January 22, 2015

An Old Hand Is At Work in Yemen's Boody Civil War

By Robert Fisk

Yemen is not Syria. But America’s skewed comprehension of the Middle East has now produced a remarkably similar scenario. Continue

Ex-CIA Agent Claims Baghdad Massacre Would Have Been 'Ideal'

By Jack Sommers

"The thing was ideal when IS was advancing on Baghdad because Sunnis were killing Shias. That's exactly what we need. - Our best hope right now is to get the Sunnis and Shias fighting each other and let them bleed each other white." Continue

The Strategy Behind Israel’s Attack on Iran and Hizballah

By Jonathan Cook

Israel has good reason to fear that the Lebanese militia Hizballah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard will seek dramatic revenge for the killing of 12 senior figures from the two organisations in an air strike in Syria on Sunday. Continue

Congress Seeks Netanyahu’s Direction

By Robert Parry

Conservative Pat Buchanan once got in trouble by calling Capitol Hill “Israeli occupied territory,” but even he might not imagine what’s happening now – with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu invited to address a joint session of Congress to decry President Obama’s foreign policy. Continue

As a Muslim, I'm Fed Up With the Hypocrisy of the Free Speech Fundamentalists

By Mehdi Hasan

The enlightened and liberal west v the backward, barbaric Muslims. Continue

Lessons that Hollande failed to learn from Bush’s blunders

By Ramzy Baroud

“If we can combat terrorism in Iraq, just as we did in Africa, we are ensuring our own security,” Francois Hollande said. Continue

State of the Union 2015: Lethal, Predatory, Delusional

By Glen Ford

Washington can muster no response, except war. Neither can it maintain living standards for the vast majority of its own people. Continue

How Propaganda Conquers Democracy

By Nicolas J S Davies

In recent decades, the U.S. propaganda system has grown more and more sophisticated in the art of “perception management,” now enlisting not only government PR specialists but careerist journalists and aspiring bloggers to push deceptions on the public. Continue

How To Buy a Politician

Video

Discussing the corruption of politics with Russell Brand on the Trews. Continue

Doomsday Clock Set at 3 Minutes to Midnight

By Megan Gannon

It's the first time the clock hands have moved in three years; since 2012, the clock had been fixed at 5 minutes to symbolic doom, midnight. Continue

Why Can’t The World’s Greatest Minds Solve The Mystery Of Consciousness?

By Oliver Burkeman

Philosophers and scientists have been at war for decades over the question of what makes human beings more than complex robots. Continue

Kurdish forces killed more than 200 militants : “The Peshmerga cleared an area of 480 square km of IS insurgents, and took control of the strategic higher areas to the west of Mosul Dam. The militants will not be able to return to the dam,” said Barzani. A large number of IS militants were killed and more than 200 bodies were left on the battlefield.

20 killed in Syria, Iraq attacks: Officials: A suicide attack in the Taji area, north of the Iraqi capital, killed at least seven people and wounded 17 on Thursday, security and medical officials said.

Flood of jihadi volunteers to Syria 'unstoppable', warns Turkish Prime Minister : Mr Davutoglu said that Turkey opposes either Isis or Syrian President Bashar al-Assad winning the war in Syria. He believes that if the international community is not going to send ground troops to Syria “the only alternative is to train and equip moderate opposition forces”.

Coalition needs 2 years to expel ISIS: UK: The US-led coalition could take up to two years to expel ISIS from Iraq, and Baghdad’s own forces will be incapable of proper combat operations for months, Britain’s foreign minister warned on Thursday.

Japan 'exploring all ways' to free Islamic State hostages: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government was trying to contact the hostage-takers but that it would not give in to terrorism.

Israeli Mossad Warns U.S. on Iran Sanctions: The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has broken ranks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling U.S. officials and lawmakers that a new Iran sanctions bill in the U.S. Congress would tank the Iran nuclear negotiations.

Mossad chief denies opposing new sanctions on Iran: Mossad chief Tamir Pardo issued a rare press release on Thursday denying reports that he told U.S. senators he was opposed to further sanctions on Iran during its negotiations with world powers over its contentious nuclear program.

Death of Iranian general in Syria strike likely no accident: It can be assumed that the officials who ordered the strike weighed the possibility of killing the general against the risks of a Hezbollah terror plot targeting Israel.

Report: Israel knew about presence of Iranian general in Syria strike: Israel was aware that a convoy that was attacked in Syria contained an Iranian general, contradicting an earlier report that Israel did not know of his presence, an Arab newspaper alleged on Thursday.

Netanyahu to speak before Congress on alleged, Iran nuclear threat: “In this time of challenge, I am asking the Prime Minister to address Congress on the grave threats radical Islam and Iran pose to our security and way of life. Americans and Israelis have always stood together in shared cause and common ideals, and now we must rise to the moment again.” US House Speaker John Boehner

Netanyahu's congressional address moved even closer to election: U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner said Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will now address Congress on March 3, just two weeks before the upcoming Israeli election. Boehner confirmed on his Twitter account that Netanyahu wanted to coordinate his speech with the pro-Israel AIPAC conference in Washington

Netanyahu’s Iran speech in Congress is a recipe for an explosive U.S.-Israel clash: PM’s Congressional gambit unlikely to sway voters in Israel but could endanger Israel’s long term interests in America.

Yemen's president steps down, cabinet resigns: In quick succession, Yemen's president and cabinet resign following a Houthi takeover of the presidential palace this week
 

Saudi Arabia: Doctors find Raif Badawi unfit for flogging: The planned flogging of Raif Badawi is likely to be suspended this Friday after a medical committee assessed that he should not undergo a second round of lashes on health grounds. The committee, comprised of around eight doctors, carried out a series of tests and recommended that the flogging should not be carried out.

Robert Fisk: Saudi Arabia's history of hypocrisy we choose to ignore: Today, the Americans and Europeans – and of course, our own Prime Minister – like to draw a line between the “moderate”, friendly, pro-Western, oil-wealthy Saudi Arabians who are praised for denouncing the “cowardly terrorist attack” in Paris, and their Crescentader Wahabi friends who behead thieves and drug dealers after grossly unfair trials, torture their Shia Muslim minorities and lash their own recalcitrant journalists.

GCC exporters to lose $300bn due to falling oil price, IMF warns: Of the GCC countries, only Kuwait will manage to maintain a budget surplus this year, the IMF said. All other countries including oil-rich Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will sink into deficits.

41 people killed in Ukraine: At least 41 people were killed in Ukraine's east on Thursday, one of the deadliest days in the separatist war, with a bloody bus shelling in Donetsk The trolleybus shelling in the rebel bastion city was the day's bloodiest incident, with 13 civilians killed

'Covert team' caught after shelling kills at least 9 in eastern Ukraine: What local authorities call a "covert group" has been arrested in Donetsk. The group is suspected of the shelling during rush hour on Thursday morning, which took the lives of at least nine people and injured up to twenty.

Ukraine: Army retreats at Donetsk airport: Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the main terminal of Donetsk airport, scene of bitter fighting in recent weeks, the government confirmed.

Kiev lies to its own troops, sends them to be slaughtered, Novorossiya clearly winning: Here's the situation in a nutshell: Kiev is sending poorly trained, fresh recruits into battle. They are shelling civilian areas (e.g., Gorlovka) but not providing cover, recon, or reinforcements to the men actually doing the fighting against the NAF

Battle Rages With Rebels at Border Post in Ukraine: Shelling from both Ukrainian military and rebel separatist positions continued Wednesday over a remote border checkpoint northwest of Luhansk that Ukraine said was seized Monday by Russian troops, a chief spokesman for the Ukrainian military said.

Russia has 9,000 troops in Ukraine, Poroshenko tells Davos forum: Moscow challenged Poroshenko to present facts to prove his allegations. However, he won support from NATO, which said the amount of heavy military equipment used by Russian troops in eastern Ukraine had increased, and the alliance repeated its call for the forces to withdraw.

'No military equipment' crossed at observed Russia-Ukraine border checkpoints - OSCE: The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, mission in Ukraine has not registered any movement of military vehicles on the border between Russia and Ukraine, the group’s newly released statement says. “Yesterday’s claims by Kiev of alleged Russian troops movement over the Russia-Ukraine border don’t stand any criticism. That’s absolute nonsense,” said Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense.

US "Trainers" To Deploy To Ukraine: Will Begin Shipment of US-funded Armored Vehicles: American soldiers will deploy to Ukraine this spring to begin training four companies of the Ukrainian National Guard, the head of US Army Europe Lt. Gen Ben Hodges said during his first visit to Kiev on Wednesday.

Ukraine begs IMF for more help as bankruptcy looms: The country’s currency, the hryvnia, lost half of its value against the dollar, putting most of the banking sector on the verge of bankruptcy, while official foreign reserves have fallen to only $7.5 billion–even though the central bank stopped intervening to support the currency in November.

Russian government presents Putin with $21 billion plan to tackle crisis: Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said on Wednesday the economy was starting to show signs of recovering from the worst of the financial crisis, citing stabilization on Russia's stock, currency and money markets.

US wants to dominate the world, says Russia's Lavrov: Lavrov condescendingly called US policy "a bit out of date" and out of touch with "modern realities," adding that attempts to isolate Russia would fail and one day Washington's hostile policy would be a thing of the past.

Congress alarmed by plans to use Russian system to route 911 calls: “In view of the threat posed to the world by Russia’s Vladimir Putin, it cannot be seriously considered that the US would rely on a system in that dictator’s control for its wireless 911 location capability,” the document obtained by the Washington Times said.

This map shows how one anti-Islam group is spreading across Europe: : Islamophobia is on the rise in Europe, and its face appears to be Pegida.

29 killed as DRC army, rebels clash: - Nearly 30 people have been killed over the past week in clashes between the Congolese army and one of the armed groups operating in the east of the country, a spokesman for local United Nations peacekeepers said in Bunia on Thursday.

Five killed in Mogadishu car bomb; Five people were killed on Thursday in a suicide car bombing against a hotel in Mogadishu, on the eve of a visit to the Somali capital by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Armed men shoot dead Libyan head-of-security in Sirte: Armed men killed the head of security on Thursday in the Islamist-held coastal city of Sirte, hometown of slain dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi, a security source said.

Benghazi branch of central bank seized by Islamic fighters; almost $100B inside: Libyan fighters are sitting on almost $100 billion in oil revenue and foreign currency after seizing control of the Benghazi branch of the country’s central bank.

UN Condemns Libya Central Bank Attack, Calls for Renewed Ceasefire: After Libya's General National Congress said it would not participate in the UN-hosted talks in Geneva following the latest attack in Benghazi, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a condemnation and called for renewed efforts to enforce an end to the hostilities on Thursday.

Cooperation between British spies and Gaddafi’s Libya revealed in official papers: Links between MI5 and Gaddafi’s intelligence during Tony Blair’s government more extensive than previously thought, according to documents

Egypt orders release of Mubarak sons: An Egyptian court has ordered the release of the sons of ousted President Hosni Mubarak pending their retrial in a corruption case, their lawyer told the Reuters news agency.

Suicide attack kills 3, wounds 18 in S. Afghanistan: - Three persons including the attacker were killed and 18 others sustained injuries as a suicide bomber targeted a police convoy in Helmand's provincial capital Lashkar Gah, 555 km south of Kabul, on Thursday, spokesman for provincial government Omar Zawak said.

Asylum Seekers Attempt Suicide in Australian Detention Center: Australia's asylum seeker policy has been derided both at home and abroad as ineffective and draconian. The asylum seeker processing center on Manus Island has been engulfed in mass protests by detainees for over a week.

ECB unveils massive QE boost for eurozone: The European Central Bank (ECB) says it will inject at least €1.1 trillion into the ailing eurozone economy. The ECB will buy bonds worth €60bn per month until the end of September 2016 and possibly longer, in what is known as quantitative easing (QE).

Venezuela to Increase Social Spending despite Economic Slowdown:" President Nicolas Maduro emphasized the gains made in the country through social spending and announced changes to the currency exchange system.

5 Ways the US is Interfering in Venezuela: There is hard evidence that the United States government has been trying to destabilize Venezuela since the election of socialist President Hugo Chavez in 1998 to the current government of President Nicolas Maduro. Let’s count down the top 5 ways.

Mexican Authorities Admit Organized Crime Ruled Guerrero: The criminal groups had penetrated 13 of the local authorities and, in some, their control meant they were able to appoint themselves as police chief or effectively lead police operations, said Tomas Zeron, head of the Agency of Criminal Investigation.

FBI Agent: No Direct Evidence Ex-CIA Man Leaked to Reporter: Former CIA man Jeffrey Sterling, 47, of O'Fallon, Missouri, is charged with leaking information about a purportedly botched operation to thwart Iran's nuclear program to New York Times reporter James Risen, who wrote about the mission in the 2006 book "State of War." Risen has refused to disclose his sources.

Footage Released of US Police Shooting Innocent Man 9 Times: A New Jersey officer can be seen threatening to kill a black man shortly before firing his weapon, newly released footage shows. Police in New Jersey released footage Tuesday showing the police shooting of a black man with his hands up.

What Happens When a Civilian Kills a Cop in Self Defense?: The Maye case is one of the most egregious examples of an innocent victim of the War on Drugs going to prison for acting in what he believed was self-defense.

Distortions, Lies and Omissions:
The New York Times Won’t Tell You the Real Story Behind Ukraine

By Patrick L. Smith

The body blows the State Department and Treasury are dealing Russia in response to the Ukraine crisis—as precipitated by State, of course—would be irresponsible under any circumstances for the risks they carry. Continue

Obama State of the Union 2015 Address

Video and Transcript

"We are demonstrating the power of American strength and diplomacy. We're upholding the principle that bigger nations can't bully the small - by opposing Russian aggression" Continue

Russia Must Strengthen Army To Defend Itself: Putin

By Reuters/Pavel Golovkin/Pool

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday Russia must strengthen its armed forces to protect its sovereignty against the "challenge" posed by other countries that might threaten Moscow. Continue

Relations Between Moscow and Washington Are Under Serious Strain: Sergey Lavrov

Video and Transcript

Our Western partners have said repeatedly that they need to continue to contain Russia. US President Barack Obama said as much in his state of the nation address yesterday. But these attempts will fail. Continue

Inevitable Payback

By Craig Murray

If we launch weapons of great destructive power into communities abroad, incinerating and shredding women and children, we cannot avoid the fact that those who identify with those communities – ethnically, culturally and religiously – will take revenge on people here. Continue

Who Stands to Benefit From Terrorist Attacks in France?

By Mikail Khazin

Here I will simply list possible beneficiaries. First choice – the US. Continue

Norman Finkelstein: Charlie Hebdo Is Sadism, Not Satire

By Mustafa Caglayan

World renowned political science professor says he has 'no sympathy' for staff at Charlie Hebdo. Continue

Europe Considers Surveillance Expansion After Deadly Attacks

By Paul Hockenos

In an atmosphere of fear after the deadly attack on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, officials in the European Union are proposing an array of anti-terror initiatives, including new surveillance laws that would give security agencies greater access to personal data. Continue

America's Terrorism Fear Factory Rolls On

By John Mueller

American leaders, “have learned that keeping the terrorist threat alive provides enormous political benefits” Continue

Casey vs. Kyle

By Cindy Sheehan

How much courage does it really take for a sniper to be given co-ordinates from a spotter and then firing from hundreds of yards away? To me that is the definition of cowardice. Continue

5 Years after Citizens United, Democracy Is for Sale

By Brendan Fischer

This week, Republican presidential hopefuls like Gov. Scott Walker, Gov. Chris Christie, and Sen. Rand Paul will travel to an exclusive resort near Palm Springs, Florida to kiss the rings of David and Charles Koch. Continue

Asset Ownership and Our System of Deepening Debt-Serfdom

By Charles Hugh Smith

Debt-serfs who make the difficult and risky transition to small-scale business owners find they have simply moved to another class of serfdom. Continue

Syria air raid on cattle market kills at least 27 people: At least 27 people were killed and dozens wounded on Tuesday by a Syrian air raid on a cattle market in territory controlled by the hard-line Islamic State, a monitoring group said.

Car Bomb Explodes in Central Syria's Homs, Killing 6 People: A car bomb exploded Wednesday in the central Syrian city of Homs, killing at least six people in a neighborhood frequently targeted by rebels because it is seen as a home of loyalists of the President Bashar Assad.

Dutch opposition says has documents proving Turkey sent arms to Syrian jihadists: The Dutch opposition Christian Democratic Party (CDA) announced that it has confidential documents proving that Turkey had sent weapons to al-Qaeda militants in Syria and that it conveyed the documents to the Dutch government, according to a BBC Turkish report published on Sunday.

War criminal: Blair told to accept responsibility for current conflicts: Tony Blair has been challenged to accept his role in creating the current religious instability in the Middle East.

Thousands in Tehran mourn Iranian general killed by Israel: Thousands gathered in Tehran Wednesday at a funeral procession for a Revolutionary Guards general killed by Israel, after his commander warned the Jewish state it should "await destructive thunderbolts".

Syria attack endangers Israel's tacit understandings with Iran: The air strike on Sunday, attributed to Israel, could undermine the status quo in which Iran does not respond to such provocation as long as Israel focuses on Hezbollah targets.

Russia signs military cooperation deal with Iran: Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday signed a military cooperation deal with Iran that his Iranian counterpart touted as a joint response to US "interference".

Russia may send S-300 missile system to Iran - media: Russia might deliver a long-overdue S-300 air defense missile system to Iran, honoring a contract that was canceled in 2010 following strong pressure from the West, Iranian and Russian media said on Tuesday.

The Death Sentence That Could Inflame Sectarian Tensions Across The Middle East: The fate of one Shi’ite cleric hangs over the Gulf like a sword of Damocles.

Yemeni rebels hold president ‘captive’ at his house: Two Yemeni presidential advisers say the Shiite rebels who are on a power grab campaign in the capital, Sanaa, are holding the president "captive" at his home, a day after seizing the presidential palace.

Yemen's al Qaeda renews calls for lone-wolf attacks in West: Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi, an official with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), based in Yemen, has urged Muslims to carry out lone-wolf strikes in Western countries two weeks after his group said it was behind the Paris attacks, SITE Monitoring reported.

12 injured in Tel Aviv stab attack by Palestinian: A Palestinian attacked passengers with a knife on a bus in Tel Aviv on Wednesday wounding at least 12 people before being shot by a passing prison officer, Israeli police said.

War crimes? Israel 'failed to minimize civilian toll in Gaza war': Despite claims to the contrary, the military did not give sufficient warning for civilians to evacuate residential areas before striking them, according to the report partly commissioned by Physicians for Human Rights and carried out by eight independent medical experts.

