June 10, 2015

Why the West Can’t Save Ukraine

By Alexander Reed Kelly

Why the IMF, Europe, and Western corporations don’t have the country’s best interests at heart. Continue

Obama’s Stupid Propaganda Stuff

By Robert Parry

Either he believes his own propaganda or he is a conscious liar. Continue

The Shifting Battlefield
Did the War in Syria Just Become a Regional War?

By Eric Draitser 

The news that Iran has sent significant numbers of Iranian, Iraqi, and Afghan troops to take active part in defense of Syria has the potential to transform the conflict into one with global implications. Continue

Logistics 101: Where Does ISIS Get Its Guns?

By Tony Cartalucci

If an army marches on its stomach, and ISIS’ stomachs are full of NATO and Persian Gulf State supplies, ISIS will continue to march long and hard. Continue

Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Offensive, Iran’s ‘Proxy’ Strategy, and the Middle East’s New ‘Cold War’

By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett

Riyadh’s increasingly destructive war in Yemen has sparked overripe discussion in Western capitals about Iran’s use of “proxies” to subvert otherwise “legitimate” Middle Eastern governments. Continue

Iraq Body Count: Undercounting Death With Pro-war Cash

Updated - By Nafeez Ahmed

The Pentagon used IBC data for pro-occupation propaganda. Continue

Criminalizing Criticism: A Zionist Project

By Lawrence Davidson

Behind closed doors the Zionist monopoly resurfaces and truth is all the easier to suppress. Continue

CNN’s ‘Courageous’ Advertorial Mill

By Jim Naureckas

CNN has announced the formation of a new unit that will not report the news. Instead, it will take money from corporations to produce content that resembles news but is actually PR designed to burnish its clients’ images. Continue

A New Hope for 2016: @Lessig for #President

By Cenk Uygur

For God's sake, do you really want another Bush-Clinton race? Can you live with that? Continue

Chadian Soldiers Kill 207 Boko Haram as Militant Group kills 15 in Borno: Soldiers from Chad killed 207 Boko Haram militants in fighting on Tuesday near a Nigerian town close to the border with Cameroun, Chad’s army announced in a statement.

15 killed, 500 homes burnt as Boko Haram attacks Borno village: Fifteen people were killed when Boko Haram attacked a remote village in Borno State, opening fire and burning homes, residents told Agence France Presse (AFP) yesterday.

Two militants killed in foiled attack on ancient Egyptian temple: Militants using guns and explosives on Wednesday attempted to breach the security cordon around the ancient Egyptian temple of Karnak in Luxor, the Interior Ministry said.

Mali policeman killed by suspected jihadists: Suspected jihadists killed a policeman in a rare attack in southern Mali on Wednesday, hoisting their black flag at the local military base, government and security sources told AFP.

Al-Qaida militants in Libya attack ISIS after leader killed: Al-Qaida-linked militants in eastern Libya declared a holy war on a local Islamic State affiliate Wednesday after one of their senior leaders was shot dead by masked gunmen, setting off clashes between the rival jihadist groups that left 11 people dead on both sides.

Islamic State Nears Libya’s Oil Ports as UN Seeks Urgent Accord: The jihadist group had been tightening its grip on Sirte over recent months. It claimed late on Tuesday to have finally succeeded in taking former President Muammar Qaddafi’s hometown, after overrunning a nearby power station.

76 troops killed in battle against Syrian Army's 2nd largest brigade: Up to 76 Syrian government troops have been killed in the opposition attacks that targeted bases of the Syrian Army's Brigade 52 in Deraa province. The positions had been overrun in eight hours of fighting

ISIS blows up Syria gas pipeline serving capital: activists: "This pipeline was used to carry gas into the suburbs of Damascus and Homs to generate electricity and provide heating in individual homes,"

Iran sends men and arms to shore up retreating Assad: Iran is rushing troops and weapons to Syria to defend the remaining strongholds of the Assad regime amid mounting signs that Damascus is preparing for the de facto partition of the country.

Iran denies troops deployed in Syria: Iran on Wednesday insisted it has not deployed troops in Syria to strengthen regime forces, denying reports that thousands of foreign fighters have been flown in to help defend Damascus.

U.S. contractors hurt in Bulgarian blast were testing arms for supply to Syrian opposition: U.S. government defense contractors killed in a blast at a Bulgarian military range was testing arms for use in a U.S.-led mission to equip Syrian opposition fighters battling Islamic State, a U.S. military source said on Tuesday.

43 killed in Yemen clashes ahead of Geneva talks: At least 43 people were killed in heavy fighting in Yemen overnight and on Wednesday between supporters of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the country's dominant Houthi group, residents, tribal and medical sources said.

Extrajudicial killing: US Murders 3 People In Yemen : Three suspected al-Qaeda members were killed in an apparent U.S. drone strike in Yemen's militants-held southeastern port city of Mukalla, a local official told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.

22 killed in Hezbollah clashes with ISIS on northeast Lebanon border: ISIS militants attacked four Hezbollah posts on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Ras Baalbek Tuesday in a failed bid to capture two hills, sparking intense clashes that left at least 22 people dead, a security source said.

Yazidi militia killed 21 in Iraq revenge attack: Members of the Yazidi community, one of the Iraqi minorities hardest hit by terrorist atrocities, killed 21 Sunni Arab villagers in a January revenge attack, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

Obama 'to send 500 more troops to Iraq': He is considering up to 500 additional troops as well as a new training base in Iraq's Anbar province, unnamed US officials were quoted as saying.

U.S. Embracing a New Approach on Battling ISIS in Iraq: In a major shift of focus in the battle against the Islamic State, the Obama administration is planning to establish a new military base in Anbar Province, Iraq, and to send up to 450 more American military trainers to help Iraqi forces retake the city of Ramadi.

Fact or propaganda? Isis's dirty bomb: Jihadists have seized 'enough radioactive material to build their first WMD' : The Isis militant group has seized enough radioactive material from government facilities to suggest it has the capacity to build a large and devastating “dirty” bomb, according to Australian intelligence reports.

Turkish PM Davutoglu resigns from post: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has resigned following the dissolution of the cabinet by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but will remain in his post until a new government is formed.

Israeli forces shoot, kill Palestinian in Jenin camp: Israeli forces shot dead a young Palestinian man in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank early Wednesday morning, Palestinian security officials say.

Khader Adnan in 'critical condition' as hunger strike continues: The health of prisoner Khader Adnan has reached critical condition as he enters his 35th day of hunger strike, head of the Palestinian Authority Prisoner's Affairs Committee said Saturday.

Palestinians set to file complaints against Israel at ICC: Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Tuesday that the two files, which are over Israel’s illegal settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and its latest devastating attack on the besieged Gaza Strip, will be submitted to the Hague-based court on June 25.

Israel Used Computer Virus To Spy On Iran Talks: A leading cyber-security firm discovered a virus previously linked to Israeli spies in the hotels that hosted the Iran nuclear talks, according to a Wall Street Journal article published Wednesday.

Indian troops cross into Myanmar to attack rebel bases: Military officials said between 30 to 50 rebels were killed in Tuesday's surprise raids, but a rebel group led by Burmese Naga leader S S Khaplang said the Indian claims were "exaggerated" and that there were few casualties.

Afghanistan: 10 militants killed in Nanagarhar airstrikes: Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, spokesman for the police headquarters of Nangarhar province says that one attack was carried out in Samso area leaving seven insurgents killed around 02:00 PM yesterday.

South African lawyers call for arrest of Egypt’s Sisi: The lawyers believe Sisi committed crimes against humanity since coming to power in the 2013 military coup

U.S. Defense Department civilian killed in attack on Afghan base: A U.S. Department of Defense civilian employee has been killed in Afghanistan in a rocket attack on the sprawling Bagram military base, a spokesman for the U.S. military said on Wednesday.

Eight Ukrainian servicemen killed: military Eight Ukrainian servicemen have been killed - seven of them in a single land mine blast - in the past 24 hours in eastern Ukraine where government forces are battling separatists forces, Kiev's military spokesman said on Tuesday.

Russian Defense Ministry asks Pentagon for explanations over Dempsey’s statements: Deployment of cruise and ballistic missiles in Europe and Asia would be tantamount to the United States’ walkout from the INF treaty

Putin is a 'bully,' U.S. needs to respond resolutely: Jeb Bush: "Ultimately I think to deal with Putin you need to deal from strength - he's a bully and ... you enable bad behavior when you're nuanced with a guy like that," Bush, the former governor of Florida, told reporters in Berlin.

Mapping United States Military Installations Around The World: How do you measure a military footprint?

EU rejects Greek plan as Tsipras-Merkel meeting in doubt: Brussels took just a day to dismiss the proposals that Greece submitted on Tuesday to its EU-IMF creditors, which have demanded tough reforms in exchange for giving Athens the rest of its international rescue package.

Greek exit would trigger eurozone collapse, says Alexis Tsipras : The Greek prime minister said if Greece failed, Europe’s leaders would have a bigger disaster on their hands because “it will be the beginning of the end of the eurozone”.

Here are all the CEOs and politicians going to the top secret Bilderberg Conference this week: Topics for discussion this year include artificial intelligence, cyber security, Greece, Iran, and the US elections.

UN peacekeepers sexually abused hundreds of Haitian women & girls – report: According to a new UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) report obtained by the news agency, a third of alleged sexual exploitation and abuse involved minors under 18.

Canada: Bill C-51 Just passed. Where do we go from here?: This just in from Ottawa: The Senate just passed Bill C-51 today by 44-28, despite massive opposition from hundreds of thousands of everyday Canadians and the country’s top privacy experts. Reckless Bill C-51 will now become Canadian law.

Department Of Justice Uses Grand Jury Subpoena To Identify Anonymous Commenters on Reason.com: The United States Department of Justice is using federal grand jury subpoenas to identify anonymous commenters engaged in typical internet bluster and hyperbole in connection with the Silk Road prosecution.

California man beaten by police officers in 'horrific and inflammatory' video: Footage shows Jose Velasco of Salinas, who sister says is mentally ill, being struck repeatedly with batons

Private prisons, public shame: Last month the state of Washington contracted with the GEO Group, one of the largest for-profit prison companies in the U.S., to move up to 1,000 inmates from the state’s overcrowded prisons to its correctional facility in Michigan, thousands of miles from their homes and families.

Torture Inc. Americas Brutal Prisons: Video - Savaged by dogs, Electrocuted With Cattle Prods, Burned By Toxic Chemicals, Does such barbaric abuse inside U.S. jails explain the horrors that were committed in Iraq? 

June 09, 2015

The US Government’s Not-So-Secret Support for Al Qaeda and ISIS

By Dan Sanchez

Why hasn’t Fox News been blasting alerts like “Obama Backs Muslim Terrorists, Helping to Create the Islamic State” Continue

The Dark Saudi-Israeli Plot to Tip the Scales in Syria

By Conn Hallinan

The Saudis and the Turks are scaling up their support for Syrian jihadists while the Israelis contemplate a new war with Hezbollah. Continue

Rumsfeld Admits Bush Was Wrong About Iraq

RT and NYT

Rumsfeld said that the West’s airstrikes in Libya had served to further destabilize the region. Continue

Washington’s Death Squads

By Bill Van Auken

The United States government has become ever more dependent upon the murderous operations of secret death squads. Continue

Archbishop Romero, Assassinated by US-Backed Terrorists During Mass, Beatified

By Robert Barsocchini

“Why did they kill him? Salvadorans called Romero the “Voice of the Voiceless”. Continue

A View From the Other 96%

By David Swanson

We live in a society of selfish inaction, of self-indulgence, of self-centeredness, of criminally negligent cruelty toward the majority of people on earth. Continue

Putin: “Publish A World Map And Mark All The U.S. Military Bases On It. You Will See The Difference Between Russia And The US”

By Corriere della Sera

Vladimir Putin pulls no punches in an interview with Corriere della Sera. Continue

If You Were Lavrov or Putin – Whom Would You Chose To Talk To In The West?

