Gaza. Continue

Is boycotting Israel the right way to fight for Palestinian rights?

By Ilan Pappé and Norman Finkelstein,

Two prominent professors and authors, Ilan Pappé and Norman Finkelstein, go head to head. Continue

Should We Just Follow Orders?
Rules of Engagement for Resisting the Police State

By John W. Whitehead

“we the people” have been reduced to suspects in a surveillance state, criminals in a police state, and enemy combatants in a military empire. Continue

How Many People Must Be Maimed or Killed Before We
End the Militarization of Our Police Forces?

By Kara Dansky

SWAT teams raid people's homes approximately 50,000 times a year in the United States. Continue

Coalition air strikes Kill 45 fighters from ISIS : Coalition air strikes targeted 20 locations last night in Ein al-Arab”Kobane” killed no less than 45 fighters from ISIS and devastated 5 vehicles in addition to forcing the IS fighters to pull back from areas in the city.

Renewed IS push amid US warning: Islamic State fighters renew their advance in the Syria-Turkey border town of Kobane, as the US warns that air strikes alone cannot save it.

Patrick Cockburn: Isis in Kobani: Analysis: Turkey’s act of abandonment may mark an 'irrevocable breach' with Kurds across the region

Allies consider 'buffer zone' inside Syria: The US and UK have said they are willing to examine the possibility of creating a "buffer zone" between Syria and Turkey as ISIL continues its assault on the border town of Kobane.

Tent cities, gas canisters and anger at the Turkish-Syrian border: - The roads in this rural town on Syria's border are overcrowded by 100,000 refugees that have fled Kobane in recent weeks. In three short weeks, parks and playing fields have been transformed into tent cities.

Turkey: 19 people killed in Kobane protests: At least 19 people have been killed in clashes involving Kurdish protesters in Turkey, reports say. They are unhappy at what they see as Turkish support for Islamic State (IS) militants attacking the border town of Kobane.

60 ISIS militants killed by joint security forces in al-Anbar: Report: A senior official assassinated in anbar 60 ISIS militants killed by joint security forces in al AnbarAl-Anbar (IraqiNews.com) On Wednesday a military source in al-Anbar province stated that 60 ISIS militants were killed by Iraqi forces west of the province.

5 Civilians killed and 16 wounded by indiscriminately bombing on Fallujah : The source told the National Iraqi News Agency / Nina / that the bombing included the neighborhoods of Golan, Nazzal, al-Shihadaa and al-Askari, killing 5 civilians and wounding 16 others, including three women and four children

Iraqi Helicopter Shot Down, Pilots Killed: An Iraqi military helicopter was shot down by suspected jihadist fighters on Wednesday, five days after a similar incident in the same location north of Baghdad, officers said.

Australia launches first bombing raid against IS in Iraq; Australian fighter jets have made their first strike against Islamic State militants in Iraq, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) announced on Thursday.

US Welcomes Canada Decision to Join Anti-IS Coalition: White House: The statement comes a day after the Canadian parliament authorized airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq for six months. The motion was introduced last week by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative party and debated earlier this week. It states explicitly that no ground troops will be involved.

US Contractors Ready to Cash In On ISIS War: Analysis - Obama pledged that the war against ISIS won’t be fought with U.S. ground troops. He didn’t say anything about contractors, who see this as “the next big meal ticket.”

Robert Fisk: Lebanon faces Isis and Nusra incursions – and an influx of refugees: Analysis: Does this mean that Isis has leached over the border and put its black-and-white flags into the soil of Lebanon?

Nine killed as al-Qaeda attacks south Yemen town: At least nine people have been killed in an attack by al-Qaeda militants on security and government buildings in the south of Yemen, officials say. The official Saba news agency said car bombs were used in the dawn assault on the town of Bayda, which was repelled.

Yemen rebel leader calls for mass protests: Abdulmalik al-Houthi says president chose new PM after meeting US ambassador, and calls for protests in Sanaa.

Hamas welcomes unity govt visit to Gaza: The Palestinian Unity government is due to meet in the Gaza Strip for the first time on Thursday

10 Pakistanis killed in Indian shelling: Pakistani security officials said Wednesday that death toll of civilians from the Indian shelling over the past three days has reached 10, and two dozen others have been injured.

Afghanistan; 5 killed, 19 injured in Helmand suicide attack: Explosion in Helmand provinceA relatively heavy explosion rocked southern Helmand province of Afghanistan on Wednesday, leaving at least 5 people dead and 19 others injured. The blast took place due to a suicide attack in Lashkargah city around 11:00 am local time.

HK leader given 'secret' payment by Australian firm: Secret documents seen by the media group are said to reveal payments from engineering company UGL to Mr Leung of £4m (US$6.4m).

China Just Overtook The US As The World's Largest Economy: Sorry, America. China just overtook the US to become the world's largest economy, according to the International Monetary Fund.

China currency push takes aim at dollar: China is bidding to enter the heart of global finance by establishing its currency, the renminbi, as part of an ubiquitous monetary unit used in official transactions around the world.

US gov’t analysis says Fukushima is more serious than ‘China Syndrome’ — Destroyed reactors suffered worst type of containment failure

Boko Haram 'beheads' seven in Nigeria attack: Boko Haram militants killed seven people on Monday in the remote northeast of Nigeria, residents and an official said, with reports indicating the victims were beheaded in a revenge attack.

Ukraine fighting has killed at least 331 people since ceasefire – UN; Donetsk city hall reported on Wednesday that three civilians died overnight from shelling.

Ukraine : The calm before the storm?: Analysis - The situation in the Ukraine and Novorussia is a very tense and could lead to a major resumption of hostilities.

UN intentionally omits mentioning mass graves in Ukraine in report : A report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights failed to mention mass graves found outside Donetsk, contrary to pledges by Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric that the issue would be included in the document.

Pro-ISIS radicals with machetes, knives attack Kurds in Germany (VIDEO): Police in Hamburg, a port city of 1.8 million people, used water cannons, batons and pepper spray late Tuesday to disperse crowds of warring Kurds and pro-jihadist Muslims, armed with knives and brass-knuckles.

Australian PM Orders Crackdown on Visas for "Radical" Preachers: “What we want to do is to ensure that known preachers of hate do not come to this country to peddle their divisive extremist message,” Abbott told reporters in Sydney. “What I'm doing is declaring that we will henceforth have a new system in place which will ensure that preachers of hate can't come to Australia to peddle their extreme, divisive and alien ideologies.”

Propaganda alert: GOP Rep: ‘At Least Ten ISIS Fighters Have Been Caught Coming Across The Mexican Border’: The Department of Homeland Security released a statement on Wednesday that claims alleging Islamic State militants have been apprehended at the Mexican border are “categorically false.”

Mexico Affirms Major Drop in Central American Migrants: Authorities declare that there has been a drop in 43 percent in Central American migrants crossing Mexico since July.

Latin America’s ‘Made in USA’ 2014 Recession: The USA is taking advantage of the emerging recessions in Latin America to put additional economic pressure on two of the region’s most important economies: Argentina and Venezuela.

Doctor Calls Guantanamo Force-Feeding Video ‘Disturbing’: In a short closed session, Sondra Crosby, a Boston University medical professor who examined Dhiab on behalf of his legal team, was shown a few minutes of footage and asked her medical opinion. Afterwards, all she would say was that the footage was “disturbing.”

Challenging Drone Warfare in a U.S. Court: “I’m sure that Georgia and I didn’t commit a crime,” said Kathy Kelly. “We tried to send out an alarm about a crime that’s being committed at the base. Innocent people, including children, are killed by the drone strikes.”

The FBI’s Secret Surveillance Program Is About to Go on Trial: A federal appeals court this week will review whether the government can secretly conduct electronic surveillance on Americans without first obtaining a warrant.