John Boehner Invites Israeli Prime Minister to Address Congress Next Month: President Obama warned Congress last night that he would veto any sanctions legislation on Iran, saying it would derail U.S. negotiations in the Middle East. But John Boehner isn't ready to sit out the battle over Iran's nuclear program, and on Wednesday, he invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress next month.

White House: Netanyahu's planned Congress speech a 'departure' from protocol : The White House gave an icy response to news that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited to address Congress next month, saying it was a departure from diplomatic protocol.

42 killed killed as church backs Congo protesters: With anti-government protests in the capital Kinshasa in their third day, the leader of Congo's Catholics, Cardinal Laurent Mosengwo Pasinya, strongly criticised any attempt to postpone a presidential election due next year.

Rebels push UN from airport in north Mali, burn vehicles: The protests happened after a Dutch attack helicopter with the U.N. mission fired upon a car near the town of Gao, killing four rebels on Tuesday. That violence took place near Tabancort north of the town of Gao and is the first time that the U.N. mission, known as MINUSMA, carried out such air strikes.

Libyan Army Clash with Rebels near Oil Installations: Despite the public agreement of a ceasefire between the rival Libyan groups, hours later clashes broke out between the two factions.

Libyan rival parliament suspends U.N.-sponsored peace talks: - A parliament set up in Libya to rival the elected assembly has suspended U.N.-sponsored peace talks because of what it called fresh violence from the country's recognised government, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

U.S. Again Urges All Americans to Leave Libya: For the third time in less than a year, the State Department on Tuesday urged all Americans to leave Libya "immediately" because of the potential for attacks by rival rebel factions in the unstable country.

Libya's official government to close embassies due to budget crisis: Libya's internationally recognised government said it planned to close several embassies and reduce diplomatic staff to tackle a budget crisis due to the loss of oil revenues.

Goldmans 'duped Libya out of oil cash': Investment bank facing claims it duped officials into investing £800m by plying them with girls, parties and luxury trips

Afghanistan: 14 Armed Insurgents Killed In Kunduz Operation: In a special clearing operation of Afghan National Army (ANA) forces in Imam Sahid district of Kunduz province, 14 insurgents were killed

3 Pakistani soldiers, 7 militants killed in clashes: Clashes in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal region left at least three soldiers and seven militants dead on Monday, security sources said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

U.S. Drone Strikes Killed at Least 874 People in Hunt for 24 Terrorists: U.S. drone strikes that hit their intended targets only 21% of the time have resulted in the killings of hundreds of civilians, including children, in America’s hunt for terrorists in Yemen and Pakistan.

US warning puts Pak in a tight spot: In the run-up to the Obama visit, Pakistan has heated up the LoC and is going all out to infiltrate terrorists. No incident has taken place, but the arrangements are extremely tight. A major incident had occurred in Kashmir when President Bill Clinton had visited.

Russia hits back at Obama over State of Union speech: "Yesterday's speech by President Obama shows that at the center of the (U.S.) philosophy is only one thing: 'We are number one and everyone else has to recognize that' ... It shows that the United States wants all the same to dominate the world and not merely be first among equals."

‘What a dreamer!’ Rogozin ridicules Obama claim of Russian economy in ruins: Russia’s weapons chief has called the US president ‘a dreamer’ after Obama announced the Russian economy was “in tatters” in his State of the Union address.

Russia to be represented at Auschwitz events though president not formally invited — FM: : . Russia’s president has not been formally invited to attend the Auschwitz events, but Russia will be certainly represented there, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday at a news conference on the results of 2014. On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated prisoners of concentration camps in southern Poland

Ukraine asks IMF for new bailout funds – Davos 2015 live: Rolling coverage of the first day of the World Economic Forum, including appearances by former US vice-president Al Gore, Ukraine’s president Poroshenko and Chinese premier Li Keqiang.

France to hire thousands of extra police, spies & investigators: France will create 2,680 extra anti-terror staff, as over 3,000 radical Islamists require surveillance, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said at a Wednesday meeting, revealing plans to boost terror strategies.

EU privacy watchdogs to review air passenger data stance: Europe's data privacy watchdogs will meet in coming days to discuss revising their earlier opposition to countries sharing airline passenger data as part of efforts to tighten security and thwart terror attacks, the group's head said on Wednesday.

Canadian dollar falls fast and furious: 'The race to the bottom continues': The Canadian dollar took a mighty tumble today as the Bank of Canada shocked the markets with a rate cut.

Report: Unemployment to continue to rise over the next 5 years: Unemployment will continue to rise in the coming years globally, warns a new report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Guantanamo detainee raped by three female interrogators: The former US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld should be charged with conspiracy to torture in light of the alleged ill-treatment – including sexual abuse – documented by Mohamedou Ould Slahi during his 12 years detention without charge in Guantanamo Bay, his lawyer has claimed.

Europeans should come clean on CIA torture: Nearly 10 years ago, allegations were raised against some European states for colluding with the CIA in post-9/11 anti-terror measures. Amnesty International is now calling on these nations to come clean.

Russian spy ship in Havana ahead of US delegation’s historic visit: The Russian Navy’s intelligence collection ship, the Viktor Leonov, has docked in Havana just a day before the arrival of an American delegation. The Russian warship is moored in open view of a pier usually used for cruise ships.

January 20, 2015

Trolling Russia

By Israel Shamir

It is possible that the US will get more than what it bargained for in the Ukraine. Continue

Chomsky: Paris Attacks Show Hypocrisy Of West's Outrage

By Noam Chomsky

Ignored in the "war against terrorism" is the most extreme terrorist campaign of modern times -- Barack Obama's global assassination campaign targeting people suspected of perhaps intending to harm us some day. Continue

Terrorism in Paris, Sydney the Legacy of Colonial Blunders

By Stephen Kinzer  

It is a mistake to see the various political and military conflicts now shaking the Middle East as isolated from each other. Continue

The Anti-Empire Report
Where Has All This Islamic Fundamentalism Come From?

By William Blum

Most of it comes – trained, armed, financed, indoctrinated – from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. Continue

The Golden Age of Black Ops
US Special Ops Missions Already in 105 Countries in 2015

By Nick Turse

The American people have consistently been kept in the dark about what America’s special operators are doing and where they’re doing it. not to mention the blowback from, what they’ve done. Continue

The US Is Desperate

By Dmitry Orlov

The US is betting that the low oil prices will destroy the governments of the three major oil producers that are not under their political and/or military control. Continue

If This Doesn't Make You Mad...
Are Plunging Petrodollar Revenues Behind the Fed’s Projected Rate Hikes?

By Mike Whitney

Unemployment looks great until you pick through the data and see it’s all a big fraud. Continue

Shin Bet Manhandled French Prime Minister in Grand Synagogue
Bibi Insulted French Jewish Leadership

By Richard Silverstein

There can be no doubt that this was a deliberate affront to France’s political leadership. Continue

Martin Luther King: An American Hero

By Paul Craig Roberts

Many Americans will continue to believe that having failed to tar King as a communist and womanizer, the establishment decided to remove an inconvenient rising leader by assassination. Continue

First African American to Walk on the Moon!?
Americans Forget Martin Luther King and What He Did

Video

Mark Dice interviews beachgoers in San Diego about MLK for Martin Luther King Day. Continue

Bodies of 26 civilians, Kurdish fighters found in northern Iraq: Search teams have discovered the bodies of 15 civilians and 11 Kurdish peshmerga fighters in two mass graves in Iraq, a local official said on Tuesday.

Dozens of ISIS elements killed in attack on the Iraqi border guards: Report: A military source told “Shafaq News", that “ a force of the second regiment of the border guard repelled an attack of ISIS at their headquarters near al-Waleed border port on the Iraqi-Syrian border west of Ramadi.

8 killed in attacks on Baghdad’s Shia neighborhoods: Police officials said on Tuesday that bomb explosions in two major Shia neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital had left eight people dead and dozens more wounded.

Canadian special forces come under ISIS fire on Iraq front lines: Canadian special operations forces came under ISIS attack for the first time in Iraq over the last week, and returned sniper fire to “neutralize” the threa. Brig.-Gen. Michael Rouleau provided details of the incident during a briefing for reporters in Ottawa, and said no Canadians were injured in the exchange.

Thomas Mulcair: Harper 'Hasn't Been Honest' On Iraq Mission; That candid acknowledgment by Lt.-Gen. Jonathan Vance has critics fearing Canada is being dragged further into direct combat operations, contrary to what the Harper government has promised.

ISIS threatens to kill 2 Japanese hostages in 3 days unless $200mn ransom paid: The threat came on Tuesday in a video published on several Islamist websites. The militant group said they are demanding the money because Japan had pledged to pay the same amount to the US-led campaign against IS.

Syria: Strike on IS-held village kills dozens: The Local Co-ordination Committees and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian military helicopters had dropped barrel bombs on a market. But some residents alleged that warplanes from the US-led coalition battling IS had fired missiles.

Iran deploys 350,000 troops at border with Iraq against IS threat: Iran has deployed 350,000 troops – officers and soldiers – at the border with Iraq, APA cites Kuwait’s al Rai newspaper.

Militant ambush kills 5 Yemen soldiers: : Suspected Al-Qaeda militants ambushed the convoy of a brigade commander in the restive southeastern province of Hadramawt on Tuesday, killing five Yemeni soldiers and wounding seven.

Yemen Houthi rebels 'seize presidential palace': Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen have taken the presidential palace in country's capital Sanaa, witnesses say. Col Saleh al-Jamalani, commander of the force that guards President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, described it as a "coup".

Palestinians in Israel declare national strike after police deaths: Leaders of Israel's 1.7 million Palestinians declared a general strike throughout the country on Tuesday in protest at the recent deaths of two Bedouin men in confrontations with police.

Palestine faces backlash over ICC move: Israel urging ICC member-states to cease funding the court after launch of preliminary inquiry into possible war crimes. "We will demand that our friends in Canada, Australia and Germany simply to stop funding it," Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israel Radio.

8 family members killed in Afghan blast: "The family was travelling from Kabul city to Ghazni when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb this morning, killing all the passengers," said Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, deputy governor for the eastern province of Ghazni.

U.S. commander in Afghanistan: We could extend mission: As the Afghan National Security Forces prepare for another tough fighting season, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said he could still recommend extending the mission and keeping more U.S. troops in country.

In public relations exercise: Pakistan condemns North Waziristan drone strike: “Such strikes constitute a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and demands their immediate cessation,” the government’s statement read.

4 killed in DR Congo clashes over Joseph Kabila's future: Four people have been killed in protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo over claims that President Joseph Kabila is seeking to extend his 14-year rule by delaying next year's elections.

United Nations employee kidnapped in Central African Republic: Armed gunmen have kidnapped a female United Nations employee in the Central African Republic. This comes a day after a Frenchwoman and a local man were kidnapped in the capital, Bangui.

Nigerian Church leader: 'My people are being killed like animals and the whole world is just watching': The president of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) has made an impassioned plea for the world to intervene against the Boko Haram insurgents who have ravaged the north and east of the country.

14 killed, over 100 wounded in fighting in east Ukraine: At least 14 people have been killed and over 100 others wounded in eastern Ukraine in the past day as hostilities between government forces and pro-independence insurgents continued, reports showed Monday.

Ukraine Says Russian Troops Join Separatists in New Assaults : Ukraine’s accusations that two Russian battalions crossed into the Luhansk region on Monday are “hallucinations” and “absolute nonsense,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in an e-mailed statement.

New military draft starts in Ukraine amid intensified assault on militia-held territories: The first stage of the draft, starting on Tuesday, will last ninety days and will seek 50,000 recruits. Two more stages will follow in April and June.

5 Chechens held in France over 'planned attack': Five Russian nationals of Chechen origin have been arrested in France on suspicion of planning an attack, a French prosecutor revealed on Tuesday. On the same day it emerged that counter-terrorism police may also have thwarted an attack in Lyon.

Anti-Charlie Hebdo protest held in Chechnya: Tens of thousands attend state-sponsored rally in Grozny to protest the Charlie Hebdo cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.

‘Anti-Islamization’ demos spread in Europe as PEGIDA voices agenda: German ‘anti-Islamization’ movement Pegida is expanding into other European nations, with its Danish branch staging its first rally on Monday. Opposition to their message is also growing stronger, as people viewing them as bigots take to the streets.

Were Charlie Hebdo cartoons only about free speech? Maybe not.: There is another facet to the French magazine's publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, one that involves a relentless anti-Islam campaign in Denmark.

France begins jailing people for ironic comments: It may sound like an ironic joke, but it isn’t. Less than a week after the massive rallies in defense of “free expression,” following the murders of the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists, French authorities have jailed a youth for irony.

Rome convicts 6 for anti-Semitic slogans: Sentences for the convictions Tuesday ranged from 1 ½ years to eight months.

British Intelligence Captured Emails Of Journalists From Top International Media: New evidence from other UK intelligence documents revealed by Snowden also shows that a GCHQ information security assessment listed “investigative journalists” as a threat in a hierarchy alongside terrorists or hackers.

President Correa: Economic War in Venezuela Echoes Chile Coup; Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa has compared the current economic war against the Venezuelan government to what happened in Chile in the early 1970s, which led to the toppling of socialist President Salvador Allende.

Autopsy Shows Argentine Prosecutor's Death Was Suicide; Preliminary results show that Alberto Nisman was killed by a single bullet, with no third party intervention.

A Former FBI Special Agent Says The CIA Kept Him From Helping To Stop 9/11: Mark Rossini said the CIA prevented him from going to FBI headquarters with the information that two known terrorists, who later went on to carry out the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, had entered the US.

The Digital Arms Race: NSA Preps America for Future Battle: The NSA's mass surveillance is just the beginning. Documents from Edward Snowden show that the intelligence agency is arming America for future digital wars -- a struggle for control of the Internet that is already well underway.

New police radars can 'see' inside homes: At least 50 U.S. law enforcement agencies have secretly equipped their officers with radar devices that allow them to effectively peer through the walls of houses to see whether anyone is inside, a practice raising new concerns about the extent of government surveillance.

New privacy concerns over government's health care website: When you apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, dozens of data companies may be able to tell that you are on the site. Some can even glean details such as your age, income, ZIP code, whether you smoke or if you are pregnant.

January 19, 2015

The Danger of an MH-17 ‘Cold Case’

By Robert Parry

The refusal of the Obama administration and its NATO allies to lay their evidence on the table - has threatened to turn this tragedy into a cold case with the guilty parties – whoever they are – having more time to cover their tracks and disappear. Continue

The New York Times Sinks to a New Journalistic Low in its Reporting on Ukraine

By Walter C Uhler

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk demonstrated once again that he is either a liar or an ignoramus (inspired by Russophobia) when he told a German TV channel, “I will not allow the Russians to march across Ukraine and Germany, as they did in WWII.” Continue

Western Politics Of High-octane Emotion

By Finian Cunningham

By buying into weeping and self-indulgence, the public are at risk of being manipulated like never before. Continue

Netanyahu and Europe’s Far Right Find Common Ground

By Jonathan Cook

Israeli politicians like Mr Netanyahu were helping to “finish the job started by the Nazis and their Vichy collaborators: making France Judenrein”. Continue

Prison Dispatches from the War on Terror
Ex-CIA Officer John Kiriakou Speaks

By Andrew Jerell Jones

John Kiriakou is the only CIA employee to go to prison in connection with the agency’s torture program. Not because he tortured anyone, but because he revealed information on torture to a reporter. Continue

José Mujica - The World’s “Poorest President”

By Natasha Hakimi

“I’m called ‘the poorest president,’ ” he says, “but I don’t feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more.” Continue

One Member of Congress = 18 American Households
Lawmakers’ Personal Finances Far From Average

By Russ Choma

The median net worth of a member of Congress was $1,029,505 in 2013 — compared with an average American household’s median net worth of $56,355. Once again, the majority of members of Congress are millionaires. Continue

Richest 1% Get Wealthier
“Wealth: Having It All And Wanting More”

By Telesur

These billionaires spent US$550 million lobbying policy makers in 2013. Continue

Americide
4 Ways American Corporations Supported Slavery and Horrific Racial Oppression

By Paul Buchheit

American Corporations Are Partly Responsible for the Sale of Human Beings. Continue

In case You Missed It
"Beyond Vietnam" - A Time to Break Silence

By Rev. Martin Luther King

In his "Beyond Vietnam" speech delivered at New York's Riverside Church on April 4, 1967 -- a year to the day before he was murdered -- King called the United States "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today." Continue

Ukraine: Over 30 civilians killed in Kiev’s bombing of Gorlovka — Donetsk republic deputy commander: More than 30 civilians, including children, were killed in bombing of the town of Gorlovka in eastern Ukraine by Ukrainian warplanes, Eduard Basurin, deputy commander of the headquarters of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said on Monday.

"Slaughter along the entire front"--January 19 battle update: Militiaman Yevneniy from the Vostok Brigade described the ongoing battles on the Donetsk front as of the morning of 19th January.

Kiev’s new offensive in Donbass may lead to irreversible consequences – Moscow: Kiev’s attempt to solve the Ukrainian crisis with military force is a blunder, which may affect the country’s territorial integrity, Russia’s foreign deputy minister said. On Sunday, Kiev renewed its assault in southeast Ukraine.

Rebels claim to control Donetsk airport after intense fighting: “All attempts of the Ukrainian army to take the airport and to get revenge for the defeat of the last year... have failed,” rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko said at a press conference early Monday in Donetsk.

Ukraine struggles on brink of economic crisis: If Kiev does not find billions of dollars soon, experts and officials inside the country and abroad warn, it could experience an "economic meltdown".

Did a Russian Parliamentarian Just Commit Treason?: PowerPoint given by Russian opposition leader blueprints US-backed violent overthrow of Russian government.

Hollande approval rate doubles in wake of Paris terror attacks: Ifop polling institute said President François Hollande’s approval rate had more than doubled, from 19% to 40%, in the wake of the deadly terrorist attacks against satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris.

‘Tell us who pays you’: Tony Blair pressured over alleged paymasters: Conservative MPs will launch a campaign on Monday to force Tony Blair to reveal how much he earns and who pays him. Blair’s business transactions have been linked to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan – all three of which are widely known for their human rights abuses.