By The Saker

As for the EU, the Russians now see it as a voiceless colony of the USA not even capable of formulating an independent opinion or stand up for its national interests. Continue

Cold War II to McCarthyism II

By Robert Parry

Anyone who doesn’t get in line with U.S. propaganda must be working for Moscow. Continue

Remembering USS Liberty: When Israel attacked America

Video

Survivors of an Israeli attack on a US naval ship during the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War in 1967 have marked the anniversary of the incident that killed 34. Continue

Ten Minutes Past Midnight
Greece Has Fired A Warning Shot Across The Bows Of The IMF

By Michael Roberts

The late night decision of the Syriza leaders shows that they have reached the end of their tether. Continue

Let’s Not Be Fooled

By Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras

We will defend, as best we can, the right of all of our people to live with dignity. Continue

Slave or Rebel?
Ten Principles for Escaping the Matrix and Standing Up to Tyranny

By John W. Whitehead

Some Americans are beginning to realize that they are slaves and that if they don’t act soon, they will find themselves imprisoned in the electronic concentration camp indefinitely. Continue

War Criminal: George W. Bush on the Stump:
Suckers Really Are Born Every Minute

By Charles P. Pierce

Fools and their money continue to be parted on Bush's talk circuit. Continue

22 ISIS elements killed in Fallujah area: The Iraqi Military Intelligence Directorate announced on Tuesday, that it has launched offensive strikes on ISIS in Fallujah city affiliated to Anbar province.

20 killed in bombings in and around Baghdad: The deadliest attack took place on Tuesday night, when a car bomb went off near restaurants and shop in Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad, killing 10 people, including three women.

Syrian Rebels Behead Captured Islamic State Fighters: A coalition of fighters in Syria fought off an assault by the Islamic State (IS) Thursday, then celebrated by displaying the heads of IS militants, according to opposition supporters.

Syrian rebels capture army base in south: rebels, monitor: "We announce the liberation of Liwa 52," Issam al-Rayyes, spokesman for the "Southern Front" alliance of rebel groups, told Reuters. Liwa 52, or the 52nd Brigade, is one of the biggest Syrian army bases in the area.

Terror trial collapses after fears of deep embarrassment to security services: Swedish national Bherlin Gildo’s lawyers argued British intelligence agencies were supporting the same Syrian opposition groups as he was

U.S. lacks 'complete strategy' to help Iraq fight IS: Obama: Obama and Abadi both said at their meeting they were confident that Islamic State's success in Ramadi would be just a short-term tactical gain.

Iran Issues Warning Over Yemen Air Strikes: Iran has told the UN Security Council that Saudi-led air strikes have twice hit close to its embassy in Yemen and warned of "serious consequences" if more such bombings occur.

UN’s Ban Ki-moon caves in, takes Israel off list of serious child abusers: Ban’s act is particularly egregious since the report found that the number of children killed in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2014, at 557, was the third highest only after Iraq and Afghanistan and ahead of Syria.

12 Maoist militants killed in eastern India, police say: At least 12 Maoist rebels were killed in a clash with the police in India's eastern state of Jharkhand on Tuesday, officials said. Police said they ambushed the rebels in Palamu district in Jharkhand after a tip-off.

12 militants killed in air strikes near Pak-Afghan border: In air strikes conducted this morning, 12 terrorists were killed, while initial reports revealed that some militants hideouts were also destroyed

Afghanistan: Five people killed after bomb exploded at a police officer’s home in Faryab: Those killed in the explosion are two men and three females all members of the same family.

Five "militants" killed by Egyptian forces in North Sinai: The source said four of the killed suspected militants were plotting a "terrorist operation" against security forces in the Sheikh Zuweid region.The fifth was gunned down while attempting to plant an explosive device east of al-Arish, the source added.

IS claims control of Libya’s Sirte: The Islamic State group claimed Tuesday to have seized full control of the Libyan city of Sirte from the Fajr Libya militia, including a power plant, according to a US monitor.

Islamic State seizes power plant near Libyan city of Sirte: - Islamic State militants have seized a power plant west of the Libyan city of Sirte which supplies central and western parts of the country with electricity, the group and a military source said on Tuesday.

Libya's elected parliament rejects UN unity govt proposal: The decision will be a blow to efforts by United Nations Special Envoy Bernardino Leon, who had only on Monday presented a new proposal to form a unity government after hosting negotiations between the factions for months.

US accuses Russia of missile violations to cover Europe deployment plans – Moscow: The US is ramping up the controversy over alleged violations of a key missile ban treaty to cover up its own plans to deploy missiles in Europe, a top Russian military official said.

Opposition Protests in Ecuador Countered with Popular Support : New taxes on Ecuador’s wealthy provoked protests Monday in front of Ecuador's governing PAIS Alliance party headquarters in the capital Quito. These demonstrations became increasingly more significant as large numbers turned out in support of the government.

Venezuela Recognized by FAO for Halving Malnutrition: Venezuela has over the last decade invested $142 billion in food programs that have distributed over 25 million tons of food items to 65% of the population. Today, 95.4% of Venezuelans eat three meals a day.

Canada Was Killing Indians, Not Cultures: In Canada’s residential schools, many Indigenous children were beaten, tortured, raped, medically experimented on, and killed.

Obama lawyers asked secret court to ignore public court's decision on spying: Justice Department’s national security chief cites six-month transition period in the USA Freedom Act as a reason to turn the bulk surveillance spigot back on

The Computers Are Listening: NSA Won’t Say If It Automatically Transcribes American Phone Calls in Bulk.

New video shows killing of Boston "terror suspect": - Surveillance video released Monday of the fatal shooting of a Boston man suspected of plotting to kill police officers shows six plainclothes officers surrounding him before opening fire in a parking lot.

TPP, designed to make medicine more expensive, reforms more difficult; The US Congress is poised to give President Obama broad authority to conclude a binding international trade agreement known as the TransPacific Partnership (TPP).

On talk circuit, George W. Bush makes millions but few waves: Toward the end of his presidency, George W. Bush told Robert Draper, reporting for a book called Dead Certain, that he intended after vacating the Oval Office to “replenish the ol’ coffers.” He said he could make “ridiculous” money on the lecture circuit.

June 08, 2015

US Warmongering:
Will Germans Again Claim ‘They Didn’t Know’?

By Finian Cunningham

All people of the world must recognise the Big Lie that is continually pumped out by Washington and its European puppets. Continue

Obama’s ‘G-1-plus-6'

By Ray McGovern

As much as President Obama needs President Putin’s help on Syria, Iran and other global hotspots, he has fallen in line behind U.S. hardliners in seeking to ratchet up the confrontation over Ukraine. Continue

Soros Pushes US Bailouts and Weapons for Ukraine

By Ron Paul

Soros is very close to the Ukrainian president, who was put in power after a US-backed coup deposed the elected leader of Ukraine last year. Continue

The Skirmish in the Spratlys
Beating Uncle Sam at His Own Game

By Mike Whitney

The US is now at war with China, which means that it will use all of its resources and capabilities, except it’s military assets, to defeat the enemy. Continue

The Geopolitics of American Global Decline
Washington Versus China in the Twenty-First Century

By Alfred McCoy

Beijing has only recently revealed a deftly designed strategy for neutralizing the military forces Washington has arrayed around the continent’s perimeter. Continue

The Story of Bush and Blair's Great Lie

By Lana Asfour

Why Bush, Blair, and others in their administrations should stand trial. Continue

Netanyahu is King in a World of Perpetual Fear

By Jonathan Cook

The Israeli prime minister has proved himself a master of mining the rich seam of fear that dominates Israeli political discourse. Continue

Thou Shalt Not Kill

By Chris Hedges

The military in the United States portrays itself as endowed with the highest virtues—honor, duty, self-sacrifice, courage and patriotism. Continue

No-Touch Torture Report

By Robert Duncan, A.B., S.M., M.B.A., Ph.D.

Torture is a horrific topic and most minds will turn away from it because it can’t be comprehended that humans can be motivated, or computer programs can be run to do this to other sentient beings. Continue

Awkward Moment As US President Snubs Iraqi Prime Minister

Video

Obama Ignores Iraqi PM at G7 Summit. Obama Keeps His Back to Iraqi Prime Minister. Continue

Anticipatory Bribery
Campaign Contributions: A Major Source of Corruption

By Robert B. Reich

Big corporations and giant Wall Street banks have sunk fortunes into rigging the game to their advantage. Continue

Syria air strikes kills 49 in Idlib area: UK-based Syrian Observatory says 49 people, including six children, died in government bombardment of Janudiyah town.

Syrian family killed in US-led coalition airstrike: monitor: US-led coalition airstrikes conducted overnight killed a couple and their five children in Syria's northern Aleppo province

Three dead, eight injured in Baghdad attacks: At least three people have been killed and eight others injured in two separate bomb explosions and a shooting incident across the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, according to the country's security and medical officials.

Britain to send more troops to Iraq: Britain is to expand its military training mission in Iraq in the coming weeks, Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Sunday, saying the Iraqi army needed more help to deal with improvised bombs planted by Islamic State militants.

Saudi airstrikes kills 6 more civilians in Yemen: According to local sources, Saudi fighter jets targeted Sahar district in Saada on Monday. At least six civilians, including women and children, have been killed .

Yemeni families sue US over drone strikes: The families of two Yemeni men killed in 2012 have sued the United States, alleging they were innocent bystanders hit by missiles from a US drone strike and calling for an acknowledgement of their “unlawful deaths.”

Israel built, exploded 'dirty bombs' in nuclear test: Israel built and exploded so-called "dirty bombs," explosives laced with nuclear material, to examine how such explosions would affect the country if it were to be attacked by the crude radioactive weapons, the Haaretz daily newspaper reported Monday.

Plunged into uncertainty, Turkey could face early election: Turkey faced the prospect of weeks of political turmoil after the ruling AK Party lost its parliamentary majority in weekend polls, dealing a blow to President Tayyip Erdogan's ambitions to acquire sweeping new powers.

Four Killed, Three Injured In Is Attack In Western Libya: - Four security personnel were killed and three others injured Sunday in an attack by Islamic State (IS) affiliated militants in Libya's western city of Misrata, Xinhua news agency reported.

Islamic State closes in on Libya’s oil crescent: Members of the Islamic State (IS) have their sights set on gaining full control of an area known as Libya’s oil crescent, according to residents in the Libyan town which has become IS’s latest conquest.

US now has 11 cooperative security locations across Africa: A special task force of crisis-response Marines based in southern Europe maintains a rotating presence at the respective facilities, where they conduct periodic training missions with partner militaries,

UN report says Eritrea committed widespread abuses: The Eritrean government may have committed crimes against humanity and was responsible for systematic and gross human rights abuses on a "scope and scale seldom witnessed elsewhere", a year-long United Nations inquiry has found.

