May 17, 2015

MH17 – Special Investigation
"The Russian Are Lying And Here Is The Truth"

Video Report
60 Minutes - MSN - Australia

Who shot down MH17? 60 Minutes tracks the killers deep inside rebel territory. Continue

What if Putin is Telling the Truth?

By F. William Engdahl

The Russian former KGB chief dropped a political bombshell that was known by Russian intelligence two decades ago. Continue

Happiness is Having Own Submarine-launched Ballistic Missile.

By Eric S. Margolis

Young dictator Kim’s ambitions are upsetting the north Asian applecart. Continue

Beware of Vassals Asking For Gifts
Obama & Gulf States summit: Party time with Wahhabi Atlanticists

By Pepe Escobar

The GCC petrodollar racket – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman – was screaming for a “security deal” with Washington similar to the “special relationship” with Israel. Continue

Why Seymour Hersh’s Story On Osama bin Laden’s Death Rings True

By Adnan R. Khan

We are living through an era of scripted events, engineered realities designed to achieve political goals. Continue

The Jewish Solidarity Spin

By Gilad Atzmon

If you are interested in my work or even oppose everything I do, I urge you to watch (or read) this talk. Continue

Boston Marathon Bomber Gets Death, So Why Not Death for all Bombers?

By Joe Clifford

Tsarnaev killed 3 and will be put to death, while in Iraq and Afghanistan we have killed millions with bombs and no one is accountable. Continue

Wikileaks Cables Show
U.S. Government Attempts to Topple Democratically Elected Governments.

By Gregory Wilpert

In thousands upon thousands of secret cables, these U.S. government officials honesty and candidly describe their attempts to topple democratically elected governments in the region. Continue

Estimated 500 people killed in Iraq's Ramadi in two days: official: An estimated 500 people, civilians and security forces, were killed in the jihadist offensive on Ramadi, a spokesman for the governor of the Iraqi province of Anbar said.

Suicide car bombs kill 15 Iraqi troops in besieged Ramadi: Fierce clashes erupted between security forces and Islamic State militants following the attacks. Subsequently, Islamic State militants seized the Malaab area after government forces withdrew.

ISIL overruns last Iraqi holdout in Ramadi: Iraqi soldiers flee as armed group takes over capital of Iraq's largest province.

Islamic State seizes Iraqi army base, PM to send in Shi'ite fighters: Islamic State militants drove security forces from a key military base in western Iraq on Sunday and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi authorized the deployment of Shi'ite paramilitaries to wrest back control of the mainly Sunni province.

Nearly 300 people killed in battle for Syria's Palmyra: activists: Nearly 300 people have been killed in several days of fighting since ISIS launched an attack against Syria's ancient city of Palmyra, an activist group said Sunday.

Army kills 5 ISIS leaders in eastern Syria: Before news of the U.S. special forces' operation broke in the United States Saturday, Syrian state TV had reported that the Syrian army was behind the raid.

U.S. Syria attack kills 32: monitoring group: At least 32 "Islamic State members", including four of its leaders, were killed in air strikes and a U.S. special forces raid that targeted the group in eastern Syria, a group monitoring the Syrian war said on Sunday.

Baghdadi message reaffirms IS leadership; In his half-hour speech posted on jihadist forums on Thursday, Baghdadi calls for a general mobilisation and urges all Muslims to move to the caliphate he proclaimed last year or wage jihad (holy war) wherever they are.

Don’t be fooled: ISIS isn’t losing: Reports of territory losses will likely be empty victories as the Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh) continues its brutal campaign to win over radicals in the Middle East.

Yemen: 10 more killed in Taiz fighting: : At least 10 people were killed in overnight battles in the Yemeni city of Taiz between Houthis and militiamen, residents and medical sources said on Sunday.

Yemen conflict: Saudi-led coalition resumes attack as truce ends: They say the strikes targeted Houthi rebel positions in the southern port of Aden after the five-day humanitarian truce expired at 20:00 GMT.

U.S. Hosts Arms Bazaar at White House Arab Summit: The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia – which participated in the summit were, not surprisingly, promised more weapons, increased military training and a pledge to defend them against missile strikes, maritime threats and cyberattacks from Iran.

Turkish government hires former CIA director: The Turkish government has hired former CIA Director Porter Goss for lobbying activities, according to a form filed with the US Department of Justice that was published online.

Clashes as Israelis mark East Jerusalem occupation day: Four Palestinians arrested as Israeli hardliners march in the Muslim Quarte to mark East Jerusalem occupation in 1967.

Birthright-inspired trip for U.S. Christians aims to bring thousands to Israel: Covenant Journey to offer heavily-subsidized evangelical 11-day trips to the Holy Land, combining Christian pilgrimage and pro-Israel advocacy activities.

3 court officials killed in Egypt’s Sinai: Armed militants have killed two Egyptian judges and a prosecutor in North Sinai’s provincial capital El-Arish, just hours after a court in Cairo sentenced ousted president Mohamed Morsi to death.

Several Boko Haram militants killed in Nigeria: Army: 'An unconfirmed number of terrorists died on Saturday as ten additional camps used by terrorists were overrun in the continuing offensive operations in Sambisa forest,' said Def. Spokesman Chris Olukola.

Car bomb on EU vehicle kills at least three in Afghan capital: A suicide car bomber rammed a European Union vehicle near the main airport in Afghanistan's capital on Sunday, killing two Afghan civilians and a British security contractor in the latest attack in the city, officials said.

Thousands protest against US airbase in Japan's Okinawa: Massive rallies aim to pressure Tokyo to halt construction of base in island as decades-long row continues.

Neither China nor US giving ground over projects dispute: China and the United States are budging not a bit over Beijing's assertive development in disputed parts of the South China Sea, with Chinese officials politely but pointedly dismissing Washington's push for U.S.-proposed ways to ease tensions.

China rapidly upgrading nuclear arsenal with MIRVed missiles – report: China is fast refurbishing its arsenal of silo-based long-range ballistic missiles to carry multiple independently targetable warheads, defense experts say. The move comes decades after Beijing acquired the technology, indicating a strategy change.

Nuland to Visit Moscow for Ukraine Talks: Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland will visit Moscow on May 17 and 18 to discuss the implementation of the Minsk peace agreements on Ukraine, the US State Department said in a statement Sunday.

It Begins... Greece Demands An Emergency Meeting!: Over the next three months, Greece will have to cough up an additional 7B EUR and as you can imagine, it just doesn’t have the money.

Salvadorans Warn Canadians about World Bank's Kangaroo Court: The World Bank’s little known investor-state arbitration tribunal that could force El Salvador to pay Canadian mining firm OceanaGold US$301 million, a Salvadoran delegation is in Canada to discuss how this arbitration process threatens democratic decision making, public health and the environment here and beyond.

Exclusive: Mother Of Boston Marathon Bomber Says US Will Burn: “They think that they are killing us and they celebrate this, but we are the ones who will rejoice when Allah grants us the chance to behold them in the flames of an eternal and terrifying fire, an otherworldly flame,” Zubeidat Tsarnaeva wrote Sunday in a WhatsApp message to Zarina Kasenova, a friend and supporter.

9 killed in rival biker gang shootout in Texas: At least nine people have been killed and 17 injured in a shootout between rival biker gangs outside the Twin Peaks Restaurant in Waco, Texas. The brawl quickly escalated from fists to gunfire despite police, aware of possible trouble, being at the scene.

Controversial Clinton-Tied Moroccan Mining Firm Supported by Ex-Im Bank: A controversial state-owned Moroccan mining firm that has poured money into Hillary Clinton’s foundation has received more than $92 million in U.S. taxpayer support, public records show.

Obamas worth millions, disclosure forms reveal: The bulk of the Obamas’ wealth is invested in U.S. Treasury bills and notes, the total being estimated between $1.25 million and $5.25 million.

Clintons Earned at Least $30 Million in 16 Months: Call them part of the 0.1 percent. Hillary and Bill Clinton have earned at least $30 million since January 2014, mostly for giving paid speeches, according to financial disclosure forms filed on Friday.

American Addict: America represents 5% of the world’s population but consumes 50% of the world’s prescription pills and over 80% of the world’s prescription narcotics; this is NOT a coincidence.

May 16, 2015

U.S. Wakes Up to New (Silk) World Order

By Pepe Escobar

Ukraine is a failed state now fully converted into an IMF colony. Continue

America’s New Nightmare: India, China Plus Russia

By Svobodnaya Pressa

For Russia, the rapprochement between India and China is an issue of paramount importance. Continue

Was The Killing Of The IS Oil Minister A Combined Syrian-U.S. Operation?

By Moon Of Alabama

Did one side, the Syrian government or the U.S. administration, "steal" the success from the other side for their own propaganda purpose? Continue

The Phony ‘Bad Intel’ Defense on Iraq

By Ray McGovern

What has become painfully clear since the trauma of 9/11 is that most of our fellow citizens have felt an overriding need to believe that administration leaders are telling them the truth and to ignore all evidence to the contrary. Continue

The Emperor Lies

By Sheldon Richman

If Hersh is right, the SEALs murdered an unarmed and powerless invalid, held by Pakistan, under orders from Obama when they could have brought him to trial.  Continue

Bin Laden: What Do We Really Know?

By Linh Dinh

To prove Bin Laden’s death, Obama’s handlers have given us nothing but a cartoon narrative suitable only for dimwitted children. Continue

Politico Gives CIA’s Worst WMD Liar a Platform to Slam Seymour Hersh

By Jon Schwarz

It’s hard for anyone to judge the accuracy of Seymour Hersh’s blockbuster story on the killing of Osama bin Laden, given its reliance on unnamed sources. Continue

Winning a Nuclear War - The Prize: Extinction

By Bo Filter

Surely, a fight for the survival of posterity is something worth waging. Continue

Historical Whitewash
Great Britain Must be Held Accountable for its Role in the Nakba

By Nu'man Abd al-Wahid

"When the State of Israel went from a dream to a plan Britain has played a proud and vital role in helping to secure Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people.” - David Cameron. Continue

A Blueprint for Greece's Recovery

By Yanis Varoufakis

Inequality has reached outrageous levels, preventing society from uniting behind essential reforms. Continue

Hillary and Bill Clinton Earn More Than $25m For Giving 100 Speeches

By Associated Press

Hillary Clinton has begun her second campaign for president by casting herself as a champion for middle-class voters. Continue

Syrian forces kill 40 IS militants in Deir al-Zour: The Syrian government forces killed as many as 40 militants with the Islamic State (IS) group, including a commander responsible for oil-related affairs, in a "qualitative" operation in the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria, the official Syrian TV reported Saturday.

Boots on the ground: U.S. Special Forces kill "top ISIS commander" in Syria raid: Secret Syria raid ends with death of up to 40 jihadists and capture of chief's WIFE who trafficked Yazidis. Abu Sayyaf, the extremist group's 'Oil Minister', was killed in a firefight in eastern Syria today by special forces authorised by President Barack Obama, the Pentagon confirmed.

ISIS Supporters Shaken By U.S. Killing Of Abu Sayyaf, Vow Revenge: If your goal is killing Abu Sayyaf then our goal is killing Obama and the worshipers of the cross. We have attacks coming against you.

Turkey Shoots Down Syrian Jet For Violating Air Space: Report; Turkish forces shot down a Syrian aircraft after it violated Turkish airspace, the locally based news channel NTV reported Saturday. Turkey’s government subsequently said in a statement that one of Syria’s aircraft was shot down by Turkish F-16 fighter jets, which fired two missiles.

Obama's envoy says anti-ISIL talks in Ankara 'productive': "General Allen, Ambassador McGurk and Under Secretary Sinirlioglu discussed a number of ways in which the United States and Turkey can broaden and deepen our cooperation on counter-ISIL efforts, including on countering the flow of foreign fighters,"

Turkey detains soldiers over seizure of Syria-bound arms case: Turkish police have detained eight serving members of the army in the latest wave of arrests in a hugely controversial case over the interception last year of an alleged consignment of arms bound for Syria, reports said on Saturday.

Slaughter of Iraqi family in suspected US-led air strike: Five members of one family, including a pregnant woman and girl aged eight, killed in one village. Other victims of the anti-Isis air campaign may go unrecorded

ISIL pulls out from key areas in Iraq's Ramadi: Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have withdrawn from the main government building in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, a day after the group raised its black flag over the building in the capital of Anbar province.

62 killed in battles in Yemen despite ceasefire: Battles between the Shiite Houthi fighters and tribal militia continued in Yemen's southern provinces on Saturday, despite a humanitarian pause that came into effect four days ago, which make it difficult for agencies to deliver food to millions of people deprived of food, medicine and fuel.

Missile shield for Gulf to take years, and heavy U.S. commitment: A U.S.-supplied missile shield to protect Gulf nations against Iranian attacks will take years to complete, requiring a step-up in regional trust, more U.S. sales of sensitive weapons, and intensive U.S. training to avoid mishaps in the volatile region.

Israeli troops clash with Palestinians for second day: Five people, including two photographers, are wounded when soldiers use rubber bullets and tear gas on Nakba protesters.

Amira Hass: Israeli colonialism, plain and simple: News Analysis - In two court decisions involving shoving Palestinians off their land, Supreme Court justices have confirmed what Israel’s critics are saying: that Israel has been a colonialist entity since 1948.

Nigeria: 7 killed, 26 injured in Yobe suicide attack: No fewer than seven people were killed and 26 others injured on Saturday when a female suicide bomber detonated an Improvised Explosive Device at the entrance of the Damaturu Central Motor Park in Yobe.

Doctors: Burundi police shoot fighters on hospital beds: Doctor claims patients killed after police storm emergency section looking for supporters of failed coup.

Egypt sentences Mohamed Morsi to death: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised Egypt over the decision and accused the West of hypocrisy, according to the state-run Anatolian news agency said.

‘I'd rather die at sea than stay there’: migrants on crossing the Med: After a terrifying journey across the Mediterranean, thousands of migrants arrive in Sicily every week. These are their stories.

151 Taliban militants killed in Afghan military operations: A total of 151 Taliban militants have been killed during military operations and clashes with the Afghan security forces within the last two days, said the country's Defense Ministry on Saturday morning.

20 alleged militants killed in security forces' operation in SW Pakistan At least 20 alleged terrorists were killed in an ongoing extensive operation by security forces in Pakistan's southwestern district of Kalat on Saturday, local media reported.

Pakistan: US kills 5 alleged militants: Pakistani intelligence officials say missiles fired from a U.S. drone struck a compound in the North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border, killing five militants.