Ebola Could Infect 1.5 Million Soon, Says CDC: US Centers for Disease Control pandemic warning based on projections by respected biological research institution

Ebola outbreak: Britain sends 750 soldiers and medics to Western Africa: Britain will send 750 troops, three helicopters and a military vessel to support the international Ebola relief effort, in the biggest UK military deployment since the Libya campaign of 2011.

In the medical response to Ebola, Cuba is punching far above its weight: While the international community has been accused of dragging its feet on the Ebola crisis, Cuba, a country of just 11 million people that still enjoys a fraught relationship with the United States, has emerged as a crucial provider of medical expertise in the West African nations hit by Ebola.

US Ebola patient's death renews questions about care: Duncan died in Dallas on Wednesday, a little more than a week after his illness exposed gaps in the nation's defenses against the disease and set off a scramble to track down anyone exposed to him.

Former SC GOP director: Execute anyone who comes into contact with Ebola — ‘it’s just math’: The former general counsel and executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party is coming under fire for the novel solutions to the Ebola epidemic he is posting on Twitter. The vehemently pro-life Todd Kincannon began by arguing that anyone who contracts Ebola should be summarily executed:

October 07/08, 2014

Nuland Lands in Kiev as US-backed Regime Tools Up for War

By Finian Cunningham

The long overdue visit to Kiev this week by Victoria Nuland – Washington’s Ukraine hawk – carries the foreboding imprimatur of US-backed war escalation. Continue

Washington Is Destroying The World

By Paul Craig Roberts

The aggressive and mindless stance that Washington’s warmongers have taken toward Russia and China have shattered the accomplishment of Reagan and Gorbachev. Continue

Isis on the Verge of Victory in Kobani as US Strategy Lies in Ruins:

By Patrick Cockburn

US air strikes turned out to be ineffective in preventing Isis winning an important victory. Continue

Why Obama Must Bomb ISIS

By Steve Breyman

Americans leaders are always able to find enough money to wage war, but never able to find enough to alleviate misery. Continue

Made In USA
'US-trained ISIS militants used to reorganize Middle East'

Video

They toppled Saddam Hussein, Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, they set off the wave of Arab Spring color revolutions throughout the Arab world to reorganize the entire structure of the region. Continue

All Systems Go
The Elite View of the New Iraq-Syria War

By Chris Floyd

As our latest temporary manager, Obama, said the other day, it’s how we roll. We exist solely to assert our dominance by violent force anywhere and anyhow we see fit. It is in blood and domination that we live and move and have our being. Continue

Argentina Dares to Call a Spade a Spade
Naming Western Greed Economy As “Economic Terrorism”

By Peter Koenig

A terrorist is whoever does not conform to the western doctrine, whoever insists on national sovereignty – whoever defends their national interests over the voracious interference of Washington and its European puppets. Continue

The United States Empire

By Bruce Fein

We bedeck the presidency with the trappings of a Roman emperor, including a bloated Pretorian Guard and a White House staff approaching 500. Roads are closed and traffic stops whenever the president travels. Continue

ISIS in Washington
America’s Soundtrack of Hysteria

By Tom Engelhardt

Terror as the preeminent danger to our American world now courses through the societal bloodstream, helped along by regular infusions of fear from the usual panic-meisters. Continue

Postcard from the End of America: Jackson

By Linh Dinh

Older than bad luck, the men in the no-name bar remember only too well the day Medgar Evers was shot in Jackson, and how his fertilizer salesman killer wasn’t convicted until three decades later. Continue

'Hundreds killed' as militants battle for Syria town: Kurdish militia backed by US-led air strikes fought fierce street battles on Tuesday (Oct 7) with advancing Islamic State militants whose three-week assault on key Syrian border town of Kobane has left at least 412 reported dead.

Black Flags Over Kobane as Islamic State Forces Move In: IS forces backed moved into three neighbourhoods, raising their black flags in a number of places, according to reports from local activists.

VIDEO: Three killed, several injured in ISIL protests across Turkey: Hakan Buksur, 25, was killed by live ammunition as police hit protesters with bullets, tear gas and water cannon in the eastern province of Mus's Varto district, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkey willing to put troops in Syria :Prime Minister : "We want to have a no-fly zone. We want to have a safe haven on our border. Otherwise, all these burdens will continue to go on the shoulder of Turkey and other neighboring countries."

US: Syrian Government Forces Will Not Be Part of Islamic State Fight: Syria and Russia say the international coalition against the Islamic State would be more effective if it included Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But, the Obama administration is determined to keep its fight against Damascus separate from the battle against the Islamic State.

US air strike kills 18 civilians in Iraq: Report: At least 18 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in an airstrike on a town under siege by fighters from the extremist group Islamic State. the U.S.-led coalition conducted the attack that hit at least one building in Hit, a strategic Euphrates River Valley town in Iraq's Anbar province.

White House exempts Iraq airstrikes from tight standards on civilian deaths: The White House has acknowledged for the first time that strict standards President Obama imposed last year to prevent civilian deaths from U.S. drone strikes will not apply to U.S. military operations in Syria and Iraq.

ISIS executes Iraqi soldiers captured northwest of Samarra: “The elements of ISIS collected a number of shopkeepers and displaced persons in the area of Al Alam at gunpoint. They executed a number of Iraqi soldiers, who were captured during the clashes that took place in the area of the Wall Ochnas north west of Samarra last night, in front of them. “

US calls in gunships as fight for Baghdad intensifies: AMERICAN forces have begun air strikes using helicopter gunships assigned to protect the US embassy in Baghdad, as they try to repel an offensive on the Iraqi capital by Isil militants.

The IS drown two villages north of Muqdadiyah in Diyala : The IS organization controlling the irrigation Dam worked mainly deliberately to flood the villages of Pablan and Tawakul and 220 / acres of orchards and farmland in order to prevent the advance of the security forces towards the strongholds of the organization

8 killed as Hezbollah Repel Syrian Rebel Attack On Lebanon-Syria Border: Al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate has attacked positions manned by Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah along the Syrian border, killing eight of its fighters, officials and activists said Monday.

Lebanese soldier killed during attempt to defuse bomb; One Lebanese soldier was killed on Tuesday during attempt to defuse an improvised bomb in Lebanese city of Tripoli, the military said.

Israel Launches Artillery Fire into Southern Lebanon: Israel launched artillery fire into southern Lebanon after an explosion injured 2 Israeli soldiers near Mount Dov, a region near the border.

Israel Is Cautiously Arming Syria's Rebels — And Has A Fragile Unspoken Truce With An Al Qaeda Affiliate: Israel was not invited to join that campaign, and its undeclared truce with JN remains in effect. Yet it may soon have to reconsider that course.

Biden adds Saudi Arabia to his apology list over Islamic State: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday added Saudi Arabia to the list of Middle Eastern countries to which he "clarified" remarks he made last week suggesting they had supported Islamist militants in Syria.

Syria-to-Ukraine Wars Send U.S. Defense Stocks to Records: Led by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), the biggest U.S. defense companies are trading at record prices as shareholders reap rewards from escalating military conflicts around the world.

What this war is about: Video -

Afghanistan : 19 Taliban militants killed, MoI says; Taliban militants killedAt least 19 Taliban militants were killed and 3 others were injured following joint military operations led by Afghan national police, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said Tuesday.

Afghan occupation turns 13, US military deaths grow 4-fold under Obama: Tuesday this week commemorates 13 years since the start of the Afghan War — America's longest running campaign of its kind — yet an end to the operation is hardly on the horizon.