Pakistan : Suicide attack and gun battle kills 26 : The blast triggered a gunbattle between militants and troops in which 19 "insurgents" were killed, the military said.

4 civilians killed as bomb strikes car in Afghanistan: Four civilians lost their lives as a roadside bomb struck a car in Boghlan province with Pul-e-Khumri as its capital 160 km north of Kabul Sunday night, a local official said Monday.

If This Video Doesn't End the War in Ukraine, Nothing Will: The most heart-breaking video of the civilian bombing outrage that we have seen so far. Force yourself, and everyone you know to watch it. Share it and talk about it.

Masked attackers break up tent camp on Kiev’s Maidan, protest leader ‘arrested’: Unidentified assailants wearing balaclavas assaulted and destroyed a tent camp set up on Sunday by protesters on Kiev’s landmark Maidan Square. Activists at the camp had been calling on the Ukrainian President to report on progress since taking office.

Nuclear missiles could be sited again on British soil in new 'Cold War' with Russia: Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says there are 'worrying signs' about the increased activity of Russian forces and the UK would consider the pros and cons of taking US intermediate-range weapons

Reports of US plans to put missiles in Europe don’t build trust – Kremlin: There have been media reports in the last week that Washington was considering withdrawing from a Cold War-era treaty with Moscow and returning nuclear-capable medium-range missiles to Europe in an effort to counter what it calls "Russian aggression."

US deploys B-52 nuclear bombers to Baltic Sea exercises: “The deployment demonstrates the United States’ ability to project its flexible, long-range global strike capability,” the US Strategic Command said in a statement on Friday.

Harper wanted Russia out of the old G8 even before Ukraine crisis: Harper said he doesn’t want Putin back because he simply doesn’t share the values of the group, which he added is doing well in its new form after completing a second summit without the mercurial Russian leader.

Russia, China Not to Accept America’s Vassalage Status Despite US Pressure: The US is playing with fire by instigating a military standoff off Russian and Chinese borders, while neither the South China Sea nor Ukraine can be considered America’s backyards; Washington needs to understand that neither Russia nor China will accept its vassalage status.

Underage ‘enemies’ of the US: Omar Khadr and the juveniles of Guantánamo International law generally defines anyone under the age of 18 as a child, entitling them to certain rights while incarcerated, such as being housed separately from the adult prison population, being given educational opportunities and being allowed to contact their families. But at Guantánamo, the Pentagon defined a child as someone under the age of 16.

US underwrites corruption and violence in Honduras: Just how heinous should Honduras have to be before the U.S. stops supporting it?

'No Human Considered Illegal' Under New Ecuadorean Migrant Law: Ecuador’s government is proposing a new law to make all migrants legal in the country. “The right to migrate is guaranteed in the rules. No human being will be considered illegal,” said President Rafael Correa during his weekly address.

More Europeans Migrate to Latin America Rather Other Way Around: Migration flows from the European Union to Latin America now top migrants crossing in the opposite direction, a new study from International Organization for Migration revealed.

El Bronco' rides to victory in Mexican state elections while Nieto clings to national power: A stetson-wearing rancher has become the first independent governor of a Mexican state, following midterm elections on Sunday which saw President Enrique Pena Nieto retain his grip on power.

Teen Spends 3 Years at Rikers Island Without Trial, Then Takes His Life...: Kalief Browder, spent three years on Rikers Island without being convicted of a crime. He spent more than one thousand days on Rikers waiting for a trial that never happened. During that time, he endured about two years in solitary confinement

Death of student strapped to a prison restraining chair ruled a HOMICIDE: Sheriff Al St. Lawrence last month fired nine deputies in connection with Ajibade's death.

Police Gone Wild: Texas officer suspended after pool party video shows him pulling gun on teens: Video - A Texas police officer has been suspended after video posted online showed him breaking up a pool party in an extremely aggressive manner, including drawing his gun.

Texas police filmed grabbing phone, pepper spraying owner for no apparent reason (VIDEO): The Austin Police Department faces public condemnation after a video of police officers overreacting to a man filming their actions with a smartphone appeared on YouTube on Sunday, KTBC News reported.

June 07, 2015

The Survivors' Stories
Isis Slaughter in the Sacred Syrian City of Palmyra:

By Robert Fisk

We’ve heard about the threat to the monuments - but what about the human tragedy? Continue

If Syria and Iraq Become Fractured, So Too Will Tripoli and North Lebanon

By Alastair Crooke

The impetus for such speculation derives firstly from the latest Saudi, Qatari and Turkish joint resolve to mount huge numbers of jihadists on Syria's borders. Continue

In Case You Missed It
Tony Blair: Cheney’s vision ‘not stupid,’ possible ‘over time’

By David Edwards and Daniel Tencer

Vice-President Dick Cheney's vision of completely redrawing the map of the Middle East following the 9/11 attacks is "not stupid," and is "possible over time," former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says. Continue

Peace Negotiations or War Preparations?
Colombia, Iran, China, Cuba, Ukraine, Yemen and Syria

By James Petras

Negotiations, under the Obama regime, are simply tactics to intensify and expand the strategy of war. Continue

In Case You Missed It
Dick Cheney’s Song of America

By David Armstrong

The Plan is for the United States to rule the world. The overt theme is unilateralism, but it is ultimately a story of domination. It calls for the United States to maintain its overwhelming military superiority and prevent new rivals from rising up to challenge it on the world stage. It calls for dominion over friends and enemies alike. Continue

The Asinine Argument: They Hate us for Our Freedom

By Joe Clifford

By slaughtering wedding parties and funerals we are exponentially creating new enemies every day. One has to wonder if that is by design. Continue

In Any Upcoming War, Hezbollah Will Displace Millions Of Israelis

By Hassan Nasrallah

" What awaits you today is much worse than what you experienced in 2006" Continue

How a Hollywood Spy Film Brainwashes Us

By Jonathan Cook

If Joseph Goebbels were alive today, this is the kind of movie he would be making – lappped up by audiences and winning general critical plaudits. Continue

You Can Be Prosecuted for Clearing Your Browser History

By Juliana DeVries

Khairullozhori Matanov, a friend of the Boston bomber, is being sentenced under a law whose purview is growing disturbingly wide. Continue

The Slide toward “Velvet Glove” Fascism Continues

By Pater Tenebrarum

Legislation has been sold to the serfs as absolutely necessary to “prevent terror attacks”. Continue

US Prison Population Keep Increasing

By Andrew Pontbriand

What the hell is going on in America? Are we just a society of misfits, rabble-rousers, and outright criminals? Or, is it something else? Continue

Yemen: Saudi Arabia kills 44 people in Sanaa: The strikes targeted the headquarters of Yemen's armed forces - controlled by Houthi rebels - and injured more than 100 people, the rebel news agency said.

Saudi-led naval blockade leaves 20m Yemenis facing humanitarian disaster: Aid agencies say embargo imposed by US and UK-backed Arab coalition has had dramatic effect, with almost 80% of population in urgent need of food, water and medical supplies.

22 Killed in Fighting over Airbase in Iraq's Anbar : The Iraqi military said that 22 Iraqi soldiers and members of allied Shiite militias were killed Saturday after fighters of the Islamic State group attacked the Al Habbaniyah airbase in the Anbar province.

Suicide car bomb kills 15 in Iraq: A suicide car bomb ripped through roadside restaurants at the entrance to the town of Baladruz in eastern Iraq, killing at least 15 people, police and provincial officials said Sunday.

Syrian Army Push Back Islamic State Militants in Hasakah: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “fierce combat” had allowed government forces to push IS militants away from the southern edge of Hasakah, the capital of the province of the same name.

People of Hasaka salute the Syrian army in a massive march: Locals of Hasaka city in northeastern Syria took to the streets on Sunday to pledge support to the army and the armed forces whose units are courageously fighting Takfiri terrorism on the Syrian land.

White House backs Israel over airstrike on Gaza: "Clearly the U.S. stands with the people of Israel as they defend their people and their nation against these kind of attacks," White House spokesman Josh Earnest, accompanying President Barack Obama at a G7 summit in Germany, told reporters.

War criminal: Tony Blair's New Role To Tackle Anti-Semitism: Tony Blair takes on his new job combating anti-Semitism. he former prime minister is to become chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR). It campaigns for European to make Holocaust denial a criminal offence, clearly define racism and anti-Semitism, and to pay for security at synagogues and Jewish schools.

Israelis and Saudis Reveal Secret Talks to Thwart Iran: Since the beginning of 2014, representatives from Israel and Saudi Arabia have had five secret meetings to discuss a common foe, Iran. On Thursday, the two countries came out of the closet by revealing this covert diplomacy at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.

Saudi supreme court upholds jail, lashes for blogger: Saudi Arabia's supreme court has upheld a sentence of 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes against blogger Raif Badawi on charges of insulting Islam, his wife said on Sunday. The judgement came despite worldwide outrage over his case and criticism from the United Nations, United States, the European Union, Canada and others.

Gaza: Salafists claim responsibility for rocket, Israel launches strikes: In a statement issued Sunday, the group, calling itself "Sheikh Omar Hadid-Bayt al-Maqdis," claimed that its fighters had fired a Katyusha 130 rocket at Ashkelon on Saturday evening.

Bomb blast hits market in Nigeria's Borno State, 16 dead; A bomb blast hit a cattle market in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno late on Saturday, with as many as 16 people dead, hospital and military sources said, in an attack that bore the hallmarks of Islamist Boko Haram militants.

Islamic State kills three Libyan soldiers: state agency: Islamic State militants killed three soldiers loyal to Libya's self-declared government controlling Tripoli, state news agency LANA said on Sunday.

ISIS is spreading in Libya like a disease: Like a cancer, ISIS has spread from the Middle East to Libya and begun the process of seizing oil fields and terrorizing the populace. Just last week, an ISIS car suicide bomber detonated himself at a checkpoint near Libya's third largest city of Misrata, murdering five soldiers.

In Bayda, Libya's eastern capital, romance of revolution is fading: “Any government without money, without resources will be hated. We could see a backlash,” warns Haash.

Al-Qaeda claims 2 Algerian attacks: The North African wing of al-Qaeda has claimed two attacks on Algerian military and security forces in the east of the country that killed at least five people, the U.S.-based SITE jihadi monitoring service said Sunday.

Backlash as migrant arrivals top 50,000: The number of migrants arriving in Italy this year after being rescued at sea is set to top 50,000 by yesterday after another frantic weekend for the multinational flotilla of boats trying to prevent more drownings in the Mediterranean.

Afghanistan: 12 militants killed in Kandahar clash, blasts: A dozen Taliban militants have been killed and seven civilians wounded during separate incidents in southern Kandahar province, an official said on Sunday.

US Murders Nine People On Pak-Afghan Border: Tribal sources said the drone fired two missiles and struck a house in the border village of Khawaja Qadar in the Dattakhel Tehsil of Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region. The sources said that six men and three women were killed in the drone attack.

Drone strikes equal collateral massacre: A study by Stanford Law School and New York University’s School of Law notes the number of "Islamic terrorists" killed as a percentage of total casualties in drone strikes stands at a paltry 2 percent

US Soldier who killed 16 Afghans says he was ‘consumed by war’: The U.S. soldier who murdered 16 Afghan villagers in 2012 says he had lost compassion for Iraqis and Afghans over the course of his four combat deployments.