Syria: 18 killed as Syrian Kurds battle government forces: Unprecedented fighting between Syrian Kurdish forces and pro-Assad troops in the northeastern city of Hasakeh

Iran confirms general killed in Israeli attack on Syria: Iran confirmed Monday that a general of its elite Revolutionary Guards died in an Israeli strike on Syria that also killed six members of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Ja'afari on Sovereignty, Terrorism, and the Failure of the UN : Interview: Defiant as always, he discussed the challenges he faces at the UN, explained why he thinks the organization has lost its way, and censured Western states and media for their hostility toward the Syrian government.

Lebanon on edge after Israeli attack on Hezbollah: Lebanon remains on edge as the country anticipates Hezbollah’s response to an Israeli airstrike that killed six of the group’s members, including the son of a slain top commander, Lebanon’s Daily Star reported.

War criminal: McCain urges ground forces to combat ISIS: US Senator John McCain on Monday urged the deployment of international ground forces to combat jihadists in Syria and Iraq, as he toured the Middle East with a Senate delegation.

17 killed in clashes with IS militants and bomb attacks in Iraq: A total of 17 people were killed and 23 wounded on Monday in clashes with the Islamic State (IS) militants and bomb attacks across Iraq, security sources said.

60 ISIS elements including key leader killed in al-Anbar: On Sunday, a security source in Anbar province said, that the Iraqi forces killed 60 ISIS elements including a key leader within the group during an operation in al-Anbar province.

Australian troops face threat in Iraq amid slow international response: Australian troops in Iraq - are shouldering a heavier burden in the fight against the Islamic State than other comparable countries.

At least 15 dead in Yemen clashes as truce takes hold: An uneasy truce was reached Monday in Yemen's capital, Sana, after a day of clashes between Houthi rebels and government soldiers threatened the standing of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, a U.S. ally.

Yemeni Houthi fighters surround PM's home: gov't spokesman "The gunmen have surrounded the palace and the prime minister is inside," said Rajeh Badi, a government spokesman. Two eye witnesses confirmed that Houthi fighters had surrounded the palace.

Houthi rebels seize Yemen state media, battle troops near palace: Rebel Shiite Houthis battled soldiers near Yemen's presidential palace and elsewhere across the capital Monday, seizing control of the country's state-run media in a move an official called “a step toward a coup.”

PA says it’ll drop war crimes suit if settlements frozen: Senior Palestinian official threatens to suspend security cooperation if Israel doesn’t transfer withheld tax money

EU seeks to put Hamas back on terror blacklist; Council of the European Union to appeal General Court’s decision to remove Hamas’s classification as a terrorist organization

British MP panned for saying Netanyahu in Paris made him sick: Israel’s ambassador to London called Sunday for British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to discipline a member of parliament who declared it made him feel ill to see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend the mass demonstration of unity against terrorism that was held in Paris at the beginning of the week.

Afghanistan: 26 Insurgents Killed in Nationwide ANSF Raids: At least 26 insurgents were killed during a nationwide operation led by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said in a statement on Monday.

10 Killed in Gun-Battle in North-west Pakistan: The security forces were carrying out search operation in border areas of Salarzai in Bajaur district on the Afghan border when militants launched an attack, leading to clash.

US kills five people in northwest Pakistan: A US drone strike killed at least five militants on Monday in a Pakistani tribal region where Islamabad launched a full-scale military offensive last year.

Muslims burned to death in India attack: Three killed after assailants set fire to dozens of homes in eastern village in apparent response to Hindu man's death.

13 reportedly killed in anti-regime protest in DR Congo: At least 13 people were killed Monday in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), during a protest against an electoral draft ratified by the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) on Saturday, according to opposition platform "Save the DRC."

Niger government: 45 churches burned, 10 dead in protests against French cartoon: In a statement issued Monday, the government also declared three days of national mourning for the 10 people who died amid the violent protests that first began on Friday.

Boko Haram crisis: Group of Cameroon captives freed: Cameroon's defence ministry said the hostages were freed "as defence forces pursued the attackers who were heading back to Nigeria". Many of those kidnapped in the cross-border raid were said to be children.

Libya recalls former general Haftar for army duty: - Libya's internationally-recognised government has recalled retired general Khalifa Haftar to army duty, officials said on Monday, cementing its alliance with him in a struggle against a rival administration claiming national authority.

NSA hacked N. Korea since 2010, 'knew' of Sony link – secret document: New information appeared that the NSA was hacking into North Korea back in 2010. As it turns out, the White House could not have accused Pyongyang of the Sony hacks, had it not been for the spy tools already embedded in the North’s networks.

NSA secretly hijacked existing malware to spy on N. Korea, others: Snowden docs show NSA tapped into S. Korean exploits of N. Korean networks.

Jewish centre bombing: Argentine prosecutor Nisman found dead: An Argentine federal prosecutor who accused President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner last week of a cover-up has been found shot dead at his home in the capital, Buenos Aires.

Meet The 80 People Who Are As Rich As Half The World: Eighty people hold the same amount of wealth as the world’s 3.6 billion poorest people, according to an analysis just released from Oxfam. The report from the global anti-poverty organization finds that since 2009, the wealth of those 80 richest has doubled in nominal terms — while the wealth of the poorest 50 percent of the world’s population has fallen.

Agency will confiscate infant if entire family doesn’t get flu shots: This is the dilemma that foster parent Jamie Smith is currently facing. The Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is giving the Tacoma family until February to comply with the mandated regimen of influenza vaccines — imposed on every member of the family — or else they will lose their youngest child

New York family left homeless after police rip down walls to serve DWI warrant: A family has been left homeless after law enforcement agencies destroyed their entire house in the process of serving a warrant for a man for driving while intoxicated.

January 18, 2015

It Looks Like An Execution
Charlie Hebdo: Report from Europe

By Paul Craig Roberts

The culpability of the Western media in lies, death, and destruction is extreme. Continue

Reflections on the Recent Paris Massacre and Zionism

By Uri Avnery

The three Muslim men who committed the outrages in Paris certainly did Binyamin Netanyahu a great favor. Continue

Current “Anti-Semitism” in Europe Result of Netanyahu Government Policies?

By Anthony Bellchambers

Current, dangerous anti-Semitism in Europe could be ameliorated, and eventually nullified, if the Netanyahu government were to dismantle its illegal settlements and repatriate its citizens back to Israel in accordance with the judgement of the International Court. Continue

Netanyahoo Responds To Nasrallah Speech With Big Escalation

By Moon Of Alabama

Three days ago the leader of the Lebanese Hizbullah, Hassan Nasrallah, warned Israel against "stupid moves" Continue

Neocons: The ‘Anti-Realists’

By Robert Parry

America’s neocons, who wield great power inside the U.S. government and media, endanger the planet by concocting strategies inside their heads that ignore real-world consequences. Thus, their “regime changes” have unleashed ancient hatreds and spread chaos across the globe. Continue

Princeton Study: U.S. No Longer An Actual Democracy

By Brendan James

Rich, well-connected individuals on the political scene now steer the direction of the country, regardless of or even against the will of the majority of voters. Continue

More Than Half of US Public School Students Live In Poverty, Report Finds

By Jana Kasperkevic

In 2012, out of 35 economically developed countries, only Romania had a higher child poverty rate than the US. Continue

The Importance of Being Angry

By Robert J. Burrowes

Anger is a vitally important evolutionary gift and without it we are perpetual victims. Continue

Human Nature - “Toxic Culture”

By Dr. Gabor Maté

Why Does Our Culture Makes Us So Unhappy, Miserable And Alienated From Ourselves And Others. Continue

Plane crash kills 35 Syrian soldiers: activists: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the plane crashed after hitting electricity lines in heavy fog in Idlib province, a claim echoed by Syrian state media. But Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front claimed on Twitter that it had shot down the aircraft.

Israeli Attack Kills Hezbollah Fighters in Syria: An Israeli strike in southern Syria on Sunday killed the son of a slain top Hezbollah commander and four other fighters from the Lebanese Shiite militant group, which has been fighting alongside Syrian government forces, an official said.

Israel attack in Syria kills Mughniyeh's son, 6 others: An Israeli helicopter strike on Syria's Golan Heights Sunday killed the son of slain Hezbollah top commander Imad Mughniyeh and 6 other fighters, a Lebanese security source told The Daily Star.

Israeli Attack on Lebanese Army Outpost Leaves 3 Soldiers Asphyxiated; Three Lebanese soldiers suffered temporary asphyxiation on Sunday after the Israeli army fired a smoke bomb at a Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) outpost near the border town of Ayta al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported.

War criminal: John McCain leads US delegation of senators on tour to train Syrian rebels: A delegation of senators led by John McCain have met separately with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman and the emir of Qatar, as part of a regional tour focused on training Syrian rebels. As they met, hundreds of civilians fled rebel-held areas near Damascus that had been blockaded for over a year.

21 IS militants killed in clashes in Iraq: Iraqi security forces killed 21 Islamic State (IS) militants in security operations in Salahuddin and Anbar provinces, defence ministry said Saturday.

Three persons killed in bomb attacks N. Baghdad - police: Three persons were killed in rockets' attack and a bomb explosion northern Baghdad on Sunday, a police source said.

'Wave of Islamisation' sweeping Western Europe, Benjamin Netanyahu says: Benjamin Netanyahu risked opening a new rift with European leaders on Sunday by announcing plans to boost trade with Asia because Western Europe, its main partner, was experiencing "a wave of Islamisation, anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism".

Current “Anti-Semitism” in Europe Result of Netanyahu Government Policies?: Current, dangerous anti-Semitism in Europe could be ameliorated, and eventually nullified, if the Netanyahu government were to dismantle its illegal settlements and repatriate its citizens back to Israel in accordance with the judgement of the International Court

Israel pushes ICC funding cut in response to Palestinian suit: Following the Palestinian bid to have Israeli officials convicted on war crimes charges, Jerusalem now seeks international support in defunding the tribunal. Liberman says International Criminal Court is a ‘political body, represents no one'; Canadian FM deplores ‘deeply regrettable’ probe of alleged Israeli war crimes

Palestinians hurl eggs at Canadian foreign minister's convoy: Dozens of Palestinian protesters hurled eggs and shoes at the convoy of the visiting Canadian foreign minister Sunday in a show of defiance toward Canada's perceived pro-Israel stance.

CNN's Jim Clancy resigns after anti-Israel tweets: Anchor leaves Cable News Network after 34 years following controversial Twitter debate with pro-Israel activists over terror attack on Charlie Hebdo.

Afghanistan: 10 Taliban Militants Killed, 4 Wounded by Afghan Forces: Afghan security forces killed 10 Taliban militants during an operation supported by local citizens in the Northern part of the country.

Afghanistan » Helmand suicide attack left 4 killed, 10 injured: Afghan Police at crime sceneA suicide Attack targeting a convoy of Afghan security forces in southern Helmand province has left four killed and 10 injured behind.

5 killed as deadly suicide blast hits Nigerian town; A suicide bomber has killed five people and wounded dozens in Potiskum in the third such attack to hit the town in northeastern Nigeria this month.

Boko Haram kidnaps at least 60 in deadly Cameroon attack: Boko Haram fighters from Nigeria on Sunday kidnapped at least 60 people during a new attack in northern Cameroon in which some people were killed, police said.

Morocco Crushed Dissent Using a U.S. Interrogation Site, Rights Advocates Say: “They told me that I was in a slaughterhouse and that I was going to leave in small pieces.”

Libyan government army declares ceasefire: Libya's internationally recognised government has declared a ceasefire, with UN-brokered peace talks set to resume in Geneva next week. Sunday's announcement by the Tobruk-based government, operating out if the east of the country, came two days after rival factions agreed to a truce.

Shelling kills two children in eastern Ukraine: defense ministry: A seven-year-old child and a sixteen-year-old teenager were killed when a missile struck a house in the town of Vuhlehirsk in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian defense ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Ukrainian troops say they retake most of Donetsk airport from rebels: Ukrainian troops launched a "mass operation" overnight, retaking almost all the territory of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine lost to separatists in recent weeks

Poroshenko rejected peace proposal made by Putin, Putin's spokesman says: Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko rejected a peace plan proposed to him last week by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday evening, according to Russian media.

U.S., UK agree sanctions to remain on Russia: Obama: U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed to keep sanctions on Russia until it stops its aggression in Ukraine, Obama told a press conference on Friday.

Russia Abandons Petrodollar by Opening Reserve Fund: The Kremlin announced it will open its $88 billion sovereign wealth fund and flip it for rubles. The plan will see Russia convert as much as $8 billion to rubles (~500 billion) over a two-month span and place them in deposits for banks

Moody’s downgrades Russia’s govt bond rating to Baa3: Moody's Investors Service has downgraded Russia's government bond rating to Baa3/Prime 3 (P-3) from Baa2/Prime 2 (P-2), Moody’s said. The rating was also placed on review for further downgrade.

France: Muslim Man Stabbed 17 Times in Racist Attack: Mohamad al-Maquli, 47, was stabbed 17 times in front of his wife, after a neighbour entered his house shouting “I am your god, I am your Islam,” reported the Observatory against Islamophobia from the French Council of Muslim Cult

Belgium deploys troops after 'terror' threat: Up to 300 soldiers to help police protect key government and Jewish sites in Brussels and Antwerp.

Belgium seeks extradition of Greece detainee: Belgium is asking Greece to extradite one of the suspects arrested there over a possible link with the alleged Islamist plot against Belgian police, prosecutors say.

Charlie-divided? Poll shows over 40% of French oppose Mohammed cartoons: Forty-two percent of respondents see Mohammed cartoons as offensive and fifty percent say they back "limitations on free speech online and on social networks,"

French Far-Right Blames Western Intelligence for Paris Attack: “The shooting at Charlie Hebdo resembles a secret service operation but we have no proof of that,” the newspaper quoted Mr Le Pen as saying. “I don’t think it was organized by the French authorities but they permitted this crime to be committed. That, for the moment, is just a supposition.”

German PEGIDA group cancels anti-Islam rally over death threats to leader: The Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA) movement has been holding protests every Monday in the eastern German city of Dresden since October. The rallies, which initially gathered no more than 500 people, hit a record attendance of 25,000 last week.

'Go home & take Obama': Rival crowds at anti-Islamophobia event in Texas: Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the Curtis Culwell Cente reports NBC DFW. The event was titled, “Stand With the Prophet Against Terror and Hate,” and was aimed at disproving negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims in the United States, according to organizers.

UK: 50 die under secret 999 policy : More than 50 patients have died after an NHS trust introduced a secret policy to downgrade 999 calls and not to send ambulances to terminally ill patients.

Survey: 85% of Mexicans Don't Trust President Peña Nieto: According to the survey, 85 percent of Mexicans do not trust their President, who has been embroiled in numerous scandals and corruption allegations during his term.

Shots fired at Delaware home of vice-president Joe Biden: The Secret Service says multiple gunshots were fired from a vehicle near Joe Biden’s Delaware home on Saturday night.

Middle class decline looms over final years of Obama presidency: Barack Obama enters the final two years of his presidency with a blemish on his legacy that looks impossible to erase: the decline of the middle class he has promised to rescue.

These Two States Will Revoke Your License If You Can’t Pay Back Your Student Loans: This type of punishment is essentially creating modern debtors’ prisons for those who simply borrowed money to afford an education.

Parking lot doctor' being asked to surrender his medical licens: His office is a parking lot. His exam room is a car. Now 88-year-old Dr. Carrol Frazier Landrum is being asked to surrender his medical license.

January 17, 2014

Gas Theft and Auschwitz Snub… Russia’s Every Right to End the Insults

By Finian Cunningham

It’s time that there were consequences for such hideous, purblind European arrogance. Continue

3,000 "Moderate Rebels" Defect to ISIS - US Preparing 5,000 More

By Tony Cartalucci

Harbinger of what's to become of US "rebel army" it plans to stand up in spring. Continue

Can Obama Untangle from Syria’s Civil War?

By Gareth Porter

President Obama remains tangled in the demand from Israel, Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies for “regime change” in Damascus. Continue

Assassination Nation

By Ron Jacobs

Imagine living in a town or neighborhood where a serial killer is on the loose. The killer’s primary weapon is a pipe bomb filled with small metal projectiles like BBs and nails. Continue

Guantánamo Diary Exposes Brutality of US Rendition and Torture

By Spencer Ackerman in New York and Ian Cobain in London

How Mohamedou Ould Slahi endured savage beatings, death threats and sexual humiliation. Continue

Prison State America
Inmates Becoming Corporate Slaves In For-profit Facilities

By Chris Hedges

Inmates work eight hours per day for major corporations such as Chevron, Motorola, Nordstrom’s and Target, yet only have the possibility of making up $1.25 an hour. Continue

To Change Everything
Stop Following Orders

By An Anarchist Appeal

The arsenals of all the world’s militaries are the physical manifestation of our willingness to defer to others. If you want to be sure you never contribute to war, genocide, or oppression, the first step is to stop following orders. Continue

Bush Blair Legacy Continues As - 45 ISIL militants killed in Iraq: 45 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants were killed in the western province of Anbar Saturday. Fifteen ISIL militants were killed in the U.S-led international coalition’s airstrikes, which were carried out in coordination with Iraqi security forces, and targeted an ISIL checkpoint in al-Khauza area, according to the Iraqi army’s General Diyaa Kazim Dabous.

18 killed in series of Iraq market bomb attacks: Police said the deadliest attack was when a motorcycle bomb exploded near a line of mobile phone shops in the capital's Shiite district of Sadr City, killing nine and injuring 25 others.

Six dead as Kurds fight Syrian government forces in eastern Syria: monitor: Syrian regime forces battled Kurdish fighters in the eastern city of Hasakeh for the first time Saturday, leaving at least six people dead, a monitoring group said.

Gareth Porter: Local Syria ceasefires: Analysis - The way out of a US policy dead end?: Local ceasefires can be successful, but first the United States must free itself from entangling regional alliances

US Plans to Train 5000 Syrian Militants Despite Europe Attacks: Two of the three suspects in the Charlie Hebdo shooting in France last week had returned from Syria, where they had fought among anti-government rebels

US blasts ICC war crimes probe of Israel as 'tragic irony': The United States joined Israel in condemning the International Criminal Court decision to open a preliminary probe into possible war crimes committed against Palestinians, blasting it as a "tragic irony".

Denied visa by Israel, UN rights expert cancels visit to Palestine: An official visit by a UN expert on violence against women was cancelled Friday after Israeli authorities refused to give her a visa that would allow her to enter Palestine.

There is no pride for Jews in the state of Israel: Furthering his ceaseless campaign to leave no Jewish victim of the Charlie Hebdo tragedy unexploited, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently proclaimed at a birthright “mega event” that “Israel is the only place you can proudly proclaim ‘I am a Jew.’”

