March 08, 2015

The Real Enemy is Hypocrisy
The Enemy is Not Russia or Putin

By John Wight

Vladimir Putin and Russia’s crime is to dare resist this US Empire, taking a stand against the hypocrisy, double standards, and complete lack of respect for other countries, cultures, and values it represents. Continue

An Open Letter to Petro Poroshenko

By Michael Pesek

This is a little history lesson to remind you that the weather in Washington is much more capricious than the continental climate of Eurasia. Continue

Washington and ISIS: The Evidence

By Tim Anderson

What is the broader evidence on Washington's covert links with ISIS? Continue

Iraqi Women: 'Things Were So Much Better Before'

By Hadani Ditmars

Iraqi women benefited from state subsidised childcare and education; they once formed about half the public sector workforce and 50 percent of the country's doctors. Continue

Know the Enemy

By Jon Taylor

A terrorist is someone
who opposes the dictates of imperialism;
an extremist is someone who defends
his country against foreign invasion. Continue

"Who Are We? What Do We Americans Truly Value?"

By Marian Wright Edelman

The United States ranks first in Gross Domestic Product and first in the number of billionaires, and second worst in child poverty rates – ahead only of Romania. Continue

This Changes Everything

By Naomi Klein

Naomi Klein, calls the climate crisis a civilisational wake-up call to alter our economy, our lifestyles, now – before they get changed for us. Continue

40 killed as Kurds battle ISIL over Syria town: The clashes broke out on Saturday after the ISIL militants launched an offensive to take over the strategic town in Hasakah Province from Kurdish forces, leaving 40 casualties on both sides, said the UK-based group, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in a Sunday statement.

Gunmen kill more than 12 Islamic State militants in eastern Syria; - Unidentified gunmen attacked Islamic State militants in the eastern Syrian town of al-Mayadin overnight, killing more than 12, the latest in a series of guerrilla attacks on the ultra-hardline group in areas it controls near the Iraqi border.

US-led strikes kill nine at headquarters of al-Qaida's Syria branch, activists say: Coalition warplanes said to target Nusra Front headquarters in country’s northwest as separate strikes hit Isis in Iraq and Syria

Syrian rebels unveil latest weapon: With a range of almost two miles and four tubes attached to a loader, these are the homemade cannon being built by rebel fighters in Syria.

Sisi to Hariri: political solution is key in Syrian crisis: Both parties shared the same view in regards to the solution of the Syrian crisis, advocating for a political solution. Sisi stressed that the top priority now is to protect the Syrian state without aligning with any party, the presidency said.

Bombings kill 11 people in Iraq: Police officials said the first of Sunday's attacks happened when a car bomb exploded in a parking lot in the town of Mahmoudiya, 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 15 others.

Iraqi Kurds say Canadian soldier killed after order ignored: A Canadian special forces soldier was killed in a friendly fire incident after he and others ignored an order to stay in their car and showed up to the front line unannounced, a spokesman for Iraq's Kurdish forces said Sunday.

A Bloody Disaster: The Iraqi Army’s Fight Against ISIS: Take it from a man who knows: The Iraqi army’s first big attempt to roll back the Islamic State is going to be a violent mess.

DoD: Operations against Islamic State may last years; Top U.S. officials warned that military operations against Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria may last more than three more years and the mission on the Syrian side of the border could eventually expand to involve a no-fly zone or even some American boots on the ground.

Britain to send more troops to Iraq on training mission: Prime Minister David Cameron authorized the deployment of nearly 60 extra army personnel who will train Kursdish forces.

Iraqis living under IS rule fear liberation means reprisals: Mosul resident Mohammed Younis says he had nothing to do with the Islamic State group's capture of his city or its mass killings, beheadings and other atrocities -- but that may not be enough to spare him if the extremists are driven out.

17 people killed in Yemen clashes: Security and local officials say at least 12 people have been killed in violent clashes between al-Qaida militants and Shiite Houthi rebels in the central province of Bayda.

Houthis kill 6 guards of Yemen defense minister: Six guards of resigned Defense Minister Mahmoud al-Subaihi were killed in an ambush by Houthi militants on Sunday as he fled the group’s grip in Sana’a and fled to southern Aden city, reliable sources said.

Saudi Arabia becomes world's biggest arms importer amid regional concerns: Saudi Arabia has become the world's largest arms importer. Spending on arms by Saudi Arabia rose to $6.5 billion, rising 54 percent as compared to last year. The biggest beneficiary of the strong Middle Eastern market continues to be the United States, with $8.4 billion in arms exports in 2014.

Saudi court hands gang-raped woman 200 lashes, 6-month jail term: A Saudi woman who had fallen victim to a violent gang-rape has been sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail after being found guilty of speaking to the media about the crime and indecency.

Netanyahu: Creation of Palestinian state ‘irrelevant’: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the creation of a Palestinian state, a move that he supported in a famous speech at Bar-Ilan University in 2009, was no longer relevant in the current reality in the Middle East.

McConnell postpones Iran vote: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday postponed a vote that had been expected next week on legislation allowing Congress to weigh in on any Iran nuclear deal.

Ex-Mossad chief pans Netanyahu's 'bulls---' speech to Congress: Meir Dagan ridiculed Netanyahu’s assertion that Iran posed a threat to the United States.

Netanyahu govt more 'frightening' than all Israel enemies, ex-Mossad: “I am frightened by our leadership. I am afraid because of the lack of vision and a loss of direction. I am frightened by the hesitation and the stagnation [of Israel’s government]. And I am frightened, above all else, from a crisis in leadership. It is the worst crisis that Israel has seen to this day,” Maj. Gen Dagan told a receptive crowd in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv

Blair accused of seeking $45mn UAE contract while working as peace envoy: Tony Blair is accused of 'relentlessly cashing in on contacts,' earning up $90m from consultancy while working on Israel-Palestine talks

70 suspected militants killed in Sinai over past week: Egypt army: The Egyptian army has killed 70 suspected militants in the Sinai Peninsula over the past week, some of whom were linked to Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, a military spokesperson announced on Sunday.

Rocket attack kills 3 UN base in northern Mali: A peacekeeper died when about 30 rockets struck the base in the desert town of Kidal, said the UN mission. Some rockets missed their target, killing two civilians. It is not clear who carried out the attack. Islamist militants are active in the area.

Nigerian allies launch offensive: Forces from Niger and Chad have launched a ground and air offensive against militant group Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria, officials say. It came as Nigerian officials dismissed Boko Haram's pledge of allegiance to Islamic State as a reaction to military pressure from Nigeria and its allies.

Afghanistan officials sanctioned murder, torture and rape, says report: Top Afghan officials have presided over murders, abduction, and other abuses with the tacit backing of their government and its western allies, Human Rights Watch says in a new report.

Flight MH370: Angry families reject report: The interim report gives no new clues as to what happened to the plane. One relative described it as useless.

EU chief speaks out against arms supplies for Kiev: The European Union's foreign policy chief on Friday came out against a bipartisan call in the United States to provide lethal, defensive weapons to Ukraine in its fight against Russian-backed separatists.

China Vows to Deepen Cooperation with Russia: "The practical cooperation between China and Russia is based on mutual need, it seeks win-win results and has enormous internal impetus and room for expansion," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. Wang added that the two countries expect to increase trade volume to an annual US$100 billion a year in 2015.

Nemtsov murder suspect 'confessed' involvement: Zaur Dadayev signed confession says judge in Moscow court, as four other suspects plead innocent.

Important developments in the Nemtsov murder case: News Analysis - It took the combined efforts of the FSB/SKR/MVD one week to make the first arrests in the case of the murder of Nemtsov: a group of 7 men, all from the North Caucasus were arrested. A sixth man killed himself with a hand grenade in Grozny when he was about to be arrested.

European Commission chief urges ‘joint EU army,’ Germany backs decision: The European Commission chief has called for the creation of an “EU joint army” that would “react credibly” to any external threat and defend the bloc’s “values.” While the UK and France are wary it could undermine NATO, Germany has backed the idea.

Europe to reject Greeks’ ‘tourist taxman’ plan: Athens risks running out of cash this month as troika threatens to withhold vital €7bn lifeline

UN: Torture by Mexican State is Widespread: A report by the U.N. Human Rights Council, set to be released on Monday, states that torture by the Mexican state has become a regular occurrence. The 22-page report by the U.N. Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez was leaked to Mexican weekly magazine, Proceso.

In campaign against terrorism, U.S. enters period of pessimism and gloom: In congressional testimony recently, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. went beyond the usual litany of threats to say that terrorism trend lines were worse “than at any other point in history.”

Former Fox News Host Offers Insider Perspective On O'Reilly's Fabrications: Eric Burns: "No One Expects Much Out Of O'Reilly As A Fox News Host. No One Expects The Truth"

Christian chaplain fired for preaching compassion and love over violence of American Sniper: What was this controversial sermon that Beckum gave? Here’s the full text and below you’ll find an embedded video of the sermon:

US orders 7,700 children deported without court hearings: More than 7,700 immigrant children have been ordered deported over the past 18 months without ever appearing in court, according to statistics released by the federal government recently and reported by the Los Angeles Times Friday.

10 Numbers That Should Probably Scare You!: 48 percent of americans can't immediately scrounge together a measly $400 without borrowing directly or selling something.

International Women’s Day: Not convinced we need it? This will change your mind: A glance at the last seven days of news in the UK sadly proves the case for this annual celebration, argues Radhika Sanghani

March 07, 2015

Berlin Alarmed by Aggressive NATO Stance on Ukraine

By SPIEGEL Staff

Are the Americans trying to thwart European efforts at mediation led by Chancellor Angela Merkel? Sources in the Chancellery have referred to Breedlove's comments as "dangerous propaganda." Continue

Putin is Hitler?

By Peter Hitchens

If there are Nazis in this story , they tend to be on the ‘good’ side must be ignored. Let us hope the hysteria subsides before it carries us into another stupid war. Continue

Iraq Arrests ISIL's US, Israeli Military Advisors in Mosul

By FNA

Iraqi Special Forces said they have arrested several ISIL's foreign military advisors, including American, Israeli and Arab nationals in an operation in Mosul. Continue

US War on ISIS a Trojan Horse

By Ulson Gunnar

ISIS could not be a more effective part of America’s plans to overthrow the Syrian government and destroy the Syrian state if it had an office at the Pentagon. Continue

Netanyahu, the other Israelis and Bobby Burns

By Ralph Nader

Benjamin Netanyahu’s wild diatribe at the joint session of Congress amidst the feral cheers of his congressional yahoos will be remembered as a textbook case of propaganda unhinged from reality. Continue

Netanyahu Speech Was ‘Very Dark Day For American Democracy’ -- Matthews

By Philip Weiss

Why would they [Republicans] salute Iron Dome and vote down Homeland Security. Help me out here.. Continue

The United States of Israel

By Matt Carr

There is no polite way to say this, but Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the most repellent and dangerous politicians in the world today.  Continue

Breaking the Silence about Colombia and Ourselves

By Joe Emersberger

The USA’s human rights record at home is terrible in some important (and quickly worsening) ways, but if one includes its victims beyond its borders then it is indisputably the most dangerous rogue state in the world. Continue

U.S. Standing Alone Against Children

By David Swanson

The United States will soon be the only nation on earth that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Continue

What Was Won In Selma 50 Years Ago Being Lost Today

By Leonard Pitts Jr.

States, responding to a nonexistent surge of election fraud, have rushed to impose onerous new photo ID laws for voters. Continue

Another Dubious Jobs Report

By Paul Craig Roberts

“As of February, the level of full-time employment still was 1.0 million shy of its pre-recession peak.” Continue

150 IS militants slain in Iraqi army strikes: Separately, 13 ISIL Takfiris were killed and two Humvee military vehicles used by the terrorists destroyed when units of Iraqi government forces lobbed missiles at ISIL bases east of Karma on Friday.

32 Daesh militants killed in western Iraq: At least 27 militants were killed in coalition airstrikes that targeted the group’s positions in al-Karma town, around 13 kilometers (9 miles) east of Fallujah, General Major Qasem al-Mohammadi, chief of the Iraqi army’s Anbar military operations, said.

Bloody day in Iraq after multiple attacks rock Baghdad: Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen wearing black outfits broke into homes in Sadr district in eastern Baghdad. They abducted 22 civilians, including four children and three women, police said. Al-Sadr is a Shiite-majority city.

Canadian soldier killed by friendly fire in Iraq: A Canadian soldier has been killed in Iraq and three others injured in a friendly fire incident after they were fired on by Iraqi Kurdish forces.

ISIS hang bodies of dead soldiers at entrance to city they plan to make new HQ: - WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT - The Iraqi city of Hawija is the latest scene of the terrorist's horror as eight lifeless bodies are strung up by their feet

Advancing Iraq troops enter strategic town on edge of Tikrit: It was not immediately clear if the town had entirely fallen. Some officials said the troops were still only in the south and east of the town, which had been rigged with bombs by retreating Islamic State fighters.

Islamic State will be forced out of Tikrit, says top US general: The combined force of Iranian-backed militias and Iraqi government troops is likely to prevail against Islamic State forces in the unfolding battle for Tikrit, America’s top general has said.

Thousands flee Iraqi advance on Tikrit: A military operation to retake the Iraqi city of Tikrit from Islamic State (IS) has caused about 28,000 people to flee their homes, the UN says. Those displaced are headed towards the city of Samarra, the UN said, but many families are stranded at checkpoints

Why the US is sitting out Iraq’s most important assault on ISIL; Analysis: With Iran building influence in Iraq, US faces a strategic dilemma as it tries to support fight against ISIL

Tikrit igniting sectarian war in Iraq: News Analysis - The Americans should realize that they have become part of the region’s repugnant sectarianism, fighting alongside Alawites in Syria and Shiites in Iraq, while negotiating with Shiite Iran on the nuclear issue. All three scenarios are against Sunnis, or at least this is how it seems. The Americans have put themselves in an unprecedented, terrible trap.

Daesh downs two Iraqi military warplanes in Anbar: “Daesh militants downed an Iraqi forces helicopter Friday evening and another jet Saturday morning in al-Karma area,” an Iraqi army captain who preferred not to divulge his name told The Anadolu Agency.

ISIS bulldozed ancient Hatra city in Mosul: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants bulldozed early Saturday the ancient city of Hatra founded 3rd or 2nd BC by the Seleucide Empire, activists and Kurdish media reported.

Some 35 ISIL militants killed in central, NE Syria - reports: Syrian military airstrikes killed 26 ISIL militants, only one of whom is an Arab national, as they were travelling in a vehicle in an eastern town in Hama.

Syrian air strike kills two Islamic State commanders: - The Syrian army has killed two Islamic State commanders in an air strike in central Syria along with at least 24 other members of the ultra-hardline group, a monitoring group said on Saturday.

Turkish Governor Confirms ISIL Commander Being Treated in Local Hospital: An Islamic State commander injured in a bomb attack in northern Syria is being treated in a Turkish hospital in the border province of Antakya. “ His treatment is still underway in Denizli in accordance with the right to receive medical attention, just like a normal citizen,” the statement said.