Murder Unlimited: The Secret History of SEAL Team 6: Quiet Killings and Blurred Lines: Around the world, they have run spying stations disguised as commercial boats, posed as civilian employees of front companies and operated undercover at embassies as male-female pairs, tracking those the United States wants to kill or capture.

Creating terrorists: CIA Director John Brennan Admits U.S. Foreign Policy Could Spur Terrorism: This is notable because the people who run our foreign policy usually tell us that terrorists are like zombies, driven by some incomprehensible force to kill and kill and kill until we take them out with a head shot/drone strike.

How the FBI creates terrorists: There's an organization responsible for more terrorism plots in the United States than al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab and ISIS combined. The FBI.

Vladimir Putin Urges Donetsk And Luhansk To Remain Part Of Ukraine: Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing a proposal that would see the self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk remain under Ukrainian control.

'Impeach Poroshenko!’ Massive anti-govt rally held in central Kiev: A massive march took place in the streets of Kiev to protest against the policies of the current Ukrainian government, calling for its resignation and economic reforms.

G7 summit: Obama and Merkel firm on Russia sanctions: As he arrived in the Bavarian Alps, Mr Obama said G7 leaders would discuss "standing up to Russian aggression" in Ukraine.

Protesters block road to G7 summit: About 200 people rallied in the Bavarian mountain town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Sunday and tried to march towards the Elmau Castle where a G7 summit of the world’s richest countries is getting underway.

Orwell would be proud: Putin intends to undermine NATO - Jt. Chiefs Chairman Dempsey;' Dempsey also called on the NATO allies to “harden against the subversive activities Russia has demonstrated its willingness to use.”

De-Dollarization Du Jour: Russia's Largest Bank Issues Yuan-Denominated Guarantees: Russia and China are set to work together to extricate themselves from a dependence on the dollar specifically and on Western financial institutions more generally, Russia’s largest bank has, for the first time, extended yuan-denominated letters of credit in concert with the Chinese Export-Import bank.

Greece's Tsipras 'failed' to deliver promised plan - Juncker: Greece's finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, told a Greek newspaper that the latest reform demands were "an aggressive move designed to terrorise the Greek government... this Greek government cannot be terrorised".

At least 10 dead as vigilantes clash in Mexico: A self-defense militia was attacked by a rival faction in southern Mexico leaving at least 10 people dead, witnesses said, amid tensions in the region on the eve of elections.

Fifa corruption: Documents show details of Jack Warner 'bribes': A BBC investigation has seen evidence that details what happened to the $10m sent from Fifa to accounts controlled by former vice-president Jack Warner

Report Reveals $8.5 Trillion Missing From Pentagon Budget : You read that right. While Republican politicians rush to slash food stamps for the 47 million Americans living in poverty – the highest amount in nearly two decades. The D.O.D.'s 2012 budget totaled $565.8 billion, more than the annual defense budgets of the 10 next largest military spenders combined, including Russia and China.

French worker can expect 30 days a year of paid vacation.: Americans on average were given 15 days off in 2014 (and took 14).

June 06, 2014

Obama’s Big Lie on Syria

By Daniel Lazare

The real responsibility lies not with Assad, but with the U.S. and allies for fomenting Syria’s sectarian warfare in the first place. Continue

Sleepwalking to Another Mideast Disaster

By Robert Parry

Denied crucial information about Syria, the American people are being led toward the precipice of another Middle East war. Continue

Now The Truth Emerges: How The US Fuelled The Rise of Isis In Syria and Iraq

By Seumas Milne

The sectarian terror group won’t be defeated by the western states that incubated it in the first place. Continue

A Case Study in Distortion and Bias on Syria
PBS Frontline Fails the Public with “Obama at War”

By Rick Sterling

“Obama at War” presents a biased and distorted view of the reality in Syria. Continue

‘Russia Would Attack NATO Only In Mad Person’s Dream’ – Putin

By RT

Russia’s military policy is “not global, offensive, or aggressive,” Putin stressed, adding that Russia has “virtually no bases abroad,” Continue

We Are The Propagandists:
How The New York Times And The White House Has Turned Truth In The Ukraine On Its Head

By Patrick L. Smith

Who could want to live in a world this much like Orwell’s or Huxley’s Continue

Trinity 70 Years On… the Nuclear Horror Still Haunts

By Finian Cunningham

The Pentagon has received a budget of over $350 billion to upgrade the US arsenal of nuclear weapons - this nuclear resurgence under Obama is emblematic of a new Cold War with Russia and other perceived global rivals. Continue

Ukrainians Dispossessed: Americans Are Next

By Paul Craig Roberts

Exploitation of the many for the few is the Hallmark of the West, a decrepit, corrupt, and collapsing entity. Continue

Buffaloes and Flies in the South China Sea

By Linn Dinh

Odds are high, fighting will break out again in the South China Sea. Continue

Congratulation Tony Blair

By Gilad Atzmon 

The 21st century’s greatest war criminal is called to lead the campaign against ‘extremism’ which he himself instigated. Continue

“Combat Proven”: The Booming Business of War in Israel

By Alex Kane

For an arms industry that relies on marketing “combat proven” products, the next battle can’t come soon enough. Continue

Israel A Criminal Offender At Large, UN Listing Or Not

By Eva Bartlett

Israel need not worry that anyone is trying to “besmirch” its reputation. It has proven quite adept at doing that all on its own. Continue

Israel’s Clandestine Alliance with Gulf Arab States is Going Public

By Murtaza Hussain

GCC states have finally readied themselves to go public about their warming relationships with Israel. Continue

Canada: Bill C-51 A 'Fascist And Dictatorial Piece Of Legislation'

By Ryan Maloney

Galati said C-51 creates "a modern-day Gestapo," referencing the brutal, secret Nazi police force. Continue

Edward Snowden: The World Says No to Surveillance

By Edward J. Snowden

Spymasters in Australia, Canada and France have exploited recent tragedies to seek intrusive new powers despite evidence such programs would not have prevented attacks. Continue

Free Speech, Facebook and the NSA: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By John W. Whitehead

The NSA’s telephone metadata program seems like child’s play compared to what’s coming down the pike. Continue

Syrian Army Kills 99 Terrorists : "A sum of 99 militants from different terrorist groups were killed across Syria on Friday," the Arabic-language Al-Ahd news website said citing a statement by the observatory.

Syria: Islamic State Closes in on Kurdish City of Hasakah: The Islamic State group is threatening to take over the Kurdish city of Hasakah in northeast Syria, after having already taken control of a power plant near the city's entrance.

Idlib gains bring Syrian rebels closer to Assad's coastal homeland: Sunni Islamist groups have overrun Syrian army outposts and villages in the Idlib province, closing on coastal strongholds of President Bashar al Assad's government, rebels and a monitor said on Saturday.

Lebanese Army Kills 16 Syria-Bound Nusra Front Jihadists: “Sixteen Jabhat al-Nusra militants were killed. The artillery of Lebanese army straddled the [al-Nusra] detachment, which tried to break into the al-Uyun gorge in the south-east of Arsal town [near Syrian border],” the source told RIA Novosti

3 Hezbollah fighters killed as group advances near Arsal’s outskirts: Hezbollah’s death toll in the battle against jihadis on Lebanon’s eastern borders has risen to at least 29, with three fighters dying Friday as the group advanced further into Arsal’s outskirts.

Bush, Blair Legacy Continues As - Car bomb blast kills 14 people in Iraq: Police officials say the attack took place Saturday night in the Shiite town of Balad Ruz, killing 14 people and wounding 37 others.

5 Iraqi soldiers killed in US friendly-fire incident: Five Iraqi soldiers and militia fighters were killed and seven others were injured in a friendly-fire incident after the U.S.-led international coalition air force fired on an army base southeast of Fallujah.

Iraqi forces repel two ISIS attacks in Anbar: Iraqi officials say government forces and Shiite militiamen repelled two Islamic State attacks in Anbar province. In one attack, they used anti-tank missiles to take out four would-be suicide car bombs

ISIS show off their US-made spoils of war: Fighters behind the wheel of millions of dollars in American hardware, a month after Iraqi army fled Ramadi

Sunni tribes in Iraq's Anbar province pledge support to ISIL: A number of Sunni tribal sheikhs and tribes in Iraq's Anbar province have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a defection that comes as a major blow to the Iraqi government as it struggles to roll the Sunni insurgents back.

U.S. quietly starts channeling arms from $1.6 billion fund to Iraq: The United States has quietly started delivering promised arms for Iraqi soldiers from a $1.6 billion fund approved by Congress last year, officials said, following mounting Iraqi frustration over the pace of coalition assistance.

Fight against IS could take 'generation or more': US envoy: The Islamic State group is a "global threat" that will take a generation or more to defeat, Washington's envoy for the US-led coalition fighting the jihadists said Wednesday. He added that if IS were not defeated it could "wreak havoc on the progress of humanity."

Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz dies in prison at 79: After turning himself in to the American occupation forces, Aziz was charged and tried in a kangaroo court set up by the Americans and presided over by the Shia religious parties that had previously tried to assassinate him. He was sentenced to death in 2010, but the government did not move to execute him.

Dozens killed in Yemen-Saudi Arabia border raids as peace talks momentum gathers: Forces loyal to Yemen’s former president attacked several locations on the Saudi border in raids that killed four Saudis and dozens of rebels, the Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday

Four Saudi forces killed in attack on border from Yemen: Saudi-led forces said on Friday four Saudis were killed after an attack was launched on border areas in Jizan and Najran by forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and Houthi rebels.

Yemeni forces fire Scud missile at Saudi Arabia: In the first use of the long range ballistic Scud in the conflict, the missile was fired early Saturday morning at the city of Khamees Mushait in the kingdom's southwest and was intercepted by two Patriot missiles, a statement by the Saudi military said.

US-Iran nuclear talks as political Kabuki theatre: News Analysis - The Obama administration made the spurious claim that it had succeeded in getting Iran to agree to the demand for IAEA inspection of any site it found suspicious. In fact, Iran had agreed only that IAEA would have “enhanced access through agreed procedures”

The Bomb Iran Lobby Gears Up for 2016: News Analysis - A tight-knit group of neocon dead-enders is pushing Iran to the forefront of the GOP's foreign policy agenda.

Israeli Gov’t Protests As Israeli Vets Speak About Being Occupiers: . “We will not ignore an organization whose sole purpose is to shame Israeli soldiers, as it operates in the international arena to inflict severe damage on Israel’s image.”

Afghanistan: US attack on funeral kills 34: The strike in Khost came a day after Nangarhar Province, also in eastern Afghanistan, was targeted in two similar drone attacks that killed 17 people. The strikes were carried out in the districts of Haska Mina and Chaparhar.

30 civilians killed as Hamid Karzai strongly condemns deadly US attack in Khost: Karzai quoted in a statement released from his office, said almost 30 civilians have been killed in the airstrike and some others were injured.

The risk of arming local militias in Afghanistan's Kunduz: The province of Kunduz has been besieged by the Taliban fighters for weeks now. Afghanistan's security forces can only thwart the insurgents with the help of local militias and foreign assistance. But that has a price.

Demonstrator shot dead in Burundi: - Police in Burundi on Friday shot dead a protester in the capital amid renewed demonstrations against President Pierre Nkurunziza, witnesses and a local official sai

ISIS militants seize another town in Libya: Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants have seized another town in Libya, the group and a military source said on Friday, expanding the territory they control in the strife-torn country.

