May 29/30 2015
Patrolling The Hood From (China) Sea To Shining
Sea
By Pepe Escobar
This South China Sea exceptionalist adventurism could alarmingly get out
of hand.
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Pivot Insanity
Why is Obama Goading China?
Mike Whitney
US powerbrokers know that bullying China involves significant risks for
themselves and the world.
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The US And China Can Avoid A Collision – if the
US Gives Up Its Empire
By John Glaser
The problem isn’t China’s rise, but rather America’s insistence on
maintaining military and economic dominance right in China’s backyard.
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US Cries FIFA Foul to Penalise Russia
By Finian Cunningham
The real motive, - has little to do with American authorities stamping
out corruption in sporting finances.
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‘Now, We Have a Democratically Elected
Totalitarian Government’
By Arundhati Roy
“How have the other ‘developed’ countries progressed? Through wars and
by colonising and usurping the resources of other countries and
societies,” she says. “India has no option but to colonise itself.”
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US Sending Weapons To Iraq To Use Against Weapons
US Previously Sent To Iraq
By DS Wright
It’s almost like war is a business.
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Secularists vs. Suicide Bombers
By Patrick J. Buchanan
Why do all the martyrs seem to be on their side? And why is it our side
that, all too often, shows "no will to fight"?
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Resurgence of the ‘Surge’ Myth
By Ray McGovern
Official Washington loves the story – the Iraq War was failing until
President George W. Bush bravely ordered a “surge” in 2007 that won the
war, but President Obama squandered the victory, requiring a new “surge”
now.
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The Biggest Crime You’ve Never Heard Of
By Ian Sinclair
What if our own government has been responsible for genocide-level
suffering, without the media raising the alarm and therefore leaving the
general public in a state of ignorance?
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How NATO Deliberately Destroyed Libya's Water
Infrastructure
By Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed
Critical water installations bombed - then blamed on Gaddafi.
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US Rebukes Israel While Showering it with Arms
and Favors
By Jonathan Cook
Just as the White House gears up for another 18 months of humiliation
and sabotage from Netanyahu and his government, Obama is showering
Israel with gifts, as part of its long-standing “security” doctrine.
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GOP Presidential Candidates Go to Israel and
Return With Fairy Tales
By Zaid Jilani
Israel is playing a greater role in the Republican presidential race
than perhaps ever before.
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A New Age Of Revolt And Rebellion
The Implosion of Global Capitalism
By Chris Hedges
Chris Hedges delivers a stark and urgent apprisal of the worldwide
catastrophe that’s sure to come if the current system isn’t confronted
and forced to change.
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The Coming Crash & The Recession That Never Ended
By Richard Wolff and Thom Hartmann
How the Crash Will Come About.
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Over 32 ISIL Terrorists Killed in Iraqi Army
Operations in Samarra: Iraqi ArmyThe
Iraqi Army raided ISIL's positions in Samarra, in Salahuddin province,
which resulted in the killing of at least 32 fighters, the Iraqi Defense
Ministry announced.
15 killed in Baghdad hotel bombings:
The double bombing occurred late on Thursday when the bombs went off in
the car parks of the Cristal, formerly Sheraton, and Babil hotels.
Initial reports said 10 people were killed and 27 wounded, but the
casualty figures rose overnight.
Pentagon looking at ways to train and equip Sunni
forces faster: "I think one
particular way that's extremely important is to involve the Sunni tribes
in the fight. That means training and equipping them. So those are the
kinds of things that the team back home is looking at," he during a
press briefing en route to Singapore.
Let them eat bombs:
'Chaotic picture' as funding gap threatens WHO
operations in Iraq: More than 3
million refugees and displaced Iraqis could be denied life-saving
healthcare as the World Health Organization (WHO) scrambles to secure
$60 million to fund their operations in the country to the end of the
year.
Extremist militants kill 31 Syrian forces in
captured town: The extremist militant
groups killed as many as 31 Syrian forces in the northwestern town of
Ariha, which fell in the hands of the militants on Thursday, a monitor
group said Friday.
Syrian insurgents advance in areas around
captured town: activists: The "Army
of Fatah" alliance which includes al Qaeda's Syria wing Nusra Front, the
Islamist Ahrar al-Sham group and other factions, captured Ariha town
Thursday night as the Syrian military pulled back.
Syria's Al-Nusra plans for Damascus take over,
removal of Assad: "The orders from
Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri (current al-Qaida leader) are we should not attack
the West from Syria, because it won't help us, and it may complicate the
situation," Abu Mohammad al-Golani said Wednesday in a rare interview.
Video purports to show Turkish intelligence
shipping arms to Syria: A Turkish
newspaper published video footage on Friday which it said showed
security forces discovering weapons parts being sent to Syria on trucks
belonging to the MIT state intelligence agency.
Coalition strikes, fighting kill 40 rebels in
Yemen's Aden: Saudi-led coalition
strikes against Iran-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen's second city Aden
Thursday and ground clashes killed at least 40 Houthis and their allies,
the city's deputy governor said.
Houthi rebels kill Sanaa's governor, claim
relatives: Yemen's Houthi rebels,
under fire from a Saudi-led coalition, have killed the capital's
governor in clashes that erupted during an attempt to detain him, his
relatives said on Friday.
Yemen strikes target border, kill two Saudis:
Two Saudi border guards were killed and five wounded by shells fired
from Yemeni territories, an Interior Ministry spokesman said yesterday,
as the United Nations said the war’s death toll was close to 2,000.
Islamic State claims blast killing four at Saudi
mosque: - Islamic State claimed
responsibility for a bombing that killed four people at a Shi'ite Muslim
mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia on Friday, the second attack claimed by
the Sunni militant group in a week in the world's top oil-exporting
country.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham vows ‘violent pushback’
to protect Israel in UN: As the
United States awaits his official declaration that he plans to contend
for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, Sen. Lindsey Graham
came to Israel to reinforce his relations with the new government.
UN considers leaving Israel off child's rights
violators list, would compare IDF to Boko Haram
: At issue is an annex to the report, which would place Israel on a list
with terror organizations and states that are considered to be among the
world’s worst human rights abusers.
Netanyahu: Effort to hurt Israel will destroy
FIFA: Prime minister warns global
soccer organization and Blatter that Israel would resist Palestinians'
suspension proposal 'unequivocally'.
Palestine drops motion to suspend Israel from
FIFA: The motion had been included on
the agenda at the FIFA Congress but PFA president Jibril Rajoub said he
had been persuaded to back down. "I decided to drop the suspension but
it does not mean that I give up the resistance," he said.
Who the Jewish Billionaires Are Backing for 2016:
A quick look at the list of top political donors for 2014 reveals a
striking fact: At least a third of the most generous 50 mega-givers were
Jewish. In fact, contributions from Jewish billionaires and
multi-millionaires dominated the top 10 spots on the list.
Boko Haram clash kills 37: army:
A clash between Chad's army and Boko Haram on a Lake
Chad island has killed four soldiers and 33 Islamists, a military
spokesman said Friday.
Borno: 10 killed, several others injured after
suicide bomber blows herself up: A
wedding at Tashan Alade in Hawul local government area of Borno state on
Friday turned bloody when a female suicide bomber was detonated a bomb,
killing herself and 10 other guests.
U.S. ready to send military trainers to Nigeria
in Boko Haram fight: The United
States is prepared to send military trainers to Nigeria to help new
President Muhammadu Buhari's armed forces improve their intelligence
gathering and logistics, a senior State Department official said on
Friday.
IS seizes control of airport in Libya`s Sirte:
Tripoli govt: The Islamic State
jihadist group has seized control of the airport in the city of Sirte
after forces of a Tripoli-based Libyan government withdrew, a spokesman
said Friday.
Libya PM Thinni escapes assassination attempt:
Spokesman: "The prime minister's car
was hit by bullets when armed men opened fire as it was leaving an area
where a session of parliament was held" in the eastern city of Tobruk,
Hatem El Ouraybi told AFP.
Pakistan: 7 Killed in Gun Battle:
At least two soldiers and five militants were killed today in a gun
battle in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border,
an official said.
Majority of US Citizens Support Drone Murders
Conducted Abroad - Poll: Close to 60
percent of US citizens are in favor of Washington conducting drone
strikes against terrorists in foreign countries such as Yemen, Pakistan
and Somalia, a poll from Pew Research Center found.
US takes dangerous gamble in S.China Sea
: Some Chinese scholars hold that the US is merely flying
a kite. It's testing China's determination and strategy to counterstrike
US provocation. It's probable that the US military and diplomatic
circles haven't yet reached a consensus. Washington will make the
decision after assessing China's reaction.
U.S. says China has placed mobile artillery on
reclaimed island: The United States
said on Friday that China had placed mobile artillery weapons systems on
a reclaimed island in the disputed South China Sea, a development that
Republican Sen. John McCain called "disturbing and escalatory."
China castigates Abe over latest military comments:
Japanese leaders should act in a way that is more conducive to regional
peace and stability, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on
Friday, after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe indicated possible
support for foreign forces in the South China Sea.
Putin concerned over shelling of civilian
facilities by Ukrainian servicemen:
"The Russian side stressed its concern in connection with more frequent
incidents of shelling by the Ukrainian army of civilian facilities that
resulted in deaths of civilians," Kremlin reported
NATO Breaks Treaty to Establish Permanent Forces
in Baltic: NATO is set to break a
1997 treaty it signed with Russia by establishing permanent forces in
Latvia, as it piles in more troops to the Baltic States.
US embassy in Estonia spying on locals with
consent from Tallinn – report: The
Estonian Postimees media outlet reported on Friday that a team of five
spooks have been tracking ordinary people passing by within several
hundred meters from the American embassy in Tallinn.
Belgium launches investigation into German and US
spying: Belgian media said Friday
Germany's BND intelligence agency and the U.S. National Security Agency
(NSA) had intercepted communications from Belgium and other countries.
UN report: Encryption crucial for human rights:
“Encryption and anonymity enable individuals to exercise their rights to
freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age and, as such,
deserve strong protection,” says the report, from the UN’s Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights.
NSA’s Mass Surveillance Started By 1999 Or
Earlier: Diane Roark – the
congressional staffer in charge of overseeing the NSA for the
Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee – says that NSA’s mass
surveillance started by 1999 or earlier … but NSA hid it from Congress:
Assange on the Untold Story of the Grounding of
Evo Morales’ Plane During Edward Snowden Manhunt:
During the U.S. hunt for Snowden, Bolivian President Evo Morales’s plan
was forced to land in Austria for 14 hours after Spain, France, Portugal
and Italy closed their airspace under pressure from the United States
over false rumors Snowden was on board
New Evidence Shows Police Did Massacre 42 in
Michoacan, Mexico: Cuevas accounts
suggest there were no illegal activities going on at the ranch and that
the people working there were executed and not killed during a shootout
as federal police had reported.
A drug war made in Mexico?
US drug policy has spelt nothing but trouble for Mexico.
Planned new U.S. Embassy in Mexico a "fiasco":
Cost overruns in Afghanistan are over $150 million, and the new embassy
in London could top $1 billion. It is an embassy that was supposed to
cost $577 million to build, but the construction estimate has gone up by
one third -- and the State Department hasn't even broken ground yet.
Corruption is leading indicator for political
unrest, study finds: Corruption is a
leading indicator for political instability and 64 countries where fraud
and bribery are widespread risk falling into violent upheaval, a global
think tank said in a new report.
Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert indicted
on federal charges: The Illinois
Republican, who left office in 2007, was charged with structuring the
withdrawal of $952,000 in cash in order to evade the requirement that
banks report cash transactions over $10,000, and lying to the FBI about
his withdrawals, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.
U.S. Households Under Pressure: Stagnant Incomes,
Rising Basic Expenses: News Analysis
- How do you support a consumer economy with stagnant incomes for the
bottom 90%, rising basic expenses and crashing employment for males ages
25-54? Answer: you don't.
Privacy concerns over facial recognition test
program: For the next three months,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents will test facial recognition
technology, but CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave says the trial
has some people worried that anonymity could become a thing of the past.
Why did the US Army ship live anthrax?:
Live samples of one of the deadliest biological warfare agents were sent
in FedEx packages all over the United States.
May 28, 2015
Media's Deafening Silence Over West's and
Israel's Alliance With al-Qaeda in Syria
By John Hilley
We can say with confidence that the mainstream press in the West
supports Israel, and so does not find it convenient to report on this
scandalous Israeli-al-Qaeda alliance in Syria.
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To Beat ISIS, Kick Out US-led Coalition
By Sharmine Narwani
Washington has run fewer sorties over Syria and Iraq in the nine months
since inception of its air campaign, than Israel ran in its entire
three-week Gaza blitz in 2008-09.
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Delusionary Thinking in Washington
The Desperate Plight of a Declining Superpower
By Michael T. Klare
Take a look around the world and it’s hard not to conclude that the
United States is a superpower in decline.