Palestinian fisherman killed by Israeli occupation force: A Palestinian fisherman was shot dead by Israeli forces Saturday off the coast of the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Palestinian health services said. The 32-year-old died in hospital in Gaza City after he and two other fishermen in the same boat were fired upon by the Israeli navy.

Torture of Palestinian detainees by Shin Bet investigators rises sharply: The Shin Bet is required to report to the court that torture were used, so that the judges will know what weight to give evidence gathered under such means. Defense attorneys are not allowed to make copies of the reports, but only to read them. The documents themselves are kept in a safe.

Israel used “disappearance” of soldier as pretext for killing spree — rights group: It also suggests that Israel deliberately targeted hospitals and places of worship. A total of 61 mosques were completely destroyed and 121 partially destroyed, it says. Seven health facilities were destroyed completely and 27 partially.

Ending security pact with Israel could provide leverage for Abbas: While some say the agreement has helped Mr Abbas suppress the activities of his political rival, Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, the PA has had to shoulder the financial burden of the policing, while also facing the political and ideological backlash of working with Israel.

Three US families fund half of Netanyahu’s re-election bid: “It’s nothing new,” said Benizri, who volunteers with the Likud in the Tel Aviv area. “Why get money from Israel when you can get it from the U.S.?”

The Jewish Billionaire Behind a New Christian Anti-Iran Group: Singer, a director at the Republican Jewish Coalition, is a huge donor to various groups that promote a hawkish line on Iran policy.

Triple bombings kills 51 people in Nigerian town of Maiduguri: At least 51 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in three bombings in the northeastern Nigerian town of Maiduguri. Saturday's triple blasts were the worst attack on the city since suspected Boko Haram fighters failed in their bid to seize it at the end of January.

Boko Haram pledges allegiance to Islamic State, monitoring group SITE says: "We announce our allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims, Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al-Husseini al-Qurashi," said the voice on the message, which was believed to be that of Shekau. Qurashi is better known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the IS group.

Militants attack Libyan oilfield, 11 guards dead: Militant gunmen attacked Libya’s Al Ghani oilfield, killing 11 guards, beheading some of them, before local forces fought back to retake control, an oil security official said.

ISIL tightens grip on Libya's Derna: The Libyan Army, headed by (CIA) General Khalifa Haftar, has edged closer to the small coastal town of Derna, 250km east of Benghazi. It is believed to be preparing for an attack to rid the area of fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Mali bar attack kills five in Bamako: Five people have been killed in a machine-gun and grenade attack on a bar in Mali's capital, Bamako. A masked gunman opened fire at La Terrasse bar, killing a French national.

Egypt carries out first execution in mass trial of Mohamed Morsi supporters: Mahmoud Hassan Ramadan was hanged after being convicted of murder, the interior ministry said, in the first death sentence under the current rule of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Six killed in gunmen attack on Sufi place of worship in Kabul: Attackers with guns fixed with silencers killed six people after storming a Sufi place of worship in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday evening, according to a government statement.

Three Philippine soldiers killed in Abu Sayyaf landmine attack: Islamic extremists in the southern Philippines ambushed a military convoy Wednesday by planting a landmine that killed three soldiers, the latest outbreak of violence as the government cracks down on the militants.

Nemtsov murder: Two held over killing of opposition politician: Anzor Gubashev and Zaur Dadayev, both from the Caucasus region, were detained on Saturday, FSB director Alexander Bortnikov said. Russian investigators said there were suspected of organising and carrying out the murder.

U.S. plan to train Ukraine national guard 'on hold': A U.S. plan to train Ukrainian national guard troops is "on hold" pending implementation of a ceasefire deal between government troops and Russian-backed rebels, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Europe said on Friday.

EU won’t be pushed into confrontation over Ukraine – foreign policy chief: “The European Union today is extremely realistic about developments in Russia. But we will never be trapped or forced or pushed or pulled into a confrontative [sic] attitude,” the EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini told the media on Friday.

Britain Will Supply Military Equipment to Ukraine to Fight 'Russia's Aggression': The equipment, worth £850,000 ($1.3 million), will be gifted to Ukraine in the coming weeks in response to a request from Kiev. The package includes first aid kits, night vision goggles, laptops, helmets and GPS units.

Former German Spy | Ukraine is US revenge to Russia for Syria Video | Eng. Subs

SPIEGEL Interview with Greek Prime Minister Tsipras: 'We Don't Want to Go on Borrowing Forever': In a SPIEGEL interview, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras discusses planned reforms, the polarizing effect his government has had on Europe and the possibility of a "Graccident," Greece's accidental exit from the euro zone.

CIA to be restructured to "cover entire universe": Director: The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is planning to create new units in a series of reorganizations, aiming to "cover the entire universe" amid modern threats and crises, CIA Director John Brennan said Friday.

Ecuador Leaves US-Backed Military Organization: “The exit (by Ecuador) from the IDB completes the nation’s disassociation from all of the bodies of the Inter-American Defense System,” said the statement. In 2009, Ecuador ended an agreement with the United States that allowed the U.S. military to use a military base in the city of Manta.

UNASUR Rejects US Destabilization Efforts in Venezuela: The Union of South American Nations expresses its support for Venezuela’s government following an attempted coup.

Venezuela to get South American help for food crisis: Foreign ministers from 12 South American nations gathering in Caracas have promised to help Venezuela overcome an ongoing shortage of food, medicine and other products.

Brazil's Petrobras graft probe exapanded: Former president and leaders of Congress among 54 people to be investigated following Supreme Court ruling.

Gunman's video says Parliament attack spurred by Canada military action: The gunman who shot and killed a soldier in Canada's capital and then stormed Parliament last year said he was retaliating against Canadian military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a video recording released on Friday.

Canada watchdog warns anti-terror bill tramples privacy: Canada's privacy commissioner warned Friday that a proposed toughening of the nation's counterterrorism laws would expose too much personal information, with little or no oversight.

Dozens Arrested in Protests to End Drone Warfare and Protect Soldier Mental Health: Sitting safely behind a computer screen in a military trailer in Nevada, Airman First Class Brandon Bryant was poised to kill as he watched video surveillance of three men in Afghanistan who were believed to be armed.

Protest after ‘unarmed’ black 19 yo shot dead by Madison police: A police officer in Madison, Wisconsin killed a 19-year-old black man following an altercation, triggering an anti-brutality rally in the city. Dozens have taken to the streets chanting, “Black lives matter.”

Indianapolis passes law to protect homeless as movement gains steam: Growing number of city councils consider legislation as state lawmakers eye proposals to end criminalization of homeless

Why solitary confinement is a form of modern-day torture: As of 2013, there were 80,000 men and women in solitary confinement in the United States, some of them as young as 14 years old. In this illustrated op-ed video, artist Molly Crabapple explains the psychological and physical trauma suffered by those forced to spend 22-24 hours a day alone

Jail looms for mom who fled with son to fight Male Genital Mutilation: A woman who fled with her son while fighting to prevent his circumcision will face imprisonment if she doesn't return and allow the surgery to proceed, a judge ruled Friday.

33% of Americans out of workforce, highest rate since 1978: The number of Americans aged 16 and older not participating in the labor force hit 92,898,000 in February, tying December’s record, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

U.S. Companies Are Stashing $2.1 Trillion Overseas to Avoid Taxes: Microsoft Corp., Apple Inc., Google Inc. and five other tech firms now account for more than a fifth of the $2.10 trillion in profits that U.S. companies are holding overseas, according to a Bloomberg News review of the securities filings of 304 corporations.

March 06, 2015

Get Vlad!
How Putin Blocked the U.S. Pivot to Asia

By Mike Whitney

Putin:  “Today we are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts…The United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way. Continue

Western Officials Have No Desire to Combat Terrorism

By President al-Assad

Syrians are determined to continue fighting terrorism, defending their country, and defying hegemony. Continue

The "Cataclysmic Conflict" Yet to Come
And what we can do to stop it.

By Tony Cartalucci

The question of whether or not one will eventually be affected by this conflict is not a matter of if, but a matter of when. Continue

Financial Collapse Leads To War

By Dmitry Orlov

What US military involvement in recent memory hasn't resulted in a fiasco? Maybe failure is not just an option, but more of a requirement? Continue

The Long History of Israel Gaming the 'Iranian Threat'

By Gareth Porter

Netanyahu bears personal responsibility for having created a conflict with Iran that had never existed before. But it is not the conflict that he has been alleging all these years. Continue

The Nuclear Agreement is Doomed
On Four (Plus One) Issues which Block the Negotiations With Iran

By Meir Stieglitz

the Israel-Neocon axis are on the verge of preventing an agreement and enshrining their status as masters of the universe. Continue

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Ideologically Dictated Worldview

By Lawrence Davidson 

Prime Minister Netanyahu is the most publicly unpleasant Israeli leader since Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, both of whom were unrepentant terrorists. Continue

Netanyahu Choreographs a Humiliated Congress

Video

This video should go viral. It is from the Israeli media. Continue

Gen. Petraeus: Too Big to Jail

By Ray McGovern

The virtual immunity enjoyed by the well connected – even when they lie to the FBI or tell whoppers in sworn testimony to Congress (as Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has done) – feeds the propensity to prioritize one’s own personal ambition and to delegate a back seat to legitimate national security concerns. Continue

Tariq Ali: The Time Is Right for a Palace Revolution

By Chris Hedges

No civil rights movement has sprung up uniting the citizens against mass surveillance. Neoliberalism has effectively destroyed solidarity and empathy, helped by new technology. It is a culture of narcissism.” Continue

Don’t Believe Media Coverage of Venezuela

By Sonali Kolhatkar

The U.S. has long been involved in attempts to destabilize Venezuela’s socialist government. Continue

Nigeria: 60 killed in fresh attack on Borno village: In spite of the current successes recorded by the military in the anti-terror war, Boko Haram insurgents sneaked into a Borno State village, killing 60 residents.

Gunmen attack Libyan oilfield, kill eight guards: Unidentified gunman have attacked Al Ghani oilfield in Libya, where petroleum installations increasingly are becoming a target as various factions vie for control of the country. Eight guards were killed in the attack, a spokesman for the national oil company said on Friday.

Libya's rival governments a step closer to peace deal: Representatives from Tobruk and Tripoli find some agreement on security issues and the prospect of a unity government.

U.S. Syria strategy falters with collapse of rebel group: The Hazzm movement was once central to a covert CIA operation to arm Syrian rebels, but the group's collapse last week underlines the failure of efforts to unify Arab and Western support for mainstream insurgents fighting the Syrian military.

IS eager to confront US ground forces in Iraq: IS appears to be planning, or hoping, to challenge the United States in a ground fight in the vast areas of Iraq and Syria. IS believes that no matter how strong and numerous US regular forces are, they will not be able to win against its trained irregular fighters who have been confronting Iraqi forces in northwestern Iraq.

War authorization in trouble on Hill: Key Democrats are hardening their opposition to President Barack Obama’s proposal for attacking Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria, raising fresh doubts the White House can win congressional approval of the plan as concerns grow over its handling of crises around the globe.

ISIL fighters bulldoze ancient Assyrian palace in Iraq: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters have used a bulldozer to start destroying a 3,000-year-old Assyrian city near Mosul in Iraq, archaeologists and other sources have told Al Jazeera.

Iran buries 7 Afghan fighters killed in Syria: The bodies of seven Afghan fighters killed in Syria fighting the ISIL were buried in Iran's Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, media reports on Friday.

Iran hints might be open to 10-year partial freeze of nuclear work: U.S. President Barack Obama told Reuters on Monday that Iran must commit to a verifiable freeze of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear activity for a landmark atomic deal to be reached between Tehran and six world powers.

Ex Israeli Spy Director says Netanyahu Creating Apartheid State: In an interview with Israeli TV, former Mossad head Meir Dagan claimed the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were leading to an “apartheid state.”

Israel: No changes in ties with Palestinian Authority: Officials say defense, civil coordination continue, day after PLO calls to end security cooperation following freeze of tax funds

Afghanistan’s U.S.-Funded Torturers and Murderers: Op-Ed: The United States continues to fund and support a network of abusive Afghan strongmen in the name of security. It's time to stop.

China cuts growth forecast, warning of “deep-seated” economic problems: “The downward pressure on China’s economy is intensifying. Deep-seated problems in the country’s economic development are becoming more obvious. The difficulties we are facing this year could be bigger than last year. The next year is a crucial year for deepening all-round reforms.” Chinese Premier Li Kequiang said.

Beijing Strikes Back in US-China Tech Wars: Foreign tech firms will either have to comply with intrusive surveillance requirements or risk being substituted by Chinese alternatives.

Russia, Germany urge OSCE to increase Ukraine observers to 1,000: Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his German counterpart Franck-Walter Steinmeier "called on the OSCE to make a quick decision on extending the mandate of its special monitoring mission and ramping up its size to 1,000 observers," the foreign ministry in Moscow said.

Two Russian banks's assets frozen in US ammount to around $640 million— media: The United States has frozen assets of two Russian banks worth some $637 million, US media reported Thursday. "Banks controlled by three billionaire friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin have seen about $640 million of assets frozen in the US" over the situation in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Ukraine’s international reserves drop to $5.6 bln as of March 1 — National Bank of Ukraine: The international reserves of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) dropped in February 2015 by 12.4% to $5.6 billion, the regulator reported Thursday. "According to preliminary data, as of March 1, 2015 international reserves in Ukraine totaled $5.625 billion," the report said.

Putin slashes 10% off his own salary — Kremlin: The president has also slashed the salaries of the prime minister, prosecutor general, head of Investigative Committee, Cabinet members and Kremlin officials

U.S. aircraft carrier and part of its escort “sunk” by French submarine during drills off Florida: If you thought aircraft carriers were invincible you were wrong.

Ex-French minister in custody over Gaddafi funds: Former Interior Minister Claude Gueant questioned over allegations ex-Libyan leader helped fund Sarkozy's 2007 campaign.

Almost 100 families evicted daily in Spain – statistics: At least 95 families were evicted every day in Spain in 2014, fresh statistics say as Spaniards struggle to meet mortgage payments. Home foreclosures have become a stark symbol of the 7-year economic crisis, with 2014 seeing a further rise in numbers.

Greece outlines radical immigration reforms: Greece's new left-wing government wants to abolish detention centres for migrants who entered illegally.

Mexico: Troops kill 4 in gunbattle near border with Texas: Security officials in the northeast Mexico state of Tamaulipas say they have killed four gunmen in a town near the U.S. border. The Tamaulipas Coordination Group says in a statement Thursday that a military patrol in Ciudad Mier came under attack early Tuesday from a four-vehicle convoy.

Edward Snowden's Warning to Canada: World famous whistleblower talks Bill C-51 and 'weak' oversight of our intelligence agencies.

Canadian risks prison for not giving up phone's passcode: A Canadian charged for refusing to give border agents his smartphone passcode was expected Thursday to become the first to test whether border inspections can include information stored on devices.