Navy vessels rescues hundreds of migrants off Libyan coast: Naval vessels from Italy and Ireland rescued hundreds of migrants from smuggler boats in the Mediterranean, as ships from several countries, including Britain, coped Saturday with waves of people setting sail from Libya in human trafficking operations.

One Ukrainian serviceman killed, ten wounded in past 24 hours: Ukraine military: One Ukrainian serviceman has been killed and ten others have been wounded as a result of fighting in separatist eastern territories in the past 24 hours, Kiev military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a briefing on Saturday.

The Saker: Short update about the (very dangerous) Ukrainian situation: News Analysis - Barring a miracle of some kind, the Ukrainians will simply have to attack as a war or, better (from their point of view) a Russian “invasion” (which would be a liberation, of course) is now the only and last option left to cover up the total collapse not only of the US Ukrainian policy

Russia backs Ukraine peace deal but Kiev is blocking progress, says Putin: “The problem is that the current Kiev authorities don’t even want to sit down to talks with them. And there is nothing we can do about it,” he said. “Only our European and American partners can influence this situation.”

Stephen Harper visits Ukraine promising more aid as fighting intensifies in Donetsk region: As the most intense fighting in many months gripped eastern Ukraine around the Russian-held city of Donetsk, Prime Minister Stephen Harper began his 3rd trip to the Ukrainian capital in 14 months on Saturday by announcing more non-lethal aid for this country’s beleaguered security forces.

Canada to Train Ukrainian Police as Conflict With Russia Worsens: Canada will send officers and provide funding to bolster the Ukrainian police force, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, his country’s latest show of support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Japan will give Ukraine $1.5 bln loan guarantees for country's financial stability – Poroshenko: "I am grateful to Japan for extending loan guarantees amounting to $1.5 billion, which should enable us to ensure Ukraine's financial stability," Poroshenko said following negotiations with the Japanese prime minister on Saturday.

Greek PM rejects 'absurd' offer from lenders, delays IMF payment: "The Greek government cannot consent to absurd proposals," Tsipras told parliament. "I want to believe that this proposal was a bad moment for Europe or at the very least a bad negotiating trick and will soon be withdrawn by the masterminds themselves," he said.

EU's Juncker snubs Greek PM after 'absurd' debt deal rebuff: The European Union's chief executive declined to speak to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday after the leftist leader rejected as "absurd" international creditors' terms for a cash-for-reform deal to keep his country from default.

The economic consequences of austerity: Op-Ed: The judgements of our financial and political leaders are breathtakingly narrow. Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen considers the alternatives.

Germany sent rocket-propelled grenades to Saudi Arabia to swing 2006 World Cup vote : German newspaper Die Zeit say the country's Football Association arranged for then Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's administration to supply the arms in order to swing the Saudi vote from Morocco to Germany ahead of the vote in 2000.

G7 summit: 8,000 protesters gather as leaders prepare wide-ranging talks: Protesters set up a tent camp and police run checks on borders, with Fifa, US trade and climate change high on activists’ and world leaders’ agendas

UK: Your Facebook, Twitter and blog are about to be monitored for references to the Government: Ministers announced yesterday that the Government had awarded a contract to five companies who will monitor what people tweet, post to Facebook or blog about the Government and provide updates to Whitehall in real time.

China denies hacking data on four million US government staff: The US government has admitted hackers accessed the personal data of at least four million current and former federal employees, in a vast cyberattack that is suspected to have originated in China..

Leaked TISA Documents Reveal Privacy Threat: The contents of TISA make interesting reading, particularly for anybody concerned about privacy. Under the draft agreement, the EU would be barred from requiring the personal data of its citizens to be held within European borders, an idea currently under discussion in Germany.

Red Cross pockets $500mn meant for Haiti homes: Red Cross promises houses for 130,000 Haitians, ’builds only 6’

US Congress demands release of 9/11 papers: Former Florida Senator Bob Graham, who co-chaired the first official enquiry into 9/11, said the US public would be shocked if they were to learn of the extent of Saudi involvement in the worst terrorist attack on US soil

FBI infiltrates defense team, causes new delay in 9/11 trial: FBI attempts to infiltrate one of the defense teams in a Guantánamo Bay trial related to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has led to the second straight cancellation of pretrial hearings at the controversial island prison, putting the case on pause until at least August of this year

Some Americans think USA Freedom Act gives them freedom: Video - Anissa Naouai, ask's people whether or not they know about The Patriot Act turning into the USA Freedom Act and what the ramifications might be. Most haven't heard of the acts, but none of them trust the government anyway.

Dillon Taylor was murdered by Officer Bron Cruz: Warning this Video is very Graphic showing the Killing of Dillon Taylor by Officer Bron Cruz. This is the body cam footage in its entirety.

GOP senator seeks to block restrictions on Pentagon giving weapons to police: The senator, who faces what could be a challenging reelection race next year, is offering an amendment to an annual defense policy bill that would prohibit any regulation or policy that restricts the federal government from selling or donating its excess material to a state or local agency.

Senate Votes To Block Pentagon Paying Millions To NFL To ‘Honor Troops’: Reports of the “Patriotism for Profit” program emerged last month, with the revelations that 14 NFL teams had received $5.4 million in return for timeout displays of thanking troops for their service. This was quickly condemned by several top Congressmen.

June 04, 2015

Turkey and Syria: The War of Two Men against One

By Jeremy Salt

This is a wrong war morally, legally and politically. It is the most relentless and vicious war waged against an Arab government in the past two centuries. Continue

Insanity’s Definition is Sending More U.S. Ground Troops to Iraq

By Michael Scheuer

The current call by most Republicans and many Democrats to return 10,000 or 20,000 U.S. ground troops to Iraq will not change the situation there except to make it worse. Continue

The South China Sea Word War

By Pepe Escobar

Welcome to the South China Sea geopolitical time bomb. Continue

Alice And The Mad Hatter Gang Making Foreign Policy, Will Get You Killed.

By Joe Clifford

Millions will die unless you take in interest in these idiots, fools, and knaves. It’s your life here. Pay attention. Continue

Never Mind FIFA, How about a Crackdown on the Banksters?

By Finian Cuningham

The belated focus of American and British authorities on the alleged wrongdoings at FIFA can thus be readily seen as both ludicrous and laughable when we compare that with the absolute dearth of interest by these same authorities in applying law enforcement where it ought to be applied – on the Wall Street and City of London banksters. Continue

Washington Politicizes Football

By Paul Craig Roberts

This is part of Washington’s agenda of isolating Russia from the World. Continue

Why Does America Really Care About FIFA? Russell Brand

Video

The real story behind the Fifa scandal that has resulted in the resignation of Sepp Blatter. Continue

Who Is On The Left?

By Margaret Kimberley

Anyone who gives the United States government a pass for intervening anywhere in the world is no leftist. Continue

America at Its Best is Strange

By Richard Falk

Perhaps, and only perhaps, what we insist upon for ourselves might finally spill over with respect to what we to do to others. Continue

Ponzi Scheme America
You’ve Been Scammed!

By Tom Engelhardt

You’re going to find yourself living in an ever greyer, grimmer country. Continue

300 ISIS militants killed, 40 armored vehicles destroyed in air raid western Anbar: “hundreds of ISIS elements have been killed in an extensive air raid by the Iraqi army aviation against the largest ISIS shelters between al-Romana area and Bagoz district (350 km west of Ramadi),” noting that, “the militants were coming from Syria to support the terrorists in Anbar” .

Civilians among at least 70 killed in air strikes on ISIL in Iraq's Hawijah: Dozens of people are reported to have been killed in air strikes targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Hawijah in Iraq, reports say.

Bombings Kill 11 People in Iraq's Capital: Officials: Police officials say a bomb exploded Wednesday afternoon near car spare parts shops in the Basmaiya area, just southeast of Baghdad, killing four people and wounding 11.

Iraqi PM Warns That New ISIS Fighters Are Overwhelming the Iraqi Army: The sense of urgency among Western leaders has risen sharply since mid-May, when ISIS seized Iraq’s western town of Ramadi. The battle seemed one-sided, with a determined ISIS driving out ineffectual Iraqi troops

Iraq coalition winning against IS, says US: Iraq and its allies are pursuing "the winning strategy" to combat Islamic State in Iraq, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. Mr Blinken said air strikes and supporting Iraqi forces was the right way to tackle the IS threat.

ISIS Forces That Now Control Ramadi Are Ex-Baathist Saddam Loyalists: Their resurgence has implications not just for the United States but for ISIS itself. For while these forces may fly the ISIS flag today, their ultimate plans for Iraq are quite different than those of the “caliphate.”

33 killed in Syria bombing: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths came in three incidents on Wednesday, in Aleppo province in the north of the country and Idlib province in the northwest.

Syrian troops battle to repel Islamic State attack on city: Syrian troops and militia battled on Wednesday to repel an Islamic State attack on the city of Hasaka in the northeast, and a Kurdish official said the government forces may not be able to hold off the jihadists.

New battles rage near Aleppo between Syrian insurgents and ISIS: Building on recent gains in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State militants are marching across northern Syria toward Aleppo, Syria's largest city, helped along, its opponents say, by the forces of President Bashar Assad.

Iraq, Iran fighters deployed to defend Damascus: security source: "Around 7,000 Iranian and Iraqi fighters have arrived in Syria over the past few weeks and their first priority is the defense of the capital. "The goal is to reach 10,000 men to support the Syrian army and pro-government militias, firstly in Damascus, and then to retake Jisr al-Shughur because it is key to the Mediterranean coast

Airstrikes kill 20 Houthi fighters in Yemen's Aden: militia: Arab airstrikes killed around 20 Houthi fighters outside the southern Yemeni port city of Aden Wednesday, militiamen opposed to the Houthis said, and residents said overnight strikes also killed a family of eight outside the capital.

Airstrikes in Yemen Kill Allies of Saudi-Led Coalition, Witnesses Say: Warplanes from a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes Tuesday in Yemen that killed at least 16 fighters allied with the Saudi-led group, witnesses said.

Obama Threatens to Cut US Support at UN in Israeli Interview: In remarkably open attack against Netanyahu, Obama says if Israel doesn't renew peace talks he will not be able to defend it in the UN.

Israel could lose ‘credibility’ over Netanyahu’s stance on Palestine – Obama: “The danger here is that Israel as a whole loses credibility,” Obama told Israel's Channel 2 in an interview on Tuesday. “Already the international community does not believe that Israel is serious about a two-state solution.”

UK Student Union Votes to Boycott Israel: The UK's official student body, the National Union of Students (NUS), has voted to boycott all Israeli companies and officially affiliate with the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.

Canada pledges 'unwavering' support for Israel: Canada's foreign minister on Wednesday reaffirmed his country's ironclad support for Israel and said the realities of the Middle East left the Jewish state no choice but to defend itself. "We believe we have no better friend than Canada," Netanyahu said as he met Nicholson in Jerusalem.

4 Soldiers killed in attack in Thailand's south: Police official says attackers pulled four officers from vehicle in Yala province and fired at them repeatedly.

Egypt: Two police officers shot and killed at the Giza Pyramids: Gunmen speeding by on motorcycle fired at the two security officials near Egypt's most famous tourist attraction, officials told Associated Press.