U.S., China set for high-stakes rivalry in skies above South China Sea: When the U.S. navy sent a littoral combat ship on its first patrol of the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea during the past week, it was watching the skies as well. The ship's actions were a demonstration of U.S. capabilities in the event Beijing declares an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the area - a move experts and some U.S. military officials see as increasingly likely.

Ukraine Recession Deepens as Economy Shrinks 17.6%: The economy of Ukraine shrank by more than one-sixth in the first quarter, hammered by a conflict with Russia-backed separatists that has slashed industrial output.

Ukraine eyes strategic investors in sell-off of state-owned assets: Kiev has drawn up a list of around 280 companies it hopes to privatise, earning up to 17 billion hryvnia ($821.26 million) in the process. The list includes three thermal power plants and 13 ports.

Thousands March in Kiev Against Soaring Utilities Rates: Over five thousand people gathered Saturday morning in central Kiev to protest out-of-control utilities prices.

Congress Votes to Suspend Funds for US Implementation of New START Treaty: The measure withholds funding for the United States to fulfill its nuclear arms reductions under the New START agreement with Russia.

Russia to France: We'll take $1.32 billion instead of those warships: Russia wants $1.32 billion (1.163 billion euros) from France in compensation for canceling a contract to deliver two Mistral helicopter carriers, a Russian source close to the negotiations said on Friday.

Poland makes payout to victims of CIA renditions / torture: Poland is paying a quarter of a million dollars to two terror suspects tortured by the CIA in a secret facility in this country — prompting outrage among many here who feel they are being punished for American wrongdoing.

Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Soar in UK as Far-Right Sentiment Grows : More than 47,000 hate crimes were recorded between 2012 and 2014. Hate crimes against Muslims in Britain have spiked in the last three years, police documents reveal.

Luxembourg PM First EU Leader to Marry Same-Sex Partner: Luxembourg's prime minister Xavier Bettel and his husband Gauthier Destenay are among the first same sex couples to marry in the small European nation.

Welcome to the world's newest country – the Kingdom of Enclava: The tiny Kingdom of Enclava is established on a patch of land between Slovenia and Croatia, weeks after the foundation of another micro-nation, Liberland

House defies Obama veto threat, approves $612B defense bill: All but eight Republicans voted in favor, along with 41 Democrats who went against Obama's veto threat and their party leaders, who whipped against it.

US Court Orders Immediate Release of 85-Year-Old Anti-Nuke Nun: In 2012, Sister Rice, along with fellow Catholic peace activists Michael Walli and Greg Boertje-Obed, were charged with sabotage after breaking into the site of the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

2014: 51 Cops Killed VS 1,100 Citizens Killed by Cops: With 51 officers killed and 1,000 citizens killed by cops, citizens were murdered by police at 21.5 times the rate of officers in 2014. In other words, the number of police killed by citizens amounted to barely 5% of the total murders committed by police.

'I can't breathe! I'm choking on my blood': Horrifying jailhouse video of Iraq War veteran, 26, who died while serving two-day DUI sentence

Rotten to the core: ‘Hillary Clinton Sold Her Soul When They Accepted That Money’: The king of Morocco, the Clintons and a problem that just won’t go away.

May 15, 2015

Is Washington Coming To Its Senses?

By Paul Craig Roberts

If Western peoples hope to escape from the Police State that Washington has imposed on the entire Western World, we must pray that Putin does not fall for the seduction. Continue

Saudi Option of Yemen War to Blow Iran P5+1 Deal

By Finian Cunningham

Escalating the war in Yemen may be the Saudi option of trying to force Washington’s hand over Iran. Continue

The Myth of the Inevitable War

By Philip Jenkins

History should caution the United States from believing that armed conflict with "perpetual" enemies is unavoidable. Continue

The American Military Uncontained
Chaos Spread, Casualties Inflicted, Missions Unaccomplished

By William J. Astore

Post-Desert Storm, the military of which I was a part stood triumphant on a planet that was visibly ours and ours alone. Continue

How to Fight Western Propaganda

By Andre Vltchek

What are we, who oppose the regime, supposed to do? - First of all, things are not as hopeless as they used to be. Continue

US Empire
American Exceptionalism Is No Shining City On a Hill

By Gilbert Mercier

The US as the “divine gift” of a moral and virtuous land, is a cruel fairy tale. Continue

Top 10 Activist Errors

By David Swanson

War is not going to go away on its own. It is not even going away with our help. But it could go away if we really get our act together. Continue

Time To Celebrate Real Heroes, Like The One Just Lost

By John Pilger

Kwementyaye Randall was, like so many others, stolen from his mother. He was seven when he was taken by the “authorities’ Continue

The Nakba
A Crime Watched, Ignored and Remembered

By Ilan Pappe

The land of the new state was declared exclusively Jewish, the Palestinians remaining in the land were put under military rule that denied them basic human and civil rights. Continue

Five Major Banks to Plead Guilty to Rigging Currency Markets

By Andre Damon

Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Barclays and UBS are expected to plead guilty to felony fraud and antitrust charges. Continue

TPP: The Dirtiest Trade Deal You've Never Heard Of

2 Minute Video

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could cost us our internet freedom, labor rights, access to affordable medicine, the safety of our food, and protections that keep our water and air clean.

30 IS militants killed in Syria airstrikess: Twelve militants of the Islamic State terrorist group died in a US-led coalition airstrike north of Aleppo in Syria and 18 were killed during an attack on Kweres air base to the east of the city, a watchdog said on Friday.

IS kills 23 Syria civilians in advance on ancient Palmyra: - Extremists from the Islamic State jihadist group executed at least 23 civilians on Friday as they advanced towards Syria's ancient desert metropolis of Palmyra, a monitoring group said.

Hezbollah, Syrian army seize control of new Qalamoun hill: “The Syrian army and [Hezbollah] mujahideen have wrested control of the entire mountain range of Jabal al-Barouh, which connects the Syrian town of Ras al-Maara with the outskirts of the Lebanese [town] of Nahle,” Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said.

Amid battle with IS, suicide attacks kill 10 police in Iraq: Three near-simultaneous suicide car bombings on Friday targeted an Iraqi government compound and killed 10 policemen in Ramadi, where government forces are battling Islamic State militants, officials said.

ISIS seizes Ramadi govt HQ in Anbar offensive: : Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) jihadists have raised their black flag over the provincial government compound in the city of Ramadi in western Iraq on Friday. The insurgents attacked Ramadi overnight using six suicide car bombs to reach the city centre, where the Anbar governorate compound is located, police sources said.

US plays down IS militants' gains in Iraq: Despite major new setbacks in Iraq, the U.S. military command leading the fight against Islamic State militants insisted Friday that its strategy is working and that the militants' takeover of a key oil refinery and a government compound are fleeting gains feeding an IS propaganda machine.

5 Boko Haram militants shot dead in Iraq: “The Nigerian Boko Haram militants were in Mosul to take part in a military training course conducted by Islamic State (IS),” Mamuzini added.

Dead man talking: Baath party TV releases audio of 'killed' Saddam deputy: The TV channel of Iraq's former ruling Baath party on Friday released an audio recording purportedly of the elusive Saddam Hussein deputy some officials said had been killed last month.

Fighting continues in Yemeni city despite truce, 10 killed: At least 10 people were killed in heavy clashes in Yemen on Friday despite a five-day humanitarian truce, while aid distribution to the millions deprived of food, fuel and medicine by weeks of fighting and air strikes continued.

U.S. may raise Arab states to 'major' ally status: The White House is open to the possibility of declaring all of the Arab states attending a Camp David summit “major non-NATO allies,” a designation that makes it easier for the United States to provide financial and military aid, a top U.S. official said Thursday.

Go home or go to jail: Israel pressures African migrants to leave: Israel is offering illegal immigrants $3,500 and a one-way ticket home as it begins to crack down on refugees, who face prison if they don’t take up the deal. Rights groups are appalled at the move, saying Israel should be doing more to protect them.

At least 55 killed in Boko Haram raids on 2 Nigerian villages: residents: "Boko Haram fighters raided Bale and Kayamla villages where they killed at least 55 people and burnt several homes after looting them before proceeding to the outskirts of Maiduguri where they were crushed by troops," a vigilante official, Abacha Zinnari, said.

Boko Haram attacks outskirts of Nigeria's Maiduguri: The Islamist militants attacked the settlement of Mule, about 10 km (6 miles) from the Borno state capital. By about 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) the shooting had subsided, the sources said. A death toll was not immediately available.

Battle over Burundi radio killed 12 rebels - army: Twelve soldiers who backed an attempted coup in Burundi against President Pierre Nkurunziza were killed in fierce fighting on Thursday when they tried to seize state radio, a top army officer said, a day after the battle in the capital.

Burundi's president returns to divided capital after failed coup: Pierre Nkurunziza warns that protests must end, but demonstrators vow to stay out on streets

Burundi Coup Leaders Arrested : Three army generals who attempted a coup against the Burundi President were arrested on Friday, according to government officials.

US supported Libyan rebels commit "war crimes" UN says: "Armed groups across Libya are responsible for abductions of civilians, including minors, on account of their actual or perceived origin, opinion, family and political affiliation," the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement.

War crime: NATO deliberately destroyed Libya's water infrastructure: Truth, is the first casualty of war - especially for mainstream media journos who can't be bothered to fact-check the claims of people they interview in war zones, while under pressure from editors to produce copy that doesn't rock too many boats.

Italy: Video shows corpse-filled sunken migrant ship: A navy video of the corpse-filled interior of the sunken fishing boat that capsized last month off Libya coupled with survivor testimony make plausible fears that some 800 smuggled migrants died in the shipwreck, prosecutors in Sicily said Friday.

Desert as deadly as sea for migrants: At least as many migrants may be dying of hunger and thirst in the Sahara as are drowning in the Mediterranean during this year's huge surge of human trafficking from Libya to Europe, the International Organization for Migration said on Friday.

Pakistani Air Strikes Kill 17 Alleged Militants: Officials: Pakistani air strikes today killed at least 17 militants in the country's restive tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, security officials said, part of a major operation against the Taliban.

Don’t let armed drones ease the path to conflict, US bishops warn: The use of armed drones have practical and moral consequences for conflict and warfare – and the government needs to take action to address them, the U.S. Catholic bishops have said.

Russia to boost military presence in Crimea: "Naturally, we will increase our forces in Crimea because NATO countries have stepped up their activities… in the immediate vicinity of our borders," said Russia’s envoy to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Aleksandr Grushko on Friday.

Russian, Chinese Combat Ships Enter Aegean Sea for Mediterranean Joint Drills: A group of combat ships from the Russian and Chinese navies have entered the Aegean Sea and are heading for the area of their Joint Sea 2015 naval drills, Russia's Navy spokesman Captain First Rank Igor Dygalo said on Friday.

Greece's Tsipras insists "very close" to deal with lenders: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras late Friday said his country's left-wing government is "very close" to reaching a vital deal with bailout lenders, but insisted there was "no possibility" of giving in to key demands including further cuts to pensions and wages.

Deaths in Chile student protests: Two students killed in city of Valisparo as tens of thousands protest against government education policy.

2 political candidate fatally shot in restive Mexico states: A candidate for mayor was shot to death in western Mexico and another man running for city council was gunned downed in southern Mexico, bringing to at least three the number of candidates killed in the run-up to the June 7 midterm elections.

Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to death: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the man convicted of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent crimes in April 2013, was sentenced to death by a Massachusetts jury after 14.5 hours over 2.5 days of deliberation.

I was sexually abused by police at Chicago 'black site': Video - Rare video showing the Homan Square detention operations that the Chicago police have downplaye

Homan Square detainee: I was sexually abused by police at Chicago 'black site' : ‘After they did that, I would have done anything for them’

Why 25,000 Detroit Residents Will Soon Have Their Water Turned Off: The city of Detroit may be bankrupt financially, but moral bankruptcy abounds as well as city officials began handing out notices to as many as 25,000 residents to tell them that they have ten days to pay or their taps will be turned off.

Jeb Bush Confronted By College Student: 'Your Brother Created ISIS': The heated confrontation took place at a town hall meeting in Reno, Nevada. Bush had argued that the Obama administration's weak foreign policy was responsible for the rise of the terrorist group, also known as ISIS, in the Middle East.

Study: One in four Americans who purchased insurance still can't afford medical care: Just because you have health insurance doesn't mean you can afford medical care, as this Families USA study concluded.

Humans have shorter attention span than goldfish, thanks to smartphones: A Microsoft study highlights the deteriorating attention span of humans, saying it has fallen from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight seconds

May 14, 2015

The Bin Laden Murder Mystery

By John Gardner

Neither the hoax nor the purported story adds up. Continue

Eight Problems with Amnesty’s Report on Aleppo Syria

By Rick Sterling

Currently we see a major media campaign for a “no fly zone” billed as a “safe zone” in opposition controlled northern Syria. Continue

The Battle for Syria and Erdogan “the Butcher”

By Bashar al-Assad

We must arm ourselves against those who are demoralized and discouraged during the battle, as psychological defeat is the final defeat. Continue

Syrian War Set to Re-Explode
US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia In Alliance with Al Qaeda

By Shamus Cooke

The Syrian war stalemate appears to be over. Continue

Hassan Nasrallah: “Game Over” for Syria and Bashar al-Assad?

By Hassan Nasrallah

He denounces the announcements of the coming fall of the regime as the result of the media and psychological war waged for four years against Syria, and reaffirms the support of Iran, Russia and Hezbollah to Syria. Continue

The Summer of War or Peace With Iran

By Jamal Abdi and Trita Parsi

The endgame is now fast approaching. Continue

Saudi Arabia Promises to Match Iran's Nuclear Power

By Telesur

The Saudi Kingdom is suspected to already possess nuclear weapons. Intelligence agents and diplomats have claimed Riyadh has had nuclear weapons since 1998. Continue

Why I Wept at the Russian Parade

By F. William Engdahl

Something extraordinary just took place in Russia and it may have moved our disturbed world one major step nearer to peace and away from a looming new world war. Continue

How Our Drone Policy Backfires

By Andrew Cockburn

We keep killing "terrorist leaders" yet terrorism only grows. Isn't it time to re-evaluate? Continue

Let Us Help The Yemeni People!

By Caleb Maupin

A Message From Caleb Maupin Onboard the “Iran Shahed” Rescue Ship in the Persian Gulf. Continue

Song for Yemen

By Finian Cunningham

What's it coming to?
When they kill children every day
And the whole world just looks away. Continue

The European Union Plans War to Keep Europe White

By Glen Ford

Having created millions of Muslim and African war refugees, the Europeans now gear up to attack the boats that might bring them to Europe. Continue

Our Right to be Marxist-Leninists

By Fidel Castro Ruz

I wish to put on record our profound admiration for the heroic Soviet people, who provided humankind an enormous service. Continue

Middle Class? What Middle Class?