US Drone Pilots Are Quitting In Record Numbers: A combination of lower-class status in the military, overwork, and psychological trauma appears to be taking a mental toll on drone pilots.

Child Protective Services Kids Found in Human Trafficking : Video - National Safe Child founder Tammi Stefano takes a look at the problem and reveals cases of CPS children who ended up working in the growing human sex trafficking trade

March 05, 2015

The Demonisation Of Russia Risks Paving The Way For War

By Seumas Milne

Politicians and the media are using Vladimir Putin and Ukraine to justify military expansionism. It’s dangerous folly. Coninue

Putin Predicted Washington Would Employ Assassination Tactic Against Russia

By Paul Craig Roberts

Part of the circumstantial evidence that Nemtsov’s murder was a CIA tactic to destabilize Russia is the orchestrated US media. Continue

What The BRICS Plus Germany Are Really Up To?

By Pepe Escobar

German exports are changing their recipient address. Only 40 percent - and going down – now goes to the EU; the real growth is in Asia. Continue

U.S., Qatar Plan To Rebrand AlQaeda Into "Moderate" Rebels

By Moon Of Alabama

"Moderates", Clapper used gestural scare-quotes, is anyone who is not part of the Islamic State. That would, it seems, include Jabhat al-Nusra who three years ago parted from IS and kept their allegiance to AlQaeda. Continue
‘Christian US’ Overseeing End of Christianity in Mideast

By Finian Cunningham

As ancient Christianity gets wiped off the map in the Middle East – the birthplace of the religion – the ultimate author of its demise is the self-righteous United States. Continue

Benjamin Netanyahu Speech to Congress - March 03, 2015

Video and Transcript

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel warn against what he called a “bad deal” being negotiated with Iran to freeze its nuclear program. Continue

Netanyahu, 'Censored Voices,' and the False Narrative of Self-Defense

By Marjorie Cohn

Netanyahu failed to mention that Israel has an arsenal of 100 or 200 nuclear weapons. Continue

Noam Chomsky: Opposing Iran Nuclear Deal, Israel’s Goal Isn’t Survival — It’s Regional Dominance

Video and Transcript

"They have a common interest in ensuring there is no regional force that can serve as any kind of deterrent to Israeli and U.S. violence, the major violence in the region." Continue

Archbishop Tutu: The West Committed The Holocaust While Palestinians Pay Historic Price”

By IMEMC News

Tutu also denounced Israel’s persistence to force the Palestinians to recognize it as a Jewish State. Continue

The “Snowden is Ready to Come Home!” Story: a Case Study in Typical Media Deceit

By Glenn Greenwald

What rational person would ever willingly submit themselves to a penal state that imprisons more of its citizens than any other in the world, run by people with this mentality? Continue
Dissecting the Media -
The Words They Use, The Minds They Sway

By Dennis Bortko

How the mainstream media is used to push specific agendas, to deny any alternative storylines, and to maintain a specific worldview, which is considered acceptable and to demonize any alternative explanations. Continue

Tony Blair's Save the Children Award: An Inadequate Apology

By Felicity Arbuthnot

If State Honours, Knighthoods etc., can be withdrawn from those subsequently deemed unworthy of their bestowal, surely so can Save the Children's woefully misplaced Global Award. Continue

US and Venezuela: Decades of Defeats and Destabilization

By James Petras

Introduction: US policy toward Venezuela is a microcosm of its larger strategy toward Latin America. Continue

India's Daughter
Banned Delhi Nirbhaya Documentary

Video

Powerful film by Leslee Udwin about the rape & murder of Jyoti Singh that set India alight. Banned in India ahead of its planned broadcast. Continue

Iraqi Forces Kill 38 Daesh Militants In Anbar: Iraqi security forces, backed by the US-led international coalition and tribal fighters, killed 38 Daesh militants Wednesday in Anbar province in western Iraq, security sources said.

Seven people killed in Baghdad explosions: Seven people lost their lives and 23 others were injured, including two soldiers, on Thursday in multiple explosions that rocked Baghdad, police said.

Thousands flee Iraqi advance on Tikrit: The operation to retake Tikrit, involving some 30,000 soldiers and Shia militiamen, is now in its fourth day. They are trying to encircle the IS fighters, but their advance has been slow due to the roadside bombs and booby traps planted since the city was overrun last June, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.

Video shows Iraq soldiers, militia execute child: A video posted on the internet on Wednesday showed Iraqi soldiers shooting to death at close range a captured child suspected to have fought with militants in the Diyala Province.

From eastern flank, Iran-backed force advances on Tikrit: Wearing military fatigues and a white turban, the Shi'ite cleric gave an eve-of-battle address to Iran-backed fighters preparing to attack Islamic State militants in Tikrit, praising them for defending their faith and urging them to fight honorably.

Saudi FM urges coalition to face IS challenge 'on the ground': Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal called Thursday on the US-led coalition conducting air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq to fight the jihadists on the ground.

Syria: Blast at intelligence HQ kills 50 government troops: "For the past three months, rebel groups have been digging a tunnel under the headquarters in the western district of Jamiat al-Zahra," local activist Abu Firas al-Halebi told The Anadolu Agency. Halebi said that the rebel groups included, among others, the Nusra Front, Muhajireen Army, Levant Front, and the 1st Artillery Regiment.

At least 18 killed by barrel bomb in Syria: At least 18 civilians have been killed in a single regime barrel bomb attack in Syria's northern city of Aleppo, a pro-rebel, monitoring group says.

Top al Qaeda Commander in Syria Killed in Airstrike: Sources: A blast targeting senior members of al Qaeda's official Syrian wing, the Nusra Front, killed the group's General Military CommanderAbu Humam al-Shami on Thursday, two insurgent sources told Reuters.

Syria’s Nusra Front may cut al-Qaida ties, get regional backing against Islamic State, Assad; Leaders of Syria’s Nusra Front are considering cutting their links with al-Qaida to form a new entity backed by some Persian Gulf states trying to topple President Bashar Assad, sources said.

Palestinian leaders cut security coordination with Israel: PLO; Leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by President Mahmoud Abbas, decided on Thursday to stop all forms of security coordination with Israel, Palestinian officials said.

Netanyahu Speech Flops As Democratic Senators Withdraw Their Support For Iran Bill: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to Congress continues to backfire, as key Democratic senators have withdrawn their support for a Senate bill that would have reviewed any nuclear agreement with Iran.

Rouhani: people are too clever to listen to 'war-mongering' Netanyahu: Politicians in Iran, including the president, express their disgust at the Israeli prime minister’s address to the US Congress

Iran has saved Jews three times in its history and threatens nobody: Iranian foreign minister: Zarif accused Netanyahu of “seeing peace as an existential threat.”

Time to boycott Israel?: Author and activist Norman Finkelstein discusses whether the two-state solution can solve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Iranian special forces rescue kidnapped diplomat in Yemen: An Iranian diplomat held hostage in Yemen for nearly two years was rescued in a military operation and returned to Tehran on Thursday.

‘68 killed, kids among them’: Boko Haram attacks, burns Nigeria village: At least 68 people have been killed by Boko Haram militants in north-eastern Nigeria close to Maiduguri, the capital of the Borno state, witnesses said. Many kids are reported to be among those killed, as a village was stormed and then put on fire.

Libya says 11 oil fields shut down after ISIS attacks: Libya's state-run oil corporation has declared 11 oil fields in the country non-operational after attacks by suspected Islamic State militants, opting for a force majeure clause that exempts the state from contractual obligations.

Morocco hosts Libya peace talks; UN-backed talks start in Rabat, hours after airplanes bomb airport in Tripoli amid continuing conflict.

29 Insurgents Killed in Afghan Military Operations: At least 29 insurgents were killed and 18 others were wounded during an Afghan security forces clearing operation in past 24 hours around the country, according to the Ministry of Interior (MoI) statement.

Two Afghan cops, two militants killed in Balochistan; The Afghan cops, who belonged to Helmand province of Afghanistan, were en route to Quetta for medical treatment when the attack took place.

Irate Indian mob lynches rape accused; Man dragged out of prison in Nagaland state before being beaten to death and strung up a tower.

India threatens BBC over rapist interview: India's home minister has threatened action against the BBC, after it aired a film in the UK featuring an interview with an Indian rapist on death row.

South Korea US envoy Lippert 'well' after knife attack; A militant Korean nationalist has slashed the face of the US ambassador to South Korea at a breakfast meeting in Seoul, but the envoy narrowly survived serious injury.

Ukraine military says one soldier killed in past 24 hours in east: - One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another wounded fighting pro-Russian separatists in the east, a military spokesman said

Top U.S. General Says Washington Should Consider Arming Ukraine: The U.S. military’s leading general says Washington should now consider providing Ukrainian forces with lethal aid to help combat the nation’s pro-Kremlin insurgency.

NATO is using Ukraine crisis to advance towards Russian borders - Defense Ministry: "We've noticed that NATO member states are using the situation in southeastern Ukraine as a pretext to discard all diplomatic conventions, tricks and slogans and push forward, closer to the Russian border."

US Army Official: Atlantic Resolve May Expand: The US military's plans to send troops into Romania and Bulgaria as a deterrence to Russian aggression could expand to include Hungary, the Czech Republic and Russia's southern neighbor, Georgia, according to a US Army official spearheading the effort.

Despite Russian Warnings, US Will Deploy A Battalion To Ukraine By The End Of The Week: "Before this week is up, we’ll be deploying a battalion... to the Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces for the fight that's taking place," stated US 173rd Airborne Brigade Commander Colonel Michael Foster said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC on Monday

NATO maritime group enters Black Sea as Ukraine crisis continues: Six ships make up the current group,one of two immediate-reaction forces under the alliance’s maritime arm. The group is commanded by U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Brad Williamson, who is embarked with his staff on the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg.

Syriza Offers Free Food and Electricity in First Legislation: As the left-wing government seeks to eradicate the “humanitarian crisis,” 300,000 of the poorest Greeks will receive food vouchers.

New Zealand spying on Pacific islands, Snowden leaks say: New Zealand is conducting mass surveillance over its Pacific neighbours, reports citing documents leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden say. Calls, emails and social media messages were being collected from Pacific nations, the New Zealand Herald said.

Snowden GCSB revelations / Russel Norman says GCSB 'breaking the law': GCSB collects phone calls, emails and internet data from NZ's closest and most vulnerable neighbours, secret papers reveal

Air Force Captain Admits Maduro's Resignation Was to Be Demanded: A Venezuelan Air Force captain implicated in the coup attempt against the government of President Nicolas Maduro admitted Tuesday that the video revealed by Speaker of the National Assembly Diosdado Cabello is authentic.

UK Backs Mexican President on Human Rights: U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron “welcomed [Enrique Peña Nieto's] approach [on human rights] and supported U.K.-Mexico cooperation on policing and justice,” stated a joint-communique released by the prime

UK Deputy Prime Minister Slams Mexico During Peña Nieto Visit: “We should remember the estimated 100,000 people killed in Mexico … since 2006,” Clegg wrote in a joint article with Richard Branson.

Discrimination in Ferguson: full extent of police bias laid bare in damning report: The full extent of the racial persecution of black residents in Ferguson, Missouri, by the city’s overwhelmingly white law enforcement authorities was disclosed on Wednesday in a damning report by the US Department of Justice.

Homeless man shot and killed by Los Angeles police in skid row – video: A video posted to Facebook appears to show the moment a homeless man is shot dead by Los Angeles police officers. In the video a group of officers can be seen scuffling with two people. One man is held on the floor and repeatedly punched, while apparently being shocked with a stun gun.

February 27, 2015

Nemtsov Murder: Putin Warned About Exactly This Type of “False Flag”

By The Saker

Two years ago, Putin was warning Russians about exactly the kind of false flag which we just saw happening with the murder of Nemtsov. See for yourself: Continue

Fascism is Coming Alive Again

By Eric Margolis

Purging the media of free-thinking journalists is a basic step. This has happened in the US and Canada. Continue

10 Reasons to Pray for AIPAC’s Decline

By Medea Benjamin

When a small group like this has disproportionate power, it hurts everyone—including Israelis and American Jews. Continue

Varoufakis vs. the Troika
Showdown in Athens

By Mike Whitney

Varoufakis will either have to get with the program or face the consequences. That’s the way it works in Mafia-land; you either pay the piper or you find yourself in the East River in cement booties. Continue

Why the Rise of Fascism is Again the Issue

By John Pilger

If we remain silent, victory over us is assured, and a holocaust beckons. Continue

The Neoconservative Threat To International Relations

By Paul Craig Roberts

Why is this threat to all of humanity supported by the majority of the US Congress, by the entirety of the presstitute media, and by academics and think-tank inhabitants in the US? Continue

NATO Finds Arab Backdoor to Arm Kiev

By Finian Cunningham

The tiny UAE with its $13 billion military budget is a NATO arsenal par excellence. Continue

GOP Platform: War Without End

By Patrick J. Buchanan

"Nearly three-quarters of Republicans now favor sending ground troops into combat against the Islamic State," says a CBS News poll. Continue

Washington’s Destruction of Trust Between Nuclear Powers is the Crime of the Century

By Paul Craig Roberts

Washington’s propaganda is driving the situation toward war. Continue

American Sniper vs. Baghdad Sniper

By Pepe Escobar

"Juba" was the nickname given by the invading/occupying US forces to an Iraqi pop phenomenon; a sniper who became legendary for his kills in southern Baghdad. Continue

Israel is Galloping to the Next War in Gaza

By Gideon Levy

The next war will break out in the summer. Israel will give it another childish name and it will take place in Gaza. There’s already a plan to evacuate the communities along the Gaza Strip border. Continue

Shut Down AIPAC!

By CodePink

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee and affiliated organizations have long been bending politicians’ ears and filling their pockets, supporting the brutal occupation of Palestine and trying to push the US into war with Iran. Continue

If Terrorism and ISIS Are Such Grave Threats?
Why Does the FBI Have to Manufacture its Own Plots

By Glenn Greenwald

The FBI’s terrorism strategy — keep fear alive — and it drives everything they do. Continue

The National-Security State’s ISIS Racket

By Jacob G. Hornberger

What a racket. It’s amazing that so many Americans continue to fall for it. Continue

Postcard from the End of America: Center City, Philadelphia

By Linh Dinh

Totalitarianism makes the stupid even more imbecilic, the wise cynical and the brave dead. The next chapter of our history has already been written by our masters. Continue

Is the U.S. Mainstream Media’s Climate Coverage Criminal?

By David Ray Griffin

Besides being guilty of betraying the public trust, the U.S. mainstream media’s climate coverage is guilty of facilitating the move toward the ultimate crime, terracide. Continue

Syria’s Kurds kill 175 IS militants: The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) killed 175 IS militants and captured a contested Syrian town in the al-Hasaka province after week-long battles with the Islamic State terrorists, a monitoring group reported Friday.