Reports: At least 17 killed in Ukraine battles: Report: Separatists in east Ukraine said 15 people in territory under their control were killed Wednesday during battles around the rebel stronghold of Donetsk that is threatening to tip the country back into full-blown war.

Ukraine crisis: Heavy fighting rages near Donetsk, despite truce: The clashes - said to involve heavy artillery and tanks - are taking place in Maryinka and Krasnohorivka, outside the rebel-held city of Donetsk. There were reports of multiple injuries in the towns held by Ukraine's army.

Russian investigators reveal identity of key witness in MH17 crash: “Our jets were flying regularly,” Agapov said in his testimony. “When one returned, the pilot, Captain Voloshin, got out of the cockpit.” He added that, as Captain Voloshin walked away with the other pilots, Agapov heard him say: “That was the wrong plane.”

Russian missile maker: Flight MH17 shot down by Ukraine military: The Russian maker of the Buk air defense missile system said Tuesday that it has concluded that Malaysian Airlines flight 17 was downed by an older version of the missile, which isn't in service with the Russian military but is in Ukrainian arsenals.

'Nuclear war our likely future': Russia & China won't accept US hegemony, Reagan official warns.

Greek Standoff Takes Another Twist as Dueling Plans Are Drafted: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said his government submitted a new plan, while officials from the country’s creditors were said to have agreed on what would be a final offer to avoid the country defaulting.

Greek stocks up as compromise details emerge: Greek stocks rose on Wednesday after reports of a compromise plan from its international creditors -- although Greece insisted it had not formally received any new proposals.

Seeking compromise deal, Greece warns it might skip IMF payment: Greece's international creditors signaled on Wednesday they were ready to compromise to avert a debt default even as Athens warned it might skip an IMF loan repayment due this week.

WikiLeaks releases secret TISA docs: The more evil sibling of TTIP and TPP: The new agreement that would hamstring governments and citizens even further.

Hate crime: Colombia's new law punishing attacks on women: It imposes longer sentences on crimes where women are targeted specifically because of their gender, including psychological, physical and sexual attacks.

Gunmen in Mexico Kill Yet Another Electoral Candidate : An eighth candidate in Mexico’s midterm elections scheduled for this Sunday has been shot and killed. Miguel Angel Luna, candidate the federal chamber of deputies or Lower House of Congress' 32nd district in Chalco, State of Mexico, was murdered Tuesday at his campaign office, local police reported.

Independent El Bronco aims to buck Mexico's politics-as-usual trend : A win by El Bronco, as predicted by some polls, would hint at the biggest potential shake up of the Mexican political system since the National Action Party (the Pan), ended 71 years of continuous rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Pri) in 2000.

Explosions rock Michigan neighborhood as US Army urban training begins: Simulated explosions literally shake Michigan neighborhood as US Army urban training exercise begins

Brother Of Man Shot By Police In Boston Tells Different Story: “My youngest brother Usaama Rahim was waiting for the bus to go to his job. He was confronted by three Boston Police officers and subsequently shot in the back three times."

David Wright, Man Arrested in Boston Terror Probe, to Make Court Appearance: A Massachusetts man arrested in a terror investigation was scheduled to face a federal judge on Wednesday, one day after police shot a suspect to death.

US politicians call for release of secret 9/11 report: White House urged to release 28-pages of classified information alleging Saudi Arabia officials helped organise attacks.

Obama signs NSA reform bill, but agency still can collect data via phone companies: The "Freedom" Act will take control of Americans' telephone metadata – information such as the time a phone call was made, to whom it was made, but not the actual content of a call – away from the NSA and place it in the hands of telephone companies. The NSA will still be able get the data

Congress passes NSA surveillance reform in vindication for Snowden: The American Civil Liberties Union praised the passage of the USA Freedom Act as “a milestone” but pointed out that there were many more “intrusive and overbroad” surveillance powers yet untouched.

More Americans hold favorable view of George W. Bush than Barack Obama: According to the results of the survey, released Wednesday, 52 percent hold a favorable view of Bush, while 43 percent view the former president unfavorably — the first time in more than a decade that a majority of Americans viewed Bush favorably.

More Americans distrust Hillary Clinton than trust her: According to a CNN/ORC poll, 50 percent view Clinton unfavorably — up from 44 percent in March (before she announced her presidential bid) and the highest level since 2001, when it was 53 percent. The only other time a majority of Americans viewed Clinton unfavorably was in 1996, when she was first lady.

Bernie Sanders on Hillary Clinton: 'Would she be interested in being my vice president?': Bernie Sanders says he isn’t running for president to push Hillary Clinton further to the left nor to become a candidate for vice president on a potential Clinton ticket. “No,” Sanders told Yahoo News’ Katie Couric on Monday. “My goal is to win this election.”

Half Of U.S. Households Approaching Retirement Have Saved No Money: Fifty-two percent of households of people 55 and older haven't saved a dime for retirement

June 02, 2015

How the US Helped ISIS

By David Mizner

If the United States really wanted to defeat ISIS and al-Qaeda, it would stop empowering them. Continue

Battling ISIS: Iran-Iraq War Redux

By Dahlia Wasfi

I’m with neither the US nor the (other) terrorists.  I’m with the civilians of the region. Continue

Unceasing War, Devastated Lives

By Jeremy Corbyn

Unless we abandon our addiction to military intervention, the world’s refugee crisis will never come to an end. Continue

The Israeli War Crime That Goes Unmentioned

By Jonathan Cook

When Israeli civilians die under those rockets, will Hizbollah and Hamas be responsible or will it be Israel’s fault? Continue

Neocon Fugitive Given Ukraine Province

By Robert Parry

Ukraine’s President Poroshenko has tapped another international “carpetbagger” to rule his people. Continue

Australian Government “Actively Considering” Dangerous Provocation in South China Sea

By Peter Symonds

The US, in league with its allies, is willing to risk war with nuclear-armed China to maintain its global dominance. Continue

40 Reasons Our Jails and Prisons Are Full of Black and Poor People

By Bill Quigley

2.2 million people are in our nation’s jails and prisons and another 4.5 million people are on probation or parole in the US, totaling 6.8 million people, one of every 35 adults. Continue

Enough with the Holy Founders' Undemocratic Constitution

By Paul Street

Imagine – a new U.S. Constitutional Convention dedicated to building and empowering popular democracy, not checkmating and containing it. Continue

28 paramilitaries killed in car bombings in Iraq's Baiji: Car bomb attacks killed at least 28 government-backed militiamen and wounded 36 others in Iraq on Tuesday, a security source said.

Iraq's prime minister says the US-led coalition isn't doing enough to help defeat ISIS: Speaking at a conference in Paris, Abadi said coalition partners were not providing Iraqi forces with sufficient air intelligence to stem Islamic State advances, while support for ground operations was also lacking.

Why We Aren't Bombing ISIS: Three out of every four times that Obama dispatches American warplanes over Iraq, they return to base without dropping any bombs or firing any missiles. That’s why White House and Pentagon briefers usually talk about the number of sorties, not the number of air strikes. The number of missions flown is four times larger than the number of bombing runs.

‘2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone’: Iraq reveals number of US arms falling into ISIS hands: Iraq has admitted that ISIS jihadists captured huge caches of US-made weapons, including thousands of Humvees seized from Iraqi forces retreating from Mosul last year. The spoils of war have since then been used by ISIS to gain ground in Iraq and Syria.

IS closes Iraq dam gates, sparking humanitarian fears: The move lowered the level of the Euphrates River and cut water supplies to the areas of Khaldiyah and Habbaniyah to the east, which are some of the last held by pro-government forces in Anbar.

50 Hezbollah fighters and 2,100 foreigners killed in Syria in May alone: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed on Monday that it has documented the deaths of 6,657 individuals in Syria during May 2015, including 51 Hezbollah fighters, 2,109 foreigners, 272 minors and 212 females, Arabi21 has reported.

Syria: Isis advance on Aleppo aided by Assad regime air strikes, US says : “We have long seen that the regime avoids Isis lines, in complete contradiction to the regime’s claims to be fighting Isis,” the embassy said in a separate tweet.

Syrian insurgent advances put Assad under pressure: Losses in the north, east and south to groups including al Qaeda's Syrian arm and Islamic State may test Assad's hold over western parts of the country that are the most crucial to his survival.

US-led coalition against ISIS in Iraq, Syria 'mistake' - FM Lavrov: Russia is not against the actions of the international coalition against Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS or ISIL), but bombardment of the militant-controlled areas of Syria without the approval of Damascus authorities is a mistake, Lavrov said.

Thousand of Arabs flee from Kurdish fighters in Syria's north: Thousands of Sunni Arab civilians in northern Syria are reportedly fleeing their homes to avoid attacks by Kurdish fighters in what is described as an apparent ethnic cleansing campaign.

Yemen tribesmen kill 18 Houthi fighters in ambush - residents: Armed tribesmen killed 18 Houthi fighters in an ambush in Yemen's central province of Ibb on Tuesday, residents said, in one of the deadliest ground attacks in over two months of war.

Extrajudicial killing: US Murders 10 People In Yemen: : At least 10 tribal militiamen loyal to Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi were killed by a US drone strike in northern Yemen, militias representatives said on Tuesday.

Conflicting reports over Israeli airstrike on east Lebanon border area: Lebanese media reported that Israeli jets carried out an airstrike in an eastern Lebanese border area Tuesday, which was later denied by Hezbollah's TV channel and security sources.

Islamist extremist killed in Gaza as tensions soar: A local Salafist leader was shot dead in Gaza City Tuesday during a confrontation with Hamas security forces as tensions mounted between the Strip's Islamist rulers and its extremist opponents.

Russia Preparing to Send S-300 Missile Systems for Iran by 2016: Russia is assembling S-300 anti-aircraft defense systems to start shipments to Iran by next year, the Kremlin’s top official for on the arms trade told Bloomberg.

Bomb blast hits market in Nigeria's Maiduguri city, 50 killed: witness: A bomb blast hit a busy market in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri on Tuesday, killing as many as 50 people, an eyewitness and a hospital source told Reuters.

Militant attack kills seven Afghan aid workers: officials: Nine people including seven Afghan aid workers were killed when militants attacked a guesthouse in northern Afghanistan around midnight on Tuesday, officials said.

Extrajudicial killing: US Murders 4 People In Pakistan: The dead bodies were not immediately identified but officials said that those killed were "militants".

Carter: U.S., Vietnam Committed to Defense Relationship: “Following last year's decision by the United States to partially lift the ban of arms sales to Vietnam, our countries are now committed for the first time to operate together, step up our defense trade and work toward co-production,” Carter said.

US Senator McCain wants to arm Vietnam in case of 'crisis' with China: The United States has been actively attempting to build the maritime capabilities of ASEAN nations embroiled in the South China Sea conflict including Vietnam and the Philippines, as well as boosting its military cooperation with Japan, South Korea and Australia, to blunt China's sphere of influence.

Vietnam receives Russian-design missile boats amid maritime tension: Vietnam took delivery of two new missile boats on Tuesday made locally and modelled on Russian vessels, the latest move by its military to strengthen maritime defences as tensions simmer over sovereignty in the South China Sea.

Missile maker says Russia did not shoot down Malaysian plane over Ukraine: The Russian company that makes the BUK air defense system that was used to shoot down a Malaysian airliner in east Ukraine said on Tuesday the plane was hit by a missile deployed by Ukraine and not widely used by Russia's military.