By Jack A. Smith

This boss of bosses in the U.S. is hiding in plain sight but its existence dare not be acknowledged. Continue

A New Dark Age

By Robert C. Koehler

As American society militarizes, it dumbs itself down. Continue

Syria strikes on rebel villages kill 17 children: pro-rebel activists say. Regime airstrikes on three adjacent rebel-held villages in northern Syria killed at least 39 civilians, 17 of them children, an activist group said Thursday.

IS kills 30 troops in Syrian province: Islamic State (IS) fighters killed 30 government soldiers as the Sunni radical group advanced in the army-held province of Homs in central Syria

ISIL executes 26 people in Homs : The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) executed 26 people and beheaded 10 of them in al-Ameria village and Al-Sokhna city near Tadmur in Homs

Syria opposition coalition turns down peace talks with UN envoy: Syria's key opposition National Coalition will not take part in talks with the UN's peace envoy, instead delivering him a letter stating their position, a member told AFP on Monday.

ISIS leader Baghdadi urges Muslims to take up arms: new audio: The leader of ISIS issued an audio statement on Thursday in which he called on supporters to join him or to take up arms wherever they live in the world.

Four killed as pilgrims attack Sunni district in Baghdad: Four residents of Adhamiyah killed as passing Shiite pilgrims reportedly set fire to houses of the Sunni district in the Iraqi capital

Iraq releases video of airstrike said to have killed deputy ISIS commander: Iraqi authorities on Thursday released footage of what they say is an airstrike on a compound that resulted in the death of the deputy commander of Islamic State.

Yemen's Houthi agrees to resume talks if Riyadh halts bombing: Yemen's Shiite Houthi group agreed with the visiting UN envoy to resume UN-brokered talks as long as the Saudi-led air campaign is halted, government officials said Thursday.

Canada's complicity in the Saudi-Yemen war: News Analysis - The richest country in the Arab region wasted no time quoting their American arms dealers when they declared an end to their bombing campaign on the poorest Arab country last month.

Iran says Yemen aid delivery coordinated with UN: After disagreements between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iranian ship carrying humanitarian supplies complied with request to coordinate ship's docking with the United Nations.

US: Iran fired on Singaporean cargo ship in Persian Gulf: An Iranian naval patrol boat fired on a Singapore-flagged commercial ship in the Persian Gulf on Thursday in an apparent attempt to disable it over a financial dispute over damage to an Iranian oil platform, a U.S. official said.

Iran blasts Saudis over Yemen: A top member of Iran's parliament called Saudi Arabia's King Salman a traitor to Islam on Thursday, a sharp escalation in rhetoric over Riyadh's airstrikes against an Iranian-allied militia that has seized much of neighboring Yemen.

Saudi Arabia prepares to hang opposition Shia cleric amid large protests: Human rights activists worldwide are demanding clemency for cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for taking part in Shia Muslim minority protests in 2011. They warn the execution could inflame the whole of the Middle East.

Israel invites bids for 85 illegal, W.Bank squatter homes: NGO: OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: The Israeli ministry of construction issued tenders for the building of 85 new housing units in the Givat Zeev settlement, settlement watchdog Peace Now said on Thursday.

23 killed in new massacres in DRC's east: Twenty-three people have been killed in two new massacres blamed on Ugandan rebels in the restless east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a regional official told AFP on Thursday.

At least 12 dead after attack on Nigeria's Maiduguri city: At least six civilians and six members of a youth vigilante group were killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants on Nigeria's northeastern city Maiduguri, two military sources said on Thursday.

8 killed, 7 of them children, in rocket strike in Libya's Benghazi: Eight people were killed, including seven children, when a rocket hit a residential building in the city of Benghazi in eastern Libya on Thursday, medics said, two days after a similar attack claimed by Islamic State militants.

Four jihadists killed in clashes with Tunisian army: A statement said troops clashed with jihadists at dawn on Mount Sammama near Mount Chaambi, where the army has been battling militants since 2012.

Three soldiers killed in Burundi coup battles: At least three soldiers were killed in Burundi Thursday during intense battles between rival army factions after a coup attempt, an AFP journalist who saw the bodies on the streets said.

Fierce fighting near Burundi state broadcaster building: Rival soldiers battle for control of national TV and radio compound in the capital following coup attempt.

Army Chief: Burundi Coup Attempt Has Failed : Clashes and explosions have been reported in the capital this Thursday. Two radio stations have also been attacked. Burundi's head of the army said Thursday that a military coup attempt in Burundi that began on Tuesday against President Pierre Nkurunziza had failed.

UN Security Council condemns Burundi coup attempt: The UN Security Council has condemned the coup attempt in Burundi and called for a swift return to the rule of law in the southeast African country. In a unanimous statement, the 15-member council said it "condemned both those who facilitate violence of any kind against civilians and those who seek to seize power by unlawful means."

Pakistan military officials admit defector's key role in Bin Laden operation: A source — who was a serving senior military official at the time of the raid — told AFP that the defector was a “resourceful and energetic” mid-ranking intelligence officer whose efforts were critical to the operation's success.

'Ten deaths' on stranded Myanmar migrant boat: Myanmar migrants on a boat stranded for a week in the Andaman Sea with no food or water say 10 people have died, while some are resorting to drinking urine.

Malaysia Says 800 Rohingya Migrants Muslims 'Not Welcome' : More than 120,000 Muslim Rohingya have been boarding ships and paying smugglers to help them flee persecution to other countries. Malaysia turned away two boats carrying more than 800 Muslim Rohingya migrants on Wednesday who are fleeing the intense persecution against their community in the Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Thailand finds migrant boat, declines permission to land: "We declined them entry to the country but we gave them food and water to adhere to our human rights obligations," regional police official Major General Puttichat Akhachan told Reuters.

Tensions rise between Washington and Beijing over man-made islands: China said it was “deeply concerned” on Wednesday about a reported U.S. proposal to consider sending naval ships and aircraft toward man-made islands in the South China Sea as tensions escalate between the two nations over the vital waters.

China, U.S. head toward faceoff in South China Sea: The Chinese government gave a stern warning Wednesday that it will protect its sovereignty in the South China Sea after a cat-and-mouse pursuit of a U.S. warship by a Chinese frigate.

China invites Russian troops to march in war parade: China has invited Russian troops to march in a parade in Beijing in September to commemorate the end of World War Two, the Defence Ministry said on Monday, a move likely to further put off Western leaders from attending.

10 members of Congress took trip secretly funded by foreign government: The state-owned oil company of Azerbaijan secretly funded an all-expenses-paid trip to a conference in Baku, on the Caspian Sea, in 2013 for 10 members of Congress and 32 staff members. Lawmakers received hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of travel expenses, silk scarves, crystal tea sets and Azerbaijani rugs valued at $2,500 to $10,000, according to the ethics report.

Macedonia - the next hot spot after Ukraine?: News Analysis - What is behind the events in Macedonia?

McCain appointed to Ukraine reform advisory team headed by fugitive Georgian ex-leader: Georgia’s fugitive ex-president Mikhail Saakashvili and hawkish US Senator John McCain have been approved as members of the newly-formed International Advisory Group that will help Ukraine’s president in “conducting reforms.”

Cancelation of Mistral ship deal with Russia could cost France up to €5bn - report: Two Mistral helicopter carriers could end up costing France as much as €5 billion if it fails to deliver them to Russia, according to a French magazine. Paris and Moscow are also now locked in a dispute about how much compensation should be paid.

Italy says 3,600 migrants rescued in two days: More than 600 brought ashore at Sicily's Catania port and another 2,500 picked from boats off Libya coast, reports say.

Migrant crisis: EU plan to strike Libya networks could include ground forces: European plans for a military campaign to smash the migrant smuggling networks operating out of Libya include options for ground forces on Libyan territory.

UK: Theresa May says NO to taking 60,000 more economic migrant boat people from north Africa: BRITAIN will fight European Union plans to accept tens of thousands more refugees from North Africa.

Migration Is an Act of Desperation, Not a Crime: News Analysis - A father from Ivory Coast wanted to reunite his son with the rest of his family living in Spain. But the Spanish government denied him a family reunification visa. Desperate, he paid a Moroccan woman to smuggle his 8-year-old onto Spanish soil. On May 7, 2015, she attempted to do so by placing the boy, tightly folded into a fetal position, inside a carry-on suitcase and traveling to Spain.

Murdering Mexican women with impunity: A woman is killed every four hours in Mexico, where domestic violence in the patriarchal society rages on.

Mexican Farmworkers Achieve Major Gains in San Quintin Protests : Agricultural workers have clashed with police, leaving three community members dead and 70 injured in protests to demand better working conditions and wages.

House Approves USA "Freedom" Act, Extending And Revising The Patriot Act: The USA Freedom Act extends many parts of the 2001 USA Patriot Act, which expires June 1. The measure's fate in the Senate is less likely.

Leaked Video Reveals Omissions in Official Account of Police Shooting: The report absolving Hunt, who is Native American and is still a police officer in Fayetteville, did not mention the existence of video from the dashboard camera in Hunt’s cruiser, which shows a more troubling unfolding of events.

May 13, 2015

France's Hollande Salesman Extraordinaire

By Finian Cunningham

The military blockade of Yemen by the US-coordinated, Saudi-led bombing has placed 80 per cent of the country's 24 million population in dire humanitarian hardship. Continue

‘Why I’m aboard the Rescue Ship to Yemen’

By Caleb T. Maupin

As someone from the United States, nothing disturbs me more than the fact that the cruise missiles and other weapons used to terrorize and kill innocent Yemenis are provided by my own government. Continue

Obama’s Gulf Meeting Protocol
Shake Hands, Smile, Ignore Repression, Repeat

By Medea Benjamin, Nalini Ramachandran

Why does the US, the alleged beacon of liberty and freedom, maintain such close ties with such an oppressive regime? Continue

Israel's New Knesset Mainstreams Fascist Rhetoric

By Bruno Jantti

The era of Israel enjoying a reputation of a vibrant, cosmopolitan, progressive fortress besieged by backward and regressive peoples and nations is coming to an end. Continue

Hell Unleashed

By Paul Craig Roberts

Defeat abroad and at home could be Washington’s future. Continue

Yet Another Huge Diplomatic Victory for Russia

By The Saker

this means that the so-called “isolation of Russia” is now officially over, even for the “Indispensable Empire”. Continue

Bin Laden’s End: The Truth Comes Out

By Justin Raimondo

The ailing and elderly Osama bin Laden was a prisoner, and had been since 2006. Continue
The Latest Blow in the Government’s War on Journalism

By Norman Solomon

It’s a warning shot—not only against whistleblowing but against basic communication with journalists by government employees. Continue

Greatest Threat to Free Speech Comes Not From Terrorism, But From Those Claiming to Fight it

By Glenn Greenwald

The UK, Australia, France, New Zealand and Canada — joining the U.S. — have a seemingly insatiable desire to curb freedoms in the name of protecting them. Continue

Lest We Forget
30 Years Ago Philadelphia Police Bombed a Black Neighborhood

By TeleSur

Eleven were killed, over 60 homes were destroyedand and not one city official or police officer was ever prosecuted. Continue

70 Syrian troops killed, 40 militants killed in fighting - monitor: Islamic State fighters killed at least 70 government troops in a major assault by the militant group on Syrian army-held areas in the central Syrian province of Homs, and at least 40 militants also were slain, a human rights monitor said on Wednesday.

Islamic State makes gains in Syria’s central province: The Islamic State group on Wednesday seized more territory in Syria’s central province of Homs amid clashes with government forces that left dozens dead and wounded on both sides, activists said.

Hezbollah, Syrian army make big gains in border battle: Lebanon's Hezbollah and Syria's army made big advances against insurgents in mountains north of Damascus on Wednesday, Hezbollah and Syrian state media said, shoring up President Bashar al-Assad's grip on the border zone.

Saudi Airstrikes Kill 48 in Yemen despite Truce: Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes against the western Yemeni provinces of Hajjah and al-Hudaydah have killed at least 48 people just a few hours after Riyadh declared the start of a five-day ceasefire in the war-wracked country.

Yemen truce broadly holds, but reports of violations: Residents of the southern provinces of Shabwa and Lahj, which have witnessed heavy ground clashes between local militiamen and the Houthis, also reported airstrikes overnight.

Iran Warns of War if Aid Ship to Yemen Attacked: The deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces warned on Tuesday that Iran would retaliate in force against any country, which attacks an Iranian ship heading to Yemen with humanitarian aid cargo on board..

Iraq: 6 people from the same family killed in a "wrong" strike northern Baiji: Iraqi medics and other security sources said on Wednesday, that six people from one family were killed by an aerial bombardment targeted them by mistake. The sources told Shafaq News, that the missile strike from a drone aircraft targeted a family in al-Masehak area northern Baiji, killing six from its members

Islamic State deputy leader 'killed': The second-in-command of Islamic State, Abu Alaa al-Afari, has been killed in a US-led coalition air strike, the Iraqi government says.

'Sponsor of terrorism': Obama slams Iran months after saying it's off terrorist list: US President Barack Obama has labeled Iran a “state sponsor of terrorism” and countries in the Gulf region have a right to be concerned about Tehran’s activities. The move comes less than three months after Iran was taken off a US terror list.

Israeli Air Force Team Up With Greeks to Train Against S-300 Missile System: The Israeli Air Force carried out a joint training exercise in which it performed missions against the S-300 Surface to Air Missile system, which is due to be delivered to Iran from Russia.

'Hold Israel accountable for occupation', eminent former European officials urge EU: A group of prominent former European officials have called on the EU foreign chief to review the bloc’s policy towards the Palestinian issue and find an effective way to hold Israel accountable for its actions in the occupied territories.

Vatican recognizes state of Palestine in new treaty: The treaty, makes clear that the Holy See has switched its diplomatic relations from the Palestinian Liberation Organization to the state of Palestine.

In Attempt to Discredit Hamas: Israeli general sees common interests with Hamas: Israel and Hamas share common interests, and the Palestinian Islamists must stay in power in the Gaza Strip to prevent the enclave descending into chaos, an Israeli general was quoted as saying on Tuesday

Freedom Flotilla III heads for Gaza: The ship Marianne of Gothenburg set sail Monday night on its journey to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. It's journey will mark five years since the Israeli navy forcibly boarded the first Freedom Flotilla's ship Mavi Marmara, killing nine Turkish activists.

43 killed as armed men open fire on bus in Pakistan: The bus belonged to the Ismaili Shia Muslim sect, and was targeted by gunmen at the Safoora Chowk intersection in the eastern part of Pakistan's largest city on Wednesday.