Car bomb kills 11 outside Damascus: activists: Eleven people were killed on Friday in a car bomb blast in a rebel-held area outside the Syrian capital, while seven people died in regime air raids, an activist group monitoring the war said.

Human Rights Watch Accuses Syria Of "Barrel Bomb" Damage Created By U.S. Attacks:" It is interesting, and non-credible, that Human Rights Watch feels the need to use a picture of "good" U.S. created destruction to demonstrate destruction created by the "bad" Syrian army in its fight against U.S. supported Jihadis.

Nusra Front, FSA group at war again in Idlib province; The Nusra Front has declared all-out war against an American-backed Syrian rebel group in the north of the country, accusing it of kidnapping and killing several of its fighters.

Turkey, US to begin training Syria "rebels" Sunday: The United States and Turkey will begin training and equipping thousands of moderate Syrian rebel forces on Sunday as part of a deal the two NATO allies signed last week, an official said.

Iraq: 20 civilians killed by U.S.-led airstrikes: Reuters reports at least 17 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed along with nine civilians when aircraft from an unspecified coalition nation—more than 80 percent of airstrikes are carried out by US warplanes—bombed al-Qaim, a town on the Euphrates River on the Syrian border some 330 km (200 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

20 killed as ISIL seizes strategic bridge in Iraq's Anbar: Reports say fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have seized a strategic bridge between the cities of Baghdadi and Haditha in the western Anbar province, killing more than 20 Iraqi soldiers.

Bombings, mortar fire kill 10 people in Baghdad and near Iraqi capital, officials say: A series of bombings and mortar strikes in and near the Iraqi capital killed 10 people on Friday as Baghdad police discovered six bodies with gunshot wounds, officials said. In the capital's southern district of Dora, mortar shells killed two people inside their homes early in the morning, and wounded four others.

ISIS Kidnapped 100 Tribesmen: ISIS fighters have abducted 100 Sunni Muslim tribesmen near the city of Tikrit, local tribal leaders said on Wednesday, apparently to neutralize suspected opponents before a widely expected army offensive.

Mission to retake Mosul from Islamic State doomed, general says: Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero said Mosul is booby-trapped with explosives and controlled by thousands of suicidal fighters. Evicting them will take a coordinated ground and air campaign with precise intelligence on enemy locations

ISIS killer Jihadi John ‘radicalized by UK govt,’ claims charity: “Like Michael Adebolajo, suffocating domestic policies aimed at turning a person into an informant but which prevent a person from fulfilling their basic life needs would have left a lasting impression on Emwazi. He desperately wanted to use the system to change his situation, but the system ultimately rejected him.”

Iraqi Kurdistan's Texas oil tanker unloads in Israel: An oil tanker from Iraqi Kurdistan that was blocked for months from unloading in Texas by a Baghdad legal challenge has sailed back to the Mediterranean and delivered its cargo to Israel, according to trading sources and ship-tracking data.

Why Iran Believes ISIS is a U.S. Creation: First to engage Muslims against each other, to waste their energy and in this way Israel’s security would be guaranteed or at least enhanced,” says Ganji. “Secondly, an ugly, violent and homicidal face of Islam is presented to the world. And third, to create an inconvenience for Iran.”

Gunmen kill 4 soldiers in southern Yemen: Gunmen ambushed a military truck during a night-time attack in a southern province, officials said, killing all four soldiers in the vehicle in a raid claimed by Yemen’s Al Qaeda branch.

Netanyahu pledges to do ‘everything’ to prevent nuclear deal: PM says planned speech before Congress next week ‘the final brake’ before an agreement

Former Mossad chief slams Netanyahu on Iran: Ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious speech to Congress, Meir Dagan says "the person who has caused the greatest strategic damage to Israel on the Iranian issue is the prime minister."

AIPAC Mobilizing Members To Pressure Democrats To Attend Netanyahu Speech: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is asking its members to urge members of Congress to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial speech in Washington next week.

Rebuilding Gaza could take a century if Israel keeps blockade - Oxfam: The rebuilding of homes, schools and hospitals in Gaza could take more than a century to complete unless an Israeli blockade restricting imports of construction materials into the Gaza Strip is lifted, aid agency Oxfam said on Thursday.

At least 32 killed in Nigeria bomb attacks amid Boko Haram violence; A suicide bomber killed at least 17 people at a bus station in Biu, witnesses say, while a second bomber was caught by a crowd and reportedly beaten to death. In Jos, three bombs thrown from a car killed 15 people at a bus station and the university.

Policeman killed in drive-by shooting in Egypt's Fayoum: A policeman was killed and two police conscripts injured during five separate attacks on police targets in the governorate of Fayoum early on Friday, state news agency MENA reported.

Russian participation in Libya’s naval blockade is welcome: Egypt FM: Cairo welcomes a possible participation of Russian warships in a potential naval blockade of Libya to prevent arm supplies for terrorists, Russian News Agency TASS quoted Foreign Minister Sameh Shokry Friday.

All-Out War in Libya Predicted without Further Peace Talks: Analysis - “The most likely medium-term prospect is not one side’s triumph, but that rival local warlords and radical groups will proliferate, what remains of state institutions will collapse… and hardship for ordinary Libyans will increase exponentially,” the ICG said in a report, ‘Libya: Getting Gevena Right.’

Report: General known as 'Libya's Sisi' set to meet Israeli officials in Amman : Former Libyan army general Khalifa Haftar, who has set himself up as a warrior against Islamist terrorism and who some see as their savior, has plans to meet with Israeli officials on a visit in Amman, an Arab newspaper reported.

2 Taliban insurgents killed : At least two Taliban insurgents were killed in a failed rocket attack on Afghan national security forces in eastern Paktika province. The provincial governor spokesan Nabiullah Pir Khel said the incident took place in Bermal district late on Thursday night.

US-Bangladesh blogger Avijit Roy hacked to death: Attackers in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka have hacked to death a US-Bangladeshi blogger whose writings on religion angered Islamist hardliners

Fresh soldier deaths rattle Ukraine truce: Ukraine said on Friday three soldiers had been killed, the first fatalities in several days in the war-torn east, as a shaky truce with pro-Russian rebels appeared to gain some traction with an apparent weapons pull-back.

Ukraine military has begun heavy weapons withdrawal – military spokesman: The movement of artillery pieces is already underway and should take about a day, a Ukrainian military spokesperson said. The hardware will be pulled back 25km from the disengagement line.

U.S. military vehicles paraded 300 yards from the Russian border: U.S. military combat vehicles paraded Wednesday through an Estonian city that juts into Russia, a symbolic act that highlighted the stakes for both sides amid the worst tensions between the West and Russia since the Cold War.

Top U.S. intelligence official backs arming Ukraine forces against Russia: The administration is under growing pressure from some lawmakers to provide lethal weaponry to Ukraine. President Obama has said he is considering doing so, and some members of his Cabinet are said to favor sending arms.

West unwilling to facilitate peace in Ukraine: Russian FM: “Behind these calls [for sanctions] lies the unwillingness of these figures, these relevant countries, the United States, the European Union, to seek the implementation of what was agreed in Minsk on February 12,” Lavrov said on Thursday in reference to a peace deal reached earlier in the Belarusian capital.

Anti-government protest in downtown Kiev escalates: An anti-government demonstration in downtown Kiev escalated in scuffles on Wednesday afternoon, with 1,000 people already taking part in the event, TASS reported.

Police beating people protesting currency collapse in Kiev: Video -

Guardian Corrects Anti-Russian Story Based on 'Research' of Own Reporter: The Guardian was forced to correct an article by Eliot Higgins, a self-styled "citizen journalist", who claimed Russian military units fired on the Ukrainian Army from inside the Russian border on the basis of his jointly authored research with the Guardian's Diplomatic Editor.

West's offer to rebuild Ukraine faces reality check: Donors say the former Soviet republic, crippled by war and corruption, is unable or unwilling even to identify how many roads, power plants and schools its 45 million people need, let alone meet new European standards for farms and factories.

In Midst of War, Ukraine Becomes Gateway for Jihad: In Ukraine, you can buy a passport and a new identity. For $15,000, a fighter receives a new name and a legal document attesting to Ukrainian citizenship. Ukraine doesn’t belong to the European Union, but it’s an easy pathway for immigration to the West.

New US Sanctions Against Russia May Meet Painful Response – Deputy FM: Another round of US sanctions against Russia, if imposed, may provoke "painful countermeasures" in return, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Friday.

Chinese diplomat tells West to consider Russia's security concerns over Ukraine: - Western powers should take into consideration Russia's legitimate security concerns over Ukraine, a top Chinese diplomat has said in an unusually frank and open display of support for Moscow's position in the crisis.

Russia may accept Chinese control of oil and gas fields: Russia has overcome a "psychological barrier" and is ready to deepen its economic ties with China, Deputy Prime MinisterArkady Dvorkovich said

German MPs back Greek bailout extension.: Dozens of activists hurled petrol bombs and stones at police and set cars alight after a march involving hundreds of protesters. Some carried banners calling for Greece to leave the EU and for its debt to be cancelled.

Greek debt crisis: Violence in Athens: Police and protesters have clashed in Athens after the first anti-government demonstration since Greece's leftist Syriza party took power last month. Dozens of activists hurled petrol bombs and stones at police and set cars alight after the march.

China outpaces America in sub numbers – US admiral: “They may not be the same quality, but their submarine forces are growing at a tremendous rate. They now have more diesel and nuclear attack submarines than we have,” the admiral told the lawmakers. “They are producing some fairly amazing submarines and they are actually deploying them.”

FBI investigating ISIS suspects in all 50 states: FBI Director James Comey revealed Wednesday that his agency is investigating suspected supporters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in every state across the U.S.

Confidential Informant Played Key Role in FBI Foiling Its Own Terror Plot; Left unmentioned in the FBI statement, however, is the integral role a paid informant appears to have played in generating the charges against the men, and helping turn a fantastical “plot” into something even remotely tangible. It appears that none of the three men was in any condition to travel or support the Islamic State, without help from the FBI informant.

Did the FBI tamper with a witness in OKC bombing evidence case?: A federal judge has indicated he wants more investigation into allegations the FBI tampered with a witness in a trial over evidence and the Oklahoma City bombing.

Feds raid Texas political meeting; fingerprint and photograph all attendees, seize phones: Federal and local police forces raided a political meeting, taking unusual measures to document every attendee by taking fingerprints and photographs, and seizing every cell phone and all recording equipment in the meeting hall.

'Gestapo' tactics at US police 'black site' ring alarm from Chicago to Washington: The US Department of Justice and embattled mayor Rahm Emanuel are under mounting pressure to investigate allegations of what one politician called “CIA or Gestapo tactics” at a secretive Chicago police facility exposed by the Guardian.

Man shot dead by police in Washington State after throwing rocks (VIDEO): Video shows the victim, fleeing on foot from three Pasco police officers across a busy intersection with arms akimbo. The man then turns and faces the cops with his arms in front of him when a barrage of gunfire — as many as 13 shots, according to some accounts — is fired from their guns, fatally wounding him.

Morgan Stanley strikes $2.6bn deal to settle mortgage bubble case: The investment bank said late on Wednesday the $2.6bn will go to “resolve certain claims” the Justice Department intended to bring against Morgan Stanley. The settlement was disclosed in regulatory filing.

Scott Walker Says He Can Take On ISIS Because He Took On Labor Unions: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) on Thursday said his experience undermining labor unions in Wisconsin has prepared him to take on the threat of the Islamic State in the Middle East.

Shameful American Democracy Ranks 45th In The World In Electoral Integrity : A new report places America’s “electoral integrity” on par with Colombia and Bulgaria at 45th among the world’s democracies. Those nations are arguably not shining examples of democratic Utopias, so America’s being in their company is not a very encouraging statistic to anyone except Koch-Republicans.

February 25, 2015

The Amherst Cauldron

By Albert Bates

In the Ukraine the nightmare is real, ongoing and will not end well for anyone—not even for the oligarchs who started it. Continue

Ready for Nuclear War over Ukraine?

By Robert Parry

That the Nazis are now being depicted as defenders of Western ideals has to be the ultimate man-bites-dog story. Continue

US Backing for 'Moderate' Syrian Rebels: Long Reported, Continually Forgotten

By Adam Johnson

That the US is arming and training Syrian rebels has been well-documented for over two years, yet Western media have historically suffered from a strange collective amnesia when reporting this fact. Continue

ISIS Is Proof Of The Failed “War On Terror”

By Patrick Cockburn

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Jordan may now be frightened by the Frankenstein’s monster they have helped to create, but there is little they can do to restrain it. Continue

Domestic Fear Is the Price of Empire

By Sheldon Richman

We don’t have to live this way. The empire is just not worth it. Continue

The Grand Illusion

By John Chuckman

The truth is that the risk of an American being killed by terrorism is close to zero, having been calculated at 1:20,000,000. Continue

Obama’s Admission Not Enough: US Spin on Middle East Violence Must Change

By Ramzy Baroud

America’s mainstream intellectuals and journalists refuse to accept the most prevalent truth about the roots of the current crisis. Continue

Netanyahu Goes Nuclear… Now Wait For The Fallout

By Jonathan Cook

The contents of a secret report by Israel’s Mossad spy agency on Iran’s nuclear programme leaked to the media this week are shocking and predictable in equal measure. Continue

Mike Huckabee: There’s No Such Thing As The Palestinians

By Luke Brinker

GOP presidential contender makes inflammatory claim -- again. Continue

Year of the Sheep, Century of the Dragon?

By Pepe Escobar

Geopolitically, Russia, India, and China have just sent a powerful message westward. Continue

European Banks vs. Greek Labour

Video

Michael Hudson says Greece's Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is proposing austerity on the banking class, rather than the working class, to balance the budget. Continue

More Than 130 Islamic State Fighters Killed In Syria Clashes, Airstrikes: Monitor: The Kurdish YPG forces which drove Islamic State from Kobani last month with the help of U.S.-led air strikes had seized 70 villages in the offensive, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported overnight.

Syrian Kurds cut ISIS supply line near Iraq: Kurdish militia pressed a big offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in northeast Syria on Wednesday, cutting one of its supply lines from Iraq, as fears mounted for dozens of Christians abducted by the hardline group that recently beheaded 21 Egyptian Copts.

Fears grow for Christians held by IS: There are fears that more Assyrian Christians were abducted by Islamic State in north-east Syria than at first thought, as fighting in the area rages.

ISIS 'planning to murder 150 Christian hostages if the US does not stop its air strikes' : Islamic State militants are planning to murder 150 Christian hostages they kidnapped after sweeping through villages in Syria if the U.S. does not stop air strikes, it has been reported.

68 terrorists killed and wounded in Iraqi aerial bombardment targeted their hideouts western Baghdad: According Operations Command “ the Iraqi Air Force and the Army Aviation carried out an operation on dens of the terrorists within Abu Ghraib Sector that killed 50 terrorists and wounded (18), as well as the destruction of (nine) hideouts of terrorists and four vehicles

US arms flow to Iraq ahead of planned Mosul offensive: Some 10,000 US M-16 rifles and other military supplies worth about $17.9 million arrived in Iraq this week as US troops pushed ahead with training and supplying Iraqi security forces battling Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) fighters, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

10 killed as Yemen Houthis take over US-trained special forces base: The clashes, which lasted around six hours, started late on Tuesday when Houthis shelled the camp with heavy weapons.