CIA asset testifies about Iran mission at CIA leak trial: Jurors on Friday at the leak trial of ex-CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling heard Merlin testify for nearly three hours about his life as a CIA asset and his key role in the classified operation to give deliberately flawed nuclear blueprints to Iran.

Gunmen Kidnap Yemeni President's Chief Of Staff : Gunmen kidnapped the chief of staff to Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, and his two guards in capital Sanaa on Saturday, security officials said, according to media reports. Mubarak was also the first choice for the post of prime minister last October, but his nomination was derailed after Houthis opposed the move.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain: UK arms sales trump human rights: In one of the most brazen displays of hypocrisy in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, ministers from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were among those who marched in support of freedom of expression in Paris last week.

Nigeria Suicide Blast Kills Five, Leaves 11 Badly Injured: "It was a suicide bombing. Six people were killed including the bomber and 11 others were injured. We evacuated them to the hospital," Saidu Ahmed Minin, head of operation of the National Emergency Management Agency in Gombe, said.

3 killed as Churches torched in Niger’s anti-Charlie Hebdo protest escalates Police fired tear gas as hundreds of Niger Muslims came out to yet again protest Charlie Hebdo’s satirical cartoons targeting Islam. Several Christian churches have been set on fire by rioting crowds in Niger, as the world sees a second day of rallies.

UN peacekeeper killed in Mali base attack: Chadian soldier killed and five others wounded following gunfire and suicide attack on joint French-UN camp in Kidal.

Battle rages in Libya's southwest desert: Tuareg and Tebu fighters battle for control of Ubari, the nearby Sharara oil field, and lucrative border routes

IS claims bomb attack on Algerian embassy in Libya: Assailants lobbed explosives at Algeria´s embassy in the Libyan capital Saturday, wounding three people, a security official said, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

Afghanistan: 27 insurgents killed in police operations: A statement issued by the ministry on Saturday morning states that the operations were conducted in past 24 hours in Kunar, Ghazni, Herat, Paktika, Paktiya, Kandahar, Balkh, Khost and Helmand provinces.

Five suspected rebels killed in Kashmir gun battle: At least five suspected rebels have been killed by Indian security forces in a eight-hour-long gun fight in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Hundreds flee new fighting in Myanmar's north: Around 800 people flee their homes in Kachin state after government troops launch new offensive against ethnic rebels.

In five days Ukrainian forces lost 2,000 wounded, 25% of equipment, 700 killed and missing: Reinforcements are moving up. The fight for Novotoshkovka is continuing. The militia at the 31st checkpoint is taking significant losses.

Stunning Drone Footage of Donetsk Airport Razed to the Ground: This unique footage was shot by a Ukrainian drone and gives the viewers a aerial view of what little remains of new modern Donetsk International Airport overhauled with a new terminal in 2012.

Threat of debt writedowns hovers over Ukraine: That is, unless international lenders beef up existing loan offers to plug an estimated $15 billion funding gap.

Seven EU countries support lifting sanctions on Russia — source: Austria, Hungary, Italy, Cyprus, Slovakia, France and the Czech Republic support lifting the anti-Russia sanctions

Russia may lift food import ban from Greece if it quits EU - Russian agriculture minister: “If Greece has to leave the European Union, we will build our own relations with it, the food ban will not be applicable to it,” he said.

Fact or fiction: Islamist militants 'plotting to target Germany anti-Islamisation marches': Militants discussed targeting Pegida movement, according to intelligence agencies cited by Der Spiegel

Paris march: TV wide shots reveal a different perspective on world leaders . Critics suggest images show dignitaries 'didn't lead march' after all, but many still speak positively about display of global unity

In France, Prisons Filled With Muslims: About 60 to 70 percent of all inmates in the country's prison system are Muslim, according to Muslim leaders, sociologists and researchers, though Muslims make up only about 12 percent of the country's population.

Panamanian Ex-President Spends $13.5mn in Israeli Spy Devices: During his term (2009-2014), these spy devices, supplied by the Israeli companies 'MLM Protection' and 'NSO Group', remotely collected information from mobile phones, intercepted telephone conversations, checked the contents of emails as well as contact lists.

DEA maintained secret database of Americans' phone calls: The Drug Enforcement Administration formerly maintained a secret database of Americans’ telephone calls to some foreign countries, the Justice Department revealed this week.

Explosive Rates of Mass Incarceration Called Major 'Civil Rights Issue of Our Time': Study shows how tough-on-crime laws 'could be maintained only because of the dual legal system developed from the legacy of racism in the United States'

The Prison State of America - The incarcerated poor have become the nation’s most exploited workers. They are the prototype drones for the corporate totalitarian state.

Aerial Photos Expose the American Prison System’s Staggering Scale: It is estimated that there are now more than 6,000 jails and prisons nationwide. One in 100 American adults is incarcerated, and US taxpayers spend $70 billion each year keeping them behind bars.

Senator Feinstein, husband stands to profit big from government deal: Ever wonder how lowly paid lawmakers leave office filthy rich? Sen. Dianne Feinstein is showing how it’s done.

January 16, 2015

Ruin Is Our Future

By Paul Craig Roberts

Americans need to understand that the only thing exceptional about the US is the ignorance of the population and the stupidity of the government. Continue

The Road To War With Russia
We're not only on it; we've already arrived

By Chris Martenson

The US has been waging economic, financial, trade, political and even kinetic war-by-proxy against Russia.  The only question is why? Continue

Partners in Terror

By Robert C. Koehler

Apparently it’s only terrorism if the killer has an Arabic name. Continue

Paris Is A Warning:
There Is No Insulation From Our Wars

By Seumas Milne

So long as we allow this war to continue indefinitely, the threats will grow. Continue

The Funnies

By Shailja Patel

Rape cartoons are funny if it’s inconceivable to you that you could ever be raped. Continue

What Do They Believe? What Do They Want?
9/11 à la Française: Radical Islamists 2.0

By Andrew Levine

Three centuries ago, God died; enlightened materialist philosophers killed Him. Continue

Lawsuit Says Caltech Provost And Others Ignored Israeli Spying

By Alison Weir

How U.S. taxpayer funded scientific technology is stolen by Israel. Continue

FBI Claim of Disrupted Terror Plot Deserves Much Scrutiny and Skepticism

By Glenn Greenwald and Andrew Fishman

This is pre-emptory prosecution: targeting citizens not for their criminal behavior but for their political views. Continue

CIA on Trial in Virginia for Planting Nuke Evidence in Iran

By David Swanson

Why give Iran flawed plans for a key part of a nuclear weapon? Continue

An “American Psycho”
The Real American Sniper Was A Hate-filled Killer

By Lindy West

Why are simplistic patriots treating him as a hero? Continue

Ocean Life Faces Mass Extinction, Broad Study Says

By Carl Zimmer

Humans are on the verge of causing unprecedented damage to the oceans and the animals living in them. Continue

43 killed, 14 injured in airstrikes, explosions in Iraq; At least 43 people, including 40 militants were killed across the country Friday, security forces said.

Attacks in Iraq kill 17, including 8 in village retaken from IS: An explosion at a booby-trapped house in a village recently retaken from IS militants north of Baghdad, killed 17 people on Friday, officials said.

Once Again, American Weapons-Makers Are Making a Killing in Iraq: Our battle with ISIS lacks goals and direction, but that doesn't mean there isn't a profit to be made.

ISIS kill 17 in Syria to avenge assassinations: activists: Jihadis have executed 17 men in recent days in areas they control in eastern and northern Syria to avenge a string of assassinations targeting their fighters, activists said Friday.

ISIS Gaining Ground in Syria, Despite U.S. Strikes: At least one-third of the country’s territory is now under ISIS influence, with recent gains in rural areas that can serve as a conduit to major cities that the so-called Islamic State hopes to eventually claim as part of its caliphate.

Pentagon to deploy 400 troops to train Syrian mercenaries/rebels: The U.S. military is planning to send more than 400 soldiers to train Syrian rebels to fight Islamic State along with hundreds of U.S. support personnel, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday.

Syrian rebel/mercenary training program could involve 1,000-plus U.S. troops: The program to train moderate Syrian rebels could involve as many as 1,000 U.S. trainers and support personnel, the Pentagon said Friday. If all goes well, trained rebels could be back on the battlefield in Syria by the end of the year.

Obama promises to veto new sanctions on Iran; Obama has sworn to veto any new sanctions imposed on Iran, stating that the likelihood of discussions collapsing will be very high if the US persists with their implementation.

US consulate to arm Palestinian guards in spite of Israeli law: The plan is a breach of a 2011 agreement between the consulate and the Israeli government, which determined that only former IDF combat soldiers hired by the consulate would be allowed to carry weapons.

ICC opens preliminary examination into 'war crimes' in Palestinian territories; That move is a first formal step that openes the door to an ICC investigation that could target possible crimes by both Israel, which is not a member of the court, and Palestinians.

Sweden FM: Israel irritated allies by overreacting to Palestine recognition: 'It is unacceptable how they have been talking about us and everybody else,' Margot Wallstrom said in an interview in daily Dagens Nyheter, adding that Israeli rhetoric had 'crossed all limits.'

Saudi Arabia postpones public flogging of Raif Badawi: The blogger and activist, who founded the now-closed online forum Liberal Saudi Network, was due to receive 50 lashes in public after Friday prayers. Last May he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for "insulting Islam" and disobedience.

US kills 12 people in North, South Waziristan: At least five suspected militants were killed on Thursday in a US drone strike in South Waziristan, taking the death toll to 12.

Pakistan clashes over Charlie Hebdo cartoon: The authorities used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the demonstration, near the French consulate in Karachi. The protest was part of a nationwide rally called by Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party.

At least 11 killed as fierce fighting breaks out in east Ukraine, say officials: A military spokesperson Andriy Lysenko reported six soldiers were killed and 18 were wounded in the past day, adding that a civilian was left dead in a rebel strike on a checkpoint near Fashchivka in the Lugansk region. City officials in Donetsk earlier said four civilians died after shelling sparked a fire at a warehouse there.

Ukraine prepares to join NATO: The Ukrainian armed forces are receiving funds, equipment and training in preparation for eventual NATO membership, Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey told The Anadolu Agency on Monday.

Propaganda alert: Russia could soon run multiple Ukraine-sized operations: U.S. general: Russia is working to develop within a few years the capability to threaten several neighbors at once on the scale of its present operation in Ukraine, a senior American general said.

Ukraine Faces Default Risk as Russia Puts Neighbor on Notice: The economic pressure being applied by Russia is threatening to push Ukraine to the brink of default, putting the burden on the U.S. and its allies to keep the war-ravaged nation afloat.

US to Provide $2 Billion Loan Guarantee to Ukraine: The United States plans to provide up to two billion dollars in loan guarantees to Ukraine this year. The U.S. Treasury Department announced the plan on Tuesday. The move is part of an international assistance package to support Ukraine.

Putin against Soros: Russia going after the EU Billions for Ukraine: Russia could use the EU payments to call in a loan which falls due at the end of January, and which Kiev cannot serve out of its own resources: Moscow could demand prompt payment of a hard three billion dollar loan to Ukraine.

Gazprom to use Turkish route to substitute Europe-bound supply of 63 bcm via Ukraine: Gazprom has notified its European partners about its Turkish Stream gas pipe plans and now their task is to create the necessary gas transport infrastructure from the border of Turkey and Greece, the Gazprom head said.

EU Energy Commissioner 'very surprised' at Russia's decision to cut EU gas supply via Ukraine: EU Energy Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic said he was 'very surprised' after Russia announced it would shift all its gas transit from Ukraine to Turkey, and that EU customers should buy this gas at the border with Greece.

German Energy is Secure as Russia Scraps Ukraine Gas Transit: On Wednesday, the CEO of Russia's energy giant Gazprom Alexei Miller said that the company would send the 63 cubic meters of gas, currently delivered via Ukraine, to the European Union using its newly-mapped Turkish route.

No chance for Putin to be invited to G7 summit, Merkel says: "The annexation of Crimea, which is a blatant violation of the principles of international law, and the events in eastern Ukraine are serious violations of these common values." That was why there was no chance "at this point" that Putin might be invited to the G7 summit in Bavaria in June,

24 ISIS Suspects Arrested Across Europe: The Associated Press reported that beside the arrests in Belgium, another 14 people in total were detained in France and Germany, suspected to be members of ISIS.

Paris attacks: Twelve suspects held overnight: They are being questioned about "possible logistical support", such as weapons or vehicles, they could have given the three gunmen, police say. Police conducted raids in five towns in the Paris region.

Greek Banks Request Emergency Liquidity as Outflows Grow: Two Greek lenders asked to borrow from the nation’s central bank emergency line as deposit outflows already exceed 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion) this month, according to two people with direct knowledge.

Muslims protest weekly's prophet cartoon; 4 killed in Niger; - Muslim anger flared over a French satirical weekly's latest caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, with four people reported killed and dozens injured at a protest Friday in the West African country of Niger, and violent clashes between demonstrators and police in Pakistan, Jordan and Algeria.

Two soldiers killed in Mali militant attack: "Several people from both sides" may have died in the clash between troops and Islamist fighters in the town 470 kilometres (292 miles) north of the capital Bamako, a UN military source told AFP.

Egyptian soldier killed in Sinai: An Egyptian soldier was killed trying to defuse a roadside bomb in the restive Sinai Peninsula on Thursday, security officials said.

Boko Haram: Chad sends troops to help Cameroon; Cameroon says Chad will send a large contingent of troops to help it fight incursions from the Nigeria-based militant Islamist group, Boko Haram. A French-led initiative has called for Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad to contribute 700 troops each to a multinational force against Boko Haram, but no country has taken steps to implement the plan.

Militias announce Libya truce after Geneva accord: The militias have agreed to "a ceasefire on all fronts" in the North African country on condition that "the other parties respect the truce", Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) said in a statement.

Maduro Assures Stability Against Opposition's 'Economic War': The Venezuelan president warned of an “economic coup” waged by the country’s right-wing opposition.

Morales Government Generates Massive Jobs Growth in Bolivia: Bolivian Minister of Labor Daniel Santalla announced Wednesday that Bolivia has generated a half a million jobs in both the private and public sectors since 2006.

CIA Held Detainees at Lithuania Black Site, Investigators Claim: A dossier and briefing submitted to the Lithuanian prosecutor cross references newly obtained flight records with extracts from the US Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA detention and interrogation, which was declassified in December.

Did Gitmo "Suicides" Cover Up Murder? U.S. Sgt. Speaks Out on Deaths & Prison’s Secret CIA Site

How US Prison Officials Rubber-Stamped a CIA Torture Chamber: The CIA's chief interrogator called it "the closest thing he has seen to a dungeon."

CIA Manager Testifies More Than 90 Knew About Covert Mission: Prosecutors have charged ex-CIA case officer Jeffrey Sterling with being the source of leak. They say he told journalist James Risen about the program because he was bitter about his treatment at the agency.

John Brennan Exonerates Himself with Sham Investigation: The outrageous whitewash issued yesterday by the CIA panel John Brennan hand-picked to lead the investigation into his agency’s spying on Senate staffers is being taken seriously by the elite Washington media, which is solemnly reporting that officials have been “cleared” of any “wrongdoing“.

Holder limits seized-asset sharing process that split billions with local, state police; Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Friday barred local and state police from using federal law to seize cash, cars and other property without evidence that a crime occurred.

America's Dirtiest Cops: Cash, Cocaine and Corruption on the Texas Border: How an elite anti-narcotics task force became the most brazen drug thieves on the Texas border

Good Cop Files Lawsuit Against Corrupt Department That Told Him ‘If you snitch, your career is done’: Far from being “a few bad apples,” Detective Joseph Crystal of the Baltimore Police Department says that he was targeted by other officers for trying to root out corruption.

Military police from Guantanamo get training in Worcester to become local police officers: Having just started Monday, the 35 men — who each paid $2,500 to take the class — began training in the ways of community policing. The guardsmen had just returned from their latest deployment to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba overseeing high-profile prisoners at the detention camp there.

BofA Profit Drops 11% as Fixed-Income Trading Revenue Slumps: Bank of America Corp. (BAC), the second-largest U.S. lender, said fourth-quarter profit fell 11 percent as revenue from fixed-income trading declined. The shares fell as much as 3.9 percent, leading bank stocks lower.

2014 warmest year on record: For the third time in a decade, the globe sizzled to the hottest year on record, federal scientists announced Friday.

Scientists issue stark warning as Earth passes into ‘danger zone’: Human activity over the past century and a half has pushed the Earth into critical mode, say scientists. New research published today finds four out of nine 'planetary boundaries' have now been crossed.

British Oil Giant BP to Pay Lesser Fine for Oil Spill: British oil giant BP will pay significantly less then the US$16 billion to US$18 billion in penalties for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill that the U.S. federal government was seeking will be decided upon a trial that will begin on Jan. 20.

January 15, 2015

Russia Cuts Off Ukraine Gas Supply To 6 European Countries

By Tyler Durden

Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian state energy giant Gazprom to cut supplies to and through Ukraine amid accusations, that its neighbor has been siphoning off and stealing Russian gas. Continue

Russia Just Pulled Itself Out Of The Petrodollar

By Tyler Durden's

We await to see which other country will follow Russia out of the Petrodollar next, and what impact that will have not only on the world's reserve currency. Continue

Dying ‘Good Career Move’ For French Hate-mag

By Finian Cunningham

Over the past week, the Charlie Hebdo hate-rag has been transformed by the French authorities into some of kind of heroic standard bearer and model of Western democratic enlightenment. Continue

Charlie Hebdo And The War For Civilisation

By Media Lens

In all the corporate press discussion of the Paris killings, we have found no mention of Nato's bombing of Serbian TV and radio. Continue

Paris Charlie – the Shock Doctrine par Excellence

By Peter Koenig

The war and killing machine that feeds the propaganda machine, driven by the six Zionist-Anglos-Saxon monster media that control 90% of the western information system, shy not from dishing out lie after lie after lie. Continue

CIA Admits to Congress the Agency Uses Mainstream Media to Distribute Disinfo

Video

it’s not hard to see that you shouldn’t readily believe everything you see, hear or read in the “news.” Continue

Down the Plughole
40 Years of Economic Policy in One Chart

By Mike Whitney

If you can’t keep your tycoons in check, you’d might as well throw in the towel and accept a life of indentured servitude. Continue

What Freedom of Speech?

By Andrew P. Napolitano

What’s going on in France, and what might be the future in America, is the government defending the speech with which it agrees and punishing the speech with which it disagrees. Continue

The Changing Face of American Police
From Neighborhood Cops to Robocops:

By John W. Whitehead

Just as we witnessed neighborhood cops being transformed into soldier cops, we’re about to see them shapeshift once again, this time into robocops. Continue 

23 killed as ISIL launches fierce attacks across Iraq: At least 23, including 16 Peshmerga soldiers, killed in ISIL assault in restive provinces of Nineveh and Diyala.