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U.S. Power and the Godfather Principle
By Noam Chomsky, John Holder and Doug Morris
“International affairs” is very much like the mafia. A major principle
of international affairs is the Godfather cannot brook disobedience.
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The Iran Talks Game Changer: An Israeli-Hezbollah
War?
By Trita Parsi and Paul Pillar
There are signs Israel may be at war again this summer.
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Israel Is A Discredit To America
You Are Judged By The Company You Keep
By Paul Craig Roberts
These days the new members of congress arrived pre-conditioned to
demonstrate their devotion to the Israeli cause.
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Tony Blair Quits As Middle East Peace Envoy –
Only Israel Will Miss Him
By Robert Fisk
Blair tendered his resignation and left one question: how come a war
criminal ever became a “peace envoy” in the first place?
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Ahead Of Israel Expulsion Vote U.S. Orders Raid
On FIFA
By Moon Of Alabama
The U.S. ordered Swiss police to raid, incarcerate and extradite to the
U.S. six FIFA officials for alleged corruption.
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Anonymous Fear-Mongering About the Patriot Act
from the White House and NYT
By Glenn Greenwald
It’s just government propaganda masquerading as a news article, where
anonymous officials warn the country that they will die if the Patriot
Act isn’t renewed immediately.
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Washington’s Two Track Policy to Latin America
Marines to Central America and Diplomats to Cuba
By James Petras
US policymakers are actively involved in promoting ‘client’ opposition
parties, movements and personalities to destabilize independent
governments and are intent on re-imposing US domination.
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Washington Protects Its Lies With More Lies
By Paul Craig Roberts
My distrust has deepened of Seymour Hersh’s retelling of the Obama
regime’s extra-judicial murder of Osama bin Laden.
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Senior NATO Official Claims We’ll Be at War by
Summer
By Joshua Krause
“Said a senior NATO (non-US) GOFO to me today: “We’ll probably be at war
this summer. If we’re lucky it won’t be nuclear.” Let that sink in.”
Former NSA intelligence analyst John Schindler.
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Ukraine Labor Dares Operation Vulture
By Michael Hudson
Ukraine’s collapse since the February 2014 coup has become an umbrella
for grabitization.
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Four US Cancer Charities Charged With Misusing
Donations In Excess Of $187m
By Reuters
The Cancer Fund of America raised $86.8m for charity but gave just 1% of
that to cancer patients.
Continue
Saudi attack kills 76 people in Yemen:
Saudi-led coalition warplanes have bombed a special forces camp in
Yemen's capital, Sanaa, killing at least 36 people, officials and
witnesses say. Residents of the Bakeel al-Meer area told the Reuters
news agency that at least 40 people had been killed, mostly civilians.
Yemen border strikes kill two Saudis, Yemen death
toll near 2,000: WHO: - Two Saudi
border guards were killed and five wounded by shells fired from Yemeni
territories, an Interior Ministry spokesman said late on Wednesday, as
the United Nations said the war's death toll was close to 2,000.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia Coordinating Plans to Send
ISIL Terrorists to Yemen: "Saudi
Arabia has made the needed coordination with Turkey to dispatch
terrorists and their commanders to Yemen to take part in the attacks
against Ansarullah fighters and Yemeni soldiers," Hamid Hossein al-Hamdani
told FNA on Thursday.
47 killed in clashes with IS militants in central
Iraq: A total of 47 people were
killed on Thursday in separate clashes between the Islamic State (IS)
militants and Iraqi security forces in the provinces of Salahudin and
Anbar, security sources said.
12 ISIS militants killed in aerial bombing in
Samarra District: On Thursday, Iraqi
Ministry of Defense announced, that 12 ISIS militants have been killed
in an air strike by the Iraqi Air Force in the district of Samarra.
Iraq exhumed 470 bodies from Tikrit mass graves:
minister: "We have exhumed the bodies
of 470 Speicher martyrs from burial sites in Tikrit," Adila Hammoud said
at a press conference in Baghdad, referring to the nearby military base
that the massacre was named after.
Pentagon plans to arm Sunni fighters vs. ISIS:
The Pentagon has plans to provide military equipment to Sunni tribal
fighters, a defense spokeswoman said on Wednesday, a shift from its
current policy to provide the equipment only through the central
government in Baghdad.
Iraq army held 10-to-1 advantage during Ramadi
defeat, sources say: Iraqi forces in
Ramadi had held a 10-to-1 numerical advantage over the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant when the pro-government troops retreated in the face
of an ISIL offensive over a week ago
US needs to rethink Iraq strategy, says Obama:
President Barack Obama said the US and its allies need to examine
whether they are deploying military assets effectively against Islamic
State militants as Iraq mounts a new offensive to recapture territory
west of Baghdad.
Republicans' 'plans' for Isis would drag us into
Iraq for another ground war: News
Analysis - Do you hear that? It’s the sound of the
groundwork being laid for US ground troops to return to Iraq for another
indefinite war with no end game.
Islamic State kills 20 in Palmyra amphitheatre:
monitor: Islamic State militants shot
dead around 20 men in an ancient amphitheatre in the Syrian city of
Palmyra on Wednesday, accusing them of being government supporters, a
group monitoring the conflict said.
Hezbollah uses drone to kill 3 alleged, members
of Nusra Front: A Hezbollah missile
ambushed a group of at least three Islamist militants in Syria’s
Qalamoun region along the border with Lebanon Wednesday after being
spotted by a drone, the party’s Al-Manar TV reported.
Rebels storm last government-held city in Syria's
Idlib: monitor: The lightning
offensive saw the Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah in Arabic, enter
outer districts of Ariha within a matter of hours, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights told AFP.
Nusra leader: Our mission is to defeat Syrian
government: The leader of the Nusra
Front, one of Syria's most powerful rebel groups, has said that his
group's main mission is to dislodge the regime of President Bashar
al-Assad and that it has no agenda to target the West unless provoked.
US training of Syria mercenaries expands to
Turkey: source: The U.S. military has
started training Syrian opposition fighters in Turkey to combat ISIS, an
expected expansion of a program that first launched in Jordan weeks ago,
a U.S. official told Reuters Thursday.
Russian, U.S. positions on Syria are getting
closer, Lavrov says: "Indeed, I think
our positions with the United States are getting closer, first and
foremost in regard to statements that there can be no alternative to a
political solution in Syria," Lavrov told a news conference.
U.S. "defense" aid to Israel to rise over Iran
deal fears: sources: A current
package worth $3 billion a year expires in 2017. A U.S. official,
speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said negotiators were
close to a new deal that would bring annual payouts to $3.6-$3.7 billion
on average.
War criminal:
Tony Blair quits Middle East envoy role:
No-one is going to consider Tony Blair's period as Quartet envoy a
resounding success
Afghanistan: 37 Insurgents Killed in ANSF
Operations: At least 37 insurgents
including five Pakistani Taliban have been killed in a series of
coordinated operations by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), in
the eastern Paktia province of Afghanistan, a local official said
Thursday
Six killed in US assassination drone strike in
Afghanistan: At least six people have
been killed in the latest US drone strikes on Afghanistan’s Nuristan and
Kunar provinces. The first of the Wednesday raids in the northeastern
province of Nuristan claimed the lives of five people.
U.S. hopes Chinese island-building will spur
Asian response: By releasing video of
Beijing’s island reclamation work and considering more assertive
maritime actions, the United States is signaling a tougher stance over
the South China Sea and trying to spur Asian partners to more action.
Egyptian police general killed in roadside bomb
attack in Sinai : An Egyptian police
brigadier general was killed in a roadside bomb attack on Wednesday in
North Sinai, the interior ministry said, one of the most high-profile
police deaths in the Islamist insurgency raging in the region.
Libya on verge of economic collapse, U.N. envoy
warns: "Libya is on the verge of
economic and financial collapse. It is facing huge security threats
because of the civil war but also...because of the Daesh threat," he
said, referring to Islamic State militants who have gained a foothold in
the oil-rich country.
Biden cracks door to lethal aid to Ukraine:
The debate over whether to provide lethal defensive aid, such as
anti-tank missiles, to Ukraine is "worth having," Vice President Biden
said Wednesday. Biden accused Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, of flouting
international rules including "brutal" aggression in Ukraine. He called
for strengthening NATO and energy independence for Europe
Putin backs FIFA's Blatter amid corruption
scandal: Russian president says US
probe is "blatant attempt to extend its jurisdiction" as Russia prepares
for 2018 World Cup.
Washington Wages War on International Soccer:
Is there more to what's going on than meets the eye? In January 2011,
FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Russian Sports minister Vitaly Mulko
signed a declaration on Russia's official status as 2018 World Cup host
nation.
Prostitution and Poverty in the UK:
In Britain, the recession has left many people struggling to make ends
meet, but reports have shown that young people – young single mothers in
particular, are feeling the worst of austerity, and many are turning to
prostitution in pursuit of financial security.
First-of-its-kind Marine task force deploys to
Central America: About 180 Marines
will remain in Soto Cano, Honduras, as the task force headquarters
element, while the remaining 100 will be dispatched to locations
throughout the region to work with local militaries, officials said in a
news release.
Is Canada on the path to totalitarianism?
In Canada, it's almost impossible to
hold citizens for what they may be thinking of doing - for now, anyway.
US Army begins training for the next war, which
may be much different — and bigger:
Fort Riley is putting soldiers such as Staff Sgt. Gilbert Monroe back
into big tanks and simulating wars on a scale grander than Iraq or
Afghanistan.
WikiLeaks releases more than half a million US
diplomatic cables from 1978: 1978 was
an unusually important year in geopolitics. The year saw the start of a
great many political conflicts and alliances which continue to define
the present world order, as well as the rise of still-important
personalities and political dynasties.
Edward Snowden leaks could bring down part of
U.S. Patriot Act: The section of the
act used by the U.S. to justify phone surveillance could be thrown out
by the Republican-controlled Congress.
Obama Calls on Senate to Act on Patriot Act
During Recess: President Obama called
on the Senate Tuesday to work through their early summer vacation in
order to keep the Patriot Act from expiring in a week.
VICTORY: Nebraska Becomes the 19th US State to
Abolish the Death Penalty!: Red-state
Nebraska (with a few purple splotches) actually has repealed the death
penalty by voting to override the Governor’s veto! And who were the
people responsible for finally pushing this through? A strong coalition
of abolitionists, plus some unlikely suspects, that’s who.
Live Anthrax Was Mistakenly Sent To 9 States And
A U.S. Military Base: Fears of
exposure to the potentially deadly disease has prompted officials to
advise four civilian workers to get preventive care; more than 20
military personnel are also being monitored.
Clinton Foundation Donors Got Weapons Deals From
Hillary Clinton's State Department:
Even by the standards of arms deals between the United States and Saudi
Arabia, this one was enormous. A consortium of American defense
contractors led by Boeing would deliver $29 billion worth of advanced
fighter jets to the United States' oil-rich ally in the Middle East.
Border Patrol Agents Tase an Unarmed Woman Inside
the U.S.: Video of the encounter
suggests another instance of needless escalation and excessive force.
May 26, 2015
Failure of the US coup d’État in Macedonia
By Thierry Meyssan
Macedonia has just neutralised an armed group whose sponsors had been
under surveillance for at least eight months. By doing so, it has
prevented a new attempt at a coup d’État, planned by Washington for the
17th of May.
Continue
Washington Blows Itself Up With Its Own Bomb
By F. William Engdahl
This is the real background to the surprise visit of US Secretary of
State John Kerry to Sochi to meet with “Satan” himself, Putin.
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Will Aleppo Become the Capital of a New
Caliphate?
By Edward Dark
The plan, drawn up by the insurgency’s three most powerful regional
backers - Turkey, Saudi and Qatar - is to overrun the entire northwest
of Syria and create a rebel controlled “safe zone,”
Continue
Lack Of U.S. Air Support In Ramadi Points To
Disguised Darker Aim:
By Moon Of Alabama
Why were there so few U.S. air attacks on the Islamic State attackers
when they took Ramadi?
Continue
NYT Trumpets U.S. Restraint against ISIS, Ignores
Hundreds of Civilian Deaths
By Glenn Greenwald
Anonymous officials complain that the U.S. cares too deeply about
protecting civilians to do what it should do against ISIS.
Continue
Is US Foreign Policy As Barbaric As The Islamic
State?
By William Blum
The Islamic State has done nothing compared to what the United States
did to the people of Fallujah.
Continue
The Concept of WMD, and its Use against Syria, in
the Propaganda Systems of Western States
By Stephen Gowans
WMD, applied to chemical, biological, and radiological weapons, is by
design, a term of deception, whose purpose is the manipulation of public
opinion to soften up attitudes to war.
Continue
Far from Facing the Truth, the US Is Telling New
Lies about Iraq
By Gary Younge
Extracting a moral from this disaster would demand “unravelling the
deeper meaning” of America’s military impulses, the popular consent it
enjoys and the craven political assent it is accorded.