Autopsy Reveals Israeli Forces Shot Palestinian Teen at “Close Range”: The killing was "similar to an execution" because he was shot from a very close range, Aloul said.

Saudis ‘would let Israeli jets use their air space to attack Iran’: Kingdom merely wants ‘some sign of progress’ on Palestinian issue, according to unnamed senior European source in TV report

'Ex-Israeli agents' threatened cyber attack on S Africa: Leaked secret report describes cyber threat from 'former Mossad spies' demanding an end to Boycott Israel campaign.

31 killed as suicide bombers hit Potiskum, Kano: Thirty-one persons died yesterday in two separate suicide bomb attacks in Potiskum, Yobe State, and Kano with several others injured.

8 alleged militants killed in Egypt’s North Sinai: At least eight militants were killed and 12 others injured in army raids in Egypt's volatile North Sinai over the past 24 hours, the military said on Wednesday.

In leaked recording, Egyptian minister calls for machine-gunning protesters: “Do not wait for 100 to swell into 1,000 or 2,000 or 3,000, then we are all helpless before them,” he said. He also advised the CSF on how to murder protesters without turning them into martyrs.

Libya: mounting evidence of war crimes in the wake of Egypt's airstrikes: New eyewitness testimonies gathered by Amnesty International indicate that the Egyptian Air Force failed to take the necessary precautions in carrying out an attack which killed seven civilians in a residential neighbourhood in the Libyan city of Derna last week.

Afghanistan: Three ANA Soldiers Killed in Khost Blast: At least three Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed and another soldier wounded in a mine blast Wednesday in eastern Khost province, local officials said.

UN report: Torture in Afghan prisons is 'widespread': It identified 14 methods of torture and ill-treatment practices, including beatings, a threat of execution and sexual abuse. Some were given electric shocks to extract confessions or obtain information.

Kiev says no troops killed in past day for first time since truce: There were also no reports of any civilian deaths from around the conflict zone as Kiev said clashes with pro-Russian rebels had dropped off considerably for the second day running.

Ukraine Rebels Show Withdrawal of Weapons; Kiev Doubtful:m Journalists in rebel-held territory watched 10 trucks carrying howitzers roll through Makiivka, near rebel-held Donetsk. Rebels said the guns were on their way from Donetsk towards Amvrosiyvka, a town far from the front and close to the Russian frontier.

Propaganda alert: Russia's roadmap for annexing eastern Ukraine 'leaked from Vladimir Putin's office': One of Russia's leading independent newspapers says it has received a bombshell document showing Putin's office put together a 'step-by-step' guide to taking Crimea and other eastern Ukrainian provinces more than a year ago

Putin: Gas supplies to Europe could suffer in 3-4 days if Kiev doesn't pay: Russia will cut off gas supplies to Ukraine if Kiev fails to pay in “three or four days,” President Vladimir Putin said, adding that this "will create a problem" for gas transit to Europe.

No Time for Laughter: Gas Prices in Ukraine to Increase Fourfold on April 1: Starting April 1, gas prices in Ukraine will increase by four times, according to the country’s Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Volodymyr Demchyshyn

Kiev's Gas Cut Off in East Ukraine 'Smacks of Genocide': Russian President Vladimir Putin: "It's not enough that there's already hunger there, and the OSCE has reported a humanitarian catastrophe, but then to switch off their gas supplies too! What do you call that? That already smacks of genocide," Putin said in televised comments.

Ukraine Enters Hyperinflation: Currency Trading Halted: Exchange kiosks on the streets in Kiev were selling limited amounts of dollars for 39 hryvnias, around 20 percent worse than the rates advertised in the windows of commercial banks where dollars were not available.

Ukraine Signals It Needs Cash Fast as Capital Controls Tightened: Conditions are deteriorating so quickly that the International Monetary Fund’s $17.5 billion bailout, pledged less than two weeks ago, may no longer be sufficient.

Russia ratifies $100bn BRICS New Development Bank: The Russian State Duma has ratified the $100 billion BRICS bank that’ll serve as a pool of money for infrastructure projects in Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa, and challenge the dominance of the Western-led World Bank and the IMF

Greece’s Syriza government proposes list of social cuts to European Union: The Syriza government confirms not only its complete submission to the hated diktat of the EU, it announces social cuts going well beyond those implemented by previous conservative and social-democratic governments.

Paris police arrest al-Jazeera journalists over drone: Three al-Jazeera journalists have been arrested for the alleged illegal flying of a drone in Paris, prosecutors say.

Assange Launches ‘Final’ Appeal to Throw Out Arrest Warrant: It is not currently known when the Supreme Court will reach its decision, but Assange’s lawyers have told the Swedish press that even if today’s appeal is not successful, they would be prepared to start legal proceedings all over again, by applying to the District Court of Stockholm, or appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.

Venezuelan teenager killed in San Cristobal protest: Local reports say the student was hit in the head by a rubber bullet during a clash between hooded protesters and the police. Home Affairs Minister Carmen Melendez confirmed the arrest of a policeman, who has been named as 23-year-old Javier Mora Ortiz.

Mexico: Extreme Police Violence in Guerrero State Strikes Again: Shocking pictures of injured protesters from the state of Guerrero occupying the Acapulco Airport to demand owed pay were published Tuesday night after police violently attacked the demonstration.

CSE monitors millions of Canadian emails to government: Canada’s electronic spy agency collects millions of emails from Canadians and stores them for “days to months” while trying to filter out malware and other attacks on government computer networks, CBC News has learned.

Sheldon Adelson signals he’ll bankroll effort to stop Rand Paul: Hawkish GOP megadonor determined to keep Kentucky senator from securing GOP nomination

Glenn Greenwald blasts Hillary Clinton: “The ultimate guardian of bipartisan status quo corruption”: Journalist says Clinton's glide path to Democratic nomination is "depressing"

February 24, 2015

U.S. Arms Kiev By Laundering Weapons Through Abu Dhabi

By Moon Of Alabama

If the Europeans do not succeed in pushing back against Washington the Ukraine with burn and Europe with it. Continue

Washington Has Resurrected The Threat Of Nuclear War

By Paul Craig Roberts

As Putin himself said some months ago, if the Russian military enters Ukraine, the news will not be the fate of Donetsk or Mauriupol, but the fall of Kiev and Lviv. Continue

A (not so) Brief History of Crimea

By Peter Hitchens

I have assembled this account because I had not seen a proper explanation of the history of the Crimean independence issue. Continue

The Destabilization Doctrine: ISIS, Proxies and Patsies

By Brandon Martinez

Israel has essentially used the United States as a cat’s paw in the Middle East, manipulating America’s Leviathan military to smash up her enemies. Continue

How the US Can Really Combat Radicalism

By As'ad AbuKhalil

When the US government speaks about radicalism, it ignores the radicalism that prevails in the US Congress or in the US churches. It has only one radicalism and one form of violence in mind. Continue

Israel Has Gone Berserk
The Martyrdom of Gaza and the Future of Palestine

Video

Dr Finklestein discusses the recent conflicts in the occupied territories and possible ways to resolve the conflict. Continue

The Real American Exceptionalism

By Alfred W. McCoy

From Torture to Drone Assassination, How Washington Gave Itself a Global Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card. Continue

The Greek Tragedy:

By William Blum

The fact that Syriza leaders, for some time, have made no secret of their affinity for Russia is reason enough to seal their fate. They should have known how the Cold War works. Continue

No, Syriza Has Not Surrendered

By Tom Walker

Tom Walker looks at what Greece's government has agreed – and argues that buying time is not the same thing as breaking promises. Continue

The Disappeared
Chicago Police Detain Americans At Abuse-laden 'Black Site'

By Spencer Ackerman

The Chicago police department operates an off-the-books interrogation compound, rendering Americans unable to be found by family or attorneys while locked inside what lawyers say is the domestic equivalent of a CIA black site. Continue

Bombs in Iraq, Including Twin Blasts in Busy Street, Kill 40: The deadliest of the day's attacks came shortly before sunset, when a bomb exploded in Baghdad's southeastern suburb of Jisr Diyala. Minutes later, a car bomb went off near the site of the first blast as people started gathering to help the victims of the initial explosion.

52 IS militants killed in clashes, airstrikes in Iraq: A total of 52 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Monday in separate clashes and U.S.-led coalition air strikes in Iraq, security sources said.

Iraqi Army Downs 2 UK Planes Carrying Weapons for ISIL? ; "The Iraqi Parliament's National Security and Defense Committee has access to the photos of both planes that are British and have crashed while they were carrying weapons for the ISIL," Head of the committee Hakem al-Zameli said, according to a Monday report of the Arabic-language information center of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq.

New Zealand PM John Key announces troops bound for Iraq: Up to 143 New Zealand military personnel will be sent to Iraq to help train local forces as part of the ongoing fight against the Islamic State group, Prime Minister John Key says.

'Get some guts and join the right side' - John Key lashes out as he sends NZ troops to Iraq for Isis fight: Prime Minister John Key has launched an angry counter-attack over Labour leader Andrew Little's opposition to the deployment of troops to Iraq, saying Mr Little needs to "get some guts" and questioning whether he would make the right decisions for New Zealand.

Jordan: Border guards kill two infiltrators on Syria borders: Border guards, on Tuesday, killed two persons while they were trying to illegally cross into the Kingdom from Syria, a Jordan Armed Forces official said.

Islamic State in Syria abducts at least 150 Christians: A Syrian Christian group representing several NGO's inside and outside the country said it had verified at least 150 people missing, including women and elderly, who had been kidnapped by the militants.

ISIS preparing to declare Islamic emirate in Lebanon: sources: ISIS is preparing military plans to declare an Islamic emirate in Lebanon very soon to serve as a geographical extension of the so-called “Islamic State” announced by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Iraq last year, security sources said.

Abbas and Israel ally against 2009 UN probe: Analysis: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas colluded with Israel to prevent war crimes charges, according to new leaks.

Occupied West Bank: 40% rise in illegal settlement homes in 2014: NGO: "All these figures prove that Benjamin Netanyahu is doing everything to increase faits accomplis on the ground and make a two-state solution impossible," Peace Now's Hagit Ofran said.

US jury finds Palestinian groups liable for terror attacks: Palestinian Authority Deputy Minister of Information Dr. Mahmoud Khalifa called the verdict "a tragic disservice" to Palestinians and to the international community in working toward a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The charges that were made against us are baseless," he said.

It was another difficult week for Israel.: In Britain, 700 artists, including many household names, pledged a cultural boycott of Israel, and a leader of the Board of Deputies, the representative body of UK Jews, quit, saying he could no longer abide by its ban on criticising Israel.

Netanyahu’s Iran bomb claim contradicted by Mossad, leaked spy cables show : In September 2012, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, told the UN general assembly that an Iranian nuclear bomb was imminent. But leaked intelligence documents obtained by al-Jazeera and the Guardian reveal that Israeli intelligence thought differently at the time

Spy Cables expose 'desperate' US approach to Hamas: Leaked documents also show Mossad lobbying South Africa against Goldstone Report, claiming Abbas shared their stance.

Israeli cable reveals S Africa missile theft cover-up: Leaked Mossad cable shows Israel obtained stolen missile plans, and South Africa asked for their return.

Houthis say Yemen's Hadi has lost legitimacy, after president flees south: "The higher revolutionary committee is following the suspicious moves by Hadi, who lost his legitimacy to act as president of the Republic of Yemen, and whose reckless acts harmed the Yemeni people," the Houthis said in a statement.

Chadian Soldiers Killed 207 Boko Haram Fighters in Nigeria: Army: Soldiers from Chad killed 207 Boko Haram militants in fighting on Tuesday near a Nigerian town close to the border with Cameroon, Chad's army announced in a statement.

Teenage girl bomber kills 15 at northeast Nigeria bus station: A teenage girl blew herself up at a crowded bus station in a northeastern Nigerian town on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people and wounding 53 in the second such attack there this week.

7 killed in Egyptian air strikes on Libyan city: Seven civilians were killed when Egyptian jets attacked suspected Islamist militant targets in the eastern Libyan city of Derna last week, Amnesty International said on Monday, citing eyewitnesses.

15,000 Egyptians flee from Libya: Almost 15,000 Egyptians have flocked home from war-torn Libya via the border crossing at Sallum, state media reported Monday, after the IS group murdered 21 Coptic Christians.

Egypt minister 'recorded discussing protest crackdown': Leaked audio appears to show interior minister advising in 2014 on how to shoot protesters without creating "martyrs".

Afghanistan: 24 insurgents killed in raids: At least 24 armed Taliban were killed and 40 others wounded in different crackdowns within past 24 hours, said Ministry of Interior.

Afghanistan kidnapping: Gunmen seize 30 Hazara men, officials say: Gunmen in southern Afghanistan kidnapped 30 members of the Hazara ethnic community, authorities said Tuesday, in what appeared to be the latest in a series of attacks on Shiites in the predominantly Sunni country.

Pakistanis face a deadline: Surrender fingerprints or give up cellphone: Pakistan has ordered cellphone users to verify their identities through fingerprints for a national database being compiled to curb terrorism. If they don’t, their service will be shut off, an unthinkable option for many after a dozen years of explosive growth in cellphone usage here.

Putin says Russia-Ukraine war unlikely: Asked in an interview with Russian state television if he thought the current situation could lead to war, Putin said on Monday: "I think that such an apocalyptic scenario is unlikely and I hope that it will never happen".

Ukraine rebels show withdrawal of weapons; Kiev doubtful: Pro-Russia separatists brought reporters on Tuesday to witness the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line in east Ukraine under a ceasefire deal, but Ukraine said the rebels were using the cover of the truce to reinforce for another advance

"Ukraine will go to war in late March"--Zakharchenko; The head of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic Aleksandr Zakharchenko announced that Ukraine is bringing up heavy equipment to the conflict zone and, in his opinion, might resume combat operations in late March or early April.

Poroshenko buys UAE weapons: While the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine were meeting in Paris to talk about the Eastern Ukraine peace settlement, it was revealed that the Ukrainian president has struck a deal on arms supplies from the UAE.

Ukraine reaches arms deal with UAE - official: Ukraine, which has repeatedly pleaded for the west to supply advanced weaponry to help it defend against Russian-backed separatists in breakaway eastern regions, claims to have reached an arms sale agreement with the United Arab Emirates.

US arming Kiev would ‘explode’ situation in E. Ukraine – Russian Foreign Ministry: If the US were to supply Ukraine with ammunition and weapons, it would “explode the whole situation” in eastern Ukraine and Russia would be forced to respond “appropriately,” Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

Britain to send military advisers to Ukraine, announces Cameron: Prime minister says service personnel to provide infantry training as well as advice on logistics, medical care and tactical intelligence.