13 killed in anti IS strikes, bomb attacks in Iraq: At least 13 people were killed in Iraq Thursday in bomb attacks and strikes by the US—led coalition against the Sunni radical group Islamic State (IS), a security source said.

Iraq: U.S.-led coalition’s support ‘not convincing’; “Until now our feeling is that the international support is not convincing,” Jabouri told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. “We might see participation here or there, but it is not enough for the tough situation we are passing through.”

Isis fighter 'killed in Syria' days after release of propaganda 'execution' video featuring child: An Isis fighter who appeared in a propaganda video purporting to show a young boy executing two men presented as “Russian spies”, has reportedly been killed in the Syrian city of Kobane.

Six Canadian Extremists Fighting For Islamic State Get Killed In Syria; Canadian extremists are apparently having a tough time while fighting in the Middle East. According to reports, six Canadians fighting in Syria have been killed in the past two months.

Truce reached in besieged Syrian district: Food aid enters al-Waer, the last rebel-held area in Homs, after rebels and government agree to 10-day ceasefire.

Hezbollah chief threatens Israel over Syria strikes: In TV interview, Hassan Nasrallah says Hezbollah, Syrian and Iran capable, ready to respond to Israeli attacks at 'any time'

Turkish premier equates Israel's Netanyahu to Paris attackers: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday compared Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to the Islamist militants who killed 17 people in Paris last week, saying both had committed crimes against humanity.

UN calls on Israel to ‘immediately’ resume tax revenue transfer to Palestinians: Earlier Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the Arab League during a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo to give him $100 million a month as a safety net to cover the withheld tax revenues.

Hamas official: Abbas part of the blockade on Gaza: - Palestinian MP Fathi Hammad said Wednesday that the unity government and President Mahmoud Abbas are part of the siege on Gaza and an obstacle for reconstruction of the war-torn territory.

Hamas officials reactivate separate parliament in Gaza: The convening of the session, which was attended exclusively by Hamas legislators, represents a major eruption of tensions within the Palestinian coalition government and presents yet another hurdle for officials trying to hold the agreement together.

Israel says Swedish foreign minister not welcome: Israel said Thursday that Sweden’s foreign minister was not welcome for an official visit in the country, with relations strained over Stockholm’s recognition of Palestine.

Saudi Arabia publicly beheads a woman in Mecca: “I did not kill, I did not kill,” she is heard to shout repeatedly. Basim then screamed as a sword-wielding man struck her neck. Second and third blows completed the beheading and authorities swiftly removed her body from the road moments later.

5 Yemeni detainees released from Guantanamo Bay despite GOP resistance: Five detainees were released from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, this week, as the Obama administration continued transferring captives to other countries despite Republican resistance.

“Nigerian military killed 42 insurgents, arrested 5 in Biu”: Forty-two insurgents, including 15 Chadians, were killed when the military repelled insurgents in Biu, Borno, on Tuesday, Mike Omeri, Coordinator, National Information Centre, said on Thursday.

Images show Boko Haram’s massive destruction in Baga, Nigeria: Satellite images released by Amnesty International show the scale of what it says is Boko Haram’s biggest and most destructive assault yet.

US kills at least five suspected militants in Pakistan: Pakistan often protests that U.S. drone strikes infringe its national sovereignty. But many Pakistanis suspect their government and military give at least tacit approval for the attacks

Deaths reported in Belgium 'anti-terror raid': Two people killed in police raid in the eastern town of Verviers, according to local media.
Related

2 recent returnees from Syria killed in Belgium anti-terror raid: Belgian officials said they believed the two men, and another who was arrested, were part of 'operational cell'

Charlie Hebdo founder says murdered editor ‘overdid’ provocative cartoons: A founder of Charlie Hebdo has condemned the murdered editor Stephane Charbonnier of “dragging the team” to their deaths by overdoing the satirical magazine’s provocative cartoons.

Fighting intensifies at Ukraine airport, two soldiers killed: Fighting intensified around the international airport in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Thursday as pro-Russian separatists stepped up efforts to dislodge government forces and Ukraine's military said two of its soldiers had been killed.

‘People Starving’ in Eastern Ukraine as Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds: Vulnerable people living in east Ukraine are in serious danger of starving if normal government services aren’t restored by the government in Kiev. In November 2014 the decision was made to stop social benefits being sent to east meaning, elderly Ukranians in the region are no longer receiving their pensions.

Russia to dispatch 12th humanitarian convoy to eastern Ukraine The column of trucks will deliver foodstuffs and medicines to Donetsk and Luhansk, Russian Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said

Ukraine to Conscript 40,000 New Troops: These troops are set to be armed with around US$475 million in new arms. In mid-December, U.S. President Barack Obama pledged US$350 million in military equipment, including arms, to Kiev.

Gazprom warns EU to link to Turkey pipeline or lose Russian gas: Russia's Gazprom giant on Wednesday urged the European Union to link up to its planned energy pipeline to Turkey or lose the gas that now transits Ukraine. "the Turkish Stream is the only route along which 63 billion cubic metres of Russian gas can be supplied, which at present transit Ukraine. There are no other options," he said.

Mogherini suggests détente with Russia: European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has suggested EU states could re-engage with Russia on global diplomacy, trade and other issues in return for gradual steps to defuse the crisis over Ukraine.

Maduro and Putin Agree Action on Oil Prices - Updated: “We have spoken with President Putin to broaden investment and participation of Russian companies … We have agreed the widening of investment (including) in the fields of oil exploration between Venezuela and Russia,” said Maduro.

US House votes to block Obama migrant plan: His executive order aimed at providing temporary relief from deportation to four million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States.

FBI arrests 20-year-old Ohio man for allegedly plotting ISIS-inspired bombing of U.S. Capitol : Christopher Lee Cornell was arrested for allegedly planning to bomb the Capitol in Washington and shoot people as they ran outside. Authorities said he posted messages online supporting ISIS and discussed his eagerness to attack the Capitol with an undercover FBI informant.

Dad Accuses FBI of Setting Up 'Mommy's Boy' Son in Bomb Plot: The father of an Ohio man arrested Wednesday for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on the U.S. Capitol says his son is not a terrorist and was set up by the FBI.

FBI Thwarts Terror Plot on Capitol (That They Planned); The FBI is at it again. Creating fake terror plots to justify their existence. And this plot hits on all the themes one would expect from a good fake terror plot.

San Francisco Buses Running Islamophobic Ads; Once again, an anti-Islam organization has bought ads on San Francisco buses, this time comparing Islam to Nazis.

"It's Carnage" - Swiss Franc Soars Most Ever After SNB Abandons EURCHF Floor; Macro Hedge Funds Crushed: Over two decades ago, George Soros took on the Bank of England, and won. Just before lunch local time, the Swiss National Bank took on virtually every single macro hedge fund, the vast majority of which were short the Swiss Franc and crushed them

U.S. Stocks Drop as Banks, Oil Decline; Swiss Franc Gains: Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America joined JPMorgan Chase & Co. in reporting the worst combined quarterly trading revenue since 2011

Is Keystone Still Viable Amid Low Oil Prices?; “Right now with oil prices down and a glut of oil on the global marketplace, the answer is no, we don’t need Keystone right now,” Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at the Price Futures Group in Chicago, told a reporter from the San Luis Obispo Tribune last week.

The US Retail Industry is Collapsing: Here’s Why You’re in Trouble: Shopping malls across America are going to look a whole lot emptier soon. An exodus of giant retailers is beginning with the announcement of hundreds of store closures and thousands of people newly unemployed.

9-Year-Old Boy Who Stole Gum Was Arrested and Jailed—The Streets Are Safe Again

Parents investigated for neglect after letting kids walk home alone: It was a one-mile walk home from a Silver Spring park on Georgia Avenue on a Saturday afternoon. But what the parents saw as a moment of independence for their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, they say authorities viewed much differently.

 January 14, 2015

The Charlie Hebdo Story Simply Doesn’t Wash

By Paul Craig Roberts

The attack on Charlie Hebdo serves to cow France and place France back under Washington’s thumb. Continue

Was The CIA Behind Paris Attack?

By Soraya Sepahpour Ulrich and Press TV

New information has almost confirmed that Paris attack was a false flag operation carried out by the CIA. Continue 

What Hebdo Execution Video Really Shows

By Jonathan Cook

I am well aware that I’m stepping into a hornet’s nest by posting this video, which is going viral. Continue

“I Am Charlie and I Guard the Master’s House”

By Nadine El-Enany and Sarah Keenan

How neat for the French state to be able to spin the Charlie Hebdo killings into a fairytale in which it plays the role of the knight on horseback riding onto the scene to rescue western civilisation from barbarity. Continue

France Arrests a Comedian For His Facebook Comments,
Showing the Sham of the West’s “Free Speech” Celebration

By Glenn Greenwald

The vast bulk of the stirring “free speech” tributes over the last week have been little more than an attempt to protect and venerate speech that degrades disfavored groups while rendering off-limits speech that does the same to favored groups. Continue

“Je suis Ali Abbas”:
The Forgotten Victims of State Terrorism

By Dr. David Halpin

This act of terrorism on this family went unreported.  Ali’s terrible injuries were presented as an accident of war. Continue

Letter to a Young Army Ranger (From an Old One)
Why the War on Terror Shouldn’t Be Your Battle

By Rory Fanning

Here’s an interesting fact that you might consider, if spreading freedom and democracy around the world was on your mind. Continue

The New Ukraine Is Run by Rogues, Sexpots, Warlords, Lunatics and Oligarchs

By Mikhail Klikushin

Will the Ukrainian political class turn away from the U.S. and the West if the generosity of the U.S. taxpayers does not match the nebulous expectations of the reformers in the Ukrainian government? Continue

Crime and CIA Embarrassments

By Ray McGovern

Powerful people want to spare ex-CIA Director David Petraeus indictment for leaking secrets to a mistress. Continue

Lonesome Yanks
Postcards from the End of America

By Linh Dinh

FaceBook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and the rest are no more than means for the masses to report themselves, minutely and in real time, to the authorities. Continue

The Research Is In
Regulations Alone Won’t Save Us From Climate Disaster

By Wenonah Hauter

Policies encouraging fossil fuel development and production are bankrupt. The only responsible path forward is to keep coal, oil and natural gas underground. Continue

Syrian troops kill 40 rebels in clashes in southern province: 15 militants of "takfiri and terrorist groups" were killed when the Syrian troops targeted their positions in the strategic town of Sheikh Miskin in the southern province of Daraa, said SANA, adding that the troops also destroyed a weapon depot and vehicles outfitted with machineguns there.

14 IS rebels killed in Syria: The IS terrorists were killed in the towns of Ashara and Swaidan in Deir al-Zour on Tuesday, Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

IS Releases Shocking New Video of Young Boy Executing Alleged Russian Spies: The video begins with TV-style interviews with both men, who claim they are spies against the militant group and are working in Syria and Turkey. They also confess to attempting to infiltrate the jihadi group.

Syria refugees: UN warns over camps in Jordan : Two-thirds of refugees across Jordan, it says, are now living below the national poverty line, while one in six refugee households is in abject poverty, with less than $40 (£26; €34) for each person every month.

Syrian opposition groups will lose out by missing talks: Russia: The refusal of prominent opposition figures to attend the Jan. 26-29 meeting, intended to bring together representatives of President Bashar al-Assad and some Syrian opposition groups, has dealt a blow to Russian efforts to find a solution to the Syrian conflict.

Up to 5,000 European fighters in Syria pose risk: Europol: The head of Europe's police organization Europol said on Tuesday the continent was facing its greatest security threat in more than a decade, with as many as 5,000 Europeans who have joined fighting in Syria posing a risk to their homelands.

Who are Europe's jihadis? Check your assumptions.: The threat of European jihadis returning home from fighting in the Middle East has been thrust back into the spotlight after last week's attacks in Paris. Your assumptions about who they are may be wrong.

36 IS militants killed in clashes, airstrikes across Iraq; In Iraq's province of Anbar, US-led coalition warplanes pounded a school building used as IS headquarters, leaving 13 militants killed and six others wounded along with four vehicles destroyed, a security source told Xinhua.

Iraq authorities find 16 bodies in mass grave: Iraqi authorities say a mass grave containing the bodies of 16 men, each shot in the head, has been found northeast of Baghdad in an area once controlled by the Islamic State group.

Anbari tribes declare ISIL their 'common enemy'; The Anbar tribal council on Tuesday (January 13th) held a tribal conference in Ramadi attended by the tribes of Fallujah, Ramadi and the Upper Euphrates along with government officials, security and military commanders.

France sends Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier for anti-ISIS op in Iraq: In a speech onboard the aircraft carrier on Wednesday, Hollande told military personnel that that the Charlie Hebdo massacre carried out by Islamic extremists last week “justifies the presence of our aircraft carrier.”

Israeli foreign minister calls Erdogan "anti-Semitic bully": Israel's foreign minister called Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan an "anti-Semitic bully" in a meeting with Israeli ambassadors on Wednesday and said Europe was being cowardly in not taking him on.

Nigeria; 41 suspected insurgents killed as military foils attack in Borno: The military in a coordinated intelligence sharing on terrorist’s activities in North East have foiled attacks on Biu and Azare towns in the early hours of Wednesday, leaving 41 suspected insurgents killed in Biu and Azare area of Borno State.

Five Militants of an IS-Linked Group Killed in Egypt; Five militants belonging to an Islamic State-linked local jihadist group were killed today in army raids in Egypt's restive North Sinai governorate. The militants were killed in cities of Al-Arish, Sheikh Zwayed and Rafah, army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohamed Samir said.

UN hosts 'last chance' Libya peace talks: The United Nations gathered Libya's rival factions for talks in Geneva Wednesday, amid warnings they could be the last chance to halt intensifying fighting for the country's main cities and oil wealth.

Al-Qaeda in Yemen claims responsibility for ‘vengeance’ attack on Paris newspaper; Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen expanded Wednesday on its claim of responsibility for last week’s massacre at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, calling it a “blessed battle of Paris” carried out as revenge for publishing images of the prophet Muhammed.

Al-Qaeda gains ground in Yemen as country descends into civil war: The Islamist group is receiving support from Sunni tribes, and offering a sanctuary for Western jihadists such as the Kouachi brothers, who visited in 2011

French comedian arrested after Charlie Hebdo gag: Prosecutors launched Monday an inquiry on potential charges of glorifying terrorism against Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, who has already faced accusations of anti-Semitism and has mocked the killing of U.S. reporter James Foley by Islamic State militants.

Dozens Arrested in France for Verbally Supporting Terrorism: At least 54 people were arrested in France for “defending” or “glorifying” terrorism after deadly attacks in Paris by French Jihhadis left 17 people dead last week.

50+ anti-Muslim attacks across France in Charlie Hebdo aftermath : Video report: France is suffering a wave of hate attacks against Muslims in the wake of last week's Islamic extremist attacks in and around Paris. Monitors of Islamophobia are reporting scores of incidents.

Imagine if we used renewable energy to build a safer world: What if instead of investing in the arms industry, the government backed renewable energy? Every year the UK spends over £37 billion on the military. What if that money was used to promote social and environmental justice instead?,

Former Iguala Mayor Charged in Case of Missing Mexican Students: The former mayor of the Mexican city where the 43 Ayotzinapa teachers training college students were disappeared in September has been charged with kidnapping, the Attorney General's Office (PGR) announced Tuesday evening.

Economic Death Spiral: More American Businesses Dying Than Starting: In a stunning Tuesday report, Gallup CEO and Chairman Jim Clifton revealed that “for the first time in 35 years, American business deaths now outnumber business births.”

Food Stamp Beneficiaries Exceed 46,000,000 for 38 Straight Months; In October 2014, the latest month reported, there were 46,674,364 Americans on food stamps. Food stamp recipients have exceeded 46 million since September 2011.

US retail sales weak, cast a cloud on consumer spending: December's surprise decline could temper expectations that consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, accelerated sharply in the fourth quarter.

January 13, 2015

"Boots On The Ground"?
Obama To Seek Authorization For Military Force Against ISIS

By Tyler Durden

Senator John Cornyn said President Obama told congressional leaders during meeting today at White House he would seek authorization for military force on Islamic State. Continue

The Unmourned:
Another Mass Killing by the Peace Prize Prez

By Chris Floyd

News arrives today of yet another clutch of unimportant, unmournable deaths at the hands of extremist violence. Continue

China’s Global Political Shift

By F. William Engdahl

China will transform our world over the next decade. Continue

Peculiarities of Russian National Character

By Dmitry Orlov

Russia has just offered the EU a deal. Why freeze yourselves out when we can all freeze out Washington instead? Continue

Were Gitmo Murders Covered Up As Suicides?

Video

Army Staff Sergeant Joseph Hickman, came to believe that three men were murdered in a secret CIA black site at Guantanamo. Continue

What Would It Be Like If We Really Lived In A Democracy?

By Arthur D. Robbins

What is usually called democracy is in fact an oligarchy of elected representatives responsible to the business interests who bankrolled their campaign. Continue

Don’t Believe What You Hear About The US Economy

By Dean Baker

Just about everything we’ve heard about the economy is wrong. Continue

Social Justice Quiz 2015:
How Much Do You Know about Inequality?

By Bill Quigley

In 1990, twenty percent of all children in the US lived in poverty. What percent of the children in the US live in poverty today? Continue

143 Boko Haram militants killed as Cameroon repels army base raid: The attack on the Cameroonian military base at Kolofata came as Nigeria said the number of people who lost their lives in an assault by Boko Haram on the town of Baga last week was no more than 150.

Nigeria’s President Prefers to See No Evil, Speak No Evil: You’d expect Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to condemn the carnage inside his country, particularly after he called last week’s massacre at a French satirical newspaper a “dastardly terrorist attack.” But you’d be wrong: Jonathan has yet to acknowledge that any of the Boko Haram attacks even took place.

Suicide attack kills 3 Libyan soldiers, injures 4 W. Benghazi; Three Libyan soldiers were killed and four seriously wounded in a suicide attack on a roadside checkpoint west of Benghazi in eastern Libya, an army commander said on Tuesday. The checkpoint, set by a battalion of special forces and shock troops, was targeted during a routine inspection as the attacker detonated an explosive-laden car.