IS claims deadly attack on Karachi Shiites, first in Pakistan: "Thanks be to Allah, 43 apostates were killed and around 30 were wounded in an attack carried out by Islamic State soldiers on a bus transporting Shiite Ismaili infidels in the city of Karachi," the extremist group said in an Arabic statement, citing a higher number of injured than Pakistani officials.

Taliban Gunmen Kill Seven in Assault on Afghan Religious Council: Two gunmen outfitted with assault rifles and hand grenades targeted a group of clerics that had assembled for the weekly meeting of the local Ulemma Council — Afghanistan's highest religious authority

Afghanistan: 'Five dead' in Kabul siege, including US citizen: Afghan police say that at least five people have been killed in an attack on a Kabul hotel that was packed with foreigners awaiting a concert. The US embassy in Afghanistan has confirmed that a US citizen was killed at the Palace Park Hotel.

Gunmen storm Kabul hotel popular with foreigners: officials: Gunmen stormed a guesthouse in the Afghan capital popular with both foreigners and locals Wednesday night, launching a siege of the building and apparently taking some guests hostage, authorities said.

The occupation will continue: NATO to remain in Afghanistan after the end of mission in 2016: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said “Today, we took a major decision which shows that we stay committed to Afghanistan. We agreed that we will maintain a presence in Afghanistan.

Obama just made a quiet nuclear deal with China: The deal would allow Beijing to buy more U.S.-designed reactors and pursue a facility or the technology to reprocess plutonium from spent fuel. China would also be able to buy reactor coolant technology that experts say could be adapted to make its submarines quieter and harder to detect.

Pentagon weighs sending planes, ships near disputed South China Sea reefs: The Pentagon is considering sending U.S. military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation around rapidly growing Chinese-made artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

Nigeria: Many killed as troops repel insurgents’ attack on Maiduguri: Multinational troops take fight against Boko Haram to Sambisa forestTroops of the 7 division Nigerian Army have successfully repelled a planned attack on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital by Boko Haram insurgents.

Four Egyptian Soldiers, Four Civilians Killed in Blast: Four soldiers and four civilians were today killed in separate bomb attacks in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, where security forces are fighting an Islamist insurgency. Two soldiers and two officers were killed in an explosion in the North Sinai city of Rafah, which borders the Gaza Strip, officials said.

Libya: Benghazi IS attack kills 4 children: Four children were killed in rocket attack on an area of the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi where Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for a mortar attack, officials said on Wednesday.

Libyans 'warned us with bombs' says Tuna-1 officer: A captain who was onboard the Turkish cargo ship attacked off the Libyan coast on Sunday has said the only warning they received from the authorities was “with bombs.” Zafer Kalayci, second captain of the "Tuna-1", told reporters in Turkey on Tuesday that the vessel came under fire with no warning.
Libya warns against sending ships to its waters: Libya’s internationally recognised government warned countries on Tuesday against sending vessels into its territorial waters without authorisation, after it attacked a Turkish-owned ship and killed a seaman at the weekend.

British troops could be deployed on the ground in Libya: Leaked EU papers yesterday revealed plans for an air and naval blitz on the people-smuggling networks responsible for putting migrants on boats making perilous journeys across the Mediterranean. But the document also suggests ground operations might be needed to destroy the smugglers’ vessels and assets, such as fuel dumps.

Burundi’s Ex-Intelligence Chief Announces Coup Amid Protests: “Burundian President Nkurunziza is no longer president,” Major-General Godefroid Niyombare said in a broadcast on state radio in the capital, Bujumbura, on Wednesday. “The government is dissolved, permanent secretaries of ministries will ensure” day-to-day business, he said.

Burundi coup bid: President Nkurunziza's return 'thwarted': Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza's attempt to return home to tackle a coup has failed and he has returned to Tanzania where he was attending a summit, officials there told the BBC. Another source said the plane turned back after 10 minutes as it would have been unable to land safely in Burundi.

Macedonian Conflict: The Pot of Arab Spring Boils Over the Balkans?: Analysts believe that the recent events in Macedonia “do not resemble a total war but a rather intention to extend the line of confrontation between Russia and the West in the Balkans.”

Greece Invited to Join New BRICS Development Bank : Greece could become the sixth member of the BRICS Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will reportedly participate in the World Economic Forum of St. Petersburg after being invited by Russia on Monday to become the sixth member of the BRICS Development Bank.

Greece Not Allowed Leave EU - Says Marc Faber: - Greek default will trigger massive losses for ECB and European banks

Migrant crisis: EU quota plan to take 20,000 refugees: The EU aims to bring 20,000 refugees to Europe in the next two years, as part of the plan, at a cost of €50m (£36m). The Commission is urging EU states to share the burden of processing asylum claims. Italy and Greece, facing a migrant surge, are struggling to cope.

Britain refuses EU refugee quote plan: Britain has said that it will not participate in a EU refugee resettlement plan and will instead focus on targeting people smugglers instead.

UK: New laws to target radicalisation: The bill will include new immigration rules, powers to close down premises used by extremists and "extremism disruption orders".

Press Freedom Groups Denounce NSA Spying on AJ Bureau Chief: Ahmad Muaffaq Zaidan doesn’t deny that he’s had contact with terrorist groups. But the fact that Zaidan is a respected investigative journalist and the Islamabad bureau chief for Al Jazeera didn’t seem to faze the U.S. National Security Agency, which not only spied on him, but went as far as to brand him a likely member of Al Qaeda and put him on a watch list.

Warrantless airport seizure of laptop “cannot be justified,” judge rules: The US government's prosecution of a South Korean businessman accused of illegally selling technology used in aircraft and missiles to Iran was dealt a devastating blow by a federal judge. The judge ruled Friday that the authorities illegally seized the businessman's computer at Los Angeles International Airport

The Vindication of Edward Snowden: News Analysis - A federal appeals court has ruled that one of the NSA programs he exposed was illegal.

Honduras: ‘They have silenced us completely’: Human rights activists, journalists and LGBT citizens are regularly targeted by right-wing killers

Judges Dismiss Nisman Allegations Against Argentine President : A high-level court definitively dismissed a complaint against President Fernandez that alleged she orchestrated a cover-up of a bombing in 1994.

Video Shows Deputy Smash Autistic Man’s Skull into the Ground, Killing Him for Joking Around: During the booking process, Dehmann would not make it 15 feet into the station before his life would be ended.

Officer in Tony Robinson Shooting Will Not Face Charges: Dane County DA says no charges against Madison Police Officer Matthew Kenny, who shot and killed unarmed 19-year-old in March, will be filed

6 Months On, Police Who Shot Tamir Rice Yet to Be Interviewed : The police officers involved in the shooting of a 12 year old nearly six months ago haven't been questioned by investigators.

Tony Robinson shooting: Wisconsin officials release dashcam footage: Officer Matt Kenny was not wearing a body camera during the 6 March incident but can be seen firing a single shot from outside the apartment

Mentally ill inmates abused in 5,000 US detention centers – HRW: Human Rights Watch has issued a report stating that mentally ill prisoners are being abused in detention facilities across the US, and that these practices are happening in over 5,000 facilities.

Amtrak crash: Congress prepares to slash millions from rail network funding : Railroad fatalities have also been on an upswing: Last year’s preliminary total of 813 deaths was 20 percent higher than just three years ago

US railway crisis blamed on lack of funding, crumbling infrastructure: The railway budget bill could see the funding for Amtrak slashed, from $1.4 to 1.13 billion. In comparison, China’s railway budget for the next fiscal year is an estimated $128 billion

May 12, 2015

America's Achilles' Heel

By Dmitry Orlov

The US has decided to pick a fight with Russia. It appears to have already lost the fight, but a question remains: How many more countries will the US manage to destroy before the reality of its inevitable defeat and disintegration finally catches up with it? Continue

America as Dangerous Flailing Beast

By John Chuckman

Despite pretty talk about “democracy” and “human rights,” U.S. leaders have become the world’s chief purveyors of chaos and death. Continue

The Blindness of the European Union in the Face of US Military Strategy

By Thierry Meyssan

EU officials are completely wrong regarding Islamist attacks in Europe and the migration to the Union of people fleeing wars. This is not the accidental consequence of conflict in the broader Middle East and Africa, but a strategic objective of the United States. Continue

Rejoice With The ‘New’ House of Saud

By Pepe Escobar

Imagine the outrage, broadcasted to distant galaxies, if this was taking place in certified opponents of the Empire of Chaos such as Iran, Venezuela, Ecuador, Russia or China. Continue

Seymour Hersh Responds to White House, Media Backlash On The Bin Laden Killing

By Democracy Now!

There’s no major conspiracy here. It’s very easy to control news. Continue

Why Is The Hersh Abbottabad Story Coming Out Now?

By Moon of Alabama

Coincidentally a piece in today's NYT about the new Saudi king gives hints. Continue

In Case You Missed It
Bin Laden the Vindicator - Murder without Corpse

By Linh Dinh

Within hours of finding her public enemy number one, America got rid of Bin Laden! Continue

Canadian Government Says Free Speech is for Offending Muslims — Not Opposing Israel

By Glenn Greenwald

Stephen Harper is the perfect Poster Boy for how free expression is tribalistically manipulated and exploited in the West. Continue

Why NSA Surveillance Is Worse Than You’ve Ever Imagined

By James Bamford

Given the vast amount of revelations about NSA abuses, it is somewhat surprising that just slightly more than a majority of Americans seem concerned about government surveillance. Continue

Life Amidst Poverty

By Andrea Fuller

I have lived in poverty both as a child and as an adult, and I can say with full confidence that it is a life-crushing force. I hated it. Continue

Time to Ditch Lesser Evilism in USA

By Joe Emersberger

U.S. citizens who are fed up with inequality, war, and environmental destruction should not hold their noses and vote Democrat in 2016. Continue

Saudi led attack kills 90 in Yemen Capital: At least 69 people were killed and 250 others were wounded by explosions after Saudi-led warplanes hit an arms depot on the outskirts of Sanaa, a medical official said on Tuesday.

US Kills 4 People In Yemen: The drone targeted a vehicle at the entrance to a presidential palace in Mukalla, capital of the southeastern province of Hadramawt, the official said,

Saudi Arabia assembles 'massive force' on Yemen border: Footage showing rows of tanks and armoured personnel carriers loaded on military vehicles headed towards Yemen were aired on a Saudi-owned television channel.

Iran welcomes Saudi Arabia inspection of its aid ship: If someone has doubts about Iran’s humanitarian aid to Yemen, Iran welcomes their inspection, the official said, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported May 12. “Iran is ready to accept full inspection in any port of any country,”

What are the real Saudi motives in Yemen?: News Analysis - Jamal Benomar, the former UN mediator in Yemen, caused a diplomatic stir when he told me recently that a dozen Yemeni parties, including the Houthis, were close to a power-sharing deal until the first Saudi bomb dropped on Yemen on 26 March.

Along with Saudi king, most Gulf rulers to skip US summit: It is not just the Saudi king who will be skipping the Camp David summit of U.S. and allied Arab leaders. Most Gulf heads of state won't be there.

Syrian opposition ‘kills 25 Hezbollah militants’: Syrian opposition forces are claiming to have killed 25 Hezbollah militants and captured 10 others during fighting north of Damascus.

15 killed in Syria government attack, pro-rebel activists say: The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the attack Tuesday in the city, carved up into rebel- and government-held areas, hit near a bus depot. The group said at least 20 people were killed and 30 were wounded, including women and children.

Double bombing kills 4 in Syria’s Homs: governor: At least four people were killed and 17 wounded in a double bomb blast in Syria’s central city of Homs on Tuesday, the provincial governor told AFP. Governor Talal Barazi said the blasts were caused by motorbikes rigged with explosives in the Wadi Dahab and Al-Zahra neighborhoods of the city.

Suicide attack in Syria causes huge explosion: Video - A suicide attack believed to have been carried out by the Nusra Front caused a major explosion in Idlib province on Sunday, a video uploaded to a social media website appears to show.

Israel prepares for a post-Assad phase in neighboring Syria: Spokesman for the military intelligence service are working on the preparation of a list of targets that are likely to be struck inside Syria, after a possible fall of the Assad regime. Israel is concerned about the opposition party that may replace Assad regime in case of the latter’s downfall.

35 Daesh militants killed in Iraq: At least 35 Daesh militants were killed in the Iraqi provinces of Mosul, Saladin and Anbar on Tuesday, a senior Iraqi commander said. General Najim Abdullah al-Juburi, the commander of Mosul Operations, told Anadolu Agency that the U.S.-led coalition targeted a Daesh military convoy in Mosul’s Telafar district.

Iraq: 12 killed and 25 injured as Shia targeted in Baghdad bombings: Bombs exploded at about 7.30pm local time near al-Nassir Square, killing 10 and injuring 18, reports Al Jazeera. In a second attack, a roadside bomb exploded in Palestine Street in the east of the city, killing two and injuring seven.

Senior Iraqi Kurdish commander killed in bombing: A bomb blast in northern Iraq killed a senior Kurdish commander prominent in the fight against the Islamic State group and two of his bodyguards on Tuesday.

NZ soldiers arrive in Iraq to begin deployment: Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Tim Keating said this morning that the deployment was now in place at the military base north of Baghdad, and was preparing to train Iraqi Security Forces.

Kerry meets Putin, will ask to delay S-300 transfer to Iran: The top US diplomat will make the case to Putin that Russia should not proceed with its planned transfer of an advanced air defense system to Iran.

5 soldiers killed in clashes near Libyan capital: Five Libyan army soldiers were killed and two others injured on Monday in clashes against the Islamist armed coalition Libya Dawn near the capital of Tripoli, said military sources.

Five killed in new DR Congo rebel attack near Beni: Five people were killed in a new attack blamed on Ugandan rebels near Beni in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said Tuesday.

'Girls raped, boys abducted' as South Sudan battle rages: Gunmen in South Sudan have raped girls, torched towns and looted aid supplies in one of the heaviest government offensives in the 17-month-long civil war, the UN and diplomats said Tuesday.

Shots fired in Burundi as police clash with protesters: Video - Rough Cut (no reporter narration) - Heavy gunfire and teargas were fired as police clashed with stone throwing protesters in Burundi's capital on Tuesday during a demonstration against the president's bid for a third term. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

Audio forensics experts authenticate Sisi's voice on leaked tapes: 'Moderately strong' likelihood that recordings are of Egyptian president, discussing how to divert Gulf billions into army accounts

Afghaniatan: Roadside bombing has killed 5 civilians in Kandahar province: Samim Akhplwak, the spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor, says the roadside bomb went off on Tuesday morning in the remote district of Arghistan. He says two women and a child were wounded in the blast.