Vladimir Putin : NATO legions are already fighting in Ukraine: Video - Vladimir Putin : Meeting with students at the Mining University - January 26, 2015, - St Petersburg - (English subtitles)

Ukraine preparing for 'full-scale war,' says former envoy to Canada: Ukraine's deputy foreign minister says he is preparing for "full-scale war" against Russia and wants Canada to help by supplying lethal weapons and the training to use them

Abbott says 'there was talk' of sending Australian troops into Ukraine: The prime minister has confirmed there were talks about sending troops into Ukraine to protect the bodies of victims of the MH17 disaster. The Australian newspaper at the weekend reported Mr Abbott raised the idea of sending 3500 troops to Iraq to fight Islamic State at a meeting in November.

Lithuania to reintroduce conscription over security concerns: Lithuania is to reintroduce conscription over concerns about "the current geopolitical environment" in the Baltic states, President Dalia Grybauskaite said. Ms Grybauskaite did not specifically refer to the situation in Ukraine, but neighbouring states have expressed worries about Russian aggression.

NATO-Russia jet scrambling hysteria: Who is the real threat?: Op-Ed: It is difficult to avoid the impression of NATO persistently increasing its military capabilities in its eastern member states. Allegations of a “Russian threat” are a convenient pretext for these activities.

20% of Germans want revolution, majority say democracy 'isn't real' - study: Twenty percent of Germans believe that their current living conditions won't be improved by reforms and only a revolution can reshape society. That's according to a study released by the Free University of Berlin.

Eurozone backs Greece bailout extension: Eurozone finance ministers announced Tuesday they have approved a list of reforms submitted by Greece in exchange for a four-month extension to its international bailout.

Unidentified drones seen flying over Paris landmarks: At least five unidentified drones have flown over the Eiffel Tower, the US Embassy and other Paris landmarks overnight, authorities have said.

Smoking marijuana is 114 times safer than drinking alcohol – study: In fact, alcohol was found to be the deadliest drug on an individual level, at least when it comes to the likelihood of a person dying due to consuming a lethal dose. Heroin and cocaine were the next most deadly substances, followed by tobacco, ecstasy, and meth. Trailing up the rear was marijuana.

February 23, 2015

EU Reeling Between US and Russia

By Pepe Escobar

NATO’s strategic imperative remains clear; force Moscow into a war in Ukraine to exhaust it economically, prevent a EU-Russia economic/trade partnership, and eliminate Russia as a global competitor to the US. Continue

Three Fronts For Russia:
How Washington Will Fan The Flames Of Chaos In Central Asia

By Ivan Lizan for Odnako

If Ukraine is a fuse of war, then Central Asia is a munitions depot. If it blows up, half the continent will be hit. Continue

NATO Invents Russian Threats In The Baltic - But Putin's Next Big Play Is Greece

By Oliver Tickell

Greece’s increasingly warm relationship with Russia is already causing concern among other EU and NATO countries. Continue

50 Shades of Greece

By Raúl Ilargi Meijer

When it comes to the ongoing Greek question, I see a lot of people eagerly jump to conclusions, after the ‘debt deal’, that I don’t think are justified. Continue

Varoufakis Keeps Greece in the Eurozone, by its Fingernails

By Mike Whitney

It’s not easy to negotiate with a gun to your head.  Nevertheless, that’s the situation Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis found himself in on Friday. Continue

Greece — Syriza – Subservience to Neoliberalism
The Killing Plague that Knows No Mercy?

By Peter Koenig

Greece’s debt today stands at 175 % of her economic output. The best – and only decent and socially as well as economically viable option – is exiting the Eurozone by her own decision. Continue

Bibi Netanyahu, Ingrate

By Justin Raimondo

His appeal to Israeli anti-Americanism is contemptible. Continue

You Have a Head of State Who Happens to be a Maniac - Norman Finkelstein on Israel

Video

"We have a leader in Israel, who happens to be a maniac, going all around the world saying he represents all of world Jewry, so then are you going to fault people for taking him at his word?" Continue

Paranoia Strikes U.S. Intelligence

By Philip Giraldi

The drive to "do something" pushes the NSC and FBI to take extreme responses to Charlie Hebdo. Continue

America Has Been At War 93% of the Time – 222 Out of 239 Years – Since 1776

By WashingtonsBlog

The U.S. Has Only Been At Peace For 21 Years Total Since Its Birth. Continue

We Kill Our Revolutionaries

By Chris Hedges

The message sent by the state is clear: It does not fear criminals. It fears rebels. Continue

Whatever Became of Economists and the American Economy

By Paul Craig Roberts

The propaganda is so powerful that people partake of their own destruction. Continue

The Corporate Debt to Society: $10,000 Per Household, Per Year

By Paul Buchheit

A particularly outrageous example of a company turning public research into a patent-protected private monopoly is the sordid tale (here) of the drug company Gilead Sciences. Continue

Over 60 ISIS Terrorist Killed in Battle with Peshmerga, Bodies Piled Onto Truck: Photos taken today showed Kurdish forces, known as Peshmerga, amassing the bodies of ISIS militants at their heavily-attacked headquarters in the village of Sultan Abdullah.

19 people killed in Iraq bombings: Multiple bombings, including a suicide truck bomb attack on Shiite militiamen, killed 19 people today in Iraq as police found four bodies with gunshots wounds in the capital.

New ISIS video shows Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers in cages in Iraq: A man with a microphone bearing the ISIS logo interviews some of the captives, who say they are Peshmerga soldiers. Most of those interviewed say they are from Kirkuk. The prisoners, under duress, call on their fellow Peshmerga soldiers to give up their fight against ISIS.

Iraq's defence minister criticises US about timing of battle against Isis: Iraq’s defence minister criticised the US on Sunday for declaring a timeframe for an offensive to recapture the Islamic State’s northern stronghold of Mosul, saying military commanders should not show their hand to the enemy.

Four killed in twin suicide bombings south of Damascus: Two simultaneous suicide attacks killed four people and wounded 13 on Monday in southern Damascus near a Shiite shrine, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.

US-led strikes in Syria kill 1,600 in five months: activists: U.S.-led airstrikes against the ISIS in Syria have killed more than 1,600 people, mainly jihadis, since they began five months ago, an activist group said Monday.

Turkish troops enter Syria to rescue soldiers guarding tomb: Syrian president Bashar al-Assad condemns operation to relieve garrison at Suleyman Shah’s tomb and relocate remains as ‘flagrant aggression’

Turkey informed ISIS of plan to evacuate tomb, soldiers: official source: The Turkish military announced on Sunday the tomb was successfully relocated and the soldiers safely brought home. They said no clashes took place during the operation but one soldier was injured in an accident.

Hadi to form new government, declare Aden as capital of Yemen: sources: One day after his reported escape from house arrest in Sana’a, Yemen’s Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi is taking steps to form a new interim government to run the country’s affairs from the southern city of Aden, which he will soon declare as the new capital of Yemen, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday.

Gazans flee floods caused by Israel's dams opening: At least 80 Palestinian homes have been flooded after water levels in the Gaza Valley (Wadi Gaza) rose to almost three meters, forcing families to evacuate after Israeli authorities opened several dams.

Israeli electric company begins West Bank power cuts over debt: Israeli power cuts would do more damage to a Palestinian economy already hit by Israel's withholding of the monthly transfer of more than $100 million in tax revenues that it collects on behalf of the PA.

Israeli intel cooperated with U.S. and Britain to surveil Iran leaders, new Snowden leak reveals: The document also discusses U.S.-British cyber successes against Tehran’s nuclear program.

Lebanon receives 30 tanks, 12 howitzers from Jordan: The Lebanese Army has received a shipment of 30 tanks and 12 howitzers from Jordan, media reported Monday, as Interior Minister Nouhad announced that the country would soon receive the first batch of weapons financed through a $1 billion Saudi grant.

Young girl suicide bomber kills seven in Nigeria; - A girl thought to be as young as seven killed herself and seven others in a suicide bombing in northeast Nigeria as President Goodluck Jonathan conceded his government had initially underrated the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.

Obama: Libya a security threat to the US: President Barack Obama sent a formal letter to Congress on Monday extending a national emergency for Libya for a year because of the conflict over power and access to the country's resources.

Embattled Libyan government loses grip as Haftar expands power: Growing frustration over the reality of life in eastern Libya, which contrasts with the promises of politicians, is feeding support for a former army general, Khalifa Haftar, who has set himself up as a warrior against militancy and who some also see as their saviour.

Libya Accuses US of Trying to Put Muslim Brotherhood in Power: Libyan temporary prime minister accuses UN envoy, with US and UK backing, of trying to integrate Brotherhood as civil war rages.

Libya parliament suspends participation in UN talks: Libya's internationally recognised parliament on Monday suspended its participation in UN-brokered talks on the future of the war-wracked North African state, officials said.

Islamic State militants claim attacks on Iranian ambassador's residence in Libya: Militants claiming loyalty to Islamic State said they were behind Sunday's twin bomb attacks on the residence of the Iranian ambassador in the Libyan capital and a rocket strike on the eastern Labraq airport.

45 Militants, 4 Afghan Soldiers Killed in Fresh Military Operations: The Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Monday that four Army soldiers were killed in separate Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) explosions while on duty, Khaama Press reported.

For Marine who urinated on dead Taliban, a hero’s burial at Arlington: More than two years later — long after the rest of the country had moved on to other scandals — Richards, 28, died at home and alone from an accidental painkiller overdose.

Ukraine: Kharkov blast death toll rises to 3: A blast hits national unity march in Kharkov, Ukraine’s second largest city. The death toll from the blast that hit Sunday a national unity march in Kharkov, in northeastern Ukraine, has risen to three, local authorities said.

Ukraine Struggles To Identify Dead Soldiers, Thousands Of Troops Missing: Roughly 1,500 Ukrainian soliders have been reported missing in action and military leaders are urging family members to help them identify the bodies of those killed

War criminal: McCain: ‘I’m ashamed of my country’: “I believe that the German chancellor and the president of France legitimized for the first time in 70 years the dismemberment of a country in Europe. It's shameful,” McCain said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “Vladimir Putin has not paid any price. Even the ceasefire was violated.”

Poverty in Germany ‘at Record High’: Poverty in Germany is at its highest since the reunification of the country in 1990, with 12.5 million residents now classified as ‘poor’, according to a study by a German welfare organisation.

Cash for access’ sting: Ex-foreign secretaries Straw and Rifkind suspended, deny wrongdoing: Two of Britain’s former foreign secretarie have denied breaking any rules after they were secretly filmed offering their services to private companies in return for cash. Both men have been suspended.

Bribes and Prejudice: Op-Ed: Contrary to popular belief, the best place to start looking for corrupt crony capitalism is not the developing world but London, says Solomon Hughes

The Spy Cables: A glimpse into the world of espionage: Secret documents, leaked from numerous intelligence agencies, offer rare insights into the interactions between spies.

Watch As Florida Police Tase Elderly Man With His Hands Up: A shocking video uploaded to YouTube on Sunday shows an elderly gentleman with his hands up, posing no risk or threat to the officers, get tased in front of horrified witnesses.

February 21, 2015

Failing Tonkin Gulf Test on Ukraine

By Robert Parry

Washington fumes only about “Russian aggression” — much as a half century ago, the Tonkin Gulf talk was all about “North Vietnamese aggression.” Continue

West Guilty Of Ukraine War Crimes

By Finian Cunningham

Where are the Western warnings of sanctions against the Kiev killers? There are none because the West is fully complicit in war crimes. Continue

Evil Assad, Evil Gaddafi, Now Evil Putin:
How the West Sells War (and Makes a Killing)

By Ghada Chehade

it is important to look at the economic actors/interests that benefit from conflict and regime change in the Ukraine. Continue

US “Easing Into” War with Syria Using ISIS Boogeyman

By Tony Cartalucci

As early as June of last year, it was reported that ISIS would be used as a means to incrementally draw in US forces in preparation for a direct military intervention aimed at Damascus itself. Continue

How To Defeat Perverted And Violent Islamic Fundamentalism

By Alan Hart

Western leaders, starting with President Barack Obama, must open their minds to the fact that consequences have causes. Continue

Syriza Capitulates To The EU

By Robert Stevens

Broad sections of the Greek working class will see the agreement for what it is: a cynical and cowardly act of political treachery. Continue

Greece: The Way Forward

By James K. Galbraith

So far, the Greek achievement consists of stating raw truths in rooms full of self-serving illusions. Continue

How The CIA Gets Away With It: Our Democracy Is Their Real Enemy

By Scott Horton

The inside, untold story of CIA's efforts to mislead Congress -- and the people -- about torture will horrify you. Continue

Syrian army and allies killed 48 in Aleppo offensive: A pro-rebel monitoring group said on Saturday Syrian government forces and allied militants killed 48 fighters and family members during last week's offensive against opposition-held areas in Aleppo province, but the army denied it.

6 killed in fresh mortar attack in Syria's Aleppo: At least six people were killed and 10 others wounded on Saturday by a fresh mortar attack against government-controlled districts of the country's northern province of Aleppo, a monitoring group reported.

Blast kills 4 in Assad hometown: activists: A powerful blast killed four people Saturday in Qardaha, the hometown of the Assad family, an activist group said, adding that the origin of the explosion was unknown.

Turkey moves military into Syria: Turkey may be in the process of moving military vehicles into Syria in an attempt to guard the Tomb of Suleyman Shah, a sovereign Turkish exclave located in the Syrian state of Aleppo.

ISIS claims to seize weapons cache in Iraq: An online video purported to show Islamic extremists seizing armored vehicles and dozens of weapons from Iraq's military north of Baghdad.

Russia confirms delivering Iraq with surface-to-air missile system: The value of the contract between the Russian company and the Iraqi Ministry of Defense reached $ 4 billion, under which Iraq gets 48 missile systems.

Exclusive: Pentagon Doubts Its Own ISIS War Plan: Less than 24 hours after U.S. military officials publicly detailed their plans for a spring offensive on ISIS-held Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, many within the Pentagon privately questioned whether that timetable was plausible. They said that they were dubious that their partners in the Iraqi military—would be capable of conducting such a campaign

US kills three in southern Yemen: Witnesses: A US drone struck a vehicle in the city of al-Houta in the southern province of Shabwah, killing the car's three passengers, allegedly militants, eyewitnesses told the Anadolu Agency.

Yemen crisis: Former president Hadi flees capital: Yemen's ex-president Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi has fled the capital, Sanaa, weeks after he was put under house arrest by Houthi rebels who forced him to resign. After arriving in the southern city of Aden, he denounced all actions taken by the Houthis since they assumed power as "null and illegitimate".

Exclusive: UNIFIL suspects Israel deliberately killed peacekeeper: The deadly incident has left some UNIFIL officers convinced that Israel deliberately targeted one of their positions to “punish” the peacekeepers for not taking greater action against Hezbollah’s activities in the southern border district.