Continue
U.S. Soldiers Died for Empire and Hegemony
By Jacob G. Hornberger
On Memorial Day, Americans honor the soldiers who have died in the
defense of our country. There is one big problem though: Those soldiers
didn’t die in the defense of our country.
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War Is A Racket
By Major General Smedley Butler, USMC
A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it
seems to the majority of the people.
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Austerity Is the Only Deal-Breaker
By Yanis Varoufakis
A common fallacy pervades coverage by the world’s media of the
negotiations between the Greek government and its creditors.
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The NSA’s Technotyranny: One Nation Under
Surveillance
By John W. Whitehead
“The ultimate goal of the NSA is total population control.”—William
Binney, NSA whistleblower.
Continue
Syrian army raid kills 140 Islamic State fighters
– agency: The Syrian air force killed
at least 140 members of Islamic State in an air raid on a military base
held by the group in the north of the country, state news agency SANA
said on Tuesday.
Six Hezbollah fighters, 30 militants killed in
Qalamoun clash: source: Monday's
clashes ended with Hezbollah fighters seizing two new hilltops in
Qalamoun, three weeks into an offensive to oust jihadis from the rugged
border region, according to Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV.
Syria says air support to rebels would be
'aggression': Faisal Mekdad's
comments on Tuesday were in response to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu, who said Turkey and the U.S. have agreed in "principle" to
provide air protection to rebels being trained and equipped to fight
ISIS militants, once they enter Syrian territory for battle.
Turkey says training of moderate Syrian rebels
"begins" with US: Turkey and the
United States have started training moderate Syrian rebels on Turkish
territory to prepare them to fight Islamic State (IS) militants, the
Turkish foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Mikdad: Turkish FM’s statements proof of Turkey’s direct support
for terrorists: In response to
statements by the Turkish Foreign Minister on providing air support to
terrorists in Syria, Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal
Mikdad said that any country that considers providing support to
terrorist organizations are committing aggression against Syria.
'Ditch double standards!' Russia seeks united
anti-ISIS front after Palmyra massacre:
Moscow has condemned the massacre of civilians in the ancient city of
Palmyra, urging the international community to denounce double standards
in its approach to fighting terrorists, and unite against IS (Islamic
State, formerly ISIS/ISIL) aggression.
ISIS leader al-Baghdadi arrives in Nineveh coming
from Syria, along with a number of his assistants: Report:
On Monday, a local source in Nineveh province said, that the ISIS leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has entered Nineveh province coming from the Syrian
city of al-Raqqa after he secretly crossed the Iraqi-Syrian borders
alongside a number of his aides.
Iraq forces kill 70 ISIL militants in west
Samarra: Iraqi forces, backed by Shia
volunteer forces, have killed at least 70 militants belonging to the
ISIL Takfiri gro
Iraq's army launches offensive to retake Anbar:
Officials in Anbar told Associated Press news agency on Tuesday of air
strikes and fighting on the ground west and south of the provincial
capital, Ramadi.
Iraqi Shi'ite militia claim leadership of
campaign against Islamic State: The
militia fighters have performed better on the battlefield than Iraq's
own army, but their presence risks alienating the Sunni residents of the
area, especially if they emphasize sectarian aims.
Iraqi lack of will to fight ISIS has been 'a
problem': White House: The White
House said on Tuesday that Iraqi troops' lack of will to fight ISIS
militants, an issue cited by the Pentagon chief over the weekend, has
been a concern.
Lack Of U.S. Air Support In Ramadi Points To
Disguised Darker Aim: Why were there
so few U.S. air attacks on the Islamic State attackers when they took
Ramadi? The first excuse put out by the U.S. military was "a sandstorm
ate my lunch". That excuse was placed as news in the NYT:
Seven members of Yemeni family killed in
Saudi-led strike -residents: Seven
members of a family were killed in an overnight strike by Saudi-led
warplanes on a border village in northern Yemen, residents said, as
heavy clashes erupted across the frontier after Houthi fire killed one
Saudi citizen.
Yemen shelling kills 2 in Saudi border region:
Shellfire from Yemen killed one civilian and a member of the security
forces in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, officials said.
Houthis suffer first serious setback in south
Yemen fighting: residents: Local
Sunni Muslim militia ejected Shi'ite Houthi rebels from much of the
southern Yemeni city of Dalea on Monday, residents and combatants said,
inflicting the first significant setback on the Iranian-backed rebels in
two months of civil war.
Two thirds of Yemen without clean water, as
outbreak of disease looms: Oxfam:
Oxfam has called for a ceasefire to allow for medical supplies and clean
water to be brought in to alleviate a desperate humanitarian situation
Bangladeshi UN peacekeeper shot dead in Mali's
capital:
A Bangladeshi peacekeeper was shot dead and another wounded, the United
Nations said Tuesday, in the second attack in days in Mali's capital on
what is considered the world's most dangerous UN mission.
Libya’s parliament halts session as car burns
outside: Libya’s elected parliament
halted a session attended by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni on
Tuesday after protesters set fire to a car outside its base in the
eastern city of Tobruk, lawmakers said.
Pay strikes halt flights at Libya’s main airports:
Libya’s three main airports cancelled flights on Tuesday morning because
of strikes by ground staff complaining they have not been paid for two
months, airport officials said.
EU plan for military intervention against
"refugee boats" in Libya and the Mediterranean:
Today, WikiLeaks is releasing two classified EU documents, outlining the
planned military intervention against boats travelling from Libya to
Italy. The more significant of the two documents was written by the
combined military defence chiefs of the EU member states.
20 killed as deadly Taliban raids hit Afghan
security forces: "In Nawzad, the
standoff has been particularly difficult and has been going on for hours
with the Taliban taking three army checkpoints and surrounding the
district's headquarters,"
Taliban suicide bombers attack Afghan court
killing two: Taliban suicide bombers
attacked a court in Wardak province on Tuesday, killing two police
officers before being shot dead as they entered the compound, the police
chief said.
China plans blunt move into 'open seas,' warns
foreign powers not to meddle: In a
new strategy unveiled today, the South China Sea continues to be a
potential flashpoint for China and its neighbors, and between Washington
and Beijing.
Japan will join a major US-Australian military
exercise for the first time: Japan
will join a major US-Australian military exercise for the first time in
a sign of growing security links between the three countries as tensions
fester over China's island building in the South China Sea.
Six killed in east Ukraine fighting: officials:
Four separatists rebels, a Ukrainian soldier and one civilian were
killed in clashes that broke out over the past 24 hours in violation of
a February truce deal, officials said Tuesday.
Thousands of Ukrainians protest Kiev regime’s
draconian utility price hikes:
Protests are mounting against decisions by the NATO-backed regime in
Kiev to drastically increase prices for energy, water, and other basic
necessities.
Russia Adopting 'Increasingly Aggressive Posture'
Says Obama: US President Barack Obama
accused Russia of toughening its battlefield stance today, as he met
with the NATO secretary general to discuss the rolling crisis in
Ukraine.
Russia's Landmark $2Bln Deal With Egypt for MiG
Fighter Jets: Russia has agreed to
deliver 46 MiG-29 air superiority fighters to Egypt and is soon expected
to sign a deal worth approximately $2 billion, what might become the
largest order since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia’s business
daily Vedomosti reports, quoting a source close to the aviation
industry.
Interview with Podemos Founder: Spain’s 2-Party
System Is Dying : Spain's two-party
system is dead after Sunday’s elections, but the old forces will use
their power to try to stop left-wing Podemos winning November's Spanish
general election, Podemos’ founder, Juan Carlos Monedero told teleSUR in
an exclusive interview.
FARC Leader Killed In New Military Attack:
Commander Roman Ruiz was killed alongside four other militants after
government forces bombed their position in the Choco region.
New Recording Uncovers Another Opposition Plot in
Venezuel: The audio shows a
conversation between two jailed opposition leaders describing upcoming
destabilization plans.
Cuban Life Expectancy Among the Highest in World
at 78.45 Years : Life expectancy for
women was slightly higher at 80.45 years, with the life span for men at
76.50 years. Cuba is in the top 25 countries in the world for life
expectancy, which is considered an important indicator of human
development and quality of healthcare.
List of countries by life expectancy:
The life expectancy is shown separately for males and females, as well
as a combined figure.
Chicago : 12 Killed, 43 Wounded In Memorial Day
Weekend Shootings: Twelve people were
killed and at least 43 — including a 4-year-old girl — were wounded in
shootings across Chicago this Memorial Day weekend, police said.
Baltimore Bloodshed Continues; 29 Shot, 9 killed
Over Holiday Weekend: It’s the
deadliest month Baltimore has seen in more than 15 years. More than two
dozen shootings over the holiday weekend alone have city police working
around the clock.
May 25, 2015
China State Paper Warns of War Unless US Backs
Down
By GMA News
A Chinese state-owned newspaper said on Monday that "war is inevitable"
between China and the United States over the South China Sea.
Continue
China's Plan to Lead the Globe
By Eric Margolis
Will Washington back off and allow China to be the master of Asia? It
seems highly doubtful.
Continue
Japanese Nationalism: Decoy for American
Imperialism?
By Andre Vltchek
Japan is ready to change its post-war pacifist constitution; it is
rapidly arming itself to the teeth, building battleships and purchasing
fighter jets.
Continue
A Color Revolution for Macedonia
By Paul Craig Roberts
War is in the making. War with Russia means war also with China. This is
not a war that Washington and its vassals or human life can win.
Continue
The Head of the GRU Accuses US and Allies of
Creating the Transnational “Islamist” Terrorist Network
By The Saker
A speech by Colonel-General Igor Sergun, Head of the Main Intelligence
Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia.
Continue
Israeli Gears
By Jeffrey St. Clair
Meet the Real Israeli Defense Force: the US Congress.
Continue
Our Mania for Hope Is a Curse
By Chris Hedges
As global capitalism disintegrates, the heresy our corporate masters
fear is gaining currency.
Continue
Hillary Clinton and the Manipulation of Populism
By Paul Street
“The Choice is Clear: There is None”
Continue
Memorial Day: Praying for Peace While Waging
Permanent War?
By Bill Quigley
We must learn the facts and face the truth that the U.S. is the biggest
war maker in the world.
Continue
How to Honor Memorial Day
By Ray McGovern
Avoid euphemisms like “the fallen” and expose the lies about what a
great idea it was to start those wars.
Continue
28 IS militants killed in airstrikes, clashes in
western Iraq: A total of 28 Islamic
State (IS) militants were killed Monday in the U.S.-led coalition
airstrikes and clashes with the Iraqi security forces in the province of
Anbar, a provincial security source said.
Islamic State faces battle in Iraq, bombs in
Syria: Islamic State poured more
fighters into Ramadi as security forces and Shi'ite paramilitaries
prepared to retake the Iraqi city that fell to the Islamists a week ago
in a major setback for the government.
ISIL fighters set Iraq's Beiji oil refinery
ablaze: Black plumes of smoke billow
over Iraq's largest oil refinery as Iraqi forces advance on the
sprawling complex.
US has 'no will' to fight ISIS: Iran military
official: The chief of the elite Quds
unit in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Major General Qassem Soleimani told
the newspaper Javan the US didn’t do a “damn thing” to stop the advance
by Islamic State on Ramadi.
Syria Says Islamic State Killed Hundreds,
Including Children, In Palmyra: -
Islamic State fighters have killed at least 400 people, including women
and children, in Palmyra since capturing the ancient Syrian city four
days ago, Syrian state media said on Sunday.
Turkey says deal with US on air
support for Syria rebels: The United
States and Turkey have agreed "in principle" to give air support to some
forces from Syria's Western-allied opposition, Turkey's foreign minister
said, in what if confirmed could mark an expansion of U.S. involvement
in the conflict.
Hezbollah Says It Will Increase Presence in Syria
: The leader of the Lebanese Shiite
Muslim Hezbollah movement said on Sunday that his movement's fighters
were to increase presence in Syria to aid the country’s government in
fighting off the Islamic State group and other radical rebels operating
in their territory.
Sayyed Nasrallah: Resistance at Its Utmost
Readiness on All Fronts: Hezbollah
Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stresses that the resistance is
at its utmost readiness on all fronts, noting that although Hezbollah is
fighting in Syria, its eyes are still on Israel.
Black flag's shadow looms large: Islamic State:
After capturing Ramadi in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria, the Islamic State
group has laid the foundations for 'becoming what it claims to be'
Fact or fiction:
Syria government to accept de facto partition of
country: “It is quite understandable
that the Syrian army withdraws to protect large cities where much of the
population is located,” said Waddah Abded Rabbo, director of Syria’s Al-Watan
newspaper.
Dozens killed as Yemen clashes rage in south as
peace talks postponed: There have
been fierce clashes in southern Yemen, reportedly leaving dozens of
people dead and wounded. In the city of Dhalea, militiamen allied to the
exiled government have retaken positions from Houthi rebels. But in Taiz,
to the west, the rebels are reported to have pushed back their opponents
in heavy street fighting.