Greek PM Tsipras has 'realistic' debt deal proposal: "We have submitted a realistic plan for Greece to exit the crisis," he said. Mr Tsipras said the plan included "concessions that will be difficult".

Ecuador Wins Case Against Fugitive Bankers Hiding in the US : The Isaias brothers were found guilty in absentia and sentenced to eight years in prison for falsifying financial statements.

Canada’s residential schools cultural genocide, Truth and Reconciliation commission says: A heart-wrenching and damning report culminates a six-year examination of residential schools that oversaw the ill-treatment of aboriginal children for more than a century. It pieces together a horrifying history that has been repeatedly dismissed or ignored.

Pentagon's anthrax scandal spreads to Canada: The Pentagon has learned that additional samples of live anthrax were sent to three laboratories in Canada, two Defense officials confirmed Monday evening.

US: 1 in 13 people killed by guns are killed by police: US law enforcement officers have shot and killed upwards of 385 people so far this year, according to a new Washington Post investigation. That's a rate of about 1 every 9 hours, or 2.5 shootings per day. That's a lot compared to other countries -- cops in Germany killed only 8 people in 2013-2014, for instance. British police didn't kill anyone last year.

Boston "terror suspect" fatally shot by investigators: The man, identified as Usaamah Rahim, was allegedly wielding a military-style knife in a busy parking lot on the city's southwest side. He refused repeated commands to drop the weapon when the agent and officer opened fire, Boston police spokesman Officer Stephen McNulty said.

FBI behind mysterious surveillance aircraft over US cities: The FBI is operating a small air force with scores of low-flying planes across the country carrying video and, at times, cellphone surveillance technology — all hidden behind fictitious companies that are fronts for the government, The Associated Press has learned.

TSA failure: Investigators able to smuggle weapons past airport checks in 95 percent of tests: An internal investigation of the Transportation Security Administration revealed security failures at dozens of the nation’s busiest airports, where undercover investigators were able to smuggle mock explosives or banned weapons through checkpoints in 95 percent of trials.

TSA Director Reassigned in Wake of Security Failures: The acting director of the Transportation Security Administration has been reassigned after an internal investigation revealed security failures at dozens of the nation’s busiest airports, where undercover investigators were able to smuggle mock explosives or banned weapons through checkpoints in 95 percent of trials.

Ex-Nuclear Plant Contractor Charged With Terroristic Threats: A disgruntled contract employee who had been working at Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear power plant harassed and threatened union officials before police discovered he had a carload of explosive materials and ammunition, prosecutors allege in a criminal complaint.

47% of Americans would have to Borrow or Sell Something to Cover an Unexpected Expense of $400: This finding was buried within the Fed report that otherwise offered a rosier outlook on the state of Americans’ financial status.

June 01, 2015

Jihadists in the Service of Imperialism

By Thierry Meyssan

How the Pentagon and the CIA manage to manipulate millions of Muslims and send them off to fight for Uncle Sam’s interests. Continue

Blackwater Trained Some of World’s Top Terrorists

By Washingtons Blog

The head of special forces in Tajikistan was trained by American mercenary company Blackwater, but has now joined ISIS. Continue

Aljazeera Arabic: Should We Kill All Alawites?

Video - English Translation

Is Aljazeera spreading hatred of the Alawite people? You Decide. Continue

Palestinians Betrayed
Why There Was No FIFA Vote To Kick Israel Out Of World Football

By Ali Abunimah

Pro-Israel pressure and backroom deals puncture hope Israel would be held accountable for systematic abuses of Palestinian footballers. Continue

Progressive Apocalypse
Obama Opens Door to Nuclear Nightmare

By Chris Floyd

America’s bipartisan elite would rather put the entire world into more nuclear peril than surrender a single iota for their lust for loot and power. Continue

Zombie Patriot Act Will Keep U.S. Spying—Even if the Original Dies

By Shane Harris

Forget the White House’s doomsday talk about American intelligence going blind. Thanks to backdoor provisions and alternate collection schemes, U.S. spies will keep on snooping. Continue

Why We Can't Trust the NSA (And Why That's a Crisis)

By Ron Fournier

A greater threat than Iran, ISIS, and "lone wolf" attacks: government lies. Continue

Rule By The Corporations
TTIP: The Corporate Empowerment Act

By Paul Craig Roberts

The corporations have bribed the political leaders in every country to sign away their sovereignty and the general welfare of their people to private corporations. Continue

Karl Marx Was Right

By Chris Hedges

Karl Marx - foresaw that capitalism had built within it the seeds of its own destruction. Continue

License to Kill

By Jimmie Moglia

That policemen have a license to kill sounds a somewhat harsh way of stating the obvious. Continue

Iraq: Islamic State bomb attack 'kills 45 police officers': Suicide bombers rammed three vehicles packed with explosives into a base in the Tharthar area, on a road connecting the cities of Falluja and Samarra.

Iraq: 12 killed in 'Iraqi air force barrel bomb' strike: Iraqi army planes ‘dropped bombs in Fallujah on civilian homes and local markets,' claims a tribal chief in Anbar province

Iraq loses 2,300 Humvees to ISIS: "In the collapse of Mosul, we lost a lot of weapons," Abadi said in an interview with Iraqiya state TV. "We lost 2 300 Humvees in Mosul alone. Last year, the State Department approved a possible sale to Iraq of 1 000 Humvees with increased armour, machineguns, grenade launchers, other gear and support that was estimated to cost $579m

Syria: 29 bodies found in water wells: The bodies of 29 people, believed to be killed by Syrian government forces, were removed Monday from water wells in Syria’s northern province of Idlib, said a spokesman for the Idlib Civil Defense.

Islamic State militants 'filmed torturing Syrian boy': Video - A graphic mobile phone video obtained by the BBC appears to show militants from Islamic State (IS) torturing a 14-year-old Syrian boy.

ISIS advances towards Turkey-Syria border: Islamic State fighters advanced against rival insurgents in northern Syria on Sunday, capturing areas close to a border crossing with Turkey, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Syria rebels blame US for failing to strike advancing Isil militants in Turkey border town: Opposition groups say they handed US-led coalition co-ordinates of Islamic State fighters, but they failed to act on the tip

ISIL 'controls half' of Syria's land area: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has seized territory from both Syrian government forces and rival rebels over the weekend, further expanding the area it has proclaimed straddling Iraq and Syria.

The Islamic State launched a new, deadly offensive: Syrian rebels appealed for international assistance to counter a new offensive by the Islamic State in the northern province of Aleppo that could reshape the battlefield in Syria.

Fact or propaganda? Russia reportedly pulling experts from Syria, in bid to save itself from sanctions: Moscow has begun to turn its back on Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime, the London-based Arabic daily A-Sharq al-Awsat reported on Sunday.

Erdogan vows to punish journalist behind Syria trucks video: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has personally threatened the editor of a newspaper which published video footage it said showed the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) helping send weapons to Syria.

8 civilians killed as Saudi-led strikes hit Yemen arms depots: Debris from the explosions fell as far as five kilometres (more than three miles) away, triggering an exodus of residents for safer areas

Yemeni captors post video of abducted Frenchwoman Isabelle Prime: The captors of a French development worker have posted the first video of her since she was abducted. Isabelle Prime is shown appealing to the French and Yemeni governments for her release. Prime was kidnapped in Yemen in February.

War criminal: Ambassador Bolton Says Israel Must Strike Iran Soon: Clock running out as Iran marches to nuclear arsenal with 'legitimization' of deal, which is part of Obama's 'wrong ideology.'

Turks think Israel is their biggest threat, poll finds: Respondents put danger level from the US just behind Israel, but ahead of Syria; 85% see IS as a terror group

German FM calls for lifting of Gaza blockade during visit: During Monday's visit to Gaza he said the enclave was a "powder keg" at risk of exploding, and called for efforts to quicken reconstruction.

Jewish protesters try to block Christian ritual at holy site: Israeli police say they forcibly removed dozens of Jewish protesters trying to prevent a Christian ritual from taking place at a holy site revered in both religions. The skirmish took place Monday at a site revered by Jews as the tomb of the biblical King David and by Christians as the site of Jesus' Last Supper.

Adelson to host secret anti-BDS fundraiser, strategy summit: Conference reportedly being organized by top Jewish donors, including Hollywood entertainment mogul Haim Saban.

50 Killed in Somali-Ethiopian Border Clashes: At least 50 people were killed and scores injured in week-long border clashes between Somali clan militia and an Ethiopian paramilitary unit, Somali authorities said on Monday.

Five killed in Libya suicide attack claimed by IS militant group: The IS group on Sunday declared "war" on the powerful Fajr Libya militia alliance that controls Tripoli and claimed a suicide bombing that killed five of its fighters.

Libya edges closer to economic collapse as currency dives: The crisis has prompted the authorities in Tripoli, who control much of western Libya, to plan cuts to petrol subsidies, to delay public salary payments and to ban on imports from cars to steel.

Nine suspected separatists killed in SW Pakistan: At least nine suspected separatists have been killed in a clash with security forces in the southwestern Baluchistan province on Monday, officials said. The clash occurred in Qallat district during a search operation , which is still ongoing, said Khan Waseh, a spokesman for Frontier Corps (FC), a paramilitary force in Baluchistan to assist police.

5 militants killed as in attacks on police station in Afghanistan: - Five militants were killed in a six-hour-seige on a police station in Jalalabad city, capital of eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar by Taliban overnight Sunday, police said on Monday.

5 killed in eastern Ukraine despite cease-fire: At least two civilians and three Ukrainian troops have been killed in eastern Ukraine despite the ongoing cease-fire, officials on both sides of the conflict said Monday.

Tsipras Blames 'Absurd Proposals' for Greece Debt-Deal Failure : “The lack of an agreement so far is not due to the supposed intransigent, uncompromising and incomprehensible Greek stance,” he wrote. “It is due to the insistence of certain institutional actors on submitting absurd proposals and displaying a total indifference to the recent democratic choice of the Greek people.”

Lafazanis: Greece is preparing request to join BRICS bank: Greece is preparing and will probably submit a request to participate in the new development bank for BRICS countries and has secured Russia’s support on the issue, Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis told ANA-MPA news agency on Friday evening.

20 Most Peaceful Countries in the World to Live in: The first prize goes to Iceland, followed by Denmark and New Zealand. The Global Peace Index has issued a report which lists all 162 countries in the world according to how peaceful they are.

War criminal: Tony Blair 'in £330,000 demand for hunger talk': A SPEECH by Tony Blair at a world hunger conference was dropped after the former Prime Minister allegedly demanded a massive £330,000 fee, it has emerged.

How Corrupt is Britain? : Institutional corruption in Britain is endemic and Professor David Whyte has assembled an impressive list of academics and campaigners to prove the point.

Biggest cancer breakthrough in 40 years sees tumors disappear: The powerful new combination of drugs has cured more than half of the patients in the trial, with tumors either completely eradicated or shrinking. The test was done on 945 patients with advanced melanoma, and carried out with the drugs Ipilimumab and Nivolumab.

Police crush, kill man begging for his life, screaming he was suffocating until his ears turned blue: Some are calling Robert Minjarez Jr. the Latino Eric Garner. Sadly, the comparison is uncanny—including the failure of the system to indict the officers who killed Minjarez.