Netanyahu’s New Campaign Ad: If Israel Listened To The United States, It Wouldn’t Exist: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned his row with the White House into part of his campaign, releasing a new video Saturday night which argued that if Israel’s first prime minister had listened to the United States, the State of Israel might not exist.

CIA’s Nuclear-Bomb Sting Said to Spur Review in Iran Arms Case: Details of a 15-year-old Central Intelligence Agency sting emerging from a court case in the U.S. may prompt United Nations monitors to reassess some evidence related to Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons work, two western diplomats said.

How US diplomatic strategy gave Netanyahu leverage: Analysis - The background to the leak of the US negotiation stance on Iran shows how Obama has made himself dependent on Israeli approval of a deal

Boko Haram, Niger fighting over Lake Chad island kills 23: At least 23 people were killed in fighting between Boko Haram militants and the Niger army over the island of Karamga, on the Niger side of Lake Chad, a Niger army report showed on Saturday.

Nigerian army retakes Baga town from Boko Haram: It also claimed in a separate statement that it had killed many Boko Haram militants, though this has not been independently verified.

Gunmen seize 89 boys from South Sudan camp: Unicef says the unidentified gunmen went from house to house and seized boys over the age of 12. Last week, Human Rights Watch accused both sides of using child soldiers, a charge denied by the government.

Jihadists in Libya 'direct threat' to Europe: French PM: "I would like to cite the question of Libya and the direct threat to our security of the creation -- under our eyes and not far from our borders -- of a new haven for the jihadi terrorist," Valls told a gathering of social democrats, according to a transcript of his speech.

20 Taliban Insurgents Killed in Afghan Troops Operations: Twenty Taliban insurgents were killed and two others injured during a series of coordinated operations over the past 24 hours carried out by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said in a statement on Saturday.

Pentagon chief: US considering slowing exit from Afghanistan: The United States is considering slowing its military exit from Afghanistan by keeping a larger-than-planned troop presence this year and next because the new Afghan government is proving to be a more reliable partner, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Saturday.

Employees raid Afghan bank and flee with cash: Official says workers at branch of central bank in southern Kandahar province may have stolen as much as $1.4m.

Ukraine, Rebels Exchange Prisoners As Fighting Continues: Ukrainian military and separatist representatives exchanged dozens of prisoners under cover of darkness at a remote frontline location Saturday evening, kicking off a process intended to usher in peace to the conflict-ridden east.

Ukraine must pay for Russian gas sent to rebel areas: Medvedev: Ukraine must pay for Russian gas being supplied to rebel areas in the country's war-torn east, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Friday, raising the possibility of another gas dispute in the midst of winter.

Greek debt deal: PM Alexis Tsipras warns of 'difficulties': Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has warned of "real difficulties" ahead, as his government faces a Monday deadline to submit a list of reforms to lenders.

European Lawmakers Demand Answers on Phone Key Theft: European officials are demanding answers and investigations into a joint U.S. and U.K. hack of the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile SIM cards, following a report published by The Intercept Thursday.

Ecuador Cuts Wages of Top Officials to Fund Maternity Doctors: The country’s President said will slash high level public servant wages – including his own – to fund 2,000 medical specialists

Why Does Latin America Reject US Belligerence toward Venezuela?: Latin American governments have been very united in rejecting the USA’s efforts to have the government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela overthrown – and they’ve also rejected the U.S. government’s take on the human rights situation there.

Judge orders Obama administration to stop detention of women and children at borders: The ruling Friday, by Judge James E. Boasberg of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, invalidates a central piece of the administration’s strategy to curb illegal immigration across the Southwest border.

Hundreds Mark 50 Years Since Malcolm X's Assassination: Activists, actors and politicians gathered Saturday in New York City to honor civil rights leader Malcolm X with a ceremony at the Harlem site where he was assassinated 50 years ago.

February 20, 2015

Egypt is Calling the West’s Bluff Over its Phony War on ISIS

By Dan Glazebrook

Sisi is making clear Western duplicity over ISIS and the true nature of NATO policy in Libya. Continue

The U.S. Empire and ISIS: A Tale of Two Death Cults

By Glen Ford

Jihad is truly a blessing for U.S. imperial objectives – but there is nothing coincidental about it. Continue

Those Who Bet on the Americans are Bargaining on a Mirage: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

Video and Transcript

America is ruining the entire region for its interest and for the interest of keeping "Israel" powerful, prominent, and protected. Continue

On State and Non-State Violence in the United States and the Middle East

By Zachary Markwith

There is a crisis of violence in the Middle East, but much of it is the creation of the United States government and those individuals and businesses that profit from it. Continue

The Battle Behind the Fog of Propaganda
The “Exceptional” U.S. Suffers Crushing Defeat in Debaltsevo

By Mike Whitney

Poroshenko is doomed to be the scapegoat in the Debaltsevo cock-up, it’s only because he followed the foolhardy advice of his Washington paymasters. Continue

The Draft Dodgers of Ukraine

By Alec Luhn

Kiev is discovering that new recruits are making themselves scarce. Continue

Russian Envoy Says Obama’s Extremism Summit a “Mess”

By Colum Lynch

Churkin bridled at what he characterized as American moralizing about Russian conduct in the world. Continue

Will 'Mistress Europe' Show the American the Door?

By Finian Cunningham

America still vows ardently to "protect" poor little Europe from a slavering Slavic monster who, we are told, is just waiting for a chance to pounce and have its evil way with Washington's European "ally". Continue

Merkel Peace Laureate Another Bad Joke

By Finian Cunningham

The Nobel committee is once again showing itself to be a patronising and politicised vehicle that panders to lawless Western political leaders. Continue

China Pivots Everywhere

By Pepe Escobar

Exceptionalists don’t do equality. So Beijing came up with its own response to the Obama administration’s political/military “pivot to Asia” Continue

Anti-What?

By Uri Avnery

ANTI-SEMITISM is on the rise. All over Europe it is raising its ugly head. Jews are in danger everywhere. They must make haste and come home to Israel before it is too late. - True? Untrue? Continue

You Know You're a Bigot When...

By Cenk Uygur

You know you're a bigot when you can't take out the word "Muslim" from a sentence you stated and replace it with "Jew" and still have it be socially acceptable. Continue 

Islamic State executes 150 civilians in western Iraq, official says: Report: The Islamic State militant group executed 150 civilians in western Iraq, where it is fighting to control the town of al-Baghdadi near a US airbase, a local official said Friday.

U.S. Official: American Forces May Help Iraq Retake Mosul: President Obama has said he would be willing to authorize the limited use of such ground forces if necessary.

Rebels kill 6, capture 32 in Syria's Aleppo: An array of rebel groups, including the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, also killed six government troops or allied militiamen others in intense battles on Wednesday in the town of Ritan in the northern countryside of Aleppo

Syrian Kurds and rebels 'advance into IS-held Raqqa province': Syrian Kurdish fighters and rebel forces have advanced into Raqqa province, capturing 19 villages from Islamic State, a monitoring group says. Since driving IS out of Kobane last month, the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) and rebels had taken about 240 surrounding villages, it added.

Top U.S. Generals: American Allies Support ISIS: America’s top military official – the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin E. Dempsey – and Senator Lindsey Graham admitted last September in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that America’s closest allies are supporting ISIS:

Yemen rival parties agree on transitional council: Rival parties in Yemen are to form a "people's transitional council" to help govern the country and solve the deepening political crisis. UN mediator Jamal Benomar announced the preliminary accord on Thursday and hailed it as "an important step".

Triple suicide blasts kill 47 in Libya's Qubbah: At least 47 people were killed – including three Egyptians – in three suicide bombings that rocked Libya's eastern city of Al-Qubbah on Friday, a Libyan military spokesman has said, Anadolu agency reported.

IS group claims deadly Libyan car bombs: A brief statement by an IS branch in Libya on Friday said two suicide bombers targeted the forces of General Khalifa Haftar in Al-Qoba "in revenge for the blood of our Muslim people in the city of Derna", an apparent reference to air strikes on the eastern jihadist stronghold this week.

Nigeria: 34 Killed In New Attacks Near Chibok: Chibok spokesman Allen Manaseh told SaharaReporters that the insurgents attacked the communities yesterday at about 4pm. Many people were still in the bush as he spoke with our reporter, he said, adding that some were said to have arrived in Chibok town.

Boko Haram: Nigerian abductees reunited with families: A group of 158 women and children abducted by Boko Haram militants in north-eastern Nigeria in December have been reunited with their families.

Somalia: 20 people killed in Mogadishu: Some 20 people, including senior officials, have been killed in an attack on a hotel in the Somali capital. The Central Hotel, often frequented by politicians, was hit by a car bomb and a suicide attack. Gunmen then stormed the hotel mosque and opened fire during Friday prayers.

3,088 Ukraine troops killed in Debaltseve: DPR: The Defense Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) has announced that a total of 3,088 government troops have been killed in the battle for the flashpoint city of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have not made any comment on the claim yet.

Dutch Experts Detect No Russian Military Activities in Rostov Region: Dutch military experts inspected 13,000 square kilometers (5,000 square miles) in Russia's Rostov Region bordering Ukraine, Sergei Ryzhkov added.

‘Russian Bomber Over UK’ Story ‘Not True At All’ - UK Defense Ministry: The claims that a Russian bomber flew directly over UK territory, reported in a story The Guardian published Friday are "not true at all," the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) told Sputnik.

Russia ratifies $100bn BRICS New Development Bank: The Russian State Duma has ratified the $100 billion BRICS bank that’ll serve as a pool of money for infrastructure projects in Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa, and challenge the dominance of the Western-led World Bank and the IMF.

Greece wins four-month bailout extension in eurozone deal: Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, head of the Eurogroup, said that Athens had pledged to honour all its debts. "This is a very positive outcome," he told a news conference on Friday night.

Germany Gives Greece Just Enough Rope: Varoufakis Says If Troika Rejects Reforms "The Deal Is Dead And Buried"

Full Eurogroup Statement On Greece - Just out from the Eurogroup, the final statement. Bottom line: Greece caves on pretty much everything,

Norwegian Muslims volunteer to protect synagogue: After deadly attack at prayer site, activists intend to form a human ‘peace ring’ of protection after weekend services

Five militants, soldier killed in Pakistan exchange of fire: An exchange of fire between the Pakistani security forces and militants Friday killed five rebels and a soldier in a restive Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border, the military said.

‘Colonize planets to save the human race’ – Professor Stephen Hawking: World famous physicist Stephen Hawking says humankind should colonize other planets to ensure the future of the species. He claimed armed aggression could end civilization and that space travel would provide somewhere to go.

Whistleblower: Government Lacks The 'Guts' To Charge U.S. Leaders With Torture: "I don't think our government, no matter who is president, would ever have the guts to charge someone at the level of a Dick Cheney or of a CIA director ... with crimes against humanity," Kiriakou said.

How Spies Stole the Keys to the Encryption Castle: American and British spies hacked into the internal computer network of the largest manufacturer of SIM cards in the world, stealing encryption keys used to protect the privacy of cellphone communications across the globe.

Venezuelan Opposition Leader Arrested for Role in Thwarted Coup: Caracas Metropolitan Mayor Antonio Ledezma was arrested by authorities Thursday after being implicated in last week’s foiled coup attempt. During a televised address, President Nicolas Maduro confirmed the arrest, stating Ledezma was in custody.

February 19, 2015

Obama, Republicans And The Media Concur: It's Time For War With Isis

By Trevor Timm

It’s sounding like the Bush years all over again: the administration and Congress want a war and the media’s happy to cover it as the government prefers. Continue

Since 9/11, We've Had 4 Wars in the Middle East. They've All Been Disasters.

By Kevin Drum

In the past 50 years, has there been any case of the U.S. successfully training local troops to prosecute a war against insurgents? Continue

Demolishing Libya:
How “Humanitarian Interventions” Come Back to Haunt Us

By Binoy Kampmark

If ever there was a brutalised poster boy for the failure of humanitarian intervention, then bloodied, wounded Libya would be it. Continue

Seven Countries In Five Years

By "Observer"

Seven countries in five years and the US dollar is raising from the dead. Ukraine fulfilled its purpose, ISIL conquering Iraq and Syria, just conquering strategic Koban. Continue

War Porn
Hollywood and War from World War II to American Sniper

By Peter Van Buren

American soldiers are good, the enemy bad. Nearly every war movie is going to have a scene in which Americans label the enemy as “savages,” “barbarians,” or “bloodthirsty fanatics,” Continue

Alive and Bleeding

By Robert C. Koehler

I feel a cry of despair tear loose from my soul and spill into the void. Our politics are out of control. There’s no sanity left. Continue

Is Washington Preparing to Wage War on Russia?
Seeing through the Official Lies on Ukraine

By Prof. John McMurtry

Charges of aggression and crime against Russia and Putin are daily proclaimed with no evidence, but together provide a pretext for why “Russia must be stopped” and the US-led West Ukraine regime armed with US weapons to “teach Putin a lesson”. Continue

Putin Should Just Take East Ukraine

By Finian Cunningham

Russian President Vladimir Putin should just be done with this stupid Western game in Ukraine and send in his troops to liberate the eastern region, otherwise known as Novorossia. Continue

Ukraine Finance Minister’s American ‘Values’

By Robert Parry

One of those “values” – personified by Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko – may be the skill of using insider connections. Continue

Christian College Gives Torture President Honorary Humanities Degree

By William Boardman

The American torture president and self-professed Christian, George W. Bush, gratefully accepted an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from the a University in Texas. Continue

Don't Tell Anyone in Berlin
Ironman Varoufakis’s Revolutionary Plan for Europe

By Mike Whitney

If you haven’t been following developments in the Greek-EU standoff, you’re really missing out. This might be the best story of the year. Continue

Statin Drug Scandal:
Cholesterol-lowering Drug Researchers Start Backtracking;

By Health Impact

The criminal activity of the pharmaceutical industry regarding cholesterol-lowering statin drugs sent shock waves through the mainstream media in Australia. Continue

Syria: 150 killed in Aleppo battles after army offensive: Syria monitor: Battles in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo have killed at least 70 pro-government fighters and more than 80 insurgents after the army launched an offensive there, a monitoring group said

Rebel counter-attack, storms halt Aleppo offensive: A rebel counter-attack and stormy weather are preventing Syrian government forces from pressing their offensive in the northern province of Aleppo Thursday, an activist group monitoring the war said.

Pentagon Identifies 1,200 Syrian Mercenaries to Participate in US-Led Training: The fighters will undergo vetting for the program, which is expected to begin in March at multiple sites outside of Syria and train more than 5,000 Syrian fighters a year. Some 3,000 could be trained by the end of 2015, a US official said.

EU moving toward talks with Assad government: The EU is moving toward engaging in discussions with the government of Bashar Assad’s regime, Elmar Brok, the chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, said Wednesday.

The American Public Is Becoming Ever More Rabid for War Against ISIS: News Analysis - It sure isn't hard to gin Americans into a war fever. President Obama isn't even trying, but support for sending U.S. ground troops back into Iraq to fight ISIS continues to grow. According to a new CBS News poll, it now stands at 57 percent.