Houthis suffer first serious setback in south
Yemen fighting: residents: Local
Sunni Muslim militia ejected Shi'ite Houthi rebels from much of the
southern Yemeni city of Dalea on Monday, residents and combatants said,
inflicting the first significant setback on the Iranian-backed rebels in
two months of civil war.
Saudi airstrikes in Yemen killed 135 children
since March: UN: The United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) says the Saudi action against Yemen has claimed
the lives of more than 130 children over the past two months.
Saudis Eye Human Rights Chair:
News Analysis - Despite an abysmal human rights
record, Saudi Arabia reportedly hopes to chair the UN’s Human Rights
Council, a test of how far money can go in buying the world’s silence
and acquiescence
Ex-Israeli Premier Olmert sentenced to 8 months
in prison: Former Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert has been sentenced to eight months in prison for
unlawfully accepting money from a U.S. supporter.
Nigeria Army Says It Killed 30 Islamist Militants
in Borno Clash: Troops destroyed two
armored vehicles and captured a grenade launcher and other weapons
during the battle in Mafa, about 53 kilometers (33 miles) east of the
Borno state capital, Maiduguri, he said.
Boko Haram hacks to death 10 in NE Nigeria: local
official: "The attackers went into
the village around 4:00 am (0300 GMT) while residents were still asleep
and used machetes to attack their victims," he added.
Eight killed as soldier opens fire in Tunisia
barracks: The shooter, who had been
moved to “a non-sensitive institution”, was banned from carrying weapons
following his “unstable condition”, but he managed to take a weapon from
a fellow soldier and opened fire on his colleagues during a flag-raising
ceremony.
5 African migrants drown in Egypt boat raid:
Five African migrants drowned on Monday after jumping into the
Mediterranean as Egyptian coastguards raided a boat heading towards
Italy, security officials said.
Demonstrator shot dead as protest erupts outside
Burundi capital: A demonstrator was
shot dead in southern Burundi on Monday, a local official and witness
said, in one of the first confirmed reports of civil unrest erupting
outside the capital Bujumbura.
Libyan government warplanes attack oil tanker
docked at Sirte: Warplanes from
Libya's official government attacked an oil tanker docked outside the
city of Sirte on Sunday, wounding three people and setting the ship on
fire, officials said. "We gave it a chance to evaluate the situation,
then our fighting jets attacked the ship because it was unloading
fighters and weapons," he added.
19 police, 7 soldiers killed in Afghan siege:
Taliban gunmen have surrounded a police compound in the volatile
southern province of Helmand after killing 19 police officers and seven
soldiers in an ongoing siege, a senior police officer said on Monday
from inside the compound.
Bombs kill 11 in Afghanistan as Taliban, IS
supporters clash: A suicide truck
bomb attack and a separate roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan
killed 11 people and wounded dozens more on Monday, as the Taliban
clashed with supporters of the Islamic State group in the west,
officials said
Top general predicts longer international
presence in Afghanistan: - The top
coalition commander has been meeting with NATO leaders to hammer out
details of a plan that could keep thousands of international "advisers"
in the country for years to come. Campbell said as many as 1,000 troops
supported by contractors and other civilians could remain in Afghanistan
past 2016
Massive India heatwave 'kills 500':
At least 500 people are reported to have died in a heatwave sweeping
India, with temperatures reaching 48C (118F) in some areas. Most deaths
have taken place in the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh,
where more than 140 people have died since Saturday
In Myanmar, Muslims Arrested for Joining Terror
Group That Doesn’t Exist: The
government of Myanmar, cracking down on the country’s minority Muslims,
has arrested at least a dozen people on charges of belonging to a
terrorist group that defense lawyers and security experts say does not
exist.
Philippines seeks stronger commitment from U.S.
in South China Sea dispute: The
Philippines is seeking a "stronger commitment" from the United States to
help its ally, the defense minister said on Monday, as China asserts its
sovereignty over disputed areas of the South China Sea.
Leaking Fukushima containers could lead to
hydrogen explosions: Containers
holding contaminated water at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant
are at risk of hydrogen explosions, with 10 percent of them found to be
leaking. As many as 333 containers may be defective, according to TEPCO.
Putin signs “undesirable NGOs” Bill into Law
: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill, enabling the
designation of foreign and foreign-funded NGOs as undesirables after the
bill passed both the Lower and Upper House of Parliament.
Interior minister warns Greece will default on
June IMF repayment: Greece cannot
make a repayment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due on 5 June
as it does not have the money, the interior minister says. "The four
instalments for the IMF in June are €1.6bn, this money will not be given
and is not there to be given," Nikos Voutsis told Greek TV.
The truth about Riga: Yanis Varoufakis:
To fellow Europeans I add this: Perhaps it is time we became a little
more sceptical about the journalism we rely upon as citizens. And
perhaps we should query European institutions in which decisions of
monumental importance are made, on behalf of Europe’s citizenry, but in
which minutes are neither taken nor published.
VIDEO: Glenn Greenwald Explains
How to Keep Your Data Away From the NSA:
Glenn Greenwald explains how tech giants such as Facebook and Google
were “eager” to cooperate with the National Security Agency and offers
important advice that individuals can follow to make it harder for the
NSA to collect private data.
Did the Mexican Army Just Massacre 42 People?:
After a shootout in western Mexico, 42 alleged criminals are dead. The
army said they died in a shootout, but it looks like they were executed.
One-sided death toll in Mexico gunfight raises
questions: "It was a very uneven
fight. A battle where 42 die on one side and only one on the other is
not a battle," said Raul Benitez Manaut, a security expert at the
National Autonomous University of Mexico. He said the gang apparently
offered no resistance.
Police detonate pressure cooker outside US
Capitol: Police said the vehicle had
"odour of gasoline" and found other "items of concern", but they would
not say what those items were. The owner of the car, Israel Shimeles of
Virginia, was later arrested.
May 23, 2015
Obama’s Fail on Saudi-Qatari Aid to al-Qaeda
Affiliate
By Gareth Porter
The Saudi and Qatari governments are aiding the al-Nusra Front and its
fellow al-Qaeda front Ahrar al Sham quite deliberately.
Continue
Why Islamic State Is Winning
By Daniel Lazare
Saudi Arabia is a growing political liability. Its policies have become
so toxic that even old allies are abandoning it.
Continue
Three Years of Confronting Western Propaganda
By Andre Vltchek
How the Empire tries to destroy Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Eritrea, China,
South Africa, and Iran – through outrageous propaganda and through
manufacturing of the “opposition movements”.
Continue
Prosecuting Crimes against Humanity
By Lawrence Davidson
Israel is attempting to do away with the laws protecting us all from
crimes against humanity.
Continue
BRICS trample US in South America
By Pepe Escobar
BRICS members China – and in a smaller measure, Russia - have been no
less than restructuring commerce and infrastructure all across Latin
America.
Continue
61 IS militants killed in air strikes, clashes in
Iraq: At least 61 members of the
Islamic State (IS) militant group were killed in U.S.-led airstrikes and
clashes with Iraqi security forces in northern and central Iraq on
Saturday, while security forces freed a small town
Iraq militias start fightback against IS in
Ramadi: About 3,000 militia members
in Iraq have begun moving against Islamic State militants after the fall
of the city of Ramadi last week, officials say. The pro-government
forces say they have retaken Husayba, east of Ramadi.
Syrian dissidents to form new coalition at Cairo
meet: A number of Syrian opposition
factions will gather in Cairo next month to form a new coalition as an
alternative to an exiled West-backed alliance, officials said Saturday.
Arab Airstrikes Hit Military Bases In Yemen:
Saudi-led airstrikes hit three military bases in the Yemeni capital
Sanaa on Saturday and the Yemeni government in exile expressed
reservations about United Nations-led talks aimed at ending the
eight-week war.
Saudi clerics urge calm as village hit by ISIS
seethes: Saudi Arabia's top Sunni
cleric on Saturday branded a deadly attack on Shiite Muslims a bid to
sow chaos, after villagers targeted in the bombing vented their anger at
what they saw as the Sunni-dominated government's indifference to their
safety.
US blocks nuclear disarmament document over
Israel, Moscow fumes: Moscow has
slammed the US for rendering the four-week meeting futile.
Israel thanks U.S. for stand on Mideast nuclear
arms ban at U.N.: Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the United States for blocking an
Egyptian-led drive on a possible Middle East nuclear weapons ban at a
major United Nations conference, an Israeli official said on Saturday.
18 killed as al-Shabab fighters attack two Somali
towns: Dozens of fighters from the
armed group al-Shabab have attacked two towns in southern Somalia,
sparking clashes with government troops that left at least 18 dead,
according to a Somali military official.
Afghanistan: Two soldiers kidnapped in Herat:
Two soldiers have been kidnapped in Guzara District of western Herat
province, an official said on Saturday.
Pakistan: Three soldiers killed in NWA IED blast:
Security officials said that troops were on a routine patrol when a
roadside IED hit their vehicle resulting in the demise of three
personnel and injuries to three others.
ISIS claims they are close to buy nuclear weapon
from Pakistan: It claims ISIS has
billions of dollars in the bank and describes a ‘hypothetical operation’
which involves it buying a nuclear bomb ‘through weapons dealers with
links to corrupt officials’ in Pakistan.
Rebel commander reported killed in east Ukraine car bombing:
- Russian news agencies have reported the killing of a prominent
separatist commander in eastern Ukraine when his vehicle was ripped
apart by a bomb and then strafed by gunfire.
Russia: If Ukraine defaults, expect a hard line
from us: Russia would adopt a tough
position if Ukraine decided not to pay off debts owed to Moscow by its
previous government, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an
interview broadcast by Russian TV on Saturday.
Ireland backs gay marriage in 'landslide'
victory: Ireland's government
ministers said voters overwhelmingly approved a measure to allow civil
same-sex marriage, making it the first nation in the world to legalize
gay unions through a popular vote.
Mexico gunfight kills 43 as government hits gang
hard: Government security forces
killed 42 suspected drug cartel henchmen and suffered one fatality in a
firefight in western Mexico on Friday, an official said, one of the
bloodiest shootouts in a decade of gang violence wracking the country.
Peru Declares State of Emergency after Mine
Protest Bloodshed At least four
civilians have been killed in clashes at protests against the Tia Maria
copper mining project. The chief of the Ministerial Cabinet, Pedro
Cateriano, told reporters that the right to mobilization, transport, and
meetings were suspended for 60 days after attacks by police left another
citizen dead, bringing the number up to four
FBI admits no major cases cracked with Patriot
Act snooping powers: FBI admits no
major cases cracked with Patriot Act snooping powers
Cleveland policeman cleared over car shooting
deaths: A US policeman who climbed on
to a car bonnet and fired repeatedly through the windscreen at unarmed
black occupants has been cleared of all charges.
Cleveland Protests Not Guilty Verdict In Police
Shooting Case: Demonstrators are
gathering in Cleveland Saturday to protest the acquittal of a white
police officer who was charged in the shooting deaths of two unarmed
black suspects. Officials have urged calm in the aftermath of the
controversial decision
WATCH: Virginia cop uses pepper-spray, Taser on
unresisting black man having stroke:
A Virginia police officer resigned from the Fredricksburg Police
Department after body-cam video showed him using his Taser, and then
pepper-spray, on an unresponsive black man sitting in his car.
Kansas Republicans Have Come Up with a
Disgraceful New Way to Screw the Poor
: Starting in July, a new law in Kansas will restrict the
amount of cash a welfare recipient can take out of ATM's to just $25 a
day—a move that critics say introduces a whole new host of financial
burdens—including high ATM fees and travel costs—when they access cash.
Suicide rates on the rise for black children 5 to
11 years old: While the rate of
suicide for white children is declining, the number among young blacks
aged 5 to 11 is on the rise. Though no clear reason behind this trend is
evident, some feel that a declining socio-economic status may be the
root cause. Dr. Lauren Patton explains
Sexual Violence an 'Epidemic' on US Campuses,
Study Confirms: A staggering 37
percent of women have been raped, or subjected to an attempted rape, by
the time they start their second year of college.
Clintons’ foundation has raised nearly $2 billion:
Since its creation in 2001, the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton
Foundation has raised close to $2 billion from a vast global network
that includes corporate titans, political donors, foreign governments
and other wealthy interests, according to a Washington Post review of
public records and newly released contribution data.
May 22, 2015
2012 Defense Intelligence Agency Document:
West Will Facilitate Rise of Islamic State “in Order to Isolate the
Syrian Regime”
By Brad Hoff
The document shows that as early as 2012, U.S. intelligence predicted
the rise of the Islamic State, - the report envisions the terror group
as a U.S. strategic asset. Continue
Wahhabis Go Nuclear — Literally
By Pepe Escobar
The House of Saud, for its part, may — and the operative concept is
“may” — already have a bomb, for a long time now, to offset Israel.