Missing Minutes From Security Video Raises Questions: Chicago police officers deleted footage from a security camera at a Burger King restaurant - from where 17-year old was shot and killed. McDonald was shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer on the night of October 20, 2014. Nine of the shots struck McDonald in the back, according to the Medical Examiners report.

Maine Tribes Withdraw Legislative Reps in Historic Break with State: The Penobscot Indian Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe took history into their hands last week when they permanently withdrew their representatives from the Maine legislature, ending almost two centuries of participation in the state’s political process.

May 31, 2015

The Rohingya - Adrift on a Sea of Sorrows

By Eric Margolis

When is genocide not really genocide? When the victims are small, impoverished brown people no wants or cares about – Burma’s Rohingya. Continue

Golden Silences in the Propaganda System

By Edward S. Herman

This is dramatically illustrated when we compare the treatment of “worthy” and “unworthy” victims. Continue

Putin: US Foreign Policy Boosted Expansion of Terrorism

By Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten

Putin accuses the West, quite bluntly, to be responsible for the emergence of the Islamic State. Continue

Iran Breaks New Ground In Iraq

By Mahan Abedin

In Iraq the failure of the American- and British-trained army is by definition a victory for Iran. Continue

Obama's Iran Nuclear 'Diplomacy' Boosts US Arms Racket

By Finian Cunningham

US President Barack Obama's nuclear diplomacy with Iran has left many commentators guessing about what objectives Washington is really pursuing. Continue

US Resorts to the Viagra of Militarism

By Finian Cunningham

Unable to deal with its own demise, Washington is resorting to the viagra of militarism to effect an image of virility that it no longer possesses in practice. Continue

Revolution and American Empire

By Rob Urie

Western history ties politics, the freedom to dominate other people, to economics through the reasons for domination. Continue

Denny Hastert is Contemptible
But His Indictment Exemplifies America’s Over-Criminalization Pathology

By Glenn Greenwald

Bush-era House Speaker Denny Hastert, is a living, breathing embodiment of everything sleazy and wrong with U.S. politics. Continue

Financial Coup in Greece

By Stelios Kouloglou

“The government today faces a new kind of coup, one that is not carried out with tanks, as in 1967, but through banks.” - Yanis Varoufakis. Continue

ISIS settles into Ramadi, restores order: Despite a fearsome reputation for inflicting savage violence on foes, ISIS militants have gone out of their way to try to win over residents of Iraq’s Ramadi, providing basic services and governance, locals speaking to Reuters said.

Pro-Iran militias take upper hand after U.S.-backed forces crumble in Anbar: Iraqi forces have seized from Islamic State militants a string of hamlets and villages in the dust-choked desert southeast of Ramadi in recent days, closing in on the key city for a counteroffensive.

Talk grows of U.S. boots on the ground in Iraq: Last week, two key architects of George W. Bush’s 2007 troop surge told the Senate that up to 20,000 additional U.S. troops are needed to defeat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. They’ve found an ally in Sen. John McCain, a longtime Republican hawk.

At least 70 dead after two Syrian attacks on Aleppo: Syrian army airstrikes on Saturday killed at least 70 people, most of them civilians, and wounded scores in the northern province of Aleppo. The attacks struck civilian areas, including a packed market in a town held by the Islamic State group, activists said.

12 civilians killed, more others injured in terrorist attacks in Aleppo: Twelve civilians were killed and others were injured on Sunday in terrorist rocket attacks that hit residential areas in the northern city of Aleppo.

50 Syrian troops killed in two bomb attacks in Hasakah : Report: At least 50 Syrian soldiers were killed or injured on Saturday when two car bombs blew up in the northeastern governorate of Al-Hasakah amid clashes with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant

Explosion near clinic leaves 27 dead in northern Syria: 16 children among dead and scores of people wounded. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria said in a statement that the blast occurred near a clinic in Mayselon neighborhood in Qamishli city. Scores of victims were wounded in the attack and were taken to area hospitals for treatment.

Al Qaeda Syria Boss Says That His “So-Called Khorasan Group Doesn’t Exist”: After the airstrikes had commenced, reports began to surface that no identifiable Syrian activists within the country had ever heard of such an organization.

Video shows arms shipment from Turkey to Syrian rebels: The footage shows gendarmerie and police officers opening crates on the back of the trucks which contain what newspaper Cumhuriyet described as weapons and ammunition. Cumhuriyet said the video was from January 19, 2014 but did not say how it had obtained the footage.

Turkey helps isis? Video - Turkish spy agency (MIT) arming al-Qaeda"

Britain to expand training of Syrian rebels in Turkey: Britain is preparing to expand its military training mission in Iraq and increase the number of personnel helping ready the moderate Syrian opposition in Turkey, a British source familiar with the plan said on Sunday.

Lavrov: ISIS won’t be eliminated through air raids only: “To realize that mission, land military operations are a necessity, Lavrov said, adding “I don’t think how we could do that without the participation of the Syrian government.”

Syria: A Country Divided:Map: Weakened by years of war, Assad's government now controls only a sliver of Syrian territory.

Car bomb kills 12 rebels in south Yemen: A bomb-laden vehicle parked near an arms depot exploded killing 12 Iran-backed rebels and wounding eight others in southern Yemen's Abyan province Saturday, a local official told AFP.

Saudi-led Yemen coalition still using banned cluster bombs: HRW: Human Rights Watch on Sunday published new evidence alleging a Saudi-led coalition is using internationally banned cluster bombs in Yemen, urging it to stop such attacks that were harming civilians.

Yemeni rebels take control of southern city: Security officials said the city of Saeed fell into the hands of the Houthis after some local tribal sheikhs and military leaders accepted money and weapons to facilitate their entry into the area. They say dozens of fighters were killed in the two-day long battle, along with six civilians.

Saudi border guard killed in Yemen shelling: Riyadh: Shelling from Yemen has killed a Saudi border guard and wounded seven others, the latest casualties along the kingdom’s southern frontier, the interior ministry said on Sunday. The latest casualty brings to at least 31 the number of people killed along the border since March 26.

Yemen's Army Warns to Launch Massive Missile Strikes on Saudi Arabia: Commander of Yemen's army missile base near the Saudi borders warned that his country's missiles could soon rain down on all parts of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia winning Yemeni media war: Saudi Arabia is throwing a great deal of money and resources into media backing for the government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. In short order, it has helped equip and launch two satellite TV channels supporting the exiled president, as well as an alternative version of Yemen's official news agency.

Islamic State's Saudi branch calls for clearing Arabian Peninsula of Shi'ites: Saudi Arabia's branch of militant group Islamic State has said it wants to clear the Arabian Peninsula of Shi'ite Muslims and urged young men in the kingdom to join its cause, the U.S.-based SITE monitoring center has reported.

What does a Turkish-Saudi alliance say about Middle East conflicts?: The formation of an anti-Shiite bloc under the new Saudi leadership pushes Turkey to strain its ties with Iran

26 killed in suicide attack inside Nigeria mosque: police: A suicide bombing in a mosque in northeast Nigeria's key city of Maiduguri killed 26 people and injured 28 others who were at afternoon prayers on Saturday, police said.

Suicide bomber hits checkpoint near Libya's Misrata, 5 killed: official: Five people were killed and eight wounded in a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS outside the Libyan city of Misrata Sunday, security officials said.

IS claims Libya suicide attack, declares war on key militia: The Islamic State group on Sunday declared "war" on the powerful Fajr Libya militia alliance that controls Tripoli and claimed a suicide bombing that killed five of its fighters.

Gunmen kill 22 bus passengers in Pakistan attack: Gunmen disguised as members of the Pakistani security forces killed at least 22 passengers on Friday night after forcing them off buses traveling from the western city of Quetta to Karachi on the southern coast, officials said.

Gun battle leaves 13 dead in N. Afghanistan: Conflict between Taliban and the Afghan security forces in the northern Samangan province killed 13 people, including five policemen, provincial Governor Khairullah Anosh said on Sunday.

US calls for land reclamation 'halt' in South China Sea: The US has called for an "immediate and lasting halt" to land reclamation in disputed areas of the South China Sea. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that China's actions in the area were "out of step" with international rules.

US to Arm China’s Pacific Neighbors to Counter Beijing’s Growing Influence: The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) has added a "China Sea Initiative" to the 2016 defense bill. The legislation was drafted, in part, to address China’s ongoing construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea as a part of its ambitious land-reclamation campaign.

China to invest $900b in Belt and Road Initiative: Corridors are set to run through China-Mongolia-Russia, New Eurasian Land Bridge, China-Central and West Asia, China-Indo-China Peninsula, China-Pakistan, and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar, said Zhang.

Map: The U.S. is bound by treaties to defend a quarter of humanity: The United States is bound by a number of treaties that could, in theory, force it to get involved in a war if an ally is attacked. In total, 69 countries have some form of defense pact with the United States, they make up around 75 percent of the world's economic output.

Russian aircraft head off U.S. destroyer in Black Sea: RIA: - Russian military aircraft were scrambled to head off a U.S. warship that was acting "aggressively" in the Black Sea, state news agency RIA reported on Saturday, but the Pentagon denied any unusual behavior.

Ukraine Names Georgia Ex-President Governor of Odessa : Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced Saturday that the new governor of his country's Odessa region will not even be a Ukrainian. Instead, it will be former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is currently wanted in his country over criminal charges.

BRICS summit in Russia to launch New Development Bank & currency pool - Putin: Russia expects to launch the $100-billion BRICS New Development Bank along with a currency reserve pool worth another $100 billion at the July summit in Ufa, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.

European Union anger at Russian travel blacklist: The European Union has responded angrily to Russia's entry ban against 89 European politicians, officials and military leaders. Those banned are believed to include general secretary of the EU council Uwe Corsepius, and former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.

Spain to Permanently Host 2,500 US Troops at Moron Air Base: The Spanish government approved an updated version of a 1988 agreement which allowed the U.S. to station troops and equipment in the Moron Air Base in Seville, in the south of the country.

International effort rescues over 5,000 Mediterranean migrants: The corpses of 17 migrants were brought ashore in Sicily aboard an Italian naval vessel on Sunday along with 454 survivors as efforts intensified to rescue people fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

Swedish fathers to get third month of paid paternity leave: Sweden offers a generous 16-month parental leave which can be taken by either mothers or fathers.

Appeals Court Refuses to Block Release of Guantánamo Force-Feeding Videos: The government has argued that releasing the videos would harm national security by, among other things, inflaming “Muslim sensitivities overseas.”

The fraudulent debate over NSA reform : Whether Section 215 of the Patriot Act is extended or allowed to expire, the vast US government apparatus for spying on the American people will continue unabated.

More than 350 People Killed by US Police in the past 5 Months : The report was based on police records, news reports, internet sources and the paper's own original reporting.

Silk Road Mastermind Ross Ulbricht Sentenced To Life In Prison: Ross Ulbricht, the man behind the darkweb drug marketplace known as the Silk Road, has just been sentenced to more imprisonment than he has actual lives: two life sentences and "max sentences on all other charges."

Ross is Our Socrates: There is not an informed lover of liberty and progress who was not shaken by the life sentence handed down to Ross Ulbricht, visionary web developer and now martyr. The judge’s words were chilling in the extreme. But here we are, with a peaceful, brilliant, fascinating young man condemned to die in prison for being ahead of his time.