Egypt’s Mubarak may be freed after court ruling: If released, the deposed president will still likely remain in a military hospital for security reasons

Iraq: Bomber Kills 12 North of Baghdad: A suicide car bomb killed 12 Shiite militiamen and Iraqi soldiers on Monday in a town north of Baghdad, the Iraqi authorities said, setting off a battle between security forces and fighters with the extremist Islamic State group.

Four killed, 18 injured in northern Iraq: Four fighters were killed and 18 others wounded from the pro-government Shiite militia al-Hashd al-Shaabi in suicide attacks and mortar strikes on Monday in Samarra, northern Iraq, a security source has said.

Obama to Offer Proposal for War on Islamic State, Senators Say; President Barack Obama told congressional leaders he will propose terms for a measure authorizing U.S. military force against Islamic State, two top Republicans said following a White House meeting today.

France extends airstrikes in Iraq on Islamic State; France’s lower house of Parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved extending French airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq.

8 IS militants killed in northern Syria: At least eight members of the Islamic State (IS) militant group were killed on Tuesday in clashes with Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

US-led airstrikes kill three civilians in Syria: According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group based in Britain, one of the strikes killed three civilians working at an oil facility near the town of Mayadin, in Deir al-Zor province.

Syria denies nuclear allegations, weapons experts skeptical too: Nuclear weapons experts have expressed doubts about the report, since the site, which is visible on Google Earth, is not all that secret, the Christian Science Monitor said Sunday.

Living among Gaza's dead; Families living in squalor inside Gaza City's el-Sheikh Shaban cemetery are calling for international intervention.

New sanctions could torpedo Iran nuclear deal: ; It is still possible to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, but new U.S. congressional sanctions could seriously undermine prospects for an agreement and end up isolating Washington instead of Tehran, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations said on Monday.

Ukraine : Shell hits bus 'killing 10' in Buhas: A statement said the incident happened at a government checkpoint in Buhas, about 35km (22 miles) south-west of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk. Donetsk regional officials blamed pro-Russian rebels but a report said rebel leaders had denied it.

Ukraine’s Effort to Cut Russian-Gas Reliance Sees Explorers Exit :Analysis - Chevron pulled out of an agreement to explore the Oleska field in western Ukraine. The economy is expected to shrink 6 percent this year, according to Moody’s Investors Service, after tumbling 7.5 percent in 2014.

America's Going to Lose the Oil Price War: : Analysis - The price is now approaching a level where U.S. production will begin shutting down.

EU Considers Improved Russia Ties -- Update: The European Union could significantly scale back sanctions and resume discussions with Russia on issues from visa-free travel, cooperation with the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union and the crisis in Libya, Syria and Iraq if Russia moves to end the crisis in eastern Ukraine, according to an EU discussion paper.

Russia to step up combat capabilities in Crimea; - Russia's top general said on Tuesday he would beef up combat capabilities this year in Crimea, the Arctic and the country's westernmost Kaliningrad region that borders two NATO states.

China and Russia to launch new credit rating agency in 2015: ?The new Universal Credit Rating Group (UCRG) is being set up to rival the existing agencies Moody's, S&P and Fitch, and its first rating will be issued this year.

Pakistan: Militants storm checkpost, kill 7 Pak soldiers: At least seven soldiers of Frontier Corps (FC) were killed and one injured when a group of militants stormed a checkpost in the Mekhtar area of the troubled Loralai district of Balochistan province on Monday.

John Kerry: Pakistan must fight militant groups that threaten Indian, US interests: Pakistan must fight militant groups that threaten Afghan, Indian and US interests, US secretary of state John Kerry said on Tuesday as he voiced sympathy for the victims of the December 16 attack on a Pakistani military school.

Afghan policeman kills commander, district governor: An Afghan policeman shot and killed his commanding officer and a district governor in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, officials said on Tuesday, in an attack claimed by Taliban insurgents, who said the policeman had defected to their movement.

Police: Up to 6 Paris terror suspects may still be at large: As many as six members of a terrorist cell involved in the Paris attacks may still be at large, including a man who was seen driving a car registered to the widow of one of the gunmen, police officials said Monday.

Turkish President's Stunning Outburst: The French Are Behind The Charlie Hebdo Massacre; Mossad Blamed

Jimmy Carter blames Paris attacks on Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Muslim frustration over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the factors that led to the attacks on satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in Paris last week, former US President Jimmy Carter told Jon Stewart on the Daily Show on Monday.

Je suis Bibi! Netanyahu brings Likud to Paris: Even before Netanyahu gave his show on the sidewalks of Paris, his party demonstrated a new record in thickheadedness when it published on its Facebook page a post proclaiming solidarity with the Jews of France, with the symbol of the Likud at the bottom. A short time later the logo was removed, and only the solidarity remained.

Spitting On Other People’s Prophets Is Not A Western Value: In a BBC interview following the Charlie Hebdo Massacre, Jewish Chronicle writer David Aaronovitch advised those who do not approve of ‘freedom of speech’ to ‘move to Pakistan.’ It is not surprising to find a Zionist Jew advocating voluntary cleansing; after all, expulsion is a Jewish nationalist favourite adventure

Here is the cover of Charlie Hebdo's next issue: French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo is set to release its first issue since last week’s attack on Wednesday. Three million copies will be printed in 16 languages, AFP reports.

Europe's answer to France terror 'attack on free speech' is greater Internet censorship: About half of Europe's member states are pushing for greater online censorship powers in the wake of the terror attacks in France earlier this month.

Paris attacks renew Australia debate: The attack on satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo reignites the debate over Australia's race-hate laws, which prohibit certain forms of speech.

Complaint against John Howard to the International Criminal Court: Australia’s former Prime Minister John Howard has been accused of war crimes before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Tony Blair questioned by MPs about IRA fugitives ('on the runs'): Politics Live blog

Mexico protesters try to enter base: Relatives of the 43 Mexican students who went missing on 26 September in Guerrero state clash with police as they try to enter an army base.

Shouts of 'torture' disrupt Senate session; Capitol Police arrested 11 people for interrupting Senate proceedings on Monday after they screamed chants against U.S. interrogation techniques, according to the agency's Public Information Officer Shennell Antrobus.

Tear gas, pepper spray disperse crowds of Ohio football fans; US police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse students and college football fans who flooded the streets of Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, following the Buckeyes’ National Championship win.

January 12, 2015

Charlie Hebdo and the Hypocrisy of Pencils

By Corey Oakley

What but cruel mockery is the contention that Western “civilisation” fights its wars with the pen and not the sword? Continue

March of the Hypocrites

By Justin Raimondo

Those marchers will soon be cheering their soldiers as they go marching off to war, with "Je suis Charlie" inscribed on their banners. Continue

A Message From the Dispossessed

By Chris Hedges

The cartoons of the Prophet in the Paris-based satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo are offensive and juvenile. None of them are funny. And they expose a grotesque double standard when it comes to Muslims. Continue

West 'Ignoring' Nigerian Attacks:

By The BBC

The Catholic Archbishop of Jos, in central Nigeria, accuses the West of ignoring the threat posed by the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram. Continue

Reflections From Paris
Who is Marching Anywhere to Honor Those Killed in Baga?

By John V. Whitbeck

Western, Christian and Jewish lives are infinitely more valuable and important than non-Western, non-Christian and non-Jewish lives. Continue

The Biggest Threat to French Free Speech Isn’t Terrorism. It’s The Government

By Jonathan Turley

The murders at Charlie Hebdo, while tragic, aren’t the problem. Continue

Paris Attacks & Press Freedom
Governments ‘Fundamentally Do Not Believe in Democracy’

Video

Norman Soloman, says part of the role of governments is to deceive, and no one should be surprised. Continue.

Over 70 IS militants killed in clashes in northern Iraq: More than 70 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Sunday in fierce clashes with joint Iraqi and Kurdish security forces backed by U.S.-led coalition aircraft, a security source said.

Suicide bombing kills 12 people in Iraq: A suicide car bomb killed 12 Shiite militiamen and Iraqi soldiers Monday in a town north of Baghdad, authorities said, sparking a battle between security forces and fighters with the extremist Islamic State group.

Iran Eclipses US as Iraq's Ally in Fight Against Militants: In the eyes of most Iraqis, their country's best ally in the war against the Islamic State group is not the United States and the coalition air campaign against the militants. It's Iran, which is credited with stopping the extremists' march on Baghdad.

US killed 50 Civilians In Syria: The civilians were being held in a makeshift jail in the town of Al Bab, close to the Turkish border, when the aircraft struck on the evening of Dec. 28, the witnesses said. The building, called the Al Saraya, a government center, was leveled in the airstrike. It was days before civil defense workers could dig out the victims’ bodies.

CENTCOM's Twitter Hacked By ISIS?: Central Command has been hacked by ISIS, according to messages posted on CentCom's Twitter page

Boko Haram attacks Cameroon military base; Nigeria's armed group launches assault in northwest Cameroonian city of Kolofata, forcing many to flee, police say.

Boko Haram's 'deadliest massacre': 2,000 feared dead in Nigeria: Amnesty International calls the killings ‘a disturbing and bloody escalation’ and a local defence group says its fighters have given up trying to count the bodies

West 'ignoring' Nigerian attacks: The Catholic Archbishop of Jos, in central Nigeria, accuses the West of ignoring the threat posed by the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram.

UN: Muslims ethnically cleansed in CAR: UN report says Christian militias engaged in ethnic cleansing of Muslims in ongoing Central African Republic civil war.

Isil group in Libya claims mass kidnap of Christians: Libyan jihadists who have sworn allegiance to Isil post pictures online of captured Egyptian Copts

24 militants killed in fresh operations: Afghan gov't; Two dozen Taliban militants have been killed and 48 others detained as Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) pressed ahead with offensives in restive provinces, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

Joint Chiefs chairman distances himself from Obama promise on Afghanistan; The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff doesn’t entirely share his boss’s unbridled optimism about the future of Afghanistan.

Gunmen attack Pakistani troops in southwest, killing 7: Abdul Haleem says the attack took place early Monday in the mountainous Mekhtar region in Lorali district.

China; Six attackers killed in new Xinjiang violence: Chinese police shot and killed six would-be bombers Monday in the latest violence to strike the restive far northwestern region of Xinjiang, a local government spokesman and official website said.

Five civilians killed as clashes continue in east Ukraine: At least five people have been killed in fresh fighting between forces loyal to the Ukrainian government and the pro-Russian forces in the eastern Luhansk region. Two children are among the dead while another eight-year-old child is in critical condition due to the fighting on Sunday.

Intense Ukraine shelling traps hundreds of miners; Intense fighting erupted around east Ukraine’s main rebel-held city on Sunday wrecked a power station and briefly trapped more than 300 coal miners in one of Europe’s largest mines.

Ukraine ex-leader Yanukovych wanted by Interpol: Interpol has placed deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on its wanted list, almost one year after he fled to neighbouring Russia.

What They’re Not Telling You About Monsanto’s Role in Ukraine: Will This be a Takeover of Ukraine's Farmland?

Chechen leader blasts Europe over double standards on terrorism; The unprecedented public response to the Charlie Hebdo shootings in France could be organized by those who want to stir anti-Islamic sentiment and distract people from other problems, claims the leader of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov.

Hollande asked Netanyahu not to attend Paris memorial march: French President Francois Hollande conveyed a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend asking him not to come to Paris to take part in the march against terror on Sunday, according to an Israeli source who was privy to the contacts between the Elysees Palace and the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem

Erdogan blasts Netanyahu for 'daring' to attend Paris rally: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday blasted Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu for "daring" to attend the weekend's anti-terror solidarity march in Paris, accusing him of leading "state terrorism" against the Palestinians.

Israel moves quickly to exploit Paris attacks; As people in the Gaza ghetto continue to die of cold as a direct consequence of the destruction and ongoing siege, one observer in Gaza, Dima Eleiwa, had a wry explanation for why the leaders embracing Netanyahu have kept silent about their ordeal: "We're not French enough."

Meanwhile, Gideon Levy receives a death threat: A menacing letter mailed to Haaretz shows that it's not only Islamic extremists who seek to blunt press freedom with violence.

10,000 troops deployed as France hunts for accomplices: France is deploying 10,000 troops around the country and sending almost 5,000 police to protect Jewish sites as it searches for possible accomplices to the attackers who killed 17 people last week.

Paris attacker seen in ISIL allegiance video; A video has emerged of one of the armed men carrying out the Paris attacks pledging allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Paris attacks suspect entered Syria on Jan 8: Turkish minister: The suspected female accomplice of Islamist militants behind attacks in Paris was in Turkey five days before the killings and crossed into Syria on Jan. 8, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was cited as saying on Monday by state-run Anatolian news agency.

Charlie Hebdo’s new edition to have Muhammad cartoons: “We will not give up, otherwise all of this will not have any sense,” Charlie Hebdo’s lawyer, Richard Malka, said in an interview to France Info radio. “The spirit of Charlie is the right to blasphemy," he added.

German minister urges anti-Islam rally to be canceled: The German justice minister has called the organizers of the anti-Islamization PEGIDA rally to cancel their planned Monday demonstration, out of respect for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo shootings and the three days of terror in Paris.

Germany Wants To Confiscate ID Cards Of Suspected Jihadists: Germany plans to seize the personal identity cards of would-be jihadists for up to three years - twice as long as originally planned - in order to prevent them from joining militants in the Middle East, according to a draft law.

Self-Defense Groups in Mexico Turn on Government: Angered by the police killings of their colleges in a neighboring municipality, members of a self-defense group in the southern-state of Michocan are “thirsty for justice,” according to a report by the AFP news agency published Sunday. “The people are hurt and they hate (the government),” one unnamed commander of the self-defense groups told AFP.

Saudi Prince Warns "We Will Not See $100 Oil Again", Calls Anti-Russia Conspiracy "Baloney": The prince of the Saudi royal family said that while he disagrees with the government on most aspects, he agreed with their decision on keeping production where it is, adding that "if supply stays where it is, and demand remains weak, you better believe it is gonna go down more

Price of Oil Against U.S. Drillers: If there ever was doubt about the strategy of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, its wealthiest members are putting that issue to rest.

January 11, 2015

NATO Trips on Own Lies with U-Turn on ‘Russian Aggressor’

By Finian Cunningham

According to NATO, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is on a revanchist revamp of the Soviet Empire, casting a sinister spectre over the entire continent. Continue

Charlie Hebdo: Paris Terror Can Be Traced Back to Algeria in 1954

By Robert Fisk

Algeria is the post-colonial wound that still bleeds in France. Continue

Truly Massive Display of Hypocrisy by Western Leaders

By Michael S. Rozeff

These are despicable people who are so low that they use the Paris attacks to jump on a moral white horse and act as if they are pure and defenders of their citizens. Hypocrites. Continue

Noam Chomsky on Charlie Hebdo
We Are All - Fill in the Blank

By Noam Chomsky

Terrorism is not terrorism when a much more severe terrorist attack is carried out by those who are Righteous by virtue of their power. Continue

An Orgy of Democratic Hypocrisy
“Free Speech” in the Aftermath of the Attack on Charlie Hebdo

By David North

Charlie Hebdo has facilitated the growth of a form of politicized anti-Muslim sentiment that bears a disturbing resemblance to the politicized anti-Semitism that emerged as a mass movement in France in the 1890s. Continue

We Must Love as Passionately as They Hate

By Russell Brand

How can any spiritual scripture be used as justification for mass murder? Continue

Here Lies My Brother

Video

A short film produced by DCI-Palestine, attempts to provide a glimpse beyond the headlines to see the impact prolonged military occupation has on Palestinian families. Continue

Is This Country Crazy?
Inquiring Minds Elsewhere Want to Know

By Ann Jones

It’s past time to wake up, America, and look around. There’s another world out here. Continue

The Police Threat Is Too High

By Paul Craig Roberts

More US citizens were murdered by the police than US soldiers were killed in the war On Iraq. Continue

My Predictions for 2015
All Liberties In America Today Are Under Siege

By Ron Paul

If Americans were honest with themselves they would acknowledge that the Republic is no more. We now live in a police state. Continue

Official: Islamic State group battle in Iraq kills 30 Kurds; The battle for the town of Gwer demonstrates the Islamic State group's ability to still launch offensives in Iraq, despite a monthslong campaign of airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition. And while an alliance of Iraqi troops, Kurdish fighters and Sunni and Shiitte militiamen have made some gains, their advance remains tenuous at best.

Car bombs claim 16 lives in Syria’s Aleppo: At least 16 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by two car bombs targeting al-Nusra militant and Kurdish fighters in Syria's northwestern province of Aleppo, a UK-based Syria opposition group says.
 

Lebanon: Twin suicide bomb attacks kills 9 : Cafe Omran, a popular hangout for the residents of Jabal Mohsen, was packed on Saturday night when a suicide bomber walked in and blew himself up at approximately 7:30pm. A second bomber was said to have detonated at the entrance.

Crowds attend funerals of seven people killed in Lebanon attack: Video -

Islamic State carried out Lebanon cafe attack - minister: A double suicide attack that killed eight people at a cafe in the Lebanese city of Tripoli was carried out by the Islamic State group, the interior minister said on Sunday, contradicting a claim of responsibility by the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

13 people killed in clashes in eastern Libya: Five soldiers and eight militants were killed on Saturday in clashes between the Libyan army and militant groups in eastern city of Darna, said a military officia

7 killed as suicide bomber targets Pakistan mosque: A suicide bomber has struck a Shia mosque in Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi, killing seven people and wounding several others, police have said.

Video purports to show ex-Pakistani Taliban pledge to Islamic State: An online video purports to show former militants of the Pakistani Taliban pledge allegiance to the Islamic State group and behead a man they identify as a soldier.

Afghanistan: 8 Taliban Killed in Nangarhar Drone Strike: At least eight Taliban insurgents were killed and four others were wounded in a NATO drone strike in eastern Nangarhar on Sunday, local officials said.

Ukrainian serviceman killed, 8 others injured in Donbas: At least one Ukrainian serviceman has been killed and eight others have been injured in the latest gun battles with pro-Russia forces in the country’s eastern region of Donbas over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s military spokesman says.

Ceasfire violated 51 times by Ukraine in 24 hrs: Donetsk officials: We have registered 51 shelling attacks, launched by the Ukrainian military over the past 24 hours, targeting the Kyivsky, Kuibyshevsky and Petrovsky districts of Donetsk," said a ministry spokesman on Sunday.

Paris attacker seen in ISIL allegiance video: Video emerges of Amedy Coulibaly, who seized hostages in kosher store, defending deadly attacks on Charlie Hebdo.

Both brothers behind Paris attack had weapons training in Yemen - sources: "They met (al Qaeda preacher) Anwar al-Awlaki and then they were trained for three days in the deserts of Marib on how to fire a gun. They returned to Oman and they left Oman on Aug. 15, 2011 to go back to France."