Continue
They Say "Peace" But It Is Really War
By Andre Vltchek
It seems like, these days, whoever murders, bombs, mutilates and robs is
obsessed with, peace.
Continue
The MH-17 Propaganda War
By Greg Maybury
As with all incidents useful to Western governments, the MH-17 tragedy
had served its purpose.
Continue
My Big Fat Israeli Arsenal
By Uri Misgav
These deals reflect mainly the American commitment to the American arms
industries. One suspects that Israel is indeed “the American aircraft
carrier in the Middle East.
Continue
US Media and Pro-Israel Antics in Congress
By James Zogby
The United States is on the verge of institutionally supporting Israel’s
illegal settlement profiteering, and the mainstream media are saying
nothing.
Continue
Is Being a Critic of Israeli State Policies the
Same as Being an Anti-Semite?
By David Palumbo-Liu
If every time one voices a criticism of Israel one is acting as an
anti-Semite, - then ardent supporters of Israeli state policies have won
a huge victory.
Continue
A Plot to Level a Village Isn’t News–When Targets
Are Muslim and Plotter Is Christian
By Jim Naureckas
No crime fascinates US media like terrorism–provided it’s the right sort
of terrorism, that is.
Continue
Why Does Greece Not Simply Default?
By Jerome Roos
History has shown that countries that refuse to pay their debts fall
harder but recover faster than those that do not. So why does Greece’s
left-led government not simply get it over with?
Continue
Obama, Master of Diversion, Proposes Bogus
Reforms of Militarized Police
By Glen Ford
President Obama’s “ban” on certain military hardware and gear is both
fraudulent and a diversion from the real issue: the oppressive mission
of the police in Black America.
Continue
Nearly 300 pro-government soldiers are rounded up
and executed in the streets of Palmyra:
The jihadis have been stalking homes and shops looking for survivors,
using loudspeakers to warn residents not to shelter any troops. Many
locals have come forward to give information about any soldiers who had
melted into the civilian population.
Syrian Rebels Seize Hospital Holding 150
Soldiers: Monitor: Islamist rebels
today overran a hospital in northwest Syria where at least 150 regime
forces and dozens of civilians were trapped for nearly a month, a
monitor said.
Islamic State 'seizes key Syria-Iraq border
crossing': Islamic State militants
have seized the last Syrian government-controlled border crossing
between Syria and Iraq, a Syria monitoring group says.
Islamic State fighters press advance east of
Iraqi town: Islamic state fighters
pressed an advance east of Ramadi on Friday after breaching Iraqi
defenses outside the city the insurgents overran last weekend in a major
defeat for the Baghdad government.
Islamic State expands its 'state':
Although many leaders dismissed IS as vainglorious when it declared its
cross-border caliphate in eastern Syria and western Iraq last summer, in
its cohesion and purpose it is now seen by some – particularly Iraq’s
minority Sunnis – as more of a state than the Iraqi government it is
fighting.
23 ISIS elements killed in aerial bombing western
Anbar, says Interior Ministry: Hawks
intelligence cell of the Interior Ministry said in a press statement,
“Iraqi Air Force Aviation carried out a powerful blow after monitoring a
meeting of ISIS leaders in Qaim, western Anbar province, killing 24
militants and injuring 19 others in a preliminary count. ”
Report: ISIL takes Iraq town, kills Syria forces:
Islamic State militants seized another town in western Iraq's Anbar
province. Meanwhile, in neighboring Syria, activists said Friday that
the militants have killed dozens of pro-government forces since taking
full control of the ancient town of Palmyra earlier this week and
seizing more than half the nation.
Exclusive: Turkish intelligence helped ship arms
to Syrian Islamist rebel areas:
Turkey's state intelligence agency helped deliver arms to parts of Syria
under Islamist rebel control during late 2013 and early 2014, according
to a prosecutor and court testimony from gendarmerie officers seen by
Reuters.
Turkish police swoop on Erdogan foes, dozens
detained: Turkish police launched an
operation on Friday to detain dozens of people including businessmen
seen as supporters of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen,
President Tayyip Erdogan's ally-turned-foe, a provincial governor's
office said.
Suicide bomber kills 21 at Saudi Shi'ite mosque,
Islamic State claims attack: A video
posted online showed a hall filled with smoke and dust, with bloodied
people moaning with pain as they lay on the floor littered with concrete
and glass. More than 90 people were wounded, the Saudi health minister
told state television.
Two Saudis killed in rocket attacks launched from
Yemen:
Cross border rocket attacks launched from inside Yemen
have killed two people and wounded five others in southern Saudi Arabia
over the last 24 hours, Saudi Arabia's state news agency SPA reported on
Friday.
Saudi-led coalition pounds Yemen "rebels" in
three cities: Huge explosions rocked
the outskirts of the capital Sanaa after Friday's air strikes. There
were also raids on second city Aden in the south and Marib province east
of the capital, residents said.
Yemen: Daesh claims Sanaa mosque attack, 13
injured: of the caliphate in Sanaa
have detonated an explosive device in a Houthi mosque in the people’s
district…which led to the death and injury of many of them,” read a
Daesh statement on Twitter.
How UK taxpayers help pay for Saudi Arabia's
incineration of children in Yemen:
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition is using US-supplied cluster munitions in
its airstrikes on Houthi forces in Yemen, Human Rights Watch reported.
Targets include those close to villages, posing a threat from
undetonated submunitions to civilians.
Obama gives $1.9 billion in weapons as welcome
gift to Israel’s racist government:
Among the tens of thousands of bombs included in the weapons package are
3,000 Hellfire missiles, 12,000 general purpose bombs and 750 bunker
buster bombs that can penetrate up to twenty feet, or six meters, of
reinforced concrete.
Gaza Economy on the Verge of Collapse: World Bank:
Youth unemployment rate is now the highest in the world according to the
latest World Bank economic update.
Pro-Israel bias: BBC admits editorial breach in
interview with Israeli defense chief:
Complaints focused on BBC journalist Sarah Montague’s alleged failure to
challenge controversial claims made by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe
Ya’alon.
Mali separatists say soldiers publicly killed 9
Tuaregs: The nine civilians were
first arrested by an armed group allied with the army in the village of
Tin Hama, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Menaka, said a
statement from the Coordination of Azawad Movements.
Civilians killed as armed groups clash in
northern Mali: Up to nine civilians,
including an aid worker for a European charity, were killed after rebels
attacked a village in northern Mali, armed loyalist and anti-government
groups said on Friday.
Militants attack police official house in
Afghanistan, 3 attackers killed: -
Some three attackers were killed and two persons wounded after militants
attacked a police official's house in eastern Afghanistan's Laghman
province overnight Thursday, said the provincial government on Friday.
China calls US actions in South China Sea
irresponsible and dangerous: China
said on Friday that it was “strongly dissatisfied” after a US military
plane flew over part of the South China Sea near where China is building
artificial islands, and called on the United States to stop such action
or risk causing an accident.
George Soros Warns "No Exaggeration" That
China-US On "Threshold Of World War 3":
George Soros - warned that unless the U.S. makes 'major concessions' and
allows China's currency to join the IMF's basket of currencies, "there
is a real danger China will align itself with Russia politically and
militarily, and then the threat of world war becomes real."
Amnesty says torture of Ukraine war prisoners is
rife: Concern about the treatment of
prisoners comes as Ukrainian authorities face scrutiny this week for
publicly parading two men they say were Russian soldiers captured while
fighting alongside separatists.
‘No promises’ on EU membership for Eastern states
at Riga summit: The EU is not ready
to welcome its eastern non-member partners, including Ukraine, according
to a leaked draft resolution ahead of the Eastern Partnership Summit.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned EU leaders not to make false
promises.
UK: Intelligence officers given immunity from
hacking laws, tribunal told:
Legislative changes exempting law enforcement officers from ban on
breaking into people’s digital devices were never debated by parliament,
tribunal hears.
26 "Rebels" Killed in Colombian Raid on Guerrilla
Camp: At least 26 leftist rebels have
been killed in a military raid in western Colombia, President Juan
Manuel Santos announced on Friday, an attack that's likely to further
strain efforts to end the country's half-century conflict.
Colombia rebels cancel unilateral cease-fire
after army raid: Colombia's largest
rebel group on Friday called off a unilateral cease-fire in reaction to
a military raid on a guerrilla camp that killed 26 of its fighters,
further straining negotiations to end the country's half-century-old
conflict.
Stephen Harper probably wishes the month of May
had never happened: May has been a
splendid month for foes of the Harper government. It's been one
humiliation after another, with only two exceptions all of its own
making. Stephen Harper's rancid chickens are coming home to roost.
All six Baltimore police officers in Freddie Gray
case indicted by grand jury :
Baltimore state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby announces indictments on
multiple charges, including one of second-degree murder, in the death of
Freddie Gray
Olympia cop shoots 2 unarmed men suspected of
stealing beer: Two stepbrothers
suspected of trying to steal beer from a grocery store were not armed
with guns when they were later shot Thursday by a police officer who
confronted them in Washington state's capital city.
May 21, 2015
Russia Wins
By Margaret Kimberley
Putin and Xi prove that it is possible to stand up to the United States.
Continue
Putin's 15 years in Power
By RSTV
Must-See Putin Documentary.
Continue
The Suffering Is Too Great to Endure
Hope – versus Neoliberalism – an Ode to Solidarity
By Peter Koenig
This is the doctrine of neoliberalism – destruction, hardship and misery
for entire peoples so that a few may live in abject luxury.
Continue
In Case You Missed It
Blueprint of the PNAC Plan for U.S. Global Hegemony
By Bette Stockbauer
Some people have compared it to Hitler's publication of Mein Kampf,
which was ignored until after the war was over.
Continue
Memorial Day Is A Hoax
By Paul Craig Roberts
We need a memorial day to commemorate the victims of neoliberal
globalization.
Continue
How Was Bin Laden Killed?
By Philip Giraldi
Seymour Hersh's sources tell a more believable story than the
self-serving official White House narrative.
Continue
The CIA and the Myths of the Bin Laden Raid
By Peter Maass
Much that the Pentagon said about the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch
during the invasion of Iraq turned out to be fictitious.
Continue
The U.S. and U.K. Hide Their War Crimes by
Invoking “National Security”
By Glenn Greenwald
A government that is able to hide its own atrocities on “national
security” grounds will be one whose public endlessly focuses on the
crimes of others while remaining blissfully unaware of one’s own nation.
Continue
Secrets, Politics and Torture
Video Documentary - Frontline - PBS
The secret history of the fight over the CIA's controversial
interrogation methods, widely criticized as torture.
Continue
GOP Lawmakers Rip Obama for not Being Faithful
Enough to Saudi Arabia
By Lee Fang
A growing chorus of Republican politicians are demanding that President
Barack Obama respect and follow the agenda of Saudi Arabia.
Continue
‘Nagasaki and Hiroshima’ Model for Dealing with
Iran: Israeli defense minister
By Philip Weiss
This is a story about the media blackout of important information about
Israel.
Continue
Washington, Jerusalem Discussing Massive
Compensation for Iranian Nuclear Deal
By Amos Harel
The United States is likely to provide Israel with, among other things,
more F-35 combat aircraft and another battery of a missile interception
system.
Continue
Reassessing U.S. aid to Israel
By Allan C. Brownfeld
All Americans, regardless of their religion, are implicated in Israel’s
occupation of the West Bank. America is, after all, helping to finance
it.
Continue
U.S. and Israel Have Worst Inequality in the
Developed World
By Times Of Israel
When it comes to inequality, Israel is second only to the United States
among developed nations, an OECD report says.
Continue
No Respect for the Poor, Working or Not
By Paul Street
The U.S. working class struggle for a Living Wage is also a political
and moral struggle for basic decency, for self-respect, and for dignity.
Continue
World’s Largest Banks Admit to Massive Global
Financial Crimes, But Escape Jail (Again)
By Matt Taibbi
They were monkeying around with the prices of every currency on Earth,
all of those people were affected by this activity.
Continue
Syria: 40 Syria rebels killed in Aleppo air raid:
activists: "At least 40 rebels from
Islamist factions, including three leaders, were killed when Syria's
army dropped a "barrel bomb" and fired a rocket on their base in Al-Shaar
neighborhood of Aleppo city," the Britain-based Syrian, pro-rebel
Observatory for Human Rights said.
IS executes 17 people in Syria's Palmyra:
Fighters from the Islamic State group executed at least 17 people,
including civilians, after the jihadists seized Syria's ancient city of
Palmyra on Thursday, a monitor said.
One killed in mortar attack near Russian embassy
in Damascus: Mortar rounds fell near
the Russian embassy in the Syrian capital on Thursday, killing one
person, in the second such attack this week, a monitor said.
ISIL captures strategic Syrian city of Palmyra:
Fall of ancient city, also known as Tadmur, opens way for armed group to
advance towards key government-held areas.