Bangladeshi blogger murdered in third fatal attack this year: Ananta Bijoy Das was attacked Tuesday by masked men on his way to work and died at the scene. He had written blog posts for a website that is often critical of religious extremism.

Magnitude 7.4 deadly earthquake strikes Nepal close to Everest: A 7.4-magnitude quake has rocked Nepal, followed by two major aftershocks. At least 37 people have been killed in the country and over 1,000 injured. It comes weeks after another disastrous quake left over 8,000 people dead, affecting millions.

'Ditch Cold War mentality': China hits back at US DoD report: Beijing has voiced “strong opposition” to a US Department of Defense (DoD) report which accused China's military of being a threat and lacking transparency. It also urged the US to abandon its Cold War mentality and stop jeopardizing bilateral relations.

Avoiding further harm to US-Russia relations ‘absolutely necessary’ – Lavrov: When asked about Ukrainian President Poroshenko's recent vows to recapture the Donetsk airport, John Kerry said he had not heard anything about it. He did, however, say he would warn Petro Poroshenko against inciting new hostilities.

Exclusive: Greece tapped its emergency IMF reserves to pay IMF debt - sources: Greece emptied an emergency IMF holding account to repay 750 million euros ($839 million) due to the international lender, a Greek central bank official said, avoiding default but underscoring the dire state of the country's finances.
Russia invites Greece to join BRICS bank: The invitation was made by Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Storchak on Monday during a phone conversation with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, according to a statement on Greece's Syriza party website. Tsipras thanked Storchak, who’s currently a representative of the BRICS Bank for the invitation, and said Greece was interested in the offer.

Stalin 'planned to send a million troops to stop Hitler if Britain and France agreed pact': Stalin was 'prepared to move more than a million Soviet troops to the German border to deter Hitler's aggression just before the Second World War'

Pope says many powerful people don't want peace: "Some powerful people make their living with the production of arms. "It's the industry of death".

White House categorically denies Barack Obama lied over how the US murdered Osama bin Laden: Whitehouse spokesman Josh Earnest dismissed Mr Hersh’s article as “riddled with inaccuracies and outright falsehoods”.

NBC: Pakistani official helped the US find Osama bin Laden, not a courier: A Special Forces operator told the network that the government used a cover story to assert that bin Laden’s courier tipped off the CIA in order to protect the identity of the Pakistani official who gave up the information. The military official added that Pakistani intelligence was hiding bin Laden in the country.

Wyden: If Senate tries to renew NSA spying authority, I’ll filibuster: "I'm tired of extending a bad law," Wyden said on MSNBC yesterday. "If they come back with that effort to basically extend this for a short term without major reforms like ending the collection of phone records, I do intend to filibuster."

CIA leaker Jeffrey Sterling sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for Espionage Act violations: The former CIA officer, who was fired in the early 2000s, was charged under the Espionage Act for disclosing classified information about a mission meant to slow Iran’s nuclear program to New York Times reporter James Risen.

Obama's plans for trade deals with Asia and Europe in tatters after Senate vote: Senate legislation fails to pass after Democrats put concerns about US jobs ahead of president’s argument that trade deals will boost global economy

Nearly a Hundred Million Americans Out of Work - Report: While the Obama administration was celebrating a 0.1% drop in the unemployment rate, the number of Americans not in the workforce clocks in at a staggering 93,194,000 – which is an all-time high, or low, depending on how you look at it.

Sea Level Rise Is Happening Faster Than Anyone Thought: Global sea level rise isn’t just happening — it’s happening much faster than previously thought, according to new research from climate scientists at the University of Tasmania, in Australia.

Outrage as Obama Approves Shell’s Arctic Drilling Program: The oil giant is proposing to drill up to six wells in the fragile and ecologically sensitive waters of the Chukchi Sea, which is a vital migration route for bowhead whales and walruses, amongst others.

Defense Department paid NFL teams millions to salute the military: It’s very common for professional sports teams to salute the military before games, but as a NJ.com report reveals, it isn’t always just a public service. Between 2011 and 2014, the United States Department of Defense has paid NFL teams more than $5 million to salute the troops and provide access to games and events.

117 Countries Slam American Police Brutality at UN Human Rights Council: In what could hardly be called a surprise, the UN Human Rights Council chastised the US over its epidemic of police violence, discrimination, needless killings, and general neglect, following through with recommendations made in its first review in 2010.

US Is Only Industrialized Nation Without Paid Maternity Leave: Advocates for paid family leave are reminding people that the U.S. is only one of three countries in the world that don't offer paid maternity leave and faces negative consequences without statutory paid family leave. The other two countries are Papua New Guinea and Suriname.

American lifestyle is killing us: Is Sugar Toxic Video - Evidence that sugar is indeed toxic continues to grow - sadly, as does the global health crisis, from obesity and diabetes to cancer!

May 11, 2015

War Threat Rises As Economy Declines

By Paul Craig Roberts

Russia and China have finally realized that their choice is vassalage or war. Continue

CONFIRMED: US "Operation Rooms" Backing Al Qaeda in Syria

By Tony Cartalucci

Beyond Iran, Russia faces the prospect of its Caucasus region being turned into a corridor of terror aimed straight at the heart of Russia itself. Continue

Is Saudi Arabia Now the Israel of the Gulf?

By Robert Naiman

Saudi Arabia is apparently becoming the Israel of the Gulf countries: a habitual aggressor in its neighborhood, enabled in its aggression by the United States. Continue

Stop Whining. Long Live Israel's New and Honest Government

By Gideon Levy

Israel's new government won't spout hollow slogans about peace, human rights, and justice. The truth will be thrust in the faces of Israelis - and the world. Continue

The Murder of Osama bin Laden

By Seymour M. Hersh

The White House’s story might have been written by Lewis Carroll. Continue

US Establishment Press Dismiss, Shrug Off Seymour Hersh’s Story on Killing of bin Laden

By Kevin Gosztola

It demonstrates how easily officials can manipulate the press to tell the story they want told about the “War on Terrorism.” Continue

The Greek Endgame
Time to Choose between Default and Defeat

By Jerome Roos

The endgame is here. The Eurozone will not back down. Either the Greek government defaults, or it will be defeated. There is no other way. Continue

A Nation of Snitches

By Chris Hedges

A totalitarian state is only as strong as its informants. And the United States has a lot of them. Continue

Why the Rich Don't Care About Jobs for the Rest of Us

By Paul Buchheit

Every American, of course, deserves the opportunity to earn a living wage. It will take a revolution against narcissism to make it happen. Continue

Crisis Of Civilization

By Nafeez Ahmed

"This civilization in it's current form can not survive the 21st centuary" Continue

72 killed as Syrian army fights rebels to free government loyalists: At least 72 fighters were killed in a single day as the Syrian army battled to relieve some 250 besieged regime loyalists under rebel assault, a monitoring group said on Monday.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah claims it killed 20 Syrian al Qaeda militants: Hezbollah said on Sunday it had killed over 20 fighters from Syria’s al Qaeda wing and destroyed several hideouts and training camps the fighters had set up to launch attacks in Lebanon across the rugged border with Syria.

Syrian army, Hezbollah chase jihadis from strategic Qalamoun hilltop, 7 killed: The report said that clashes around the town of Ras al-Maara witnessed fierce clashes, which led to the killing of Nusra commander Abu al-Shweikh, and a field commander identified as Abu Khaled.

Turkish premier crosses into Syria to visit Ottoman tomb: Turkey's prime minister crossed into Syrian territory in an armored convoy Sunday to pay a surprise visit to the tomb of the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire. The move prompted immediate criticism from Syria, which accused Turkey of acting aggressively toward a sovereign state

Iraq bombings kill seven civilians, injure 16: At least seven civilians have been killed and 16 others injured when separate bomb attacks ripped through residential areas in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and elsewhere in the country.

Five killed in fresh Saudi assault on Yemen’s Hajjah: Saudi bombers continued their strikes on Yemen’s northern territories on Sunday with five people reportedly killed in the Hajjah province, adjacent to Sa’ada

One killed as Saudi forces, Houthis clash on Yemen border: Saudi forces and Houthi rebels exchanged heavy artillery and rocket fire on the Yemen border, killing one and injuring four, a day before a five-day ceasefire is expected to start, the Saudi Civil Defense Department said Monday.

Yemeni rebels say they shot down Moroccan jet:m Photos purportedly showing the downed aircraft on social media had armed tribesmen and children posing next to wreckage that bore Morocco’s national colours of red and green. A corpse was also visible.

Which rebels? Yemen rebel allies accept Saudi cease-fire proposal? There was no immediate word from the Houthi rebels themselves on whether they too had accepted Saudi Arabia's offer of a five-day pause from Tuesday in the devastating air war it has led in support of exiled President Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi.

Yemen's Saleh declares alliance with Houthis: Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has formally announced an alliance with Houthi fighters for the first time, after the Arab coalition launched two air strikes on his home in the capital, Sanaa.

Saudi strike force arrives on Yemen border: Saudi Arabia has announced that a strike force has arrived on the border with Yemen, as the operation to quell Houthi militias in the country continues.

Iran to send cargo ship to Yemen as truce takes effect: : Tasnim reported that the cargo ship would carry 2,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid including food staples and medicine.

Ottawa considering hate charges against those who boycott Israel: The Harper government is signalling its intention to use hate crime laws against Canadian advocacy groups that encourage boycotts of Israel.

Mali: Separatists Attack Army Patrol, Say 30 Troops Killed: Mali's separatist rebels say they killed 30 army soldiers in an attack on an army convoy. Radhia Achouri, a spokesman for the United Nations mission in Mali, confirmed the attack but did not give a casualty figure. Achouri said civilians were caught in the crossfire.

Boko Haram kills two soldiers in Cameroon: sources: Gunmen from Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militant group killed two Cameroonian soldiers in fighting at the weekend that also left three militants dead, military officers said on Monday.

Turkish ship shelled off Libya coast, officer killed, several crew injured: A Turkish dry cargo ship has been attacked near the Libyan port city of Tobruk, the Foreign Ministry in Ankara says. A ship officer was killed and several crew members injured.

European powers seek to bomb Libya to stop migrants: EU foreign policy coordinator Federica Mogherini is to brief the United Nations Security Council Monday on plans for a “Chapter VII” resolution that would give a UN green light for the use of force.

Rand Paul: Clinton made Libya a 'jihadist wonderland': “It was a big mistake for us to go in there in the first place, because a lot of the times when we topple secular dictators, we’ve gotten chaos and then we’ve gotten the rise of radical Islam,” he said of Clinton’s decision in 2011 to help oust then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Gaddafi's son Saadi appears in Libyan court on murder charges: Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi who fled abroad during Libya's 2011 revolution and was extradited from Niger last year appeared in a Tripoli court on Sunday at the start of a trial on murder charges but the judge adjourned his case until July.

Secret Tapes of the 2013 Egypt Coup Plot Pose a Problem for Obama: The tapes raise embarrassing questions for U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry in particular. Besides rigging the legal case against Morsi, the tapes describe the Egyptian military’s role in fomenting the street protests that el-Sisi used to justify Morsi’s removal

Afghanistan: 34 insurgents killed in raids: At least 34 armed Taliban fighters were killed and eight others were wounded in different crackdowns within past 24 hours.

Taliban 'take control' of key district in Afghanistan: The Taliban have taken control of a key district in northwestern Afghanistan's Badghis province amid heavy fighting with security forces, a local council chief told Anadolu Agency on Sunday.. About 1,000 Taliban militants attacked the district’s administration buildings and the main bazaar.

Pakistan Taliban says it shot down helicopter: Video purports to show missile similar to one group claims to have used to shoot down helicopter, killing diplomats.

Obama claimed Osama died to claim glory for himself: Investigative Journalist: It is alleged that the Pakistani government had been holding the 9/11 mastermind in his Abbottabad compound – located in a residential area known to be vastly populated by military officials – for years.

China Has Become the World’s Biggest Crude Oil Importer for the First Time: China is now the largest importer of crude oil in the world. In April, it surpassed the U.S., which has traditionally held the slot, with imports of 7.4 million barrels per day (bpd) or 200,000 more than the U.S., according to the Financial Times.

NATO, EU urge 'restraint' as Macedonia clashes kill 22 : NATO and the EU called for a return to calm in Macedonia Sunday after clashes between police and an armed group left at least 22 people dead, raising concerns about alleged ethnic-Albanian unrest in the Balkan region.

Kerry set to meet Putin in first visit to Russia since start of Ukraine crisis: The Russian foreign ministry said: “We continue to underline that we are ready for cooperation with the US on the basis of equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and that Russian interests are taken into account without attempting to exert pressure on us.”

As Russia's Stock Market Soars, Ukraine Stuck In 'Frozen Conflict': “People have to recognize that Ukraine economically cannot survive without a good relationship with Russia. I don’t see any future for them without Russia, and yet sentiment against Russia is very strong in Kyiv. I don’t see them getting along with Putin anytime soon.”

Putin: Russia can influence E.Ukraine, but it's up to Kiev to solve crisis: “We believe that Kiev needs to lift the economic blockade of the Donbass region, restore banking services, and carry out a constitutional reform with participation from the southeast of the country,” said Putin

China invites Russian troops to march in Beijing WWII memorial parade : Xi attended a parade in Moscow on Saturday to mark 70 years since the end of the war in Europe. Putin used the occasion to display the country's formidable armaments in a show of strength directed at the West.

NSA 'asked' Germany's BND to spy on Siemens over alleged links with Russian intel: The NSA has reportedly sought the help of Germany's intelligence agency in spying on Munich-based Siemens over the company’s suspected business with Russian intelligence, Bild am Sonntag newspaper revealed. Siemens has denied any connection with Russia.

Merkel defends staff against growing criticism in spy scandal: German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her present and past chiefs of staff on Monday against criticism that they lied to the public about the prospects of a "no-spy agreement" with the United States.

Greece says deal will be 'difficult' at Eurogroup meeting: - Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis acknowledged that a deal to ease Greece's cash crunch was not likely at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers later on Monday despite progress in talks with lenders on some issues.

A look at what Greece has to pay in coming weeks: Here's a look at payments due, including to the International Monetary Fund, until June 30. All figures are based on current exchange rates.

Swedish Supreme Court rejects Assange appeal: "The Supreme Court notes that investigators have begun efforts to question Julian Assange in London. The Supreme Court finds no reason to lift the arrest warrant," it said in a statement.