U.S. Watchdog: U.N. Misspent Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Afghanistan: The congressionally created watchdog responsible for monitoring U.S. reconstruction funds in Afghanistan blasted the United Nations' chief development agency for exercising a "baffling" lack of oversight of a fraud-tainted, multibillion-dollar program that funds the payroll of the Afghan police.

US Kills Thirteen People In Pakistan : The first unmanned aircraft fired two missiles at a compound in the Shawal area of North Waziristan, near the Afghan border, killing eight militants on Monday.

‘Eight killed in Boko Haram attack’: At least eight people were killed in Cameroon on Monday in a rocket attack blamed on the Islamist group Boko Haram in neighbouring Nigeria, security officials said.

UN Peacekeeper Killed in Rocket Attack at French Military Base in Mali: At least one United Nations peacekeeper has died in a rocket explosion at a joint UN-French owned military base in Kidal, north Mali.

Anti-Islamist politician killed in eastern Libya: A security official says gunmen in an eastern Libyan city have killed a local politician who was a prominent opponent of Islamic militants controlling the city.

Libyan jihadist group pledges allegiance to Islamic State: Op-Ed The militant group Ansar al-Shariah, accused by the U.S. of being behind the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi that killed the US ambassador, declared an "Islamic emirate" in the eastern city of Derna, according to media reports from Libya.

Goldman Sachs ordered to pay Libyan fund's legal costs: Goldman Sachs has been ordered to pay the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) 200,000 pounds ($321,820) in legal costs as part of a lawsuit brought by the fund over $1 billion in trades that ended up worthless.

LIBYA: Goldman Took Us For 'A Complete Ride'; The LIA claims that Goldman took advantage of the LIA's (allegedly) financially illiterate staff in order to make money, and that Goldman seduced its staff with fancy gifts and — for lack of a more politically correct term — bribes.

London banker pleads guilty to fixing Libor, faces up to 10 yrs in jail; A senior London banker has become the first person to be prosecuted for fixing the London interbank offered rate (Libor), a scandal that resulted in billions worth of losses for savers as banks fraudulently boosted their profits.

Gitmo jailers use force-feeding to punish detainees, lawyers argue: Dhiab's counsel wants US District Court Judge Gladys Kessler to grant an injunction that will compel Gitmo officials to stop forcefully removing detainees from their cells in order to pump hunger-striking prisoners full of nutrients in lieu of letting them starve to death.

Volkswagen’s New 300 MPG Car Not Allowed In America Because It Is Too Efficient: You won’t find the 300 MPG Volkswagen XL1 in an American showroom, in fact it has even been denied a tour of America because it is too efficient for the American public to be made widely aware of, and oil profits are too high in America with the status quo in place.

Video Surfaces Of Cop Beating Handcuffed Veteran Laying Face Down: The Florida State Attorney’s Office is investigating Orlando Police Officer William Escobar after body cam footage the department claimed didn’t exist has mysteriously surfaced.

First hint of 'life after death' in biggest ever scientific study: Southampton University scientists have found evidence that awareness can continue for at least several minutes after clinical death which was previously thought impossible

October 06, 2014

The University of Al-Qaeda?
America’s “Terrorist Academy” in Iraq Produced ISIS Leaders

By Mike Whitney

Isis is a collection of ex Baathists and religious zealots who have been painstakingly gathered to perform the task at hand. Continue

The War on the Islamic State (ISIL) is a Lie
The Anglo-American Empire’s War of Conquest.

By Larry Chin

There is no reasoning with an empire waging a world war of deception. Continue

Biden’s Admission: US Allies Armed ISIS

By Patrick Martin

US Vice President Joseph Biden committed what the US media characterizes as a “gaffe.” In other words, he told an embarrassing truth about US government policy. Continue

After The Bombing, What Then?

By Robert Fisk

Now we face an exclusive form of nihilism, a cult as merciless as it is morbid. And we bomb and we bomb and we bomb. And then? Continue

Israel Plans to Destroy Surrounding Arab Nations: Analyst

Video

Former US Marine, Ken O'Keefe said that the ultimate plan for Israel is to “destroy all Arab nations" surrounding the entity "by sowing seeds of" sectarianism. Continue

ISIS Document Discloses Plans to Seize Iran's Nuclear Secrets

By The Times of India

The group urged its members to plan for war with Iran and has ambitions to seize Tehran's nuclear secrets in a manifesto believed to have been written by, a member of the group's highly secretive six-man war cabinet. Continue

The Real Status of Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq

By Ron Paul

Will our government ever learn that invasion and occupation are not the solution, but rather the problem? Continue

Can China and Russia Squeeze Washington Out of Eurasia?

By Pepe Escobar

How does full spectrum dominance apply when two actual competitor powers, Russia and China, begin to make their presences felt?  Continue

Sanctions Against Russia
Biden's Speech Might Backfire on Washington: Paul Craig Roberts

By Liudmila Chernova

"By punishing Russia, the sanctions support Washington's propaganda that it is Russia that is the aggressor," Continue

Hubris "Far Beyond" Any Borders

By Moon Of Alabama

How dare these countries to have their borders so very near to U.S. ships and air-planes? Continue

Justice as Farce
The Ordeal of Stanley L. Cohen

By Chris Hedges

"I have always been proud of my relationship with Hamas.” Continue

Why We Allow Big Pharma to Rip Us Off

By Robert B. Reich

In 2012, Big Pharma shelled out over $36 million, making it the biggest political contributor of all American industries. Continue

How 14 People Made More Money Than the Entire Food Stamp Budget for 50 Million People

By Paul Buchheit:

Who Are These People Taking All the Big Money? Continue

Wealth of Richest 400 Americans Surges to $2.29 Trillion

By Andre Damon

Global social inequality has eclipsed the pre-Great Depression highs during the 1920s, hitting the highest level since the 1870s and 1820s. Continue

268 people killed in Syria on Sunday : Report: Those killed. 15 civilians, 35 rebels, 28 Non-Syrian Islamic fighters, 17 NDF, 40 Regular forces, 17 unknown rebels, 27 ISIS, 20 YPG, 4 Hezbollah, 7 non-Syrian fighters allied to regime forces.

30 Kurdish fighters killed in suicide bombs in Syria's Hasakah: - At least 30 Kurdish fighters were killed in twin suicide truck bombings on Hasakah city, northeast of Syria, on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

Twenty ISIS jihadists killed trying to enter Syria's Kobani: activists: The attack appeared to be the first time that ISIS fighters had entered the town since they began advancing on Kobane nearly three weeks ago.

Kobane: IS 'may soon take Syria-Turkey border town': A flag appearing to be that of Islamic State has been seen flying over a building on the eastern edge of Kobane. The official, Idriss Nassan, said IS was now in control of Mistenur, the strategic hill above the city.

Manufacturing Consent For NATO Attack On Syria: NATO says will take action to protect Turkey if needed: The NATO military alliance will stand by Turkey if that proves necessary to protect the country from attacks on it by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Oct. 6.

Syria troops seize strategic area outside Damascus: Syrian government forces Monday seized control of a strategic area outside Damascus used by rebels to fire mortar shells at the capital, state media and an activist group said.

ISIS’ Ammunition Is Shown to Have Origins in U.S. and China: The jihadist group Islamic State has been using ammunition from the United States and other countries that have been supporting the regional security forces fighting the group, according to new field data gathered by a private arms-tracking organization.

Ellsberg Sees Vietnam-Like Risks in ISIS War: Analysis - Daniel Ellsberg, the former Defense Department official who leaked the Pentagon Papers exposing the Vietnam War lies, is alarmed at the many parallels between Vietnam and President Obama’s new military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

U.S. air strikes in Syria targeted French agent who defected to al Qaida: Two European intelligence officials described the former French officer as the highest ranking defector ever to go over to the terrorist group and called his defection one of the most dangerous developments in the West’s long confrontation with al Qaida.