Syria antiquities chief urges world to save
Palmyra: "I call on the international
community to stop standing with arms crossed. The world must mobilise to
prevent the (looting and) smuggling and destruction of this precious
Syrian heritage," he added.
Turkish intelligence helped ship arms to Syrian
Islamist rebel areas: court documents:
Turkey's state intelligence agency helped deliver arms to parts of Syria
under Islamist rebel control during late 2013 and early 2014, according
to a prosecutor and court testimony from gendarmerie officers seen by
Reuters.
Congress must not abdicate its duty to authorize
or declare war : News Analysis
- Key members in the House and Senate have resigned
themselves to the fact that there’s virtually no chance of Congress
agreeing on any sort of bill to constrain or legalize the Obama
administration’s bombing campaign in the Middle East.
Fresh Saudi air raids leave 14 people dead in Yemen:
The Saudi warplanes' bombing of the Hamoud al-Fatimi district in the
southeastern Yemeni province of Dhamar on Thursday claimed the lives of
eight members of a family, including five women, two children and a man,
according to reports released by Yemeni media.
Saudi bombs Yemen aid office, kills 5 refugees:
local official: Saudi shells hit an international humanitarian aid
office in northern Yemen Thursday, killing five Ethiopian refugees and
wounding ten, a local official said.
Iran backs Yemen talks but no foreign
interference: FM: Iran voiced support
Thursday for efforts to relaunch political talks on the Yemen crisis but
said it opposed foreign interference in the conflict in which it backs
the Houthi rebels.
Djibouti Denies Entry to Iranian Ship Carrying
Humanitarian Aid for Yemen:
Djibouti authorities have refused an
Iranian ship, the Iran Shahed, carrying humanitarian aid for
conflict-torn Yemen, entry into the country’s territorial waters for a
cargo inspection, a source on the vessel told Sputnik Wednesday.
US sends Iraq missiles for Ramadi battle:
The US military says it is sending 1,000 anti-tank missiles to the Iraqi
government following the fall of Ramadi to Islamic State (IS) forces.
Which cities are most at risk of a terror
attack?: Baghdad, according to a new
report that has ranked world cities according to their attack risk. Over
the last six years, Iraq's capital suffered a stunning 380 terrorist
attacks which claimed 1,141 lives, making it the deadliest city in the
world, by terror attacks, according to global risk analysis firm Verisk
Maplecroft.
US to resupply Israel’s bombs & missiles arsenal,
sell attack choppers to S. Arabia:
The $1.9 billion deal with Israel implies supply of some 3,000 Hellfire
precision missiles, 250 AIM-120C advanced medium-range air-to-air
missiles, 4,100 GBU-39 small diameter bombs and 50 BLU-113 bunker buster
bombs. The order also includes 14,500 tail kits for Joint Direct Attack
Munitions for 220kg and 900kg bombs and a variety of Paveway
laser-guided bomb kits.
Israeli Exceptionalism:
Senior Israeli diplomat: 'This land is ours':
Israel's new deputy foreign minister on Thursday delivered a defiant
message to the international community, saying that Israel owes no
apologies for its policies in the Holy Land and citing religious texts
that it belongs to the Jewish people.
Harper To Be Feted By Montreal's Jewish Community
Council In Mount Royal: The council
is a religious organization, primarily concerned with certifying whether
products are kosher and on Thursday evening it will give the prime
minister its King David Award.
Libya : 19 soldiers killed in 24 hours in eastern
city of Benghazi: The offensive is
primarily targeting the militant stronghold district of al-Laithi.
Government fighter jets bombed multiple positions overnight and early
Thursday morning.
Gaddafi's home town falls to Islamic State in
anarchic Libya: -
Standing guard at his frontline post, Libyan soldier Mohammed Abu Shager
can see where Islamic State militants are holed up with their heavy
weaponry less than a kilometer away.
Britain hid secret MI6 plan to break up Libya
from US, Hillary Clinton told by confidant:
Hillary Clinton received several warnings from a friend that Britain was
acting deceitfully in Libya.
4 Killed in South Sudan as UN Compound Bombed:
The UN mission in South Sudan said four civilians, including a woman and
a child, were killed when two mortar bombs exploded inside its compound
in the town of Melut in Upper Nile state.
Two killed in running street battles in Burundi's
capital: Street battles and gunfire
erupted again in the capital on Thursday as protesters against President
Pierre Nkurunziza rejected his calls for calm in Burundi, an ethnic
tinderbox with a history of civil war and genocide.
Air strikes kill 15 "militants" in northwest
Pakistan: officials: Air strikes
killed at least 15 suspected militants in Pakistan's northwestern Shawal
Valley on Thursday, intelligence officials said, a week after security
forces moved in on Taliban strongholds there.
US spy aircraft defies Chinese warnings, swoops
over disputed islands: The US
military has carried out its threat to fly over disputed islands in the
South China Sea, defying multiple warnings by China’s navy for the
surveillance aircraft to leave the area.
Soldier killed as fighting erupts in Ukraine's
east: The report of Thursday's
fatality came as the OSCE security watchdog gave warning of a
"worrisome" spread of violence in the region.
Clashes, tires on fire outside Ukrainian
parliament in Kiev: Clashes are
reported in central Kiev where crowds of protesters are rallying against
the economic crisis and the soaring cost of private loans. Local media
say several people have tried to break into the Ukrainian parliament.
US and Ukraine sign $1bn loan guarantee:
The US has signed a $1 billion loan guarantee deal with Ukraine, and is
prepared to consider giving additional loan guarantees of up to $1
billion at the end of 2015 if Ukraine continues implementing economic
reforms and cooperating with the Congress.
Will American and European taxpayers save Ukraine from default?:
Ukraine likely cannot pay back what it owes to its creditors. But
several power players may very well come to its aid.
Russia says Ukraine debt repayment law amounts to
default: Russia demanded Wednesday
the timely repayment of all debts owed to it by Ukraine and accused Kiev
of effectively preparing the way for default with a new law.
Ukraine rips up key cooperation deals with Russia:
Kiev lawmakers on Thursday annulled five crucial security agreements
with Moscow that had allowed Russia to transport troops to a separatist
region of Moldova and purchase weapons that are only produced in
Ukraine.
Revealed: BP's close ties with the UK government:
Documents show the extent of BP’s influence on government policy and how
their intimate relationship is at odds with UK commitments to reduce
carbon emissions.
Violent Strikes Again in the Embattle Mexican
State of Guerrero : Once again the
southern Mexican state of Guerrero is in the limelight, as five people
were killed and eight wounded during a shootout in the mountainous
community of Tlacotepec, according to government officials.
Mexico Armed Conflict Deaths Topped Only by Syria
and Iraq : Researchers blamed high
levels of violence on the drugs trade and the Mexican state “relying
heavily on its armed forces” to deal with the criminal gangs. Mexico had
the third highest number of fatalities due to armed conflict last year,
surpassed only by Syria and Iraq, a new study reveals.
The World's Wisest President? The Best Jose
Mujica Quotes : Affectionately known
in Latin America as “Pepe,” Mujica’s background as a revolutionary
guerrilla fighting a dictatorship, who was later imprisoned, before
forming the Broad Front movement in Uruguay and rising up through the
political ranks to take the presidency, have given him a lot of life
experience to draw from.
NSA Planned to Hijack Google App Store to Hack
Smartphones: The National Security
Agency and its closest allies planned to hijack data links to Google and
Samsung app stores to infect smartphones with spyware, a top-secret
document reveals.
Court rules to keep classified ‘torture’ docs
secret: A district court judge on
Wednesday blocked an effort by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
to force the CIA to turn over classified records about brutal
interrogation programs the agency used to run.
Paul wages Patriot Act filibuster with call for
an 'open rebellion':
"I will not let the Patriot Act, the most unpatriotic of
acts, go unchallenged," Paul said. "The bulk collection of all
Americans' phone records all of the time is a direct violation of the
Fourth Amendment."
Why Is It So Easy for States to Execute the
Mentally Ill?: Charles was executed
last week, on May 12, at the age of 32. His death by lethal injection
went largely undiscussed, despite the compelling evidence of his mental
illness
May 20, 2015
Why the US is Finally Talking to Russia
By Pepe Escobar
Ukraine for all practical purposes is now a massively indebted failed
state turned into an IMF colony.
Continue
You Be the Judge
By Robert Parry
An Australian news show bristled at being caught broadcasting misleading
images designed to prove Russian President Putin was responsible for
shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
Continue
Dying For Nothing!
How About Those U.S. Troops Killed in Ramadi
By Jacob G. Hornberger
What will it take for the America people to reject, once and for all, a
foreign policy of foreign intervention and regime change.
Continue
Is ISIS a Theater Troup?
By Eric Margolis
"ISIS, indeed, is a creation of western powers, it's so very useful for
keeping the US in war and keeping US forces In the Middle East"
Continue
White House Reveals ‘Boots on Ground’ in Syria,
but Media Too Giddy Over Special Ops Porn to Notice
By Adam Johnson
Just as with the bin Laden raid narrative—that later turned out to be
mostly false—this tale involved some unbelievably compelling details.
Continue
The Concept of WMD, and its Use against Syria, in
the Propaganda Systems of Western States
By Stephen Gowans
It is the propaganda apparatus of Western states—itself a weapon of mass
deception–that advances the antitheses of these points.
Continue
Why Israel Should Not Exist
By Garry Leech
The Jewish state of Israel should be viewed as both illegitimate and yet
another catastrophic consequence of Western imperialism.
Continue
Israel's Descent into Barbarism
By Norman Finkelstein
"Israeli troops go on a rampage in the West Bank, kill Palestinians,
demolish Palestinian homes"
Continue
Why Elites Love Drones
By Robert J. Burrowes
Drone strikes work precisely because they provoke violent responses
which help elites to ‘justify’ their perpetual war.
Continue
There’s Still Time to Prosecute the Torturers
By John Kiriakou
I served two years in prison for exposing the CIA's torture program. Why
are the men responsible for it walking free?
Continue
Propaganda Terms in the Media and What They Mean
By Noam Chomsky
The "peace process" has two meanings.
Continue
A Migrant's Journey Begins
By Nicolas Haque
West African family heartbroken after sending child on treacherous
journey to seek a better life in Europe.
Continue
27 terrorists killed in al-Karma east of Falluja,
says Baghdad Operations: Baghdad – on
Wednesday, Baghdad Operations Command announced the death of 27 ISIS
terrorists, including two foreigners, as well as the destruction of six
dens belonging to ISIS, in addition to dismantling 17 booby-trapped
house and explosive devices in the district of al-Karma east of Falluja.
Iraqis abandoned US-supplied tanks, armored
personnel carriers and artillery pieces in Ramadi
: A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, estimated that
a half dozen tanks were abandoned, a similar number of artillery pieces,
a larger number of armored personnel carriers and about 100 wheeled
vehicles like Humvees.
SIS leader 'Abubakr Al-Baghdadi Warns Baghdad and
Karbala are Next Targets: - A
propaganda audio message released by the self-proclaimed Islamic State
(IS) which claims to be from leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has thanked
militants for the Ramadi victory and warned that the jihadist group will
target Baghdad and Karbala next.
Top Democrat sounds ‘alarm bells’ over Obama
rhetoric on Islamic State: A senior
House of Representatives Democrat said Tuesday that the White House’s
description of supposed progress in the war against the Islamic State
should ring “alarm bells,” and called the fall of the city of Ramadi to
the extremists “a very serious and significant setback.”
U.S.-led air raid kills 15 al Qaeda fighters in
Syria -monitor: An air raid by
U.S.-led forces killed at least 15 members of al Qaeda's Syria wing
Nusra Front in the northwest of the country on Wednesday, a group
monitoring the Syrian civil war said.
6 killed in IS attack in southern Syria:
At least six people were killed Tuesday in an attack by Islamic State
(IS) militants on a town in Syria's southern province of Swaida, state
TV reported. Syrian army forces backed by allied fighters foiled the IS
attack on the town of al-Haqf in the eastern countryside
Islamic State insurgents storm ancient Syrian
city, civilians flee: - Islamic State
stormed the historic Syrian city of Palmyra on Wednesday, seizing parts
of it from government forces in fierce fighting as civilians were
evacuated and Syria's antiquities chief called on the world to save its
ancient ruins.
Saudi soldier killed in border clashes with
Houthis: A Saudi soldier has been
killed in Jizan Region in the kingdom’s southwest during border clashes
with Yemen’s Houthi fighters. The border guard was named Hassan Someili,
who died during confrontation with the Ansarullah fighters in the
region’s Alharth governorate on Wednesday.
U.N. announces Yemen talks, Iran to allow ship
inspection: -
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday announced talks between warring
Yemeni parties in Geneva on May 28 to end over seven weeks of war, as
Iran agreed for international inspections of an aid ship sailing to
Yemen.