Pledging allegiance to ISIS: Paris hostage taker Coulibaly jihad video emerges: A video of Amedy Coulibaly, who murdered a policewoman and killed four hostages in a Parisian kosher supermarket, has emerged online. He swears his allegiance to the Islamic State in the clip and attempts to justify the wave of terror attacks.

France: Terrorist sleeper cells activated: French law enforcement officers have been told to erase their social media presence and to carry their weapons at all times because terror sleeper cells have been activated over the last 24 hours in the country, a French police source who attended a briefing Saturday told CNN Terror Analyst Samuel Laurent.

Over 40 world leaders, up to 1,000,000 rally in Paris against extremism; Video - Hundreds of thousands are marching through Paris in solidarity with the 17 victims of the attack at Charlie Hebdo, and the atrocities that followed in three days of terror. Over 40 world leaders joined the “cry for freedom” rally.

SAS rushed in to guard our streets as Al Qaeda warns 'you're next': The elite Special Forces have joined counter-terror police and 1,900 Army personnel in the biggest security operation since the 2012 London Olympics.

Al-Qaeda plotting massacre in Britain, say MI5: Al-Qaeda is plotting mass attacks on civilians in Britain and other Western countries, the head of the UK secret service MI5 warned.

In Britain, Spy Chief Calls for More Power for Agency: Britain’s domestic intelligence chief has demanded greater authority for spies to help fight the threat of Islamist extremism, a sign that the attack on a satirical newspaper in Paris is likely to sharpen the security-versus-privacy debate in Western countries.

German newspaper attacked 'over cartoons': Daily tabloid Hamburger Morgenpost targeted in arson attack after reprinting French magazine Charlie Hebdo cartoons.

Dianne Feinstein: Terrorist sleeper cells are in the U.S: A key senator said Sunday she believes there are terrorist sleeper cells in the U.S. that could carry out attacks similar to the ones in France that left 17 people dead last week.

Venezuela's Maduro in Saudi for talks: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in OPEC's leading oil producer Saudi Arabia for talks Sunday, officials said, after he visited Iran to discuss the impact of plummeting crude prices.

Uruguay's Mujica Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is with Whopping Donations: Uruguay's outgoing President Mujica is known world-wide for his generosity and humble lifestyle, but his revelation Friday that he donated US$550,000 over during his five years as president will still come as a shock to many who are unused to politicians practicising what they preach.

Haiti protesters clash with police in anti-Martelly march: Protesters in Haiti have clashed with police in a demonstration calling for the resignation of President Michel Martelly over long-delayed elections.

January 10, 2015

Who Ordered The Attack Against Charlie Hebdo?

By Thierry Meyssan

Thierry Meyssan points out that the jihadist interpretation is impossible. While it would be tempting for him to see it as an Al Qaeda or Daesh operation, he envisages another, much more dangerous hypothesis. Continue

Who Profits From Killing Charlie?

By Pepe Escobar

Islamofascism peddlers are already having a field day/week/month/year. For simpletons/trolls/hordes exhibiting an IQ worthy of sub-zoology, when in doubt, demonize Islam. Continue

The West is Manufacturing Muslim Monsters
Who Should be Blamed for Muslim Terrorism?

By Andre Vltchek

In the last five decades, around 10 million Muslims have been murdered because their countries did not serve the Empire, or did not serve it full-heartedly, or just were in the way. Continue

The Farce of Western Free Speech

By Finian Cunningham

A French satirical publication may have been allowed to denigrate Islam, but it would never be allowed to condemn Zionism and all its provable criminality. Continue

In Solidarity With a Free Press: Some More Blasphemous Cartoons

By Glenn Greenwald

To comport with this new principle for how one shows solidarity with free speech rights and a vibrant free press, we’re publishing some blasphemous and otherwise offensive cartoons about religion and their adherents: Continue

Unmournable Bodies

By Teju Cole

Western societies are not, even now, the paradise of skepticism and rationalism that they believe themselves to be. Continue

Paris Shooting Suspects Under French Radar for YEARS

By Tony Cartalucci

Determining the degree to which this attack was influenced or engineered by Western intelligence agencies will be difficult to establish. Continue

Will France Repeat US Mistakes after 9/11?

By Ray McGovern

All the American public gets is the boilerplate about how al-Qaeda evildoers are perverting a religion and exploiting impressionable young men. Continue

This Was Dick Cheney’s Coup:
Why America’s Torture “Reform” Is A Total Sham

By Marcy Wheeler

The White House let the CIA run wild, but insulated George Bush. And Democrats are letting them get away with it. Continue

Russia and China: The Dawning of a New Monetary System?

By Peter Koenig

China, leading member of the BRICS, is lining up the bloc of the BRICS and that of the SCO – and their currencies – to support Russia in need. Continue

The December 2014 Payroll Jobs Report

By Paul Craig Roberts

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that a quarter of a million new jobs were created in December. Continue

Iraq: 30 ISIL, four Peshmerga killed in clashes; At least 30 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants and four Iraqi Peshmerga fighters were killed in clashes in northern Iraq Saturday, a Peshmerga source said.

23 Kurdish soldiers killed in IS attack: The military forces of Iraqi Kurdistan were targeted in two different vehicle explosions in areas around the Sinjar Mountains southeast of the city of Nineveh in northern Iraq, Al Jazeera reported on Saturday.

Two bombings kill 8 people in Iraq: Police officials say a bomb exploded Saturday at a wholesale market in Baghdad's western district of Baiyaa, killing five people and wounding 11 others.

Tony Abbott confirms Australian Special Forces are training and assisting elite Iraqi security service accused of 'major war crimes': They have admitted to executing prisoners on the spot

Lebanon: At least 7 killed in Tripoli suicide bombing: A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded café in the Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen Saturday evening killing at least seven people and wounding 20, a security source told The Daily Star.

At least 25 people were killed, as Syria loyalists repel Al-Qaeda attack on Shiite villages: The villages of Nubol and Zahraa in war-battered Aleppo province had been under siege by Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's Syria branch, and other Islamist rebels for a year and a half.

Fact or fiction? Intelligence shows Assad ‘building nuclear plant’: report: Citing information made available by unidentified intelligence sources, Spiegel said the plant was in an inaccessible mountain region in the west of the war-ravaged country, 2 kms from the Lebanese border. It is deep underground, near the town of Qusair and has access to electricity and water supplies

Saudi blogger Badawi 'flogged for Islam insult': Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail, was flogged 50 times. The flogging will be carried out weekly, campaigners say.

Suicide bomber kills 6 at Pakistan mosque: A suicide bomber has struck a Shia mosque in Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi, killing seven people and wounding several others, police have said.

6 Killed in US Drone Strike in Afghanistan, Main Victims Civilians:" A US-led assassination drone strike killed at least 6 people in Afghanistan’s Eastern province of Nangarhar.

Taliban 'reject offer of Afghan government posts': The offer came from new President Ashraf Ghani in a bid to end the insurgency that threatens the recovery of the country.

‘2,000 people killed in Nigeria’: Boko Haram’s latest attack deadliest in history, Amnesty says: Amnesty International has quoted some sources that say the town has been razed, with as many as 2,000 people killed. If true, that would mark a “disturbing and bloody escalation of Boko Haram’s ongoing onslaught against the civilian population,” Eyre added.

19 killed, 18 injured in Nigeria market blast: police: A suicide bomb attack by a young girl thought to be as young as 10 in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri killed 19 people, police said on Saturday.

6 People Killed in Libya's Benghazi: At least six people have been killed while 20 others have been wounded in clashes that took place in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, local sources told Al Jazeera.

Missing Tunisian journalists executed, IS group confirms: The Libyan branch of the Islamic State group claimed late Thursday night to have executed two Tunisian journalists who went missing in September, in an online statement that sparked outrage in Tunis.

Six killed in clashes in eastern Ukraine: Four Ukrainian soldiers and two civilians have been killed in an upsurge in mortar and rocket attacks launched just days ahead of planned international talks on the crisis.

Gorbachev issues new warning of nuclear war over Ukraine: Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has warned that the crisis in Ukraine could lead to a major war, or even a nuclear war. In an interview with a German magazine, he criticized both Russia and the West.

Thank You Western Taxpayer: Russia To Accelerate $3bn Of Ukraine Debt: According to Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov, "Russia has the right to demand early return of this loan." With European aid 'contingent on major reforms' and possibly taking up to 1 year, this leaves the good old IMF (i.e. the US and European taxpayer) to bridge Ukraine's 'gap'

Al Qaeda Source: AQAP Directed Paris Attack: The target was in France in particular because of its obvious role in the war on Islam and oppressed nations.

Britain's MI5 chief warns al Qaeda in Syria planning mass attacks on West: Al Qaeda militants in Syria are plotting attacks to inflict mass casualties in the West, possibly against transport systems or "iconic targets", the head of Britain's MI5 Security Service said on Thursday.

Female accomplice of islamists in Paris attacks left France-source: The suspected female accomplice of Islamists behind attacks in Paris left France last week and traveled to Syria via Turkey, a source familiar with the situation said on Saturday.

Hezbollah chief says terrorists damage Islam more than cartoons: The leader of the Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah said on Friday that Islamist terrorists had done more harm to Islam than any cartoon or book, a reference to the attack by suspected Islamist militants on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

Hamas condemns Charlie Hebdo attack; A statement in French said Hamas "condemns the attack against Charlie Hebdo magazine and insists on the fact that differences of opinion and thought cannot justify murder."

Two arrested in Australia anti-terror raids: Two men were arrested in Sydney during counter-terrorism raids part of long-running investigations into those backing fighters in conflicts in Syria and Iraq, officials said Saturday.

Prosecutors recommend charges against ex-CIA chief Petraeus: Justice Department prosecutors and the FBI are recommending felony charges against former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus for allegedly sharing classified information with a mistress when he headed the intelligence agency, the New York Times reports.

James Bamford interviews Edward Snowden on Cyber Warfare: The United States doesn’t limit itself to countering terrorist threats, countering nuclear proliferation. It’s also used for economic espionage, for political spying to gain some knowledge of what other countries are doing. And over the last decade, that sort of went too far.

January 08, 2015

I am NOT Charlie

By The Saker

I am disgusted and nauseated by the sick display of collective hypocrisy about the murders in France. Here is why. Continue

Liberal Condemning of Charlie Hebdo Killings Offers Little Civilising Solace

By John Hilley

These killers are no more representative of Islam than the Ku Klux Klan is of Christianity. Continue

We Must Turn Back Before It Is Too Late.

By George Galloway MP

The idea that God, the master of the worlds, the creator of the universes is in need of "revenge" against a small satirical publication in Paris is absurd and makes a mockery of Islam. Continue

There Are None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See

By Philip Giraldi

Obama fancies himself the leader of the “free world” yet he heads a nation that until recently organized black site prisons for torturing suspects and which continues to use armed drones to kill innocent and guilty alike. Continue

Will Netanyahu End Up At The Hague?

By Jonathan Cook

The first test will be whether Abbas’ nerve holds. It will be 60 days before the application to join the ICC takes effect. Continue

As many as 2, 000 people feared killed in Nigeria Attacks: Bodies lay strewn on Baga's streets, amid fears that some 2,000 people had been killed in the raids. Boko Haram fighters burnt down almost the entire town on Wednesday, after over-running a military base on Saturday, Musa Alhaji Bukar said.

Somalia: al-Shabab kills 'CIA and Ethiopian spies': Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab has killed by firing squad four men accused of spying for the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

Turkey urges citizens to ’rapidly’ leave Libya: A Foreign Ministry statement on Wednesday said fighting and air strikes in recent weeks has created instability in the security situation. The travel warning came hours after the ministry's statement condemning a threat by the Libyan army to shoot down any civilian or military aircraft penetrating Libyan airspace.

Bush Blair Legacy Continues As Mass Graves with 320 Bodies Discovered in Iraq: Remains of at least 320 people believed to have been killed by the Islamic State (IS) terrorists were found in five mass graves in Iraq, media reported.

Suicide Attacks Kill 23 in Iraq: Suicide attacks targeting security checkpoints and Shiite worshippers killed 23 people in Iraq on Thursday, officials said.

Six killed, five wounded in Iraq suicide attack: A suicide attacker drove his car into an Iraqi army barricade in Yusufiyah in southern Baghdad. The explosion left six people dead including an officer, three soldiers, a civilian and the bomber.

IS launches assault on Iraqi city: Islamic State militants have attacked Iraqi security forces in the central city of Samarra, killing two people and injuring 28 others, officials say.

Poll: Half of Republicans still believe WMDs found in Iraq: More than half of Republicans — 51 percent — and half of those who watch Fox News — 52 percent — say that they believe it to be “definitely true” or “probably true” that American forces found an active weapons of mass destruction program in Iraq.

Zero killed in Syria combat for first time in 3 years: Nobody was reported killed by fighting in Syria on Wednesday, the first day without casualties in three years, after a fierce winter storm quelled violence, a group that monitors the war said on Thursday.

Syria: over 4,500 killed in December, SOHR: At least 4,538 people were killed in the ongoing conflict in Syria in December, reports the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The casualties included 1,052 civilians, 156 of whom were under age 18.

UN reveals Israeli links with Syrian rebels: Reports by UN observers in the Golan submitted to 15 members of Security Council detail regular contact between IDF officers and armed Syrian opposition figures at the border.

US: Palestine not a state, does not qualify for ICC membership: The US will oppose the Palestinian Authority’s move to join the body, and several others at the United Nations, as technically flawed, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Leading Republican Proposes Stopping US Aid to Palestine: U.S. Republican Senator Rand Paul introduced a bill Wednesday, which proposes to immediately cut Washington's aid to Palestinians, unless they halt their effort to join the International Criminal Court.

20 Militants Killed in Past 24 Hours in Afghanistan: The defense ministry of Afghanistan said in a statement on Thursday that 20 militants were killed in past 24 hours and three soldiers have embraced Shahadat in enemy actions during the same period.

Pakistan: Al Qaeda commander among seven killed in Karachi raid: The raid led to a crossfire between the militants and security forces. Seven terrorists were killed in the gunbattle. Police claimed that all of those killed were members of al Qaeda. The killed commander was identified as Pervaiz.

Policewoman killed in second Paris shooting - while explosion near mosque is linked to Charlie Hebdo attack

Grenades thrown at a mosque in Le Mans, west of Paris - reports: Several training grenades were thrown into the courtyard of a mosque in the French city of Le Mans. One of the grenades exploded, but no injuries were reported.

Charlie Hebdo attack: Suspects 'rob service station': The manager of the service station that was robbed on the RN2 road, in the Aisne region, at about 10:30 (09:30 GMT) said the attackers fit the description of the two men, and were heavily armed with Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

French police converge on small town after Paris attack suspects seen: Amid French media reports the men had abandoned their car, Bruno Fortier, the mayor of neighboring Crépy-en-Valois, said helicopters were circling his town and police and anti-terrorism forces were deploying en masse.

Charlie Hebdo Suspect Surrenders to Police, Claims to Have Alibi: The youngest of the three suspects in the Wednesday terror attack at Charlie Hebdo magazine office in Paris, 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad turned himself in to police claiming he is innocent, French iTele TV Channel said Thursday.

Paris attack suspect Chérif Kouachi had been jailed for terror offences: Chérif Kouachi, 32, was named along with his older brother, 34-year-old Said, by French police on Wednesday night.

Paris Shooters Just Returned from NATO's Proxy War in Syria: Analysis -Shooters were radicalized in Europe, sent to Syria, returned, have been previously arrested by Western security agencies for terrorism and long on the watch-list of French and other Western intelligence agencies. Yet "somehow" they still managed to execute a highly organized attack in the heart of Europe.

Paris shooting ‘product of West’s conflict with ISIS’ – Foreign Sec Hammond: The British Foreign Secretary has blamed the shooting at the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on the West’s intervention in the Middle East, according to a Russian news agency.

Ron Paul On Paris Attack: Bad Foreign Policy “Invites Retaliation”: “It’s that overall policy which invites retaliation, and they see us as intruders.”

The Latest Russian Fighter Jet Blows America's Away: Built to be the deadliest hunter killer aircraft of all time, the F-35 has quite literally become the hunted. In every scenario that the F-35 has been wargamed against Su-30 Flankers, the Russian aircraft have emerged winners.

Beijing to host Latin America delegation in bid to flex muscles on doorstep of US: Beijing forum expected to map road ahead with resource-rich region in traditional US backyard

Coke To Fire 1800, Caterpillar Laying Off 200: Between the two of them, they would fire some 2,000 workers, which is great news for stocks if not for actual employees as there will be even more dry powder for another record quarter of stock buybacks.

Police in the US Kill Citizens at Over 70 Times the Rate of Other First-World Nations: In case you’ve been under a rock lately, it is becoming quite clear that police in the US can and will kill people, even unarmed people, even on video, and do so with impunity.

The U.S. has more jails than colleges. : In many parts of America, particularly the South, there are more people living in prisons than on college campuses. 

January 07, 2015

Blowback In Paris
Armed Terrorists Kill 12 People

By Tony Cartalucci

France, as part of a NATO-led coalition, has been arming, funding, aiding, and otherwise perpetuating Al Qaeda terrorists for years. Continue

War With Isis
The West is Wrong Again in its Fight Against Terror

By Patrick Cockburn

Barack Obama flippantly dismissed the militants as minor-league players last January. Is he any better informed now? Continue

Why the Arab World Fights

By William Pfaff

One is constantly told that history must be consulted in order to understand the present, but in practice that rarely is done with an open mind. Continue

What Do Chinese and Russians Think of the U.S. Military?

By Franz-Stefan Gady

The default answer to that question is simple: They view it as a threat. Continue

2015: Grounds for Optimism

By Dmitry Orlov

The world as a whole (with a few minor exceptions) has become quite lucid on the topic of what the United States, as a global empire, is and stands for. Continue

Time To Move Out
The Problem with Mahmoud Abbas and His Authority

By Ramzy Baroud

The move to join the ICC has little to do with the war crimes in Gaza, and much with Abbas’ growing unimportance among his allies, but also his own people. Continue

Police Now Monitoring and Criminalizing Online Speech

By Glenn Greenwald

“Around 20,000 people in Britain have been investigated in the past three years for comments made online.” Continue

Welcome to the Matrix
Enslaved by Technology and the Internet of Things


By John W. Whitehead

Imagine what a SWAT team could do with the ability to access, monitor and control your internet-connected home—locking you in, turning off the lights, activating alarms, etc. Continue

EU Showdown: Greece Takes on the Vampire Squid

By Ellen Brown

Greece can regain its sovereignty by defaulting on its debt, abandoning the ECB and the euro, and issuing its own national currency (the drachma) through its own central bank. Continue

At least 38 killed as car bomb rips through crowd in Yemeni capital: A police source said on Wednesday that a dozen others were wounded in the explosion that targeted a centre of Houthi fighters near the police academy officers’ club.