Britain's UKIP says it rejects party leader's resignation: Nigel Farage, the vocal opponent of British European Union membership and unchecked immigration, will remain as leader of the UK Independence Party after the party rejected his post-election resignation, it said Monday.

Voting fraud? George Galloway launches legal battle over election defeat: Galloway claims the results were affected by “false statements” made by the Labour candidate during the election campaign.

The death of British Labourism: Workers have deserted the Labour Party because they view it as a Conservative Party Mark Two, with almost one-third of the electorate seeing no point in voting at all.

US going after Russia, Venezuela as it loses global influence – Maduro: Washington is losing its weight in the international arena and this makes it target Russia and Venezuela, as well as attempt to curtail China’s growth, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told RT's Spanish-language channel in an exclusive inter

The United States Considers Itself a Human Rights Champion. The World Begs to Differ.: Will President Obama be remembered as a leader who approved secret kill-lists, institutionalized the use of indefinite detention, and failed to end unlawful surveillance practices?

Americans Have Less National Pride than Yemenis, Mexicans, Libyans, Rwandans, Ghanaians, ....... Americans believe that 75% of all politicians are “corrupted” by campaign donations and lobbyists, and 70% percent of politicians use their political power to help their friends and hurt their enemies.

Wells Fargo Accused of Fraud, Taking Advantage of Customers : The bank is accused of charging bogus fees and, when customers declined to pay those fees, Wells Fargo damaged their credit ratings.

Sheldon Adelson faces new scrutiny as documents challenge his testimony: Sheldon Adelson, the multibillionaire casino magnate and key Republican party donor, spent four combative days in a Las Vegas court this week defending his gambling empire from accusations of bribery and ties to organised crime. 

May 10, 2015

The New York Times Does Government’s Bidding:
Here’s What You’re Not Being Told About U.S. Troops In Ukraine

By Patrick L. Smith

Washington must be proud, having backed yet another right-wing, anti-democratic, rights-trampling regime that does what it says. Continue

Obama’s Petulant WWII Snub of Russia

By Ray McGovern

It is difficult to see how Obama and his friends could have come up with a pettier and more gratuitous insult to the Russian people. Continue

Victory Day Celebrations in Moscow Mark a Turning Point in Russian History

By The Saker

The AngloZionist Empire and Russia are at war.  Of course, the presence of nuclear weapons on both sides makes this a special kind of war. Continue

70 years Since the Great Victory!

By André Vltchek

Without the Soviet Union, without the Russian people, there would be no freedom, no independence for Asian, African and the Middle Eastern countries. There would be no revolutions possible in Latin America. Continue

Vladimir Putin Speech on 70th Anniversary of Victory Day

Video - English Subtitles and Transcript

"The Great Victory will always remain a heroic pinnacle in the history of our country. But we also pay tribute to our allies in the anti-Hitler coalition." Continue

The Inhuman Failure of ‘Austerity’

By David William Pear

Neoliberals are dismantling Europe’s progressive social programs. We are seeing the rise of fascism again. Continue

The Real Lessons of the Tory Victory

By Jonathan Cook

We cannot imagine a different world, a different economic system, a different media landscape, because our intellectual horizons have been so totally restricted by the media conglomerates that control our newspapers, our TV and radio stations, the films we watch, the video games we play, the music we listen to. Continue

How Big Money and Big Brother won the British Elections

By Nafeez Ahmed

This is not a victory for British democracy. It is a victory for Britain’s increasingly draconian corporate-security complex. Continue

Time Bomb in Cameron Government

By Anthony Bellchambers

A Future “Little Britain”, separated from Scotland, subservient to America, outside the EU? Continue

News Blackout on London Protest

By Craig Murray

Police attack the popular protest by thousands outside Downing Street. Continue

Martyr’s Day
Return to Yarmouk

By Franklin Lamb

“Psychological defeat is the final defeat and we are not worried.” - President Bashar Assad. Continue

Palestinian Authority Hypocrisy

By Stephen Lendman

On May 7, Netanyahu announced the most lunatic fringe coalition regime in Israel’s history. It includes racist hate-mongers, over-the-top fascists and religious fundamentalist zealots. Continue

Omar Khadr Speaks After Being Released on Bail

Video

“We left a child, a Canadian child, to suffer torture. We participated in this torture,” Continue

72 killed in Iraq prison break : The deaths occurred inside Al-Khalis prison northeast of Baghdad during a riot and on a manhunt for escaped convicts overnight, they said.

Baghdad car bomb targeting pilgrims kills seven: police: A car bomb blast targeting Shiite pilgrims on an annual march to a Baghdad shrine killed at least seven people Saturday and wounded 20, security and medical sources said.

Some 42 Syrian troops, ISIL members killed in Syria clashes: Syrian opposition fighters managed to blow up a building causing the death of 15 soldiers

Ten Hezbollah militants killed during clashes with Syrian rebels in Qalamoun: On Saturday, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad intensified bombardment on positions of the al-Fatih Army (an extended umbrella for Syrian rebels) in Qalamoon area in the northwestern countryside of Damascus, near the Syrian-Lebanese border, military sources reported.

Syrian army, Hezbollah oust rebels from Qalamoun village outskirts: Al-Manar:: The Syrian army and Hezbollah have ousted Islamist militants from areas surrounding a border town that was the site of fierce fighting earlier this week, Al-Manar television reported Saturday.

Syrian troops battle to free trapped forces: monitor: "Government forces and allied fighters are now two kilometres from the hospital and desperately want to save the 250 people besieged inside," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. Syrian forces inside the hospital have been battling rebels to keep them from entering the building.

Syrian official lashes out over US training of mercenaries: Syria's deputy foreign minister criticized a new U.S. program to train "moderate." mercenary fighters in Jordan, saying it will only fuel terrorism and further complicate efforts to reach a political solution.

Syria "Rebels" Cast Doubt on US Training Program: Syrian rebels on Friday voiced deep reservations about a U.S. program to train moderate rebels that American and Jordanian officials say has kicked off in Jordan, dismissing it as a drop in the ocean that would not change realities on the ground.

Human Rights Watch Again Accuses Syria Of "Barrel Bomb" Damage Done By Others: This is thereby at least the third time HRW is using a wrongly attributed pictures to depict current enemies of U.S. imperialism as having causing the damage the U.S. empire and/or its friends have caused.

More than 100 Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemen: Houthis: In the southern port city of Aden, clashes continued on Saturday in the central Crater, Khor Maksar and Mualla districts as the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh shelled local militias trying to oust them from the city.

Saudi strikes in Yemen city break law: UN official: “The indiscriminate bombing of populated areas, with or without prior warning, is in contravention of international humanitarian law (IHL),” Johannes van der Klaauw said. “Issuing warnings of impeding attacks does not absolve the parties of their IHL obligations to protect civilians from harm.”

Gunmen shoot dead Saudi police officer in Riyadh: Gunmen in a car opened fire at a patrol in the south of the city, killing one of its members, said a spokesman for Riyadh police in a statement carried by the SPA state news agency.

EU joins criticism of illegal, east Jerusalem settlement plan: "Israel's determination to continue its settlement policy despite the urging of the international community not only threatens the viability of the two state solution but also seriously calls into question its commitment to a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians," the EU said in a statement

3 police, 3 alleged Islamists killed in Egypt clashes: - At least three policemen and three alleged Islamists were killed on Saturday during armed attacks and confrontations in North Sinai province bordering Israel and the seaside province of Damietta.

Egyptian court sentences Mubarak and sons to three years in jail for corruption: An Egyptian court sentenced former president Hosni Mubarak and his two sons to three years in jail without parole on Saturday in the retrial of a corruption case, although the trio is unlikely to go to jail again.

Seven bodies found in DR Congo: At least seven bodies have been found in an eastern region of Democratic Republic of Congo where a series of massacres has left more than 300 people dead in seven months, local authorities and an AFP journalist said on Saturday.

Renewed violence forces 100,000 to flee in South Sudan: UN says fighting in Unity State has displaced 100,000 people, as two aid agencies withdraw from Leer fearing attack.

Six Taliban Insurgents, Including Commander Killed in Faryab: At least six insurgents among them their commander were killed in a clash with security forces in northern Faryab province, local officials said on Saturday. Three other insurgents were injured in the clash.

India accuses Maoist rebels of abducting 250 villagers: The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting since 1967 for a communist society by toppling what they call India's "semi-colonial, semi-feudal" form of rule.

Australian teenager arrested in Melbourne 'bomb plot': Police arrest 17-year-old on terrorism charges, saying three homemade bombs were found at his upmarket Melbourne home.

Snowden says Australia watching its citizens ‘all the time,’: NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden accused Australia of undertaking mass surveillance of its citizens and passing laws on the collection of metadata that he says do not protect society from acts of terrorism. Snowden, criticized Australia's new metadata laws, which allow the government and intelligence agencies to keep a constant watch on citizens.

Putin takes swipe at US in Victory Day speech: In his speech to the assembled troops and veterans, President Vladimir Putin said that the carnage of the war underlined the importance of international cooperation, but "in the past decades we have seen attempts to create a unipolar world."

How US Corporate Media Reported V Day Celebrations in Russia: Russia flexes military might for sparse crowd of dignitaries on Victory Day: A Western boycott of Russia's Victory Day parade Saturday did little to chasten the Kremlin as Russian President Vladimir Putin rolled out fearsome new armor and weapons in a thundering message that might makes right.

U.S. Urges Greece to Reject Russian Energy Projecte: The United States, wading into the international efforts to shape Greece’s economic and geopolitical orientation, is pushing the leftist government in Athens to resist Russia’s energy overtures.

ISIS: Potentially 'Thousands' of Online Followers Inside US Homeland, FBI Chief Warns: “I know there are other Elton Simpsons out there,” FBI director James Comey warned today, referring to one of the men who opened fire outside of an event in Texas earlier this week celebrating artists’ portrayals of the Prophet Mohammad.  

May 08, 2015

The Final Push
Splitting Up Iraq

By Mike Whitney

Can you see what a sham this is?   Iraq’s fate is sealed. Continue

Who Created Jihadi John?
Video

Who are we defending from whom and which values are we attempting to defend? Continue

How Russia Stopped the EU From Violating Human Rights and the Rule of Law

By Alexander Mercouris

Russia blocks UN Resolution that would have allowed EU to violate Libyan sovereignty by sinking without any court order ships in Libyan ports. Continue

Kerry in Riyadh: A Meeting of War Criminals

By Bill Van Auken

Washington’s role in the Yemeni war is based not on humanitarian concern, support for democracy or hostility to terrorism. Continue

Amnesty Whitewashes Another Massacre

By Paul de Rooij

Palestinians should be wary of Mother Teresas peddling human rights snake oil. Continue

Iran’s Nuclear Threat is a Myth

By Musa al-Gharbi

Even if Iran wanted a nuclear weapon and managed to obtain one, it would not be able to carry out a successful nuclear strike against Israel or the United States. Continue

The Horrific Normalisation of War.

By Interventions Watch

The reason that Ed Miliband, supporter of mass murder, can be considered a ‘decent man’ by even ‘left wing’ commentators is because war has become so normalised within our political culture. Continue

UK: Election 2015: The Horror

By Matt Carr

I feel ashamed of my country and disgusted with it. Continue

We Have a Dysfunctional Government

By Joe Clifford

Perhaps Americans are finally waking up to the realization that neither party will really do anything substantial to help the masses. Continue

Climate Change a 'Hoax', Claims Adviser to Australia's PM

By The Australian, AFP

The head of the Abbott government's Business Advisory Council claims climate science is a new world order conspiracy involving the United Nations, democracy-hating environmentalists and Chinese communists. Continue

Economic Disinformation Keeps Financial Markets Up

By Paul Craig Roberts

The government’s economic statistical agencies are under pressure not to roil the financial markets. Continue

34 killed in IS assault on east Syria city – Four government soldiers beheaded : Fierce battles between Syrian government forces and the Islamic State jihadist group in eastern Syria have left 34 fighters dead in 24 hours, a monitor said yesterday.

New suspected chemical attacks reported in Syria, dozens injured: Three chlorine attacks reported in Idlib province with nearly 80 people said to have been affected

US idea to lay blame in Syria chlorine attacks gets support: A "large majority" of U.N. Security Council members support a U.S. effort to create a way to attribute blame for chlorine attacks in Syria and are ready to move quickly in the next few days, the council president said Thursday. Russia worries whether it will be objective, with the Russian ambassador saying, "They've done their attribution of blame already."

Turkey Officials Confirm Pact With Saudi Arabia To Help Rebels Fighting Syria's Assad: The Obama administration worries that the revived rebel alliance could potentially put a more dangerous radical Islamist regime in Assad's place, just as the U.S. is focused on bringing down the Islamic State group. The US administration is concerned that the new alliance is helping Nusra gain territory in Syria.

22 killed as bomb attacks hit two Shia mosques in Iraq: Nearly two dozen people have been killed and scores of others injured in a fresh wave of bomb attacks targeting two Shia mosques in Iraq, security sources say.

U.S. Government Designated Prominent Al Jazeera Journalist as “Member of Al Qaeda”: The U.S. government labeled a prominent journalist as a member of Al Qaeda and placed him on a watch list of suspected terrorists, according to a top-secret document that details U.S. intelligence efforts to track Al Qaeda couriers by analyzing metadata.

Saudi-led warplanes pound Yemen rebel stronghold: - Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition have struck Yemeni rebels in their northern stronghold as Riyadh vowed "harsh" punishment for deadly cross-border retaliatory, bombardments, shortly after proposing a humanitarian ceasefire.

Saudi authorities ordered civiliansto leave Yemen's Saada province ahead of attack: Saudi authorities warned all civilians to leave Yemen's northwestern Saada region, which borders the kingdom, by sunset Friday as it threatened a harsh response to the Houthi rebel retaliatory, shelling of Saudi frontier towns earlier this week.

UN officials unhappy with Saudi Arabia’s plans for Yemen aid: The United Nations and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are locked in a bitter dispute over Riyadh’s insistence that humanitarian aid for Yemen be coordinated through Saudi authorities.

Yemen’s children at immediate risk of severe malnutrition: More children in Yemen are at risk of dying from hunger and lack of health services than from bombs and bullets, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned today amid ongoing fighting across the Gulf country.

ISIS supporters claim attack on Hamas in Gaza: In a statement posted online, the group calling itself Supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Jerusalem said it fired mortar rounds at a base used by Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

PLO takes aim at Netanyahu's 'government of war': - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing religious "government of war" is a blow to an already stagnating peace process, PLO officials said Thursday, vowing to fight it on the international stage.

Israeli defense minister promises to kill more civilians and threatens to nuke Iran: Israeli defense minister Moshe Yaalon on Tuesday said Israel would attack entire civilian neighborhoods during any future assault on Gaza or Lebanon.