25 Killed in Iraq Air Strikes: Air strikes on three bases of the Islamic State group around their northern Iraqi hub of Mosul killed at least 25 "jihadists" overnight, medical sources and witnesses said on Monday.

Iraq approves Aussie special forces on the ground: Australian special forces have been cleared to start work on the ground in Iraq, helping local troops as they face the grinding task of driving Islamic State fighters out of their stronghold towns and cities.

Ex-defense chief sees 30-year IS war, blames Obama: The fight against the Islamic State group will be difficult and could last decades due to decisions made by US President Barack Obama, former Pentagon chief Leon Panetta has said.

Fact or fiction? Khorasan Ready To Attack US? FBI Director Warns Of Imminent Terrorist Attack From Syrian Al Qaeda Affiliate

ISIS militants come to Europe disguised as refugees, US intel sources claim: Disguised as refugees from Syria, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) operatives will cross the border to Turkey. Then, using fake passports, they will travel further to European countries to conduct attacks.

Humbled Biden apologizes to UAE after accusing it of terrorism funding: US Vice President Joe Biden has made the latest in a series of chastening apologies, after the United Arab Emirates expressed “astonishment” at his Thursday remarks. Biden called US allies “the biggest problem” in fighting terrorism in the Middle East.

UK jihadist prisoner swap reports 'credible': Reports that UK jihadists were involved in a prisoner swap between Islamic State (IS) and Turkey are "credible", Whitehall officials have told the BBC.

American held by IS says in letter he’s afraid to die: The parents also released a video Saturday pleading with Kassig’s captors to free him, saying their son has devoted his life to humanitarian work and aiding Syria’s war refugees.
Islamic State Militants in Eastern Libya: Reports: Islamic State (IS) militants have appeared in the eastern Libyan city of Derna for the first time, shouting out extremist slogans and displaying IS flags, Sky News Arabia reported Monday.

Sinai militants execute four for collaborating with Israel: The salafi organization Ansar Bait al-Maqdis operating in Sinai published a video on Sunday of an execution of four men suspected of collaborating with Israeli Mossad and Egyptian army. Three of the men were beheaded.

Roadside blast kills boy in Egypt's Sinai: A roadside bomb explosion Monday killed a 13-year-old boy in northern Sinai, where Egyptian security forces frequently clash with jihadists, security officials said.

Two killed in fire at Iranian explosives factory, IRNA says: An Iranian defense industry body said two workers were killed in a fire at an explosives factory in an eastern district of Tehran, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday.

Nine killed, 33 injured as Pakistan, India trade fire across Line of Control: Four civilians were killed while three others sustained injuries when Indian Border Security Force (BSF) opened fire near the Sialkot working boundary, ISPR said in a statement.

US kills five people in Pakistan: : According to initial details, at least five people were killed and two were injured after predator drone fired four missiles on a house and car in Shawal area of North Waziristan where Operation Zarb-e-Azb has been ongoing since mid-June.

Pakistani Taliban only loyal to Mullah Omar, says TTP spokesperson: Pakistani Taliban said on Sunday that they have declared allegiance only to Mullah Mohammad Omar, the Afghan Taliban supremo, rejecting the media reports that the group has declared allegiance to the Islamic State. “We had only praised the Islamic State and advised them to set aside differences and show unity,”

Philippines on high alert to stop IS operatives: The Abu Sayyaf militants in southern Philippines, who have threatened to behead one of their two German hostages if Berlin fails to pay €4.3m in ransom and stop supporting US-led coalition air strikes against the Islamhttp://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4577982,00.htmlic State or IS in Iraq and Syria, is not directly linked to the Islamic State (IS), according to government and military officials in Manila.

Hong Kong protests: Civil servants at work as numbers dwindle: Hundreds of pro-democracy campaigners remain camped out on the streets of Hong Kong as a government deadline for them to leave passed without incident. But their numbers dwindled overnight and civil servants have returned to work in the government's headquarters.

Hong Kong: Beware of Staged Violence: As momentum in Hong Kong's US-backed so-called "Occupy Central" protest falters, attempts to escalate chaos and provoke or perpetuate violence is generally the next step in any given US-engineered "color revolution." Not only is this a matter of simple observation, but a matter of documented fact as well.

Nigeria: More than100 Boko Haram Insurgents Killed : Report: : Over 100 Boko Haram insurgents have been reported killed by Nigerian military in a fierce gun dual in an effort to reclaim Michika local government areas of Adamawa state from the control of the insurgents

African Union forces take al-Shabab-held town: "It has been years since the people of Barawe had seen any kind of government presence so there is still a lot of fear," said Soi.

Ebola: 101st Airborne soldiers heading to Liberia: The commander of the Army's 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, says a handful of his soldiers are already in Liberia, and more head there next week to build treatment centers and begin training medical personnel. Soldiers went through a two days of training with the Center for Disease Control professionals and others to learn about the Ebola threat.

75% chance Ebola will reach France by end October, 50% for UK – scientists: The consensus among health officials is now that the deadly virus is no longer just an African problem, and key to this assessment are the European Union’s free movement policy and the deceptive incubation period, allowing the person to spread the infection unaware.

Ebola in Spain: Nurse infected in Madrid: A Spanish nurse who treated an Ebola victim in Madrid has contracted the virus herself in the first case of contagion outside Africa, health officials say.

5th American with Ebola arrives in Nebraska: In Dallas, another man who recently traveled to the U.S. from Liberia was in critical condition Sunday.

EU concerned by fragile truce, urges Ukraine to respect ceasefire : The European Union (EU) is concerned by instances of truce violation in southeast Ukraine and has called for the ceasefire to be respected, said Soren Liborius, Head of Press and information at the EU Delegation in Russia.

NATO chief says NATO can put troops wherever it wants: Stoltenberg said on Sunday that the Western alliance could deploy its forces wherever it wants, apparently calling into question post-Cold War agreements

Expert: American Military Marches East to Consolidate Front Against Russia: "While continuing to denounce alleged Russian military involvement in Ukraine, the American military marched east this September, participating in training, drills, and exercises spanning from Latvia to Turkey.

Hitmen admit killing 17 of 43 missing Mexican students: The case could become one of the worst slaughters that Mexico has witnessed since the drug war intensified in 2006, leaving 80,000 people dead to date, and the most horrific since President Enrique Pena Nieto took office in December 2012.

Homeless Bill of Rights aims to protect life-sustaining activities: A coalition of over 125 social justice groups are working on a Homeless Bill of Rights to be introduced to state legislatures in an effort to end the criminalization of people who live on the streets.

October 05, 2014

Pakistani Taliban Pledges Support To ISIL

By Al Jazeera

Pakistani Taliban says it will provide fighters "and every possible support" to help ISIL defeat its enemies. Continue

What If IS Didn’t Exist?

By Ramzy Baroud

US-Western and Arab motives in the war against IS might differ. But both sides have keen interest in partaking in the war and an even keener interest in refusing to accept that such violence is not created in a vacuum. Continue

Did America Fake Imminent Terror Threats To Justify Bombing Syria?