15 Muslim Worshipers Killed in US Airstrike in Iraq's Anbar: A US aircraft killed 15 worshipers in an airstrike on a mosque in al-Haditha city in Western Al-Anbar province on Wednesday.

10 killed in attacks around Baghdad: Three people died and 11 were hurt after a bomb went off near a cafe just south of the capital, police said. Another bomb blast on a commercial street in Baghdad's western Ghazaliyah area killed two people and wounded eight others.

8 Soldiers Killed in Yemen’s Dawan Region Oil Field: Eight Yemeni soldiers guarding oil installations were killed on Wednesday during a gunfight with tribesmen in the eastern province of Hadramawt, a military official said

Yemen’s Houthi movement sack top military official: sources: Yemen’s Houthi movement was plunged into a state of confusion on Wednesday following news of the sacking of one of its top military commanders over the failure to reach a settlement with other political factions.

White House: Israel 'cherry-picking' intel that distorts Iran talks: “There's no question that some of the things that the Israelis have said in characterizing our negotiating position have not been accurate. There's no question about that,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Italian parliament to vote on recognition of Palestine: The text calls on the Italian government to "recognize the State of Palestine so that negotiations towards the solution of 'two peoples, two states can start.'"

Libya: Suspected ISIL militants seize university in Sirte: Report: The move came a day after dozens of gunmen, who brandished the ISIL’s flag, paraded through the streets of the city. The militants were heavily armed, the reports said.,

Libyan government sends troops to fight Isis in Sirte: Libya's government has sent troops to the coastal city of Sirte to confront Isis militants who are believed to be controlling the area and where the Egyptian Coptic Christians were abducted prior to being beheaded near Tripoli.

Do not send foreign troops here, warns Libya's air force commander: Saqr al-Joroushi warns that foreign boots on the ground would cause Libyan to unite against them and increase country's woes

Isis plans to use immigrant boats from Libya to cause terror in Europe and close shipping routes: Propaganda released by Isis has detailed plans to use Libya as a base to cause “pandemonium” in Europe by hijacking immigrant boats crossing the Mediterranean.

NATO bombs cleared the path for IS in Libya: Op-Ed: Mr. Baird proudly signed a bomb destined for release by a Canadian plane. “Free Libya. Democracy,” he wrote. The minister then declared, after his lightning visit, “The one thing we can say categorically is that they [the rebels] wouldn’t be any worse than Col. Gadhafi.”

US says world must fight 'new war on new enemy': While U.S. officials have said the aim was to draft an action plan, it was unclear if there would be any concrete results out of the three-day meeting.

Afghanistan: Drone Strike Kills Eight Taliban: On Wednesday afternoon eight Taliban insurgents including their commander were killed in a drone attack in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, according to local security officials.

Russia Slams Ukraine Call for UN Troops, Says Violates Deal: The Russian ambassador to the United Nations says that the proposal by the Ukranian president violates the Minsk peace accords. Russia rejected a proposal by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko Thursday for the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers to help uphold a recent peace agreement in eastern Ukraine.

US Sends "Tankbuster" Jets To Europe Over Russia Fears After Germany Says "A Large Scale War Could Develop": Karl-Georg Wellmann, a lawmaker in Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union has warned that, despite its efforts to avoid arms being provided to Ukraine, Germany "will no longer be able to stop weapons deliveries from from the U.S. and Canada."

Russia starts supplying gas to Eastern Ukraine ‘as humanitarian aid’: Responding to an order from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to supply gas to east Ukraine as humanitarian aid, gas company Gazprom said it had started supplies via the Prokhorovka and Platovo pumping stations on the border with east Ukraine.

Manipulating Public Opinion: RAF jets scrambled after Russian bombers seen off Cornwall: The Russian Bear bombers did not enter sovereign airspace, it said. On the same day, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon warned that Russia's President Putin posed a "real and present danger" to three Baltic states.

Germany rejects Greek loan request: Germany has rejected a Greek request for a six-month extension to its eurozone loan programme. The rejection came despite the European Commission calling the Greek request "positive" only minutes earlier.

Tony Blair to advise Serbian government, a country Britain once helped to bombed while he was PM : The fee for Mr Blair’s private consultancy firm is being paid for by the United Arab Emirates, The Guardian reported, citing a senior Serbian minister and a source in the Serbian Prime Minister’s office.

MEP claims Nigel Farage, Ukip Leader, The 'Biggest Waste Of Money In Europe' : Video

Court nixes Guantanamo conviction of Australian ex-detainee: An appeals court on Wednesday struck down the terrorism conviction of Australian David Hicks, reversing one of the few successful prosecutions of a prisoner before a U.S. military court at the Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.

Australian David Hicks 'relieved' after terror conviction quashed: "It is just unfortunate that because of politics, I was subjected to five and a half years of physical and psychological torture that I will now live with always."

Controversy in Uruguay Over New Lives of Guantanamo Refugees: Controversy is flaring over the six Guantanamo detainees taken in by Uruguay for resettlement, with even the man who pushed through the plan, President Jose Mujica, seeming to criticize them for lacking a work ethic.

Gitmo torturer allegedly had long history with Chicago Police Dept.: A former Chicago homicide detective accused in a federal civil rights lawsuit over wrongful conviction is alleged to also have carried out interrogations at Guantanamo Bay, where his methods were described as “illegal,” “immoral” and “unconstitutional.

The Oil Price Crash is Being Used to Attack the Public Sector: From Anchorage and the Alberta tar sands to the Gulf Coast, the collapse in oil prices is being used as an excuse by right-wing governments to further gut social spending and shrink critical services for the poor.

February 18, 2015

The Strategic Implications of the Battle for Debaltsevo

By The Saker

Putin has confirmed that the US has been sending weapons to the junta and he added that he was absolutely sure that while this could kill more people, it would make no difference at all because the Ukrainian soldiers have no desire to fight whereas the morale of the Novorussians was extremely strong. Continue

Putin Paranoia

By Patrick J. Buchanan

What is it about this generation of Americans that makes us such compulsive meddlers in the affairs of nations we could not find on a map? Continue

UN Presses for "Truce" to Save Embattled Terrorists in Aleppo

By Tony Cartalucci

Syria is winning the war and has absolutely no reason to show mercy for opponents that have no intention to show any for it and its people. Continue

Wesley Clark: "Our Friends and Allies Funded ISIS to Destroy Hezbollah"

Video

"ISIS got started through funding from our friends and allies... to fight to the death against Hezbollah" Continue

Hamas Rebuffs Blair’s Allegations
Quartet Links Rebuilding Gaza With Ceding Palestinian Rights

By MEM

A senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, revealed that Quartet peace envoy Tony Blair is trying to blackmail Hamas in return for reconstructing the Gaza Strip. Continue

The NPT, Israel and Nuclear Exceptionalism

By Binoy Kampmark

Israel remains the grandest of security exceptions – or ambiguities – free of signing the NPT, obviating the need to deal with the IAEA, and a catalyst, and recipient, of nuclear weapons technology. Continue

French Media Documents Israeli Reporter’s Fraudulent Paris Walk on Muslim “Wild Side”

By Richard Silverstein

The French publication Les Inrocks published an investigative piece and interview with Klein which undermined many of the claims and assumptions on which his video was based. Continue

The Butlerian Carnival

By John Michael Greer

Something in the air just now seems reminiscent of the American colonies in 1775, France in 1789, America in 1860, Europe in 1914, or the world in 1939: a sense of being poised on the brink of convulsive change. Continue

Global Warming, God, and American Complacency

By David Ray Griffin

To believe in God, according to these three men, is to believe that the world is under the complete control of an omnipotent deity. Continue

Yanis Varoufakis: How I became an erratic Marxist

By Yanis Varoufakis

The Greek finance minister at the centre of the latest eurozone standoff, wrote this searing account of European capitalism and and how the left can learn from Marx’s mistakes. Continue

Syrian rebels 'kill 195 soldiers' in fighting: The Islamic Front says it has seized control of al-Mallah area and Ratyan town in northern Syria. The Islamic Front Syrian opposition group has claimed to have killed 195 regime soldiers in fighting on Tuesday and seized control of villages from the government in Aleppo, northern Syria.

100 killed as Syrian troops fight near Aleppo: Syrian government forces backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters captured several villages near Aleppo in heavy fighting Tuesday that left more than 100 dead on both sides, bringing them closer to their goal of besieging rebel-held neighborhoods in the country's largest city, activists said.

Suicide bomber kills 6 in Iraq as militant who fought U.S. pledges to assault ISIS if necessary: The car bomb attack occurred in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, in an area that has been under constant assault by ISIS jihadists. A Shiite militia leader has pledged to strike ISIS if his radical leader wishes it.

Official: U.S. keeping ISIS kill list: The United States is maintaining a list of about two dozen or so top ISIS operatives in Iraq and Syria that it hopes to kill in airstrikes, according to a senior U.S. official.

Most Americans Think the Netanyahu Speech Is a Bad Idea: According to a new CNN poll, 63 percent of Americans think it was a bad idea for Republicans to invite Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without first consulting the White House.

Nigerian army claims 300 Boko Haram fighters killed: Nigerian forces have killed hundreds of Boko Haram extremists while recapturing the garrison town of Monguno, army sources said. The Islamist group has threatened new attacks, despite the defeat.

Egyptian army kills 55 ISIS in Libya: Egyptian army special forces conducted a land raid on Wednesday morning on the Libyan city of Derna, in Cyrenaica, an ISIS stronghold. According to Libyan media reports, Egyptian army commandos killed dozens of ISIS militants, captured 55 of them, and destroyed the Abu Karim al Wahadi barracks.

Libya asks UN to lift arms embargo as it confronts ISIL: Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Dairi says the UN "shouldered a legal responsibility" to help rebuild Libya's army.

Huge amount of weapons were found on the border between Egypt and Libya: Video - Believed these weapons sent from US to terrorists.

ISIS plans to invade Europe through Libya – report: The plans, analyzed by anti-terrorism British think tank Quilliam, outline a strategy to illegally ferry fighters across the sea from Libya into southern Europe, into ports such as Italy’s southernmost island of Lampedusa, less than 300 miles (483km) away.

Air strike 'kills 37 mourners' in Niger: Thirty-seven people have died in an air strike in southern Niger. They were attending a funeral ceremony in Abadam village on the border with Nigeria when an unidentified plane began dropping bombs.

4 policemen killed in Qaeda attack: Tunisia: Four Tunisian police were killed early Wednesday in an attack by suspected Al Qaeda-linked militants near the Algerian border where militants are dug in, with officials vowing a “violent” response.

Reuters: Twenty-two Ukrainian soldiers killed in fighting in Debaltseve: Twenty-two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and more than 150 were wounded in fighting with Russian-backed separatists in the railway junction of Debaltseve in the last few days, Interfax news agency quoted the armed forces general staff as saying on Feb. 18.

Ukraine troops retreat from key town of Debaltseve: Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted the rebels' actions in Debaltseve had not violated the ceasefire because it was a rebel-held city when the peace agreement was signed last week.

Debaltsevo: Rebels claim military ‘surrender en masse’: Kiev troops surrounded in the city of Debalstevo have started to surrender en masse, Ukrainian rebels have said

UAF squad surrenders at Debaltsevo: Video -

Germany says peace plan for Ukraine "damaged" not dead: Germany condemned the seizure of a strategic east Ukrainian town by pro-Russian rebels on Wednesday as a "massive violation" of a ceasefire, but said it was too early to call the broader Minsk peace plan dead or ratchet up sanctions against Moscow.

Poroshenko asking for military assistance from Washington: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on phone that militants are not observing the ceasefire in Donbas, which is stipulated by Minsk agreements, the Ukrainian press service said.

Ukraine approves NATO cooperation: The Ukrainian Cabinet has approved a 2015 program for cooperation with NATO, Deputy Prime Minister Hennadiy Zubko has told reporters.

UK Supplies Saxon APCs to Ukraine...Which Promptly Sells Them!: After a lot of huffing and puffing by the "Arms for Ukraine Now!" neocons like General Sir Richard "Helmand" Dannatt over the weekend ridiculing Britain for only supplying Saxon Armoured Vehicles, a Kiev-based company is already offering them for sale!

IMF aid package pushes Ukraine gas prices up 280%: Ukraine has agreed to increase the cost of gas to consumer by 280 percent, and 66 percent for heating, as part of the IMF terms for getting extra financial aid, says Valery Gontareva the head of the National Bank of Ukraine.

U.S. brings 250 soldiers in Romanian base: Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis informed the Senate that he approved the temporary deployment of up to 250 American soldiers in the Mihail Kogalniceanu military base in Eastern Romania, according to Mediafax. The President also approved the a request from the U.S. to use the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, Romania’s largest airport

Poland Embarks on Massive Spending to Overhaul Military Hardware : The plans will bring Poland in line with NATO's recommended defense spending target of 2% of gross domestic product, AFP said on Monday.

Poland’s complicity in CIA torture programme confirmed as European Court rejects Warsaw’s appeal: The European Court of Human Rights today confirmed that the Polish government was complicit in the CIA’s secretive programme of rendition, detention and interrogation.

Greece gets lifeline as ECB agrees €3.3bn extra emergency funds: Total funding on offer now €68.3bn as Greek banks come close to using €65bn of liquidity funds granted by European Central Bank

Swiss police raid HSBC's Geneva office: They said they were investigating HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) and "persons unknown for suspected aggravated money laundering".

Google warns of US government 'hacking any facility' in the world: Google is boldly opposing an attempt by the US Justice Department to expand federal powers to search and seize digital data, warning that the changes would open the door to US “government hacking of any facility” in the world.

7 creepy ways you're spied on: Sophisticated surveillance techniques that are all around you: Do you ever get a feeling someone's spying on you? Well, thanks to a whole host of new surveillance tech, they probably are.

US kills 8 PEOPLE in E. Afghanistan: At least eight alleged Taliban rebels were killed in a United States-led drone strike in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan on Wednesday, said officials.

Sharp rise in Afghan civilian casualties: UN: The number of civilians killed and wounded in Afghanistan jumped 22 percent in 2014. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan attributed the rise to an intensification in ground fighting, resulting in a total of 10,548 civilian casualties last year, compared with the 2013 figure of 8,637.

Shia mosque blast kills two in Pakistan capital: At least two people were killed and eight others injured in a bomb blast outside a Shia mosque in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Wednesday, medical sources and local media said.

Argentina Tells US, Israel to Stay out of Its Affairs: "I can go to any country in the world, including those who launch missiles and have secret prisons, stand in front of them and say that here reigns the law and no Argentine can be detained except by a judge and if there is in effect the constitutional guarantees," Fernandez said.

Saint Lucians to Study Medicine for Free in Venezuela: A pioneering group of young Saint Lucians is expected to begin studying medicine in Venezuela in July 2015. This area of study is considered a priority for the Saint Lucian government, as it seeks to strengthen rural and community health.

US to allow armed drone exports: The US has announced it will begin allowing sales of armed drones to some friendly and allied countries.