Israeli soldier: We bombed civilian targets in Gaza for entertainment: "We used shells excessively, when I saw anything moving, if an open window, I would shell it. If I saw a moving car, I would fire a rocket.

US may sell Saudis bombs once only offered to Israel — report: Possible bunker buster sale, along with offering F-35s to UAE, reportedly being weighed as part of American effort to allay regional fears of Iran deal

Saudi Arabia Beheads Five Foreigners, Hangs their Corpses from Helicopter: After their beheading, which took place in Jeddah, Saudi officials hung the bodies from a helicopter so as to deter others from committing such crimes.

Nigeria: One killed, seven injured in Yobe School suicide attack: A suicide bomber suspected to be a member of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, armed with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and AK47 rifle on Friday launched an attack on the College of Administrative and Business Studies (CABS) Potiskum in Yobe state.

800 bodies found in sunken migrant ship: The bodies of some 800 migrants may be recovered from the wreck of ship that sank on 18 April off the Libyan coast, Italian prosecutors said on Friday.

Libya rejects EU migrant plan, says not asked: Council diplomats say Libya's blessing is needed, especially for any EU ground forces in Libya. The council expects a request from Libyan authorities to allow that to happen, Lithuanian Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaite, the current council president, said Thursday.

Two envoys killed as Pakistan Taliban claim they brought down air force chopper: Pakistan's Taliban on Friday claimed they had shot down a military helicopter packed with foreign diplomats on a leisure trip, killing seven people, including two ambassadors and wives of two other Islamabad-based envoys.

Fact or fiction? ISIL, Taliban pairing up in northern Afghanistan: Official: Foreign fighters allied with the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIL) and the Levant are training Taliban insurgents in a restive Afghan province, an official said May 8, the first such claim as the government raises the alarm over an emerging ISIL threat.

Putin: Russia & China worst affected by WW2: Russia and China suffered the worst casualties during World War II and thus have the greatest reasons to oppose attempts to rehabilitate Nazism and militarism, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after meeting China’s President Xi Jinping.

Latin American Presidents to Take Part in Russia's WWII Memorial Venezuelan and Cuban leaders will help Russia celebrate the end of the war that killed millions and left most of Europe in shambles.

Russia's Armata T-14 Tank Sends Shivers Down Washington's Spine: Russia, is to rejuvenate the defense industry and take advantage of growing demand–in a more unipolar, G-zero world–for sophistical armament systems."

Europeans Beginning to Wake Up to Mainstream Media Bias on Ukraine Conflict: An average of 54 percent of residents in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Greece place little or no trust in how their respective mainstream media cover the Ukrainian conflict

David Cameron's Conservative Party wins overall majority: Addressing the nation on Friday afternoon, Cameron confirmed the Tories would form a Conservative majority government.

Ed Miliband resigns as Labour leader; Miliband steps down after admitting scale of election defeat had taken him and his staff by surprise

Nick Clegg resigns as Lib Dem leader: In farewell speech to party members, Clegg describes election result as ‘the most crushing blow to the Liberal Democrats since our party was founded’

Nigel Farage resigns as Ukip leader after election failure: After failing to win the South Thanet seat, Ukip leader Nigel Farage admits to disappointment on a professional level but says that on a personal level he has "never felt happier".

Merkel Puts Brakes on NSA Co-operation: German intelligence sources told Reuters this week that the BND’s Bad Aibling station has ceased sending the US spy agency information culled from online surveillance efforts.

DEA Global Surveillance Dragnet Exposed; Access to Data Likely Continues: USA Today reported that for more than two decades, dating back to 1992, the DEA and the Justice Department “amassed logs of virtually all telephone calls from the USA to as many as 116 countries linked to drug trafficking.”

How To Keep NSA Computers From Turning Your Phone Conversations Into Searchable Text: Signal for iPhone and RedPhone for Android, both made by Open Whisper Systems, are the best current software for end-to-end encryption of calls.

Mexican Authorities Implicated in Violence, But U.S. Security Aid Still Flows: U.S. government documents obtained by the National Security Archive through Freedom of Information Act requests demonstrate that the United States is well aware that its support is going to Mexican authorities connected to abuses. And yet, with few exceptions, the money keeps flowing.

Pentagon Raises Security Level at All US Military Bases Due to ISIL Threat: While maintaining that the concerns are not tied to any "specific threat," the Pentagon has raised the security status of military bases across the country due to general unease about the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group.

Americans Living Abroad Set Record for Giving Up Citizenship: More Americans living outside the U.S. gave up their citizenship in the first quarter of 2015 than ever before, according to data released Thursday by the IRS.

LAPD chief questions police killing of homeless man: The man, who friends identified as “Dizzle," was shot and killed by police officers outside a bar near the neighborhood’s boardwalk. Police officers had responded to a call saying a homeless individual with a dog was harassing customers. Dizzle, a black man in his early 20s, was fatally shot as officers attempted to detain him.

LAPD Cop Shoots Man to Death After Man Reached into Pocket to Provide Requested ID, Witness Says: Video - A Los Angeles police officer demanded identification from a homeless man named Brandon Glenn Tuesday night, then shot him twice when the man reached into his pocket to provide that identification, according to a witness.

Delaware Cop Indicted for Kicking Suspect in Face in Incident Caught on Dash Cam Video

New Police Radars Are Being Used To ‘See’ Inside Homes: New technology is allowing officers to detect movement even through solid walls. The most disturbing thing about this technology is that it requires no warrant for officers to spy on you in the privacy of your own home.

US: Citizens rise up against corrupt media: Standing on the streets of Baltimore to cover what his employer Fox News was calling a “riot,” Geraldo Rivera found himself at the receiving end of a passionate and articulate lecture from Kwame Rose on skewed, sensationalist and racist media coverage

May 07, 2015

Russia is Acting Like a Country Preparing For War

By The Saker

AngloZionist Empire and Russia are on a collision course. Continue

Gifting Russia ‘Free-Market’ Extremism

By Robert Parry

Official Washington’s Putin-bashing knows no bounds as the Russian president’s understandable complaints about U.S. triumphalism and NATO expansion, after the Soviet collapse in the 1990s, are dismissed as signs of his “paranoia” and “revisionism,” Continue

Radio Gestapo Amerika

By Paul Craig Roberts

How the Washington establishment is trying to silence Stephen Cohen. Continue

70 Years On: The Real Story Behind the Defeat of the Nazis

By Ezequiel Adamovsky

American propaganda has to a great extent shaped the social memory of WWII worldwide. Continue

A Century Of Lying America Into War
Sailing And Sinking The RMS Lusitania

By Doug Bandow

The “Great War” was a thoroughly modern conflict, enshrouded in government lies. Continue

The Power Brothers, WWI Draft Resisters

By Max McNabb

We owe a debt of gratitude to those brave enough to resist the draft. We should thank anyone who spoke out against unjust war and risked the terror of the state. Continue

We're Citizens, Not Subjects.
We Have the Right to Criticize Government without Fear

By Chelsea Manning

The American public needs more access to what the government is doing in its name. That requires increasing freedom of information and transparency. Continue

Nonviolence for Whom?

By Nathalie Baptiste

If violence isn’t the answer, somebody should tell the police. Continue

The Rich Get Richer

By Mike Whitney

Why are stocks still flying-high when the smart money has fled overseas and the US economy has ground to a halt? Continue

UK: The Tories are Plotting a Coup in the Name of Legitimacy

By Seumas Milne

Every anti-democratic lever will be pulled to block a Miliband government. Labour has to turn the tables. Continue

We Can Change Whatever We Want

By Russell Brand

I really do believe that real, radical change is possible that the tyranny of giant, transnational corporations can be ended. Continue

Dozens killed as Syrian army, Hezbollah seize 5 strategic hills in Qalamoun: The Syrian army and Hezbollah regained control over a large area in Syria’s Qalamoun near Lebanon’s borders Thursday, in clashes that killed and wounded dozens of jihadis, security sources said.

IS attacks Kurdish base in Syria, kills 16 : At least 16 members of the Kurdish internal security forces were killed in an attack on Wednesday by Islamic State (IS) in the northern Syrian province of al-Hasakah, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

Turkey confirms pact with Saudi to help anti-Assad rebels: : Turkish officials are confirming that their country has forged an alliance with Saudi Arabia to help rebels fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Syrian opposition leader sees Turkey’s increasing aid key for recent gains: The new president of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition (SNC) has said that Turkey's closer coordination with Saudi Arabia and Qatar for increased military aid to opposition groups fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad proved to be fundamental in swinging the pendulum in favor of the resurgent militants.

Turkey troops to intervene in Syria crisis soon: Opposition: Turkey’s main opposition party says the Turkish government is set to send ground forces to Syria in the upcoming days to militarily intervene in its neighboring country.

U.S. military starts training "Syrian" mercenaries to combat Islamic State: The program faces deep skepticism, including from rebels fighting inside Syria. Some rebel leaders say the force risks sowing divisions and cannot succeed without directly targeting Syrian government forces.

Yemen conflict: Aden boat shelling kills dozens: At least 32 people have been killed in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden while trying to flee heavy fighting in a boat, medics say.

Yemen rebels capture palace, consolidate hold over region of Aden: The rebels took Aden's southwestern Tawahi district, killing the area's military commander, Maj. Gen. Ali Nasser al-Hassani, and seizing the palace, military officials said.

Yemen: senior UN relief official urges immediate halt to attacks against civilians and aid workers: “People in Aden have endured extreme hardship as a result of conflict over the last six weeks and must be able to move to safer areas to seek medical and other assistance,” Mr. van der Klaauw continued. “Violence towards civilians and aid workers, and attacks on hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, must stop immediately.”

In public relations exercise: Riyadh mulls 5-day Yemen cease-fire: Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir said his country was considering a five-day cease-fire in Yemen to allow the delivery of relief assistance to Yemenis affected by the ongoing crisis. The announcement came during a joint press conference held with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Riyadh.

Iran to send aid ship to Yemen: State media: Iran’s Red Crescent will send a ship carrying 2,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Yemen, official media said Thursday, following weeks of deadly fighting between Tehran-backed rebels and loyalist forces.

Houthis Seize Positions in Saudi Arabia – Source: Yemen's Houthi militants and other tribes seized several positions on the territory of Saudi Arabia and captured troops, according to a local source.

22 policemen killed, 34 others injured in blasts in Iraq's Tikrit : Two suicide bombers detonated their explosive-laden cars targeting a police headquarters near Hamrin Mountains in eastern Tikrit, leaving 22 security personnel dead and 34 others seriously injured

Iraqi forces kill 18 Daesh militants in Fallujah: According to a statement released by the Iraqi Defense Ministry, 18 Daesh militants were killed as Iraqi troopers fired a number of rockets at Daesh positions in the city of Fallujah, located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad, on Wednesday.

Pentagon concedes Islamic State now controls part of major Iraqi oil refinery: U.S. military officials on Wednesday acknowledged that Iraq’s biggest oil refinery is in danger of falling to Islamic State militants and downplayed the refinery’s strategic importance only weeks after building it up.

U.S. Senate passes Iran nuclear review bill, House up next: The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to pass a bill giving Congress the right to review, and potentially reject, an international nuclear agreement with Iran.

Obama congratulates Netanyahu on his coalition: President ‘looks forward to working’ with the prime minister, White House says in a statement

Erekat: Netanyahu government 'against peace': The new right-wing religious coalition government formed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be belligerent and work against peace, a senior Palestinian official said on Thursday.

Israel approves 900 illegal, East Jerusalem squatter homes: Israel has approved construction of 900 squatter homes in occupied East Jerusalem, a watchdog said Thursday shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a new right-wing religious coalition.

Ted Cruz Deemed ‘Defender of Israel’ : On May 28, at the Third Annual Champions of Jewish Values International Awards Gala in York City, Cruz will receive the ‘Defender of Israel’ award from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the so-called “Most Famous Rabbi in America”

Naming and Shaming – The List Of Israel’s Agents Within British Politics : Ahead of Election Day, the ultra Zionist webelieveinisrael.org.uk published its list of Sabbos Goyim operating within British politics.

15 militants killed in Afghan northern Takhar province: A total of 15 Taliban militants were killed in the northern Takhar province on Thursday morning, provincial government spokesman, Sunatullah Timor said.

4 killed in suicide attack in Pakistan: At least four people were killed and 10 others injured on Wednesday evening in a suicide attack during a football match in Kurram Agency, Pakistan's north-western tribal region, media reported.

Five killed in Boko Haram attack on Niger village: At least five people were killed when militants from Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist group attacked a village in southwestern Niger, two Niger military officers said on Thursday.

Two killed in rocket strike in Libya's Benghazi: medics: Army forces have regained some territory in Benghazi lost last year, but fighters of the Islamist Majlis al-Shura still control several districts and the commercial port area.

Policeman killed, another injured in landmine explosion in Somalia: Police spokesman Qasim Ahmed Roble told Xinhua the explosion occurred as security officers were checking car in one of the checkpoints heading to Bakaro market in the capital Mogadishu.

CAR to sue French soldiers over alleged sex-for-food child sex abuse: The Central African Republic (CAR) will take legal action against French soldiers accused of raping children in exchange for food at a refugee camp, the country's justice minister has said.y, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

5 Ukrainian Troops Killed as Cease-Fire Teeters on Brink: Five Ukrainian government troops battling separatist forces in the east have been killed in one of the worst single days of bloodshed since a cease-fire was declared in February, military officials said Wednesday

Russia: EU Does Not Want Ukraine Truce To Hold: "Judging by certain signs, someone in the European Union wants the EU to allow the Ukrainian government not to implement the Minsk agreements," he said after talks with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

David Cameron and Boris Johnson left stumped by angry voter's welfare questions: “Do you think the UK’s current democracy-crippling voter apathy is caused by the fact that its Prime Minister, Mayor of the capital and Chancellor were all in the same class at school, are all industriously dismantling the nation’s assets and selling them off to their mates, are all related to banking families

10 Ways We’re All Picturing The Ancient World Incorrectly: Far from being a close approximation of the truth, our collective mental image of the ancient world may be nothing like reality at all.

NSA program on phone records is illegal, court says: The 97-page ruling comes as Congress faces a June 1 deadline to reauthorize the statute that underpins the NSA program or let it lapse.

New Democrats Win in Canada's Conservative Oil Heartland: In a major political shift, Canada's province of Alberta elected the social democratic New Democratic Party (NDP) to a majority government on Tuesday, ending 44 years of Conservative Party rule in the western province.