By Ted Snider

As outlandish as the creation of a terrorist group and its imminent attacks on the U.S. may seem, it is not insane. Continue

Inside The Islamic State

Video

Reporter Medyan Dairieh spent three weeks embedded with the Islamic State, gaining unprecedented access to the group in Iraq and Syria as the first and only journalist to document its inner workings. Continue

Hong Kong Boiling - But Gently, So Far

By Eric Margolis

A number of US-financed non-government organizations (NGO’s) operate in Hong Kong. Similar groups, notably the US National Endowment for Democracy, were involved in attempts to overthrow the governments of Georgia, Ukraine, Iran and Russia. Continue

Entire "Occupy Central" Protest Scripted in Washington

By Tony Cartalucci

The leaders of "Occupy Central" are verified to be directly backed, funded, and directed by the US State Department. Continue

Bought Journalism:
How Politicians, Intelligence and High Finance Control Mass Media

Must Watch Video

Dr Udo Ulfkotte, German journalist speaks out. Continue

NYT’s Belated Admission on Contra-Cocaine

By Robert Parry

The CIA was knowingly protecting a proxy force that was smuggling cocaine to criminal networks that were producing crack. Continue

Rwanda's Untold Story
Evidence challenges the accepted story of one of the most horrifying events of the late 20th century

Must Watch - Video Documentary

"What the world believes and what actually happened are quiet different" Continue

Approximately 268 people killed in Syria: Saturday: : Those killed: 12 civilians, 52 rebels, 20 Non-Syrian Islamic fighters, 36 NDF, 47 Regular forces, 3 unknown rebels, 53 ISIS,12 YPG, 6 non-Syrian fighters allied to regime forces.

Islamic State reportedly on Baghdad's outskirts after week of victories: Islamic State militants have taken control of key cities in Iraq's western province of Anbar and have begun to besiege one of the country's largest military bases in a weeklong offensive that's brought them within artillery range of Baghdad.

Islamic State militants take over town in Iraq's Anbar province: Islamic State fighters stormed a town in Iraq's western Anbar province on Saturday, its latest conquest in the desert region where it has chalked up a string of victories, a military official and people fleeing the scene said.

Manipulating Public Opinion: Even if we defeat the Islamic State, we’ll still lose the bigger war: Analysis - Suppress the symptoms, and the disease simply manifests itself in other ways. There is always another Islamic State waiting in the wings.

Manufacturing Consent For Further US Intervention Sen. Lindsey Graham: Need U.S. boots on the ground to defeat Islamic State: Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, said Sunday that U.S. service members need to go to Syria and Iraq because air strikes will not be enough to defeat the Islamic State.

McCarthy: Don't rule out US ground troops in fight against ISIS: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on Sunday U.S. troops should be considered in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Air strikes against Isis are not working, say Syrian Kurds: Isis fighters have pushed to the edge of Kobani, undeterred by western strikes, says city official

US Now Using Apache Helicopters to Attack ISIS in Iraq: The U.S. has begun using Apache AH-64 attack helicopters to strike at ISIS targets inside Iraq, the first time the aircraft have been used for offensive strikes since arriving in Baghdad in early July.

Kurds clash with Turkish security forces on Syria border: Troops used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters angry at the situation in Syria, where IS militants are closing in on the town of Kobane.

Kurdish female fighter blows herself up on ISIS: A female Kurdish fighter carried out a suicide bomb attack against jihadists from the Islamic State group outside the embattled Syrian border town of Kobane on Sunday, a monitor said.

Turkish president lashes out at Joe Biden over ISIS comments: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed he would wash his hands of Joe Biden if reports that the US vice president blamed Turkey in part for the rise of the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) were true.

UAE 'amazed' by Joe Biden's Syria remarks: The UAE has expressed surprise after the US vice president suggested that the Gulf state had armed and financed rebels in Syria, along with other regional powers.

How do people in Saudi Arabia, outside the ruling elite, view Isis? Analysis - Twitter provides one of the few forums in which Saudis can discuss what they really feel.

Massive demonstration in London against bombing Islamic State in Iraq: Thousands of anti-war protesters marched through London to oppose Britain’s ‘insane’ bombing missions against Islamic State positions in Iraq.:

Fierce fighting kills 15 in east Lebanon: At least 13 Syrian-based militants and two Hezbollah fighters were killed in fierce fighting in a border area in east Lebanon Sunday after jihadists attacked positions of the Lebanese group in the area, security sources said.

Lebanese soldier wounded by Israeli gunfire near Shebaa: Israeli soldiers fired at a Lebanese Army post in the Shebaa Farms area near the border Sunday, wounding one soldier, the Army announced in a statement.

Israel criticizes Swedish plan to recognize state of Palestine: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said the Swedish announcement was "great and honorable" and he hoped other countries would follow suit, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

U.S. says Sweden premature to recognize Palestine: "We believe international recognition of a Palestinian state is premature," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters when asked about Sweden's decision.

'US won’t decide our policies' – Sweden on Palestinian state recognition: Washington will not be the one to decide Sweden’s policies, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström said after the US criticized Stockholm’s plans to officially recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.

Libya: 40 insurgents killed by General Haftar's forces: At least 40 Islamist militants from the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries were killed on Saturday night during clashes with Libyan armed forces loyal to discharged General Khalifa Haftar

Ransom for freed British hostage paid through 'unofficial channels': There are unconfirmed reports a ransom was paid through "unofficial channels" in exchange for the release of a British teacher held hostage in Libya.

Tripoli is so dangerous that even Libya’s parliament has moved out: The eastern town of Tobruk — with its well-protected natural port, close-knit tribal society and the absence of militias — has become one of the safest places to seek refuge. The city has become the unlikely center for a broad range of politicians, activists and military figures hoping to take back the Libyan state.

Somali troops capture key port town: Somali government troops backed by African Union forces have captured a major stronghold of al-Shabab Islamists.

Ukraine says 12 rebels killed in Donetsk: Fresh fighting in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk has killed at least 12 rebels, as pro-Russian separatists suffered their worst losses since a ceasefire with Ukraine officially began on September 5.

At least 5 police killed in suicide blast outside concert hall in Chechnyaa: At least five police officers have been killed and another three sustained injuries in the Republic of Chechnya as they attempted to detain a suspected suicide bomber. The young man detonated improvised explosive when police attempted to search him.

Spain’s Christian history challenged by discovery of 4th-century glass plate: The history of Christianity in Spain may have to be rewritten after the discovery of a glass plate depicting Christ that dates to the fourth century AD.

Hong Kong protesters regroup at main protest : Demonstrators in Hong Kong appear to be withdrawing from some protest sites and regrouping at the main site outside government buildings. But student protesters said they were not blocking the entrance to government headquarters and insisted that civil servants could return to work.

Umbrella Revolution Live Broadcast - Live video stream from Hong Kong

N Korea 'agrees to restart talks with South': Seoul says Pyongyang has expressed "willingness" to restart dialogue between late October and early November.

Mass grave found in Mexico: A mass grave has been found on the outskirts of the Mexican town of Iguala, where 43 students went missing on 27 September, officials say.

Former Haiti president Duvalier dies: Duvalier was just 19 when in 1971 he inherited the title of "president-for-life" from his father, the notorious Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier.

National Nurse Survey Shows Hospitals Still Not Prepared for U.S. Ebola Patients: Several weeks ago, National Nurses United began surveying registered nurses across the U.S. about emergency preparedness. Most of the nurses are telling NNU that their hospital is not prepared for the Ebola virus.

Global Inequality Reaches Levels Not Seen In Nearly 200 Years: Global income inequality has returned to levels recorded in the 1820s—when the Industrial Revolution produced sizable wealth gaps between the rich and poor—according to a new report released Thursday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Obama's Economic "Recovery" In Pictures: If the economy were truly beginning to recover, we should be witnessing an increasing number of full-time employees. Unfortunately, that has not been the case as this measure, as shown by the chart below, is only slightly off the lows witnessed during the financial crisis.