At least 31 militants killed in Kobani fighting: At least 31 militants died in firefights and ambushes by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) on Tuesday in the eastern part of Kobane, known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic, the Syrian human rights watchdog tweeted:

Whitewashing murder: US-Led Air Strikes on IS May Have Killed Civilians, Says Pentagon; US Central Command, which is overseeing the air campaign, initially looked into 18 cases and concluded 13 were not credible but five merited further review.

Report reaffirms Syria chemical weapons use: The 117-page report offers the most detailed findings to date regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but does not say which side used them.

Canada will resettle another 10,000 Syrian refugees, minister promises: Another 10,000 Syrian refugees will be resettled in Canada over the next three years, the Conservative government promised Wednesday.

15 soldiers killed in clashes with Islamic State in western Iraq: Some 15 Iraqi soldiers were killed Tuesday in fighting with Islamic State jihadists near the western town of al-Baghdadi, security officials said.

Iranian, general saved Baghdad from falling to IS: Iraq MP: An Iraqi Shiite militia leader and lawmaker has credited Tehran and a powerful Iranian general with saving the Baghdad government during last summer's offensive by Islamic State group militants.

Female suicide bomber attacks Istanbul's tourist heart: - A female suicide bomber on Tuesday killed herself and a Turkish policeman in a strike on the heart of Istanbul's tourist district, the second attack on police to shake city within a week.

Pakistan: 12 alleged militants killed as jets pound North Waziristan: Security forces, backed by helicopter gunships, pounded alleged militant positions in Datta Khel town of North Waziristan, killing a dozen people. Seven vehicles were also destroyed in the shelling, said the statement.

US Kills 10 people in Pakistan: The drone fired four missiles and struck two different militant compounds located close to each other in the Lowara Mandi area of Dattakhel Tehsil.According to sources, 10 alleged militants were killed and five others injured in both the missile strikes.

6 killed in N Afghanistan clash: Six people were killed after armed militants attacked two vehicles of a local firm in northern Afghan province of Baghlan on Wednesday morning, police said.

More than 50 al-Shabaab members killed in north-eastern Somalia: Fifty-four militants of the al-Qaeda-linked group were killed, while 46 others were injured and several other insurgents were captured, according to Ali.

Egypt to expand Gaza buffer zone to up to 2 kilometers: The current zone is being expanded from 500 meters to a kilometer, which means the destruction of some 1,200 homes in Egyptian Rafah

Turkey condemns Libyan threat to shoot down any Turkish plane: A statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the "irresponsible" statement that is in violation of the international law is "absolutely unacceptable."

Shell agrees $84m deal over Niger Delta oil spill: Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to a $84m (£55m) settlement with residents of the Bodo community in the Niger Delta for two oil spills. Lawyers for 15,600 Nigerian fishermen say their clients will receive $3,300 each for losses caused by the spills.

Paris on Terror Alert After 12 Killed in Attack on Satirical Magazine: Two people dressed in black and carrying firearms, including AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles, entered the offices of the magazine on rue Nicolas Appert, shooting at random. At least one shouted “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is great” in Arabic.

Paris shoot-out: Video - Attack against satyrical weekly

Charlie Hebdo attack: Paris gunman used gesture adopted by radical Islamists: The attackers displayed a degree of skill and calmness that comes only from advanced military training

Three soldiers killed as Ukraine marks Orthodox Christmas: One soldier was shot dead by a sniper, while two others died in mortar and small arms attacks near the international airport in the industrial city of Donetsk, military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists.

HRW Calls on Germany to Pressure Ukraine on Civilian Casualties: Human Rights Watch called on Merkel to press Ukrainian authorities for more thorough investigations of several incidents in which Ukrainian troops allegedly caused civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine Suffers Highest Annual Inflation Rate In 14 Years: Ukraine's annual inflation rate reached nearly 25 percent during 2014, the highest rate seen there in 14 years. Ukraine’s State Statistic Service said on January 6 that consumer price inflation soared to 24.9 percent during 2014 compared to 0.5 percent in 2013.

Russia's "Startling" Proposal To Europe: Dump The US, Join The Eurasian Economic Union: Slowly but surely Europe is figuring out that as a result of the western economic and financial blockade of Russian, it is Europe itself that is suffering the most

Brent crude oil price dips below $50 a barrel: It fell more than a dollar to $49.92 a barrel in early trading on Wednesday before edging back above the $50 mark.

Tony Blair 'could face war crimes charges' over Iraq War: Tony Blair could face war crimes charges as a result of the Iraq war inquiry report, the House of Lords has been told.

Headless corpses found in troubled southern Mexico: At least 10 decapitated bodies and 11 heads have been discovered in unmarked graves in violence-plagued Guerrero state in southern Mexico, authorities said.

Mexican Army Kills at Least 9 in Clash in Michoacan: At least nine people were killed Tuesday after the Mexican army clashed with a self-defense group in an attempt to regain the Apatzingan municipal headquarters in the violence-plagued southern state of Michoacan.

Obama backs beleaguered Mexican president: The September 26 massacre in Guerrero—in which police killed six students and another 43 disappeared in the town of Iguala after Mexican cops handed them over to a brutal drug gang—was not even on the agenda of the hour and a half White House meeting

On Day One, the new Congress launches an attack on Social Security: As one of its first orders of business upon convening Tuesday, the Republican House of Representatives approved a rule that will seriously undermine efforts to keep all of Social Security solvent.

Most Americans are one paycheck away from the street: Approximately 62% of Americans have no emergency savings for things such as a $1,000 emergency room visit or a $500 car repair,

January 06, 2015

Oil Price Blowback
Is Putin Creating a New World Order?

By Mike Whitney

Let’s cut to the chase: All these oil shenanigans are really aimed at just one man: Vladimir Putin. Continue

Wobbles in US-EU Axis Against Russia

By Finian Cunningham

Official Europe is coming to its senses about the dangerous course the US is driving. Continue

Time To End the Special UK ‘Military Relationship’ With America?

By John Snow

Is it then so wise to follow the United States so willingly into war? How heroic Prime Minister Harold Wilson now emerges for his refusal to join America’s Vietnam and Cambodian adventures. Continue

The Greatest Trick Obama Ever Pulled Was Convincing The World America Isn't Still At War

By Trevor Timm

As long as the White House doesn’t admit the United States is at war, we’re all supposed to pretend as if that’s true. Continue

Obama Has Killed More People with Drones than Died On 9/11

By Washingtons Blog

Many of those killed were civilians, and only a tiny percentage of the dead were al-Qaeda or Taliban leaders. Continue

US Presidents Are Gods

By David Swanson

Killer flying robots rain hell from the skies worldwide, and neither Congress nor the Washington Post nor the people who lock up governors for taking bribes can even imagine questioning that power, that privilege, that divine right. Continue

The Per Day Cost Of US War Is Absolutely Amazing

By The Young Turks

The cost of US war-making in the 13 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks reached a whopping $1.6 trillion in 2014. Here's a breakdown of where most of that money went. Continue

When Will Palestinians Learn?
Turning To International Law Isn't The Answer

By Robert Fisk

Those with an ounce of human sympathy are sickened at being slandered as anti-Semitic or anti-Zionist (whatever that is) every time they express their outrage at Israel’s cruelty towards the Palestinians. Continue

US Social Surveillance Abuse Puts Civil Liberties in Jeopardy

By Vladimir Platov

The United States has created a global system of cyber espionage that allows the interception and processing of personal data around the globe in violation of fundamental human rights. Continue

Welcome to the National Security State of 2015
A Self-Perpetuating Machine for American Insecurity

By Tom Engelhardt

The national security state enveloped itself in a penumbra of secrecy that left the American people theoretically “safe” and remarkably ignorant of what was being done in their name.  Continue

If Children’s Lives Are Precious, Which Children?

By Derek Summerfield

Are willing to pay the price of extending to all the world’s children the sensibilities we apply to our own. Continue

All Forms of Life Are Sacred

By Chris Hedges

What gives man the right to kill an animal, often torture it, so that he can fill his belly with its flesh. Continue

Bush Blair Legacy Continues As At least 30 Iraqi troops killed in twin 'ISIL attacks': Tuesday's attacks, which security sources said were undertaken by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), targeted an army checkpoint and a mosque on the same day the Iraqi army marked its 94th anniversary.

Bush Blair Legacy Continues As Young Iraqis see suicide as an escape: Analysis: In Iraq the number of suicides, previously a rare phenomenon, has spiked since it was “liberated” by the US-led “coalition of the willing” in 2003.

American aircraft dropped weapons to ISIS, says Iraqi MP: MP Majid al-Ghraoui said that, an American aircraft dropped a load of weapons and equipment into the hands of the ISIS group militants in southeast of Tikrit, located in Salahuddin province.

ISIS Attacks on U.S. Military 'Ineffective,' Officials Say: Senior defense officials confirmed Monday that the al-Assad airbase in Iraq, where U.S. military are training Iraqi security forces, has been pounded almost daily by mortar attacks from ISIS militants, but claimed the attacks have been "completely ineffective."

U.S. Troops Now Under ‘Frequent’ Attack at Iraqi Base: ISIS lobs `sporadic' rounds at base where Americans are training Iraqis

ISIS ‘Releases 2015 Budget Projections’ of $2bn with $250m Surplus: The jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS) has estimated its 2015 budget at $2 billion, allegedly covering costs for wages of fighters and compensation of dead militants’ families, Iraqi religious cleric Sheikh Abu Saad al-Ansari told Qatari news publication Al-Araby on Monday.

Kurdish militants kill 41 IS fighters in Syria: A total of 41 terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) group were killed in clashes with Kurdish militants in a predominantly Kurdish city in northern Syria Tuesday, media reported.

McCain & other top officials accused of illegally visiting Syria: Several senior US and French officials, including US Senator John McCain, entered Syria illegally – without proper visas – on separate occasions, thus violating the country’s sovereignty, Syria said in a complaint submitted to the United Nations.

Kurds 'seize key Kobane district': Syrian Kurds backed by Iraqi Peshmerga forces captured the security district including the police HQ, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

France to announce deployment of carrier group to Gulf region - media: - France is preparing to send a naval carrier group, led by its sole aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, to the Gulf region to take part in the campaign against ISIL, media reports said on Tuesday.

BBC World News report on the addition of Assad's atrocities to the US Holocaust Museum: Once again the Beeb fulfils its role as a selectively outraged reporter.
 

ISIS, Assad, and What the West is Missing About Syria: Op-Ed: Catholic World Report: In the Middle East, apart from the Kurdish peshmerga, the only army with any clout that has taken on ISIS is Assad’s. But Assad must go.

Who is the enemy? U.S., Turkey Agree To Syrian Rebel Training, But Not Whom They’ll Fight: The United States and Turkey have agreed tentatively to start joint training of Syrian rebel fighters in March but have put off the question of defining the enemy – the government of President Bashar Assad or Islamist extremists – the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Report: Erdogan Trying to Hide Evidence of Supporting ISIS: The Arab news website Al-Watan Al-Arabi (Arabic link) quoted Turkish media sources as saying that West’s intention to investigate the relationship between the Turkish regime and the Islamic state organization caused him to have the head of Turkey’s intelligence service, get rid of any evidence that could be used against him in international courts.

3 Saudi guards killed in attack on Iraq border: Two of the assailants were shot dead, while the others detonated explosive belts they were wearing

Saudi Arabia deals with oil markets' development "wisely" - King Abdullah: He said Saudi Arabia was facing unprecedented regional challenges caused by conflicts in neighboring countries, which required vigilance.

Palestine recognizes ICC jurisdiction for period covering Gaza war: International Criminal Court says Palestine formally recognizes jurisdiction to investigate crimes allegedly committed during last summer's Gaza war.

US officials and Israeli president blast withholding of Palestinian tax revenues; Although Washington remains strongly opposed to last week’s signing by Abbas of the Rome Treaty – which governs the international court of last resort - the Department of State issued a statement condemning the decision to freeze the transfer of $127m (£83m) in tax revenues.

EU condemns Israeli move to freeze Palestinian tax transfers: The tax freeze “runs counter to Israel’s obligations,” agreed in 1994 following the Oslo peace accords, European Union foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said.

Power company prepares to cut supply to occupied Palestine: The Israel Electric Corporation CEO Eli Glickman warned Israel's security chiefs in a letter sent Sunday that the company would have to limit electricity to territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority and the Jerusalem District Energy Company

Netanyahu unveils plan for two-party political system: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a plan Monday that would revolutionize the Israeli multi-party political system and change it to one with two main parties like in the United States.

Palestinian gets life in jail for murder of three Israeli teens; An Israeli military court on Tuesday handed three life sentences to a Palestinian militant convicted of organising the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers.

Israeli Attempt to Assassinate Iranian N. Scientist Foiled by Iran: “In the last two years, the Zionist enemy (Israel) was trying hard to assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist, but the timely presence of the IRGC security forces thwarted the terrorist operation,” Deputy Chief Liaison Officer of Flight Guards Corps Colonel Ya’qoub Baqeri told FNA today.

100 killed in Burundi clashes: At least 99 people have been killed in Burundi after clashes broke out last week between an unidentified rebel group and government troops in Cibitoke province, media reported Monday.

20 Shabaab fighters killed in Somalia: At least 20 Al-Shabaab militants and five Somali soldiers were killed on Tuesday in fierce fighting that broke out in Somalia's Galgala Mountains region.

2 killed as Libyan warplane bombs Greek oil tanker: Warplane from internationally recognised government bombs ship at an eastern city controlled by rival fighters.

France 'ready' to bomb rebels on Libya border: French president says he will target armed groups smuggling weapons out of Libya, but rules out unilateral intervention.

Turkish Airlines stops Libya flights: Turkish Airlines, the only foreign airline operating in Libya, suspends flights to Misrata amid the worsening security situation.

Libya bans Palestinians, Syrians and Sudanese from entry: Libya’s official government has banned Palestinians, Syrians and Sudanese from entry because their countries are undermining the oil producing nation’s security, the interior minister said.

Gunmen shoot dead two policemen guarding Egyptian church: Unknown gunmen shot and killed, on Tuesday, two Egyptian policemen guarding a church in southern Egypt, Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website reported.

Egypt police officer killed in Cairo bomb: An Egyptian police officer has been killed while trying to defuse a bomb outside a petrol station in Cairo, police say. Three employees were also wounded when the device, hidden in a flower pot, exploded near a police station on Al-Harram Street.

US charges over Gambia 'coup plot': Two men have been charged in the US with attempting to overthrow The Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh, the justice department says.

UN: Ebola kills 8,153 people in West Africa, infects 20,650: The U.N. health agency says 2,915 deaths have been reported from Sierra Leone, 3,471 in Liberia and 1,767 in Guinea. The current outbreak, which began about a year ago, has also claimed more than dozen lives elsewhere.

Pakistan adopts army courts in 'terror' cases: Parliament approves establishment of military courts to hear terrorism-related cases after school massacre by Taliban.

France seeks end to Russia sanctions over Ukraine: Mr Hollande said Russian President Vladimir Putin "doesn't want to annex eastern Ukraine - he told me that". Germany's vice-chancellor has warned against further sanctions on Russia.

Brent crude oil falls to new five-year low: The fall appeared to have been prompted by Saudi Arabia cutting prices to Europe. At the same time, the kingdom, Opec's largest oil-producing nation, raised them for Asian customers.

Euro plummets as global oil prices collapse: The euro has plunged to a nine-year low against the dollar on worries that a victory in Greece by the far-left Syriza party in the January 25 election will result in the country's departure from the European Union.

EU wants Turkey’s explanation on smuggling of migrants in cargo ships: The European Union wants Turkey to explain how human traffickers could have taken two cargo ships filled with migrants out of the country and towards the EU without the authorities noticing.

Germany Pegida protests: 'Islamisation' rallies denounced: Politicians and celebrities in Germany have joined a media campaign against Pegida, a group protesting against what it sees as the "Islamisation" of Europe.

UK Nursery staff to be forced to report toddlers at risk of becoming terrorists : Critics have dismissed the proposals as being unnecessarily draconian and turning staff, who are meant to be caring for youngsters, into spies.

Ecuadorean President: We Must Respond to the Current Reality: Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa stated Tuesday in Beijing that the Chinese-based Eximbank will grant US$5 billion to finance various development projects throughout the country.

Mexican Journalist May Have Been Disappeared by Authorities: "As part of investigations into the disappearance of Moises Sanchez Cerezo, municipal police from Medellin de Bravo were detained and placed under investigation during the first minutes of today," said a statement by the attorney general.

Obama Has Nothing to Gain by Propping Up Mexico’s Government: If Washington gives the Mexican president a pat on the back, it will be a stab in the back for the Mexican movement for justice and transparency.

World Bank's Corrupt Companies Blacklist Dominated By Canada: Canada has the dubious honour of being home to the largest number of firms on a World Bank blacklist of corrupt companies.

Defiant on Witness Stand, James Rise Says Little; After losing a seven-year legal battle, James Risen, a reporter for The New York Times, reluctantly took the witness stand in federal court here on Monday, but refused to answer any questions that could help the Justice Department identify his confidential sources.

FBI says search warrants not needed to use “stingrays” in public places: Nicknamed "stingrays," the devices are decoy cell towers that capture locations and identities of mobile phone users and can intercept calls and texts.

NYC Mayor Ignores Police Slowdown; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio described a sharp decline in arrests and court summonses in the city as a few "aberrant" days, brushing off reports they were signs of a police work slowdown.

Republicans Take Control of US Congress: Republicans will regain control of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday for the first time in eight years, opening a two-year period of a divided government with a Democrat president and Republicans in control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Big threat for Obama's climate efforts from GOP-run Congress: Obama's efforts to combat global warming face their biggest trial yet as Republicans take full control of Congress this week. The GOP vows to move fast and forcefully to roll back his environmental rules and force his hand on energy development.

US Factory Orders Drop Most YoY In 19 Months: For the 4th month in a row, US Factory Orders have fallen MoM. November's 0.7% drop is worse than the 0.5% decline expected and leads to the biggest yearly drop since March 2013

The Coming Cost of Superbugs: 10 Million Deaths Per Year: If you weren’t taking antibiotic resistance seriously before, now would be a good time to start.