Canada: Court nixes government request to keep Omar Khadr in prison: - Omar Khadr is expected to be released from prison soon after an Alberta Court of Appeal justice rejected a last-ditch government attempt to keep the Guantanamo Bay prisoner behind bars.

Castro and Putin Discuss Political and Economic Cooperation : Talks between the presidents included increasing trade between the two countries after a drop last year by 12 percent, according to Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov.

103 Central American Migrants Rescued in Mexico: The migrants are from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and various more are said to be from India. Police officials told the newspaper that some of the migrants had been held at the house for up to 35 days before being rescued.

Chicago agrees to pay $5.5m to victims of police torture: Deal will see reparations paid to those tortured by police commander Jon Burge, who ran a group of rogue detectives know as the Midnight Crew

Video Proves Cops Lied When they Broke Man’s Face. Video - Why are they Only Getting a Slap on the Wrist?

Police officers arrested in major drug bust: More than a dozen law enforcement officers, including 11 in North Carolina, have been arrested in a government sting that included the FBI, the government announced Thursday. Thomas Walker, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District, said multiple people were arrested Thursday morning in a major sting of cocaine and heroin operations

DEA using license-plate readers to take photos of US drivers, documents reveal: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is using license-plate reader technology to photograph motorists and passengers in the US as part of an official exercise to build a database on people’s lives.

One of the Biggest Privacy Wins in Recent Memory Has Been Reversed: Cops no longer need a warrant when seeking cellphone records from wireless carriers in the US a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday—reversing its own decision from last year.

Report: FBI aircraft secretly monitored Baltimore protests: Civil liberties groups are concerned that the FBI may have violated the privacy rights of West Baltimore residents after it was revealed that the bureau secretly piloted two unmarked aircraft over the city’s skies during public unrest after the death of a black man in police custod

Activist smacks down Wolf Blitzer: Video - ‘You are suggesting broken windows are worse than broken spines’

Addicts who surrender drugs and ask for help won't be charged, they'll be helped: In a sweeping policy change on how the Gloucester Police Department will handle certain drug crimes, Chief Leonard Campanello says addicts who surrender their illegal drugs and ask for help will be offered treatment options instead of handcuffs.

The Clintons, a luxury jet and their $100 million donor from Canada: Bill Clinton was planning a charity trip to Latin America and needed a big plane. For Frank Giustra, who had never met the former president, this was an opportunity.

May 05, 2015

Chaos – not Victory – is Empire’s Name of the Game

By Peter Koenig

The Washington / NATO strategy is not to 'win' a war or conflict, but to create ongoing - endless chaos. Continue

The Choice Before Europe

By Paul Craig Roberts

Europeans have to decide whether the threat is Russia or Washington. Continue

The Media Misses the Point on ‘Proxy War’

By Gareth Porter

The real problem of proxy war must begin with the fact that the United States and its NATO allies opened the floodgates for regional proxy wars by the two major wars for regime change in Iraq and Libya. Continue

Papering Over Extra-Judicial Killings

By Coleen Rowley

The Obama administration, like its predecessor, holds that the “exceptional” U.S. has the right to enter other countries to kill “terrorists,” but it would never tolerate, say, Cuba targeting CIA-trained terrorists harbored in Miami. Continue

Iran is Falling to a Nuclear Agreement Trap

By Akbar E. Torbat

While the regime leaders pretended that they had made a good agreement, Lausanne deal is a shameful agreement in Iran’s contemporary history. Continue

The Battle Between American-Jewish Political Donors Heats Up

By Jonathan Cook

The funding, political influence and media clout of Washington's Israel lobby will be key for candidates in next year's US election - but who does this relationship benefit? Continue

How the NSA Converts Spoken Words Into Searchable Text

By Dan Froomkin

Top-secret documents show the NSA can automatically recognize the content within phone calls, generating easily searched transcriptions. Continue

Not Racist Policing, But US State Oppression is Key Issue

By Finian Cunningham

The problem of how America has now degenerated into an oppressive police state is thus the central issue. Continue

The Baltimore Uprising and the U.S. Government's Record on Human Rights

By Matt Peppe

The actions by agents of the State are part of a pattern of human rights abuses that are rampant against the domestic population, especially ethnic and racial minorities. Continue

In a Cop Culture, the Bill of Rights Doesn’t Amount to Much

By John W. Whitehead

You live in a police state. Continue

Saudi Airstrikes Hit Yemen's Sa'ada, Kill Dozens: Saudi warplanes pounded residential areas in the Northern Yemeni province of Sa'ada on Tuesday, and killed a large number of people

Yemen: ICRC and MSF alarmed by attacks on country’s lifelines: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are extremely concerned about the severe damage caused by recent Coalition attacks on airports in Sana’a and Hodeida, obstructing delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance and movement of humanitarian personnel.

UN urges Saudi-led coalition to stop targeting Yemen airport: Saudi-led coalition should stop targeting Yemen's Sanaa airport, the United Nations said on Monday, as it prepared a plan to set up an air-bridge to bring humanitarian workers into the country from Djibouti and deliver aid around Yemen.

Saudi Cluster Crimes: Immoral, Insane and Monstrous: Reliable evidence shows Saudi Arabia has used US-supplied cluster munitions in its deadly airstrikes against Yemen. According to Human Rights Watch, photographs, satellite imagery, video and other evidence indicate Saudi forces are dropping the banned munitions on civilians.

US defends cluster bomb transfers: Cluster munitions are prohibited by a 2008 treaty adopted by 116 countries, but not by Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners or the United States.

Saudi Arabia 'oversees deployment of ground troops in Yemen': Riyadh denies a large-scale ground operation is underway and says the fighters were Yemeni nationals

Yemen: Senegal to send 2100 troops to join Saudi-led coalition: Senegal will send 2100 troops to Saudi Arabia as part of an international coalition combating Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, the West African nation's foreign minister said on Monday.

Yemen rebels fire into Saudi Arabia, killing at least 2: Yemen's rebels fired rockets and mortars into Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, killing at least two civilians and reportedly capturing five soldiers in an attack showing the insurgents' ability to launch assaults despite weeks of Saudi-led airstrikes targeting them.

Yemeni Tribesmen Seize Four Saudi Military Posts: Report: : Citing Yemeni sources, the Lebanese Al-Manar channel reported on Tuesday that members of Yemeni tribes entered Saudi soil from Yemen’s northwestern Sa’ada Province and took control of the military posts in Najran and Jazan regions.

Saudi Arabia Shuts Najran Airport: Saudi Arabia halted all flights to and from Najran airport as the Yemeni tribal fighters have intensified their retaliatory attacks against the Persian Gulf kingdom's troops at the Saudi border city of Najran on Tuesday.

Al Qaeda adapts, grows stronger in the face of Islamic State successes: When al Qaeda overran the Yemeni port city of Mukalla last month, the group’s commanders immediately struck a deal to share power with the area’s tribesmen. No jihadi banners were raised. Al Qaeda even issued a statement denying rumors that it had banned music at parties or men wearing shorts.

Iran says not to allow siege of Yemen: "The security of the region and Iran is intertwined with the security of Yemen," he said. Amir-Abdollahian accused Saudi intelligence agencies of having connections with terrorists in Yemen, saying Saudi Arabia's attack on Yemen and involvement with terrorists endanger the security of other countries in the region.

Army fires rockets on ISIS sites in Fallujah, 18 militants killed: On Tuesday, an informed military source in Anbar province revealed, that 18 ISIS elements have been killed in a rocket attack by the army forces in Fallujah.

Five killed, 25 injured in Baghdad blasts: At least five people were killed and 25 others injured Tuesday in multiple attacks in the Iraqi capital, a police source said. A car bomb blast near a mosque in central Baghdad killed three people and injured 13 others, a police officer told The Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

Iraqi forces plead for help as Islamic State closes in on refinery: Iraqi forces besieged inside the country's largest oil refinery are running low on food and pleading for reinforcements to save them from Islamic State militants who have advanced deep into the compound in the past week.

Iraq sends additional troops to battle IS over key refinery: Iraq on Tuesday dispatched reinforcement to Salahudin province to fight IS militants trying to take the country's largest oil refinery, security sources said.

IMF says may agree on $800 mln loan to Iraq in weeks: Iraq has requested financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund and agreement may be reached within weeks on a loan of about US$800 million (Dh2.9bn), a senior IMF official said. The government has projected a budget deficit of about $25 billion this year, in a budget of some $100 billion.

Hezbollah kills 12 Nusra fighters on Syria-Lebanon border: source: Hezbollah fighters ambushed a Nusra Front convoy on the outskirts of an east Lebanon border town Tuesday, killing at least a dozen militants, a Lebanese security source said.

Hezbollah captures Syrian village from Islamic militants: - Hezbollah fighters captured a Syrian village Tuesday near the border with Lebanon after intense fighting with Islamic militants, the group's television station said, while an activist said battles are concentrating near a strategic Syrian hill.

The Qalamoun battle is coming: Hezbollah: Hezbollah and the Syrian army’s battle against Islamist militants in the Qalamoun region on Lebanon’s eastern borders is approaching, Hezbollah’s deputy chief announced Tuesday.

Nasrallah Vows: Hezbollah Will Defeat Syrian Rebels: Hezbollah chief issues televised address, vows to take 'responsibility and consequences' of continued involvement in Syria.

'We’ll Die Before They Make Us Leave': Lebanese Christians Are Ready to Face the Islamic State on Syria's Border

Saudi to host meeting of Syrian mercenaries: statement: Saudi Arabia will host a meeting of Syrian opposition groups fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad to stress the need for a political settlement in Syria, Gulf Arab heads of state said after a meeting Tuesday.

Jordan hosts war games for troops from 18 countries: Thousands of soldiers from 18 countries took part Tuesday in military drills in Jordan jointly overseen by the US army, officials said. Around 10,000 troops are participating in Jordan's fifth "Eager Lion" annual war games, which will last for two weeks.

War criminal: Tony Blair acts as character witness for Ehud Olmert in corruption trial: In a letter to the court, Blair writes that Olmert’s “efforts to bring peace” in the Middle East should be “admired.”

26 militants killed in fresh operations in Afghanistan: "A total of 26 armed militants were killed during joint military operations and cleanup raids carried out by army over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates.

US kills 17 in east Afghanistan: At least 17 people have lost their lives in the latest US assassination drone strike in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar.

Afghan Taliban link reconciliation with complete withdrawal of foreign, occupation troops: Taliban representatives met with Afghan political figures for a second day in Qatar on Sunday, after which Afghan Taliban have linked joining the intra-Afghan dialogue to the withdrawal of all foreign troops.

Seven killed in attack on Mali town: Suspected northern rebels attacked a central Malian town on Tuesday, leading to clashes with government troops in which six separatists and one soldier died, a defence ministry spokesman said.

Al Shabaab storm Somalia police station, kill three cops: Several militants from the Islamist group were also killed during the brief siege of the police station in Yalho village, near the port town of Bosasso, police said.

Burundi protests as court clears president's third term bid: Protestors in Burundi dismissed a constitutional court ruling that cleared President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a controversial third term Tuesday, as the government offered to release activists if deadly demonstrations stopped.

One killed, 4 wounded in latest Ukraine clashes: A Ukrainian army volunteer was killed and three soldiers were wounded in fighting in the country's east, Kiev said Tuesday, while pro-Russian rebels said one of their fighters was injured.

Romania Is a US ‘Vassal State’ - Former CIA Analyst: Former Romanian President Ion Iliescu allowed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to operate torture sites within his country because he was the leader of a puppet state whose marching orders came from Washington, former CIA analyst Raymond McGovern said.

Around 40 migrants drown in sinking off Italy: NGO: - Around 40 migrants died when an inflatable boat carrying more than 100 people sank off the coast of Italy, Save the Children quoted survivors as saying on Tuesday.

Greece lobbies creditors for loan payout, cites progress: : — With Greek ministers dispatched across Europe on a whirlwind goodwill tour on Tuesday, top officials said they were making progress on finding a way to keep the country afloat and in the 19-nation eurozone. A lasting deal to give Greece more cash, however, was not expected by May 11, when the eurozone finance ministers will meet next.

French parliament approves new surveillance rules: The law on intelligence-gathering, adopted by 438 votes to 86, was drafted after three days of attacks in Paris in January, in which 17 people died. Critics say it is a dangerous extension of mass surveillance. They argue that it gives too much power to the state and threatens the independence of the digital economy.

Canadians have united to reject fear and stop Bill C-51. Will the government listen?: It's rare in Canadian politics to see intense public interest in government legislative proposals -- let alone to see Canadians take to the streets in the tens of thousands to protest a piece of legislation by name.

Canadian Liberal Leader Pledges Tax on Richest 1% : Canadian Liberal Party Justin Trudeau has vowed to cut taxes for middle income earners, while increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent, as part of his platform for the 2015 federal election.

Islamic State claims responsibility for Texas attack outside Muhammad cartoon show: The Islamic State claimed responsibility Tuesday for the thwarted attack outside a prophet Muhammad cartoon contest near Dallas, threatening to carry out “worse and more bitter” violence on American soil.

Garland Shooting: Gladio - Texas-Style: Garland shooting involved troupe of practiced war propagandists and patsies long on the FBI's watch list.

Gunman in Texas Shooting Was F.B.I. Suspect in Jihad Inquiry: One was an extrovert drawn to basketball as well as to Islam, who had been identified by the F.B.I. as a jihadist terrorism suspect. The two men who opened fire seemed to embody the contradictions of radical Islam and suburban America.

Texas police were warned about ISIS attack TWO DAYS days before deadly shootout: An activist linked to the international hackers' collective Anonymous tipped off police in Garland, Texas, about an eminent attack on an anti-Islam event two days before it happened - but the red flag went unnoticed.

Cop Gets Slap On Wrist For Slugging Handcuffed Woman: Video - : The woman, Megan Adamescu was left with a swollen face and concussion. The fist-swinging, kicking cop was Officer Philippe Archer. Earlier, he had karate-kicked and punched 50-year-old Andrew Mossberg, leaving Mossberg’s face, cheek and forehead bruised and bloody.

New York state police handcuff and shackle ‘combative’ five-year-old: . When officers arrived at the premises, they placed the five-year-old boy in handcuffs, carried him out to a patrol car and put his feet into shackles before taking him to a medical center for evaluation.

US 'worst place to be a mother' among developed nations - report: America is the worst developed country in the world to be a mother, ranking 61st globally in maternal health, a groundbreaking analysis of global health inequalities has found.

Mike Huckabee to announce bid for Republican nomination: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is preparing another bid for the Republican presidential nomination, eight years after his first efforts to expand on the support of evangelical Christians helped him win eight states in the 2008 primaries.