October 04, 2014

Eyes Finally Open to Syrian Realities

By Robert Parry

The neocons are not through with the Syrian fiasco that they helped create. They are now busy reshaping the narrative. Continue

The Anxieties of Empire
The US Hastens Its Own Decline and Israel’s Too

By Andrew Levine

America’s wars are not just bad for nearly all Americans and for all of America’s victims.  They also put Israel in peril. Continue

US Rejects Abbas’s Plan

By Nicola Nasser

Abbas’s plan signifies that he has thrown in the towel on his reliance on US sponsorship, which in turn means confrontation with Washington. Continue

Facts on the Ground

By Noam Chomsky

Israel has been systematically taking over the Jordan Valley, driving out Palestinians, establishing settlements, sinking wells and otherwise ensuring that the region - will ultimately be integrated into Israel Continue

After Feigning Love for Egyptian Democracy, U.S. Back To Openly Supporting Tyranny

By Glenn Greenwald

The U.S. has long been devoted to tyranny in the region precisely to ensure that the widespread views of the public — which overwhelmingly view the U.S. and Israel as the greatest threats to peace — remain suppressed by U.S.-loyal tyrants. Continue

Speech of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez : UN General Assembly

Must Watch - Video

Fernández de Kirchner did not mince her words. Her candour was breathtakingly courageous. Continue

Poverty Report Contradicts GDP Claims
More Bad News From The Jobs Front

By Paul Craig Roberts

Americans buy wars they don’t need and economic recoveries that do not exist. Continue

The Psychosis of Permanent War
The Global Culture of Violence: What Is The Path to Peace and Justice?

By Chris Hedges

People are not moved by fact or reason but by the skilfull manipulation of emotion. Continue

Names Encrypted for Their Security

By Fred Reed

The government has become our enemy, out of control, and we have to depend on computer companies for any safety we may have. Continue

179 people killed in Syria.; : 31 civilians, 27 rebels, 21 Non-Syrian Islamic fighters, 17 NDF, 43 Regular forces, 12 unknown rebels, 16 ISIS,7 YPG, 4 non-Syrian fighters allied to regime forces.

23 government soldiers killed in Daraa.: Government forces failed to regain control over the town of Deir al Adas located on the administrative border with Rif Dimashq, where the attack resulted in the death of 23 members of the Syrian army

Syria; 20 killed by Bombardment and clashes around Reef Dimashq: 14 civilians, including 3 children , killed by 2 air strikes around Duma. the number of the dead is likely to rise according to serious injuries.

British hostage Alan Henning killed in Isis video: As with previous videos, the footage released by Isis also showed another captive, Peter Edward Kassig from the US, this time threatening that he would be next.

Syrian army seizes villages north of Aleppo: state TV: State television said forces moved into al-Mudafah, Handarat and Sifat, including four intersections west of Sifat, killing "many terrorists and destroying dozens of cars".

Saudi and UAE join raids on IS in Syria; : : Aircraft from Saudi Arabia and the UAE joined US warplanes in a new wave of bombing raids yesterday against Islamic State jihadists in Syria, the US military said.

Islamic State on the verge of storming Kobane, reports: Kurdish Syrian town could be about to fall to IS, with fighters inside the town claiming only a small pocket of resistance remains.

Syria warns Turkey against anti-ISIS incursions; Syria warned Turkey on Friday against any military intervention on its territories, saying it would consider it an act of “aggression,” a day after the Turkish military was given authorization to conduct cross-border incursions against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operating in the Arab country.

Maliki demands Turkish parliament backtrack its decision to send ground troops into Iraq: Vice President Nuri al-Maliki stressed the need not to take the situation in Iraq as a chance to intervene in its internal affairs by the neighboring countries and the world.

Iraqi Military Helicopter Shot Down by Islamic State Militants: Islamic State militants have shot down an Iraqi military helicopter using a rocket launcher, it has been reported.The pilot and co-pilot of the Mi-35 aircraft were killed when the helicopter was brought down between the towns of Beiji and al Senniyah in northern Iraq.

Canada to join fight against Islamic State militants for 6 months: Harper said Canada would not deploy ground troops against the Islamic State group, which is also known as ISIL. The plan is subject to a vote in Parliament next week but is bound to be approved, since the ruling Conservatives have a majority.

US praises Australia for air strike move: The White House has praised Australia over its decision to join air strikes in Iraq and to send special forces military trainers to the country.

Britain deploys more war planes to strike IS in Iraq: Two more British Royal Air Force (RAF) war planes will join the military operation to tackle the Islamic State (IS) threat in Iraq, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Friday.

Biden blames US allies in Middle East for rise of ISIS: “Our allies in the region were our largest problem in Syria,” he said, explaining that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were “so determined to take down Assad,” that in a sense they started a “proxy Sunni-Shia war” by pouring “hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of thousands of tons of weapons” towards anyone who would fight against Assad.

Bomb blast kills two in Yemen: The attack reportedly took place in Amran Province, situated 53 kilometres (33 miles) northwest of the capital, Sana’a, on Friday after an explosive device planted inside a car was detonated in a popular local market.

Netanyahu & UN Head Clash Over Inquiry Into Israeli Military Actions in Gaza; Benjamin Netanyahu and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon engaged in a showdown Tuesday evening over the killing of Palestinian civilians when Israel attacked UNRWA facilities during this summer’s extended military conflict with Hamas in Gaza, Israeli officials revealed.

Sweden to recognise Palestinian state: "A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognise the state of Palestine," Mr Lofven said on Friday, without giving a timeline for the recognition.

UK parliament to vote on Palestinian statehood: The UK parliament will be voting on a motion to recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel on 13 October.

Dozens of Libyan troops killed in Benghazi violence: - Dozens of soldiers trying to defend an airport in Libya’s second city were killed and scores wounded in bombings and clashes with Islamists, the army said Friday as the UN threatened sanctions.

9 Mali's UN troops killed in 'deadliest attack': The UN logistics convoy - which included two pick-up trucks and a fuel truck - came under attack from heavily armed gunmen on motorbikes between the north-eastern desert towns of Menaka and Ansongo in the Gao region, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Algerian army kills 5 'criminals' near Niger border: "In an ambush by elements of the People's National Army in the Tirrine area, near the Algeria-Niger border, five criminals were shot dead and four others wounded, including one of Libyan nationality," it said in a statement.

American cameraman for NBC News diagnosed with Ebola in Liberia: An American freelance cameraman working for NBC News in Liberia has tested positive for Ebola, the network said on Thursday, making him the fifth citizen of the United States and its first journalist known to have contracted the virus in West Africa.

US Kills 4 People In Afghanistan: US drones attacked and destroyed a car full of civilians in Khost Province, killing four.

Ukrainian minister admits 108 army servicemen killed in trap set near town of Ilovaisk: A total of 108 Ukrainian army servicemen were killed in a trap set for the Ukrainian troops near the town of Ilovaisk, Ukrainian Defense Minister Valery Geletei told a briefing on Friday.

Heavy fighting for Ukraine airport: Heavy fighting erupts at Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine, as both government troops and pro-Russia rebels claim control over the facility.

Biden says US 'embarrassed' EU into sanctioning Russia over Ukraine: “It was America’s leadership and the president of the United States insisting, oft times almost having to embarrass Europe to stand up and take economic hits to impose costs,” the US vice president declared.

Putin Rules Out Capital Controls as Russian Outflows Grow: President Vladimir Putin joined the central bank in ruling out measures to hinder the accelerating flow of money from Russia after speculation that policy makers are weighing the possibility of capital controls sent the ruble to a record low.

Putin signs law on ratification of Eurasian Economic Union treaty: The Eurasian Economic Union envisages free movement of goods, services, capital and workforce and is based on the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan

Venezuela lawmaker Serra's murder blamed on far right: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has blamed "ultra-right" opposition groups in the country and in neighbouring Colombia for the murder of a governing party lawmaker.

Hong Kong protests: Student leaders postpone talks: Leaders of a "pro-democracy" student group in Hong Kong have postponed talks with the government after demonstrators got into scuffles with opponents. The group said the authorities were failing to protect protesters.