Israel knew all along that settlements, home
demolitions were illegal: New
evidence shows government's adviser on international law said in 1968
that demolishing terror suspects' homes violates Geneva Convention.
Israel Dumps 'Apartheid' Bus Segregation:
The segregation plan would have effectively banned Palestinians who work
in Israel from using the same buses as Israeli settlers to commute to
the West Bank.
21 "ISIL fighters" killed by Algerian troops:
Algerian troops have ambushed and killed at least 21 fighters allied to
the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant as they held a meeting east of the
capital in one of country’s largest military operations in recent years,
the defence ministry and security sources have said.
17 Killed in Libya Tribal Clashes:
"The clashes between the Tuareg and Tabu tribes has killed 17 people and
injured 16 others from Monday to Tuesday," an official from the Ubari
Municipal Council told Xinhua.
French say their special forces kill 2 top
Islamic extremist chiefs in northern Mali battle:
A defense ministry statement on Wednesday said that Amada Ag Hama and
Ibrahim Ag Inawalen died in fighting this week. The two were described
as the main chiefs of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and Ansar Dine,
groups responsible for numerous attacks on international forces.
Burundi unrest: 1 killed; president delays
legislative polls: Burundi police on
Wednesday battled hundreds of protesters, killing an army soldier and
wounding at least one other in continuing unrest over the president's
bid for a third term in office.
Militias, Islamic State extremists clash in
central Libya: Mohammed Shamia, a
spokesman for a militia known as Brigade 166 that answers to Libya's
government based in the capital, Tripoli, says fighting broke out in
Sirte early on Wednesday.
Afghan official: At least 12 police killed by
insurgents: Elsewhere in Afghanistan,
at least 10 insurgents were killed by government forces in the
northwestern province of Badghis near the border with Turkmenistan, an
official said.
Faith in Afghan government wanes as Taliban
expands influence in the east: The
Taliban now dominate the surrounding countryside and all but control
several districts, according to residents, elders and a politician.
US releases trove of documents seized in Bin
Laden 2011 raid: The United States
has made public a trove of documents that intelligence officials say
were taken by Navy SEALs during the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound
that show the late terrorist’s interest in France, economics and
conspiracy theories.
At Least 13 Militants Killed In Pakistan Air
Strikes: Pakistan's military says at
least 13 militants have been killed when its jets targeted five militant
hideouts in the northwestern tribal region of North Waziristan.
Malaysia, Indonesia to let 'boat people' come
ashore temporarily: - Malaysia and
Indonesia said on Wednesday they would offer shelter to 7,000 "boat
people" adrift at sea in rickety boats but made clear their assistance
was temporary and they would take no more.
Four Soldiers Killed as Fighting Erupts in
Eastern Ukraine — Regional Governor:
: "According to preliminary data, four Ukrainian servicemen have been
killed and two others have been wounded, one of them seriously," Moskal
said. The fatalities could not immediately be confirmed by the military
in Kiev.
Moscow says it will retaliate if Ukraine hosts US
anti-missile defenses: Russia will
take retaliatory measures to protect itself if Ukraine decides to
station US anti-missile defense systems in its territory, Kremlin
spokesman told the media.
Greece Issues Ultimatum: No Repayment If Deal Not
Reached : A spokesman for the Syriza-led
government in Greece announced Tuesday that Athens would miss its next
scheduled repayment of US$339 million to the International Monetary Fund
if a bailout deal is not reached by then.
76 politicians caught up in UK child abuse
probeAFP: London (AFP) - British
police said Wednesday they have received historical child sex abuse
claims against 261 public figures, including 76 politicians, as they
respond to a surge in complaints sparked by the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Banks fined over $5 billion for rigging global
currency markets: A group of global
banks will pay more than $5 billion U.S. in penalties and plead guilty
to rigging the world’s currency market, the first time in more than two
decades that major players in the financial industry have admitted to
criminal wrongdoing.
Protest for $15 an Hour Planned Ahead of
McDonald's Meeting: The start of the
two-day demonstration in Oak Brook, Illinois, comes ahead of the
company's annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.
Baltimore Police in Question as New Freddie Gray
Video Surfaces: The video shows Gray
motionless and hanging out of the back of a police van on his stomach as
police shackle his ankles.
How Did a 26-Year-Old Iraq War Veteran Die
Serving a 2-Day Jail Sentence?:
Twenty-six-year-old James Brown served two tours in Iraq. He didn't make
it two days in a Texas jail.
War criminal:
Hillary Clinton says her Iraq war vote was a
'mistake': During her 2008 campaign,
Clinton defended her vote as a way to give President George W. Bush
authority to deal with Iraq, which she said he then abused.
MAY 19, 2015
Is Israel In Cahoots With Saudi Arabia?
By Ben Caspit
Israel is in the midst of a somewhat secret diplomatic world war against
the United States. And in this war, Israel is acting as if it is a world
power.
Continue
Canada's Plan to Make Boycotting Israel a 'Hate
Crime' is Stupid and Counterproductive
By Robert Fisk
In Canada – the totally pro-Israeli Conservative government of Stephen
Harper intends to list the boycotting of Israel as a “hate crime”.
Continue
Is America About to Make a Fatal Mistake in the
South China Sea?
Ted Galen Carpenter
Instead of becoming more deeply entangled in the South China Sea
quarrel, the United States needs to take a step back. Continue
Fake Evidence Blaming Russia for MH-17?
By Robert Parry
An Australian news show claims to have found the spot where the Russian
BUK missile battery made its getaway, but the images don’t match,
raising questions of journalistic fakery.
Continue
No, You Can't Go Back to the USSR!
By Dmitry Orlov
The USSR is gone as a political entity, but as a civilizational entity
it appears to be holding its own.
Continue
Behind the Media’s Assault on Seymour Hersh
By Shamus Cooke
Obama’s lies make previous presidential scandals — such as Watergate and
Iran-Contra — look incredibly tame, while making the U.S. media look
like accomplices instead of news reporters.
Continue
US Officials Leak Information That’s More
Sensitive Than Anything Snowden Leaked
By Trevor Timm
A prime example of the government’s hypocrisy when it comes to
disclosures of secret information.
Continue
GCHQ’s Rainbow Lights
Exploiting Social Issues for Militarism and Imperialism
By Glenn Greenwald
This is all a stark illustration of what has become a deeply cynical but
highly effective tactic.
Continue
Militarization Is More Than Tanks and Rifles:
It’s a Cultural Disease, Acclimating the Citizenry to Life in a Police
State
By John W. Whitehead
This is the sad reality of life in the American police state.
Continue
US-led strikes in Syria kill 170 IS jihadists in
48 hours: monitor: "The jihadists
were killed in the past 48 hours in the province of Hasakeh, nearly all
of them in very intense air strikes by the international coalition which
is helping Kurdish forces in the area," said the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights.
5 killed as ISIS attacks Syria Druze village,
battles for Palmyra: activists: "ISIS
killed five fighters from the National Defense Forces and one woman in
their attack on the Druze village of Al-Haqef in Swaida province," said
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.
Syria: ISIS takes gas fields near Palmyra:
Fighters from ISIS seized two gas fields Monday northeast of Palmyra in
Syria, a day after firing rockets into the city and killing five people,
activists said.
Rebels take largest remaining army base in
Syria's Idlib: monitor: A rebel
coalition including Al-Qaeda's local affiliate seized the Syrian
regime's largest remaining military base in northwest Idlib province on
Tuesday, after an explosion and heavy clashes, a monitor said.
Doubt cast over seniority of Isis
leader killed by US special forces in Syria raid:
The name Abu Sayyaf has not been on lists of top-line Isis leaders and
he is not known to have had a price put on his head for his death or
capture – unlike at least 10 other men who form the nucleus of the
group’s leadership.
Iran extends new credit line to Syria:
Syria's official news agency says Iran is extending a credit line to
make up for market needs and reports that the two countries have signed
several agreements in the fields of electricity, industry, oil and
investment.
Iraqi Troops Repel ISIS Attack on Anbar Town:
Iraqi forces and allied Sunni tribesmen repelled an Islamic State of
Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) attack overnight on a town between two
militant-held cities in the western Anbar province, a tribal leader said
Tuesday.
Pentagon to accept help from Shia militias in
Iraq: Warren said the Pentagon would
accept help from Shia militia fighters — even though many are believed
to be backed by Iran — to retake the city. "The militias have a part to
play in this. As long as they are controlled by the central Iraqi
government, then they will participate," Warren said.
Isis seizes Ramadi: After Iraq’s worst defeat in
the war with the Islamic militants:
News Analysis - US generals have been downplaying
the extent of the calamity, but the US policy of rebuilding the Iraqi
army and aiding it with US air power is in ruins
Experts: US claims Ramadi is a mere setback are
‘delusional’ : “Delusional, really,
is the better word,” Ali Khedery, a former U.S. official who served as
an adviser to five U.S. ambassadors to Iraq and three heads of U.S.
Central Command, said of the administration’s statement. “It’s
unbelievable, frankly. I now know what it’s like to have lived through
Vietnam, I guess.”
Push to write new war powers for Obama stalls:
A move to write new war powers to authorize the Obama administration’s
9-month-old battle against Islamic State militants has stalled in
Congress. It might even be dead.
Saudi Airstrikes pummel Yemen capital; hundreds
flee: The roar of bombardment mingled
with the wail of sirens in Yemen’s capital, Sana, on Tuesday as the
first Saudi-led airstrikes since the end of a five-day cease-fire hit
the city.
Canada Urged To Warn Saudi Arabia Against Yemen
Bombing: Canada has an obligation to
publicly warn Saudi Arabia, its military partner in an ongoing bombing
campaign in Syria, to refrain from using banned cluster bombs, say
advocates who campaigned against the weapon.
Iran warships "linked up" with Yemen-bound cargo
ship: Pentagon: The Pentagon said on
Tuesday that two Iranian warships had linked up with a cargo ship that
Iran says is carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen, adding it was
monitoring the ships "every step of the way."
Iran aid vessel not escorted by Iranian warships:
Activists: - A Yemen-bound Iranian
aid ship, the Iran Shahed, is not being escorted by Iranian warships and
is due to arrive in the port of Hodaida on Thursday, two foreign
activists onboard the vessel told Reuters on Tuesday.
HRW denounces Israel expulsion of Bedouins,
Palestinians: A rights group on
Tuesday condemned Israeli court decisions paving the way for the
eviction of Bedouins and Palestinians from their villages, calling on
the state to let them stay put.
Ethiopian Jews take to the streets again in
Israel to protest discrimination:
Footage showing two police officers beating a uniformed Israeli soldier
of Ethiopian origin sparked violent clashes two weeks ago
Softball interviews with Israeli ministers breach
impartiality code, BBC admits: A BBC
investigation has found that one of its senior presenters, Sarah
Montague, breached the organization’s editorial standards on
impartiality in a radio interview she conducted with Israeli defense
minister Moshe Yaalon in March.
Algerian forces kill 22 militants in northern
region: ministry: Algerian security
forces killed at least 22 militants in a major operation in a northern
region east of the capital, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.
At least 9 killed in NE Nigeria suicide bomb
attack: - At least nine people were
killed Tuesday following a suicide bomb attack in Nigeria's northeastern
state of Adamawa, one of the three most-hit states by the insurgency of
Boko Haram, witnesses told Xinhua.
Boko Haram kills 3, abducts 7 in NE Nigeria:
Boko Haram gunmen have killed three people and abducted seven women in a
raid on a northeast Nigerian district previously declared safe by the
military, a local official said on Tuesday.
Eight Egyptian policeman killed by gunmen:
Gunmen on a motorbike shot dead an Egyptian policeman while two suspects
in a failed bomb attack targeting a judge were killed in a shoot-out
with police, officials said on Monday.
Two soldiers killed in clashes with Islamists in
Libya's Benghazi city: Two Libyan
soldiers were killed and 15 were injured as heavy fighting erupted again
between army forces and Islamist groups in the eastern city of Benghazi
on Monday, medical staff and military officials said.
One killed in Libya suicide bombing claimed by
Islamic State: official: One person
was killed and seven were wounded on Tuesday in a suicide bombing
claimed by Islamic State militants in the eastern Libyan town of Qubbah,
a security official said.
South Sudan rebels say capture oil refinery, tell
firms to leave: SPLA-in-Opposition
spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, said that the rebels were still fighting
government troops in the area that is home to South Sudan's biggest
oilfield - Paloch.
Burundi police fire tear gas, beat anti-president
protesters: Burundi police fired tear
gas and beat protesters who were demanding President Pierre Nkurunziza
end his bid for a third term, in a resurgence of unrest that has stoked
fears of ethnic conflict in Africa's Great Lakes.
Egypt uses sexual violence as a tool of
repression: Report: Despite promises
to combat sexual harrasment in Egypt, a report claims unprecedented
levels of state-sanctioned sexual violence
Suicide car bomb in Afghan capital kills at least
6 people: A large suicide car bombing
struck downtown Kabul on Tuesday afternoon, apparently targeting justice
ministry employees and killing at least six people, an Afghan official
said.