Terrorism and Turmoil: US Containment of China: With Hong Kong's "Occupy Central" fully exposed as US-backed sedition, readers should be aware that this latest turmoil is but one part of a greater ongoing campaign by the United States to contain and co-opt the nation of China.

Judge rejects White House plea to keep Guantánamo force-feeding hearings secret: A federal judge has rejected the US government’s plea to prevent the public from attending the first legal challenge to its practice of forcibly feeding detainees on hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay, describing it as “extraordinary” and “deeply troubling”.

"Not A Good Sign" Argentine Stocks, Bonds Crash As Central Bank Chief Resigns: Just a day after Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, in a televised speech, accused central bank employees of helping local bankers to speculate against the Argentine peso in hopes of forcing the government to devalue the currency, Juan Carlos Fabrega - the head of Argentina's Central Bank - has quit.

Honduras Declares State of Emergency: The Honduran government Thursday declared state of emergency in the town of Villa de San Francisco, some 25 miles from the capital city of Tegucigalpa, after hundreds of people were diagnosed with Chikungunya virus sympotons.

Four quarantined in US over Ebola fears: Four people close to the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the US have been quarantined in a Dallas apartment as health officials widen their search for people who had direct or indirect contact with him.

Patient Being Evaluated for Possible Ebola at D.C.'s Howard University Hospital: A patient is in isolation with "flu-like symptoms and a travel history that matches criteria for possible Ebola." That person has been admitted to the hospital in stable condition and is isolated. The medical team is working with the CDC and other authorities to monitor the patient's condition.

Obama deported a record 438,421 people last year: The Obama administration deported a record 438,421 people last year, the highest number of annual deportations in US history, according to official figures published by the Department of Homeland Security Wednesday.

VIDEO: Body Cam Shows Unarmed Dillon Taylor Shot While Walking Away- DA Rules It “Justified”: New body cam footage released shows Dillion Taylor’s execution the moment he appears to be complying with officers orders to put his hands up

Cop Suspended After Caught on Video Tasering 62-year-old Woman in Back: Video

To Stop Police Brutality, Take the Millions in Settlement Money Out Of Cop Budgets: If settlements for police misconduct on citizens came out of the funding for police, incidents of abuse would be reduced, experts say.

JPMorgan Chase discloses major data breach: Customer information for about 76 million households and seven million businesses compromised, New York-based bank says.

The Change In Cost Of Living Since 1938: As the following image shows, the cost of living since 1938 has, simply put, exploded. With incomes up just 30x in those 76 years, the cost of a home has risen 70x, the cost of bacon has risen 100x, and the biggest of all, the cost of a Harvard education has risen 142x. Insidious... "the road to poverty is paved with small inflations."

October 03, 2014

U.S. Alliance with FSA and ISIL in Six Photographs

By Rick Sterling

The following six photographs confirm that a favorite “moderate rebel” leader, Abdel Jabbar al-Okaidi, is allied with ISIL. Continue

Ten Things to Watch for in the ISIS War

By Peter Van Buren

A guide to the spin, empty gestures, and behind-the-scene players that will determine the fate of America's re-entry into Iraq. Continue

Here’s Everything Wrong with the White House’s War on the Islamic State

By Peter Certo

The Obama administration’s war plans in Iraq and Syria are illegal, ill-conceived, and destined to fail. Here's what the U.S.—and you—can do instead. Continue

Barack Obama, the Islamic State and
America’s Never-Ending War in the Middle East

By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett

A real regional strategy against the Islamic State would necessarily include Russia, Iran, and Syria’s Assad government—in leading positions. Continue

US Defense Contractors Are Making a Killing

By Dan Froomkin

It’s the munition makers who “stand to reap the biggest windfall, especially in the short term. Continue

Clapper Under the Bus

By Andrew P. Napolitano

If the president now believes we should fight ISIS because it killed two Americans and boasted about it, he woefully misunderstands his job, which is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, not every American everywhere on the planet. Continue

The Persecution of Moazzam Begg

By Matt Carr

Begg’s arrest is another example of the British government’s contradictory response to British Muslim involvement in the Syrian civil war, and about the elastic, nebulous and empirically meaningless definitions of ‘terrorism’ which made his arrest possible. Continue

Documents Show US Openly Approves Hong Kong Chaos It Created

By Tony Cartalucci

There is more to the September 2014 demonstrations in Hong Kong than western media reports of "popular protests for democracy". Continue

Evidence of Incitement to Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity in Gaza

Video

David Sheen talks incitement for Genocide in Israeli society discourse during Operation Protective edge. Continue

Netanyahu Tells Obama to "Study Facts" Before Criticizing Settlement Plan

By AFP, Al-Akhbar

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back at the White House after Washington criticized Israeli plans to illegally build thousands more settler homes in occupied east Jerusalem, Israeli media reported on Thursday. Continue

Good Riddance to Eric Holder

By Margaret Kimberley

The only thing more noteworthy than the horror of the president proclaiming his right to kill at will was the lack of reaction to the attorney general’s bizarre assertion. Continue

Capitalism vs. The Climate
This Changes Everything Naomi Klein

Video

Naomi Klein, breaks down the history of political inaction around the climate that has brought us to the point of crisis. Continue

23 fighters from the IS and YPG, killed in EIn al-Arab”kobane”: Aleppo province: no less than 16 fighters from ISIS were killed by targeting them by YPG fighter from a hill between Helnij village and Ein al-Arab city, while no less than 7 YPG were killed during clashes between the two sides in the southern eastern sides of Ein al-Arab “Kobane” .

Final death toll for Wednesday 01/10/2014, approximately 221 people killed in Syria.: The dead : 77 civilians, 27 rebels, 20 Non-Syrian Islamic fighters, 25 NDF, 28 Regular forces, 10 unknown rebels, 24 ISIS,, 7 YPG, 4 Hezbollah, 3 non-Syrian fighters allied to regime forces.

Islamic State militants have beheaded nine Kurds, report says: Activists say Islamic State militants have beheaded nine Kurdish fighters, including three women, captured in clashes near the Syria-Turkey border.

Islamic State In Iraq Carried Out Mass Executions, Abductions: UN Report: In a report based on 500 interviews with witnesses, also said Iraqi government air strikes on the Sunni Muslim militants had caused "significant civilian deaths" by hitting villages, a school and hospitals in violation of international law.

Islamic State have seized 325 villages and towns in the countryside of Ayn al- Arab: The number of villages, towns and communities that IS took control have risen to 325 since the beginning of IS attack on the countryside of Ayn al- Arab in September 16, 2014

Syria's army goes on the offensive as U.S. bombs Assad's foes: As U.S. warplanes bomb his enemies in Syria's east, President Bashar al-Assad has set loose his own forces in the west, alarming Washington's few friends on the ground and potentially undermining the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State.

Islamic State Releases Third Video of British Hostage John Cantlie: The message dismissed the Free Syrian Army — the moderate rebels backed by the West against the Assad regime and the Islamist extremists - as a "undisciplined, corrupt and largely ineffective fighting force." It claimed that giving them weapons and funding was "a completely pointless exercise"

How Islamic State Uses Oil To Fund Its Onslaught: In a remote area along the Turkish-Syrian border, a line of oil trucks materializes seemingly from nowhere. Quietly, the vehicles line up to purchase oil. The drivers will pay about $18 a barrel, well below the average market price of $93.45.

Turkish lawmakers back action against ISIL: Turkish parliament approves a motion authorising cross-border military incursions against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

Erdogan hints at Syria intervention in Parliament's opening session: Erdogan's speech revealed that Turkey disagreed with its Western allies, in particular with the US, as to how to intervene in the crisis in Syria, emphasizing that the Syrian regime must also be toppled as part of a solution in Syria. The Syrian regime should be eliminated immediately, Erdogan emphasized.

Turkey plans safe haven in areas controlled by Free Syrian Army and Islamic Front: Turkey is drawing up plans for a safe haven on the border in Syria that will secure regions controlled by the Free Syrian Army and the Islamic Front, possibly manned only by Turkish troops, according to security sources.

57 people killed in violent attacks: Iraqi police announced here on Thursday that at least 17 Iraqi personnel and 40 militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were killed when the latter attacked military command centers in different areas..

Heavy fighting rages in Iraq's Anbar province: Fighting between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Sunni militias is raging in the west of Iraq's Anbar province, with a fierce battle taking place for control of the strategic town of Heet. ISIL had reportedly seized control of most of the town on Thursday, but Sunni militias, fighting on behalf of Iraq's government, swiftly denied the claim .

Iraq’s Economy Collapsing Under Pressure of Security Crisis: One of the untold stories of the fighting in Iraq is the effect it is having upon the country’s economy. Almost two million internally displaced people, the loss of agricultural land in northern Iraq, foreign investors being scared off, the decline in trade, the collapse of several internal markets, and depleted financial reserves have all been reported in the press.

Canadian fighter pilots could soon bomb rebels they supported in Libya: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, which has seized parts of Syria and Iraq, includes a large number of volunteers from Libya who fought in the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

Stephen Harper confirms 26 Canadian soldiers now in Iraq: Canada has only 26 soldiers in Iraq serving as military advisers, rather than the 69 troops the government had said it was sending, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the House of Commons on Wednesday.

US to sell Saudi Arabia $1.75bn worth of Patriot air defenses: The main benefactors of the deal are going to be two American leading arms producers, Lockheed Martin Corp, producer of the PAC-3 missiles, and Raytheon.

Netanyahu gives Obama the finger: Israel approves 2,600 squatter homes in occupied East Jerusalem, reports NGO: The watchdog said the plans damaged prospects for peace and an eventual independent Palestinian state.

Abbas threatens to reevaluate Palestinian Authority's security ties with Israel: Says relationship at risk if UN Security Council does not approve planned resolution on setting borders and timetable for ending occupation.

US Waives Child Soldier Sanctions on Six Nations: Washington is releasing some USD 26 million to Yemen in military aid and boosting funds to armies in five other nations, waiving sanctions imposed for recruiting child soldiers, a US official said today.

Libya suicide blasts kills 40 soldiers: A series of suicide bombings in Libya has left at least 40 soldiers dead, as opponents and supporters of a renegade ex-general clashed for control of a key air base in the port city of Benghazi.

Clashes Leave 15 Dead In Southern Libya: Fighting between local tribes near Libya's southern city of Sebha left 15 people dead and another 55 injured, Xinhua news agency reported

20 Shabaab members killed in Somalia fighting: - More than 20 combatants of the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab and several soldiers from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region were killed Wednesday in fighting, officials said.

Boko Haram video shows Abubakar Shekau alive: A video has been released showing the purported leader of Nigeria's Islamist group Boko Haram dismissing the military's allegations that he is dead.

Bomb On Passenger Bus Kills 7 In Northwestern Pakistan;' A bomb exploded on a passenger bus in the outskirts of Peshawar in Pakistan’s northwest on Thursday, killing at least seven people. Though no group immediately took responsibility for the attack, police officials reportedly said the act seemed to be linked to terrorism.

3 people killed as suicide bomber targets Afghan army bus: A suicide bomber targeting an Afghan army bus in Kabul has killed three people and wounded 10, the interior ministry said, the fourth high-profile attack in the capital since Monday, when the new president was sworn in.

Afghan interpreters demand promised US visas: Hundreds of Afghan translators, who took risks to aid US war efforts, accuse US of reneging on pledge to help them

Swiss aid worker killed in Ukraine shelling: Shells bursting in Ukraine's main pro-Russian stronghold of Donetsk have killed a Swiss Red Cross worker as a shaky truce looks in jeopardy.

Ukraine rebels renew Donetsk airport offensive: The airport is strategically important, lying just outside Donetsk, the largest city held by the rebels. Its capture by the separatists would help them to resupply. Government forces have been using it to shell separatist positions inside the city.

Putin shrugs off damage from Western sanctions: - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday shrugged off the negative impact of Western sanctions, saying they will only encourage Russia to build closer ties with China, India and Latin America. Putin described the sanctions as "utter silliness" that hurt Western business and offered an opportunity for others to expand in the Russian market.

Former German Chancellor: "Sanctions Against Russia Are Wrong": Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder yesterday criticized western sanctions against Russia and urged a diplomatic solution in Ukraine:

Hong Kong: CY Leung leader refuses to quit: At a news conference shortly before the protesters' midnight deadline for his resignation expired, Mr Leung warned that attempts to move on or occupy government buildings would be met with a police response.

Hong Kong protests: Government offices surrounded: Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have surrounded two key government buildings in the territory. They have massed outside the office of Chief Executive CY Leung, demanding that he resign by midnight, and the Central Government Complex. Police have warned protesters not to try to breach the police cordon protecting the buildings.

Beijing warns foreign countries not to meddle in Hong Kong: "Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. “All countries should respect China's sovereignty. And this is also a basic principle governing international relations. I believe for any country, for any society, no one will allow those illegal acts that violate public order.”

USAID Closes Shop in Ecuador: Ecuador's government has long accused USAID of being part of plots to destabilize the country. The United States' top governmental aid agency closed its doors in Ecuador on Wednesday, after years of controversy surrounding its operations in the South American nation.

1 month to stop Ebola before it's 'totally out of control' - global aid NGO: The International Rescue Committee (IRC), on behalf of 34 NGOs battling Ebola in West Africa, has warned that the number of cases is doubling roughly every three weeks and the globe has only four weeks to stop the crisis from spiraling out of control.

Ebola outbreak: Texas checks 100 for exposure: The list includes "potential or possible contacts" with Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national diagnosed in Dallas on Tuesday, and "will drop". Four of his relatives have been ordered to stay home while they are watched for signs of the disease, officials say.

Enemy or Asset? FBI documents show radical cleric Awlaki communicated with federal agent in '03: Newly released documents further support the conclusion that the FBI was working with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki after the 9/11 attacks – in the years before he became the first American targeted for death by a U.S. drone strike.

An FBI informant led hacks against 30 countries—now we know which ones: A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant targeted more than two dozen countries in a series of high-profile cyberattacks in 2012. The names of many of those countries have remained secret, under seal by a court order—until now.

Secret Service Director Julia Pierson Resigns: Secret Service Director Julia Pierson, who has been skewered by critics over the Sept. 19 White House security breach, has resigned, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Grand jury considering the Ferguson shooting is being investigated for misconduct: An account of possible jury misconduct surfaced Wednesday morning on Twitter, when several users sent messages about one juror who may have discussed evidence in the case with a friend.

Cop Cleared After Shooting Unarmed Man : Twenty-year-old Dillon Taylor was fatally shot after a Salt Lake City police officer ordered him to get his hands out of his pants.. Prosecutors cleared the Salt Lake City police officer who shot an unarmed man last month outside a convenience store, saying his actions were justified because he felt threatened.

Police Chief Admits to Sexually Assaulting Unconscious Woman on 911 Call, Won’t See 1 Day in Jail: Theriot managed to escape jail time, while taking just a $2,500 fine and 2 years probation. This sentence is more lenient than a small marijuana possession charge in most states.

Thirst Turns to Desperation in Rural California: In the Gallegos household and more than 500 others in Tulare County, residents cannot flush a toilet, fill a drinking glass, wash dishes or clothes, or even rinse their hands without reaching for a bottle or bucket.