Indonesia has 'given more than it should' to help
stranded migrants: Foreign Minister:
Marsudi said Indonesia has sheltered 1,346 Rohingya and Bangladeshi
migrants who washed onto Aceh and North Sumatra provinces last week. The
first batch came on May 10 with 558 people on a boat, and the second
with 807 on three boats landed on Friday.
Battle erupts in eastern Ukraine, four Ukrainian
soldiers killed: regional chief:
Fighting erupted between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed
separatists in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday and four Ukrainian servicemen
were killed, the regional administration chief said.
U.S. hones Ukrainian fighting skills:
Dotted around the vast, wooded Yavoriv military training area in western
Ukraine, soldiers of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade are instructing
Ukrainian national guardsmen in techniques designed to help them in the
simmering war against pro-Russian separatists hundreds of miles to the
east.
Kiev shows off captured 'Russian soldiers' to
media: Kiev on Tuesday showed off two
purported Russian soldiers it captured during a gun battle in the
separatist east that Ukraine's pro-Western leadership says proves the
Kremlin's direct involvement in the war.
Ukraine govt submits bill allowing moratorium on
foreign debt payments: Ukraine’s
government has submitted to parliament a bill allowing the introduction
of a moratorium on foreign debt payments. This is to protect state
assets in case of an “attack” from dishonest lenders, and to help the
ailing economy out of crisis.
U.S. And Moscow Ramp Up Pressure On Greece Over
Gas Pipelines: Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov says Europe’s only realistic choice for importing
gas is through Moscow’s planned Turkish Stream pipeline, not a rival
conduit, also through Turkey, that’s being promoted by the West.
Prince Charles meets Sinn Fein leader Gerry
Adams: Prince Charles became the
first British royal to meet with Northern Irish republican leader Gerry
Adams on an historic visit Tuesday aimed at promoting peace and
reconciliation.
US lobby backed by arms industry could influence
foreign policy: New group aiming to
lobby presidential candidates on 'national security' issues comes as US
pledges to step up arms sales to Gulf states
Hillary Clinton was paid millions by tech
industry for speeches: In one of her
last gigs on the paid lecture circuit, Hillary Rodham Clinton addressed
an eBay summit aimed at promoting women in the workplace, delivering a
20-minute talk that garnered her a $315,000 payday from the company.
What the 1% Don't Want You to Know
: Economist Paul Krugman
explains how the United States is becoming an oligarchy - the very
system our founders revolted against.
79 Members Of Congress Have Been In Office For At
Least 20 Years: 79 members of
Congress have been there since Bill Clinton’s first term in the White
House. This list includes names such as Reid, Feinstein, McConnell,
McCain, Pelosi, Boehner, Rangel and Boxer. A complete list of the
members of Congress that have been “serving” us for at least 20 years.
Police Brutality - Slams citizen down Knocking
him out: Video -
Police brutality slamming a drunk citizen down knocking
him unconscious to prove a point. Just because he yells don't handle me
like that, the officer slams him down to prove a point.
Obama's new rules for police actually ban just
one new piece of equipment — the bayonet:
An investigation by The Washington Examiner found that only one of the
items on Obama's ban list (the bayonet) is actually affected by the rule
change — the rest were already banned, some for more than two decades.
61 Years After Brown v. Board Of Education, Many
Schools Remain Separate And Unequal:
In many states, there continues to be stark disparities in resources
provided to black students and white students. In Nevada, for example,
high-minority school districts receive significantly less state and
local funding per pupil than low-minority districts.
May 18, 2015
Report: Saudis To Purchase Pakistani Atomic Bomb?
By Judah Ari Gross
“For the Saudis the moment has come,” a former US defense official told
the UK’s Sunday Times.
Continue
U.S. on Wrong Side of History
By Bruce K. Gagnon
When weapons are your #1 export product, what is the global marketing
strategy for that product line? Endless war.
Continue
Bitter Lake : Adam Curtis
Video Documentary By Adam Curtis
Documentary explores Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. and the
role this has played in the war in Afghanistan.
Continue
The Misfire in Hersh's Big Bin Laden Story
By Gareth Porter
Hersh's account of a Pakistani "walk-in," corrects one official
deception about how the CIA discovered bin Laden's location, only to
give credence to a new one.
Continue
New Military Spending Bill Expands Empire But
Forbids Debate on War
By Ron Paul
Congress wants even more US involvement in Ukraine’s internal affairs.
The military spending bill included $300 million to directly arm the
Ukrainian government.
Continue
US Bombers to Australia
By Binoy Kampmark
A few trembles could be felt at this announcement in Canberra, despite
the continuing fantasy on the part of officials down under that the US
presence in the region somehow acts as one of stability. Continue
Is the US planning a “Gulf of Tonkin” incident in
the South China Sea?
Peter Symonds
The historic parallels are chilling.
Continue
The Kids Aren't All Right
By Nick Turse
Presidential Waivers, Child Soldiers, and an American-Made Army in
Africa.
Continue
William & Mary Honors War Criminal
By Ray McGovern
Nothing better illustrates the extent to which the United States has
turned its back on the rule of law than when the likes of Condoleezza
Rice are asked to address graduates and receive doctoral degrees honoris
causa at university commencements.
Continue
“What Can You Do For Me?”
The Pathology of the Rich White Family
By Chris Hedges
It always pays to suck up to rich white families. If you are black and
parrot this line, rich white people are overcome with joy. They go to
extreme lengths to give you a platform.
Continue
Black Man Vs. White Man Carrying AR-15 Legally
Video
What happens when a white guy walks down the street with a AR-15 versus
what happens when a black guy walks down the street with same gun and
same laws.
Continue
Fossil Fuels Subsidised By $10m a Minute, Says
IMF
By Damian Carrington
‘Shocking’ revelation finds $5.3tn subsidy estimate for 2015 is greater
than the total health spending of all the world’s governments.
Continue
Corruption is Legal in America
Does The Government Represent The People
By Represent.Us
Princeton University study: Public opinion has “near-zero” impact on
U.S. law.
Continue
Iraq spokesman: 500 people killed, 8,000 fled
: The estimates follow a shocking defeat as Islamic State seized control
of the Anbar provincial capital on Sunday, sending Iraqi forces fleeing
in a major loss despite the support of U.S.-led airstrikes targeting the
extremists.
33 IS terrorists killed in coalition bombing in
Iraq: At least 33 Islamic State
terrorists were killed in airstrikes carried out by the international
coalition on Monday in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh.
ISIS just took a city that's
closer to Baghdad than NYC is to East Hampton:
The Islamic State terror group (also known as ISIS) just captured Ramadi,
a provincial capital city just under 80 miles west of the country's
capital of Baghdad.
Islamic State consolidates grip
on Ramadi; executions reported: The
Islamic State on Saturday consolidated its control over Ramadi, the
capital of Iraq’s largest province, whose capture by the militants on
Friday marked the worst defeat for the Iraqi government since the fall
of Mosul nearly a year ago.
Shi'ite forces move on Iraqi city taken by
Islamic State: A column of 3,000
Shi'ite militia fighters arrived at a military base near Ramadi on
Monday as Baghdad moved to retake the western Iraqi city that has fallen
to Islamic State militants in the biggest defeat for the government
since mid-2014.
If Iraq's Ramadi falls, U.S. will help Baghdad
take it back later: Pentagon: While
stopping short of confirming Islamic State’s statement it had seized
full control of Anbar province's capital, the Defense Department
appeared to leave open that possibility, which would mark a major defeat
for the Baghdad government.
Iraq must own difficult fight to reclaim Ramadi:
U.S. officials: The United States is
not considering deploying U.S. combat ground troops to Iraq after the
fall of Ramadi and Iraq has the fundamental responsibility to defend
itself against Islamic State militants, U.S. officials told Reuters on
Monday.
Syria: Hezbollah, Syrian army kill 10 militants
in fresh Qalamoun clashes: Hezbollah
and Syrian army pushed further into Qalamoun Monday, killing 10 jihadi
militants and wounding 20 others, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said.
Syrian insurgents battle army around military
base in Idlib: Heavy clashes between
Syria's army and insurgents erupted around a military base south of
Idlib city on Monday as part of a wider battle for control of the
northwestern province, Syrian state television and a group monitoring
the war said.
Syrian Soldier Tours Alep (English Subtitles)
- Video
Syria accuses Jordan of training 'terrorists':
The accusation came in a letter sent Monday by the foreign ministry to
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the president of the U.N.
Security Council, the official news agency SANA said.
Al-Qaeda says killed 31 Houthis in S. Yemen:
Ansar al-Shariah militant group said on Twitter that its fighters killed
21 Houthis in an attack with heavy weaponry and tanks in Ataq, capital
city of Shabwah.
New York Times’ Jodi Rudoren whitewashes Israeli
minister’s call for genocide:
Shaked’s June post, in which she reproduced and endorsed the words of
late Israeli settler activist Uri Elitzur, is horrific. Almost any
sentence stands out for its bloodlust. Here’s just a few of them:
Saudi Arabia to buy nuclear bombs from Pakistan:
report: Saudi Arabia will join the
nuclear club by buying “off the shelf” atomic weapons from Pakistan, US
officials told a London newspaper.
Saudis consider nuclear bomb:
Saudi Arabia, in response to the current upheaval in the Middle East,
has embarked on a strategic review that includes acquiring nuclear
weapons, the Guardian has learned.
Saudis ‘to get nuclear weapons’:
SAUDI ARABIA has taken the “strategic decision” to acquire
“off-the-shelf” atomic weapons from Pakistan, risking a new arms race in
the Middle East, according to senior American officials.
In case you missed it:
Saudi Arabia ‘can get nuclear weapons from
Pakistan’: Nuclear weapons made in
Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for delivery,
report says
US Kills 6 People In Pakistan:
At least six people were killed and two injured in a US drone strike
launched in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region of North Waziristan on
Monday night, media reports said.
Six Taliban Insurgents Killed in ANSF Operations:
At least six insurgents have been killed in a series of coordinated
operations over the past 24 hours by the Afghan National Security Forces
(ANSF), the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said in a statement on Monday.
Three Malian soldiers killed in rebel attack:
military sources: Mali's main Tuareg-led
rebel alliance killed three soldiers on Monday in an ambush in the west
African nation's restive desert north, military sources told AFP.
Civilians killed, raped in S Sudan: UN:
Large numbers of civilians have been killed, raped or burned out of
their homes in the latest upsurge of fighting in South Sudan, UN
officials said on Monday.
Many killed, women abducted as Boko Haram attacks
: Boko haram have killed have killed
several people and abducted six women at Sabongari town in Madagali
Local Government. Sources from the area indicated that the insurgents
?invaded the town weekend, forcing residents to run into the mountainous
bush.
Tripoli forces clash with IS militants in Libya's
Sirte: Fierce clashes erupted again
on Monday in the central Libyan city of Sirte between Islamic State (IS)
militants and forces loyal to the Tripoli-based government.
Libya army leader calls for 'slaughter' of
soldiers who refuse to join Op Dignity:
Comments come as army chief accuses the UN of failing to arm his forces
in order to justify unilateral international intervention
EU approves military plan to target traffickers:
European Union nations on Monday approved plans for a naval operation to
go after the trafficking networks that send thousands of migrants across
the Mediterranean toward Europe and NATO said it is ready to help out if
needed.
Libya rejects EU military action against migrant
ships: Libya's "internationally
recognised government" rejected Monday any military operation against
ships carrying illegal migrants after EU nations approved plans for a
naval mission starting next month to fight human traffickers.
U.S. calls death sentence for former Egyptian
president 'unjust': State Department
spokesman Jeff Rathke said Washington was also deeply concerned about
"yet another mass death sentence" delivered by an Egyptian court.
UK government counter-terrorism bill would
criminalize speech, political activity:
The Conservative government in Britain is preparing to
enact new legislation that, under the guise of the “war on terror,” will
vastly expand police-state powers and essentially criminalize speech and
other political activity.
Proposed surveillance limits could force US to
'go dark', says Mitch McConnell : The
USA Freedom Act, which would end the bulk collection of phone records by
the National Security Agency – as revealed in the Guardian in 2013
through the whistleblower Edward Snowden – passed the House this week by
a wide margin. It is now headed for the Senate.
Warrantless Snooping Goes Far Beyond the NSA's
Phone-Record Dragnet: The Fourth
Amendment prohibits "unreasonable searches and seizures" of our
"persons, houses, papers, and effects." But according to the Supreme
Court, the Fourth Amendment does not protect our papers once we entrust
them to someone else.
Law or no law, Canadians better not criticise
Israel: Israel is the third rail of
Canadian politics.
Obama puts stricter controls on military-style
for police : Barack Obama is
prohibiting the federal government from providing some military-style
equipment to local departments and putting stricter controls on other
weapons and gear distributed to law enforcement.