July
13, 2015
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The Mess
that Nuland Made
By Robert Parry |
 |
Assistant
Secretary of State Victoria
Nuland engineered Ukraine’s
“regime change” in early
2014 without weighing the
likely chaos and
consequences. Now, as
neo-Nazis turn their guns on
the government, it’s hard to
see how anyone can clean up
the mess that Nuland made.
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Continue |
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We Are All
Greeks Now
By Chris Hedges |
 |
The poor and
the working class in the
United States know what it
is to be Greek. They know
underemployment and
unemployment. They know life
without a pension. -
Continue |
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Bush, Blair Legacy
Continues As -
UN Report: 15,000
Civilians Killed in Iraq in 16 Months:
The conflict in Iraq has taken a
terrible toll on civilians with nearly
15,000 killed and 30,000 wounded during
a 16-month period ending on April 30, by
the Islamic State group, Iraqi security
forces and others, according to a U.N.
report released Monday.
Iraq: 28 killed
in series of Baghdad bombings:
While a car bomb in the northern Shaab
district killed at least 10 people, a
suicide bombing at a nearly market
claimed more lives, reported the BBC.
Bombs' kill
dozens in Syria's Aleppo:
At least 35 people were killed while
more than 40 others were injured in
Syrian government air strikes on a town
held by the Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL) group in Aleppo
Two Islamic State
leaders killed in Syria air strike -
Observatory:
Two senior Islamic State leaders were
killed in an air strike in northeastern
Syria on Monday, the Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights reported. The
Observatory, which gathers its
information from an activist network on
the ground, identified the leaders as an
Iraqi, Abu Osama al-Iraqi, and a Syrian
named Amer al-Rafdan.
Yemen officials
say Saudi-led coalition airstrike has
killed 25 civilians
: emen's Shiite rebels and medical
officials say an airstrike by the
Saudi-led coalition has killed 25
civilians and wounded 50 in the capital,
Sanaa. The rebels, known as Houthis, say
the early Monday strike hit the Sawan
neighborhood in eastern Sanaa.
Yemeni forces
seize Saudi arms airdrop:
The Yemeni forces managed to seize the
weapons and ammunition airdropped to the
terrorists in the southwestern Yemeni
province of Lahij on Monday, Yemen's al-Masirah
TV reported.
Al Qaeda is
winning the war in Yemen:
The war in Yemen has one local winner,
Al Qaeda. The Saudis seem oddly
unconcerned. Since early April, Al Qaeda
in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has
controlled Yemen's fifth-largest city,
Mukkalla, and much of the surrounding
governorate of Hadramawt.
UN chief
'disappointed' over Yemen truce failure:
"Despite the continued air strikes,
despite the fighting, our humanitarian
colleagues and their partners were able
to distribute some vital aid to the
desperate people of Yemen," Dujarric
said.
Iran and world
powers inch closer to nuclear deal:
Officials from Britain, China, France,
Germany, Russia and the United States
met in Vienna early on Tuesday morning,
without Iranian officials present. The
meeting lasted about an hour.
Draft nuclear
deal calls for access to all Iranian
sites -source:
U.N. inspectors would have access to all
suspect Iranian sites, including
military ones, under a draft nuclear
deal that six major powers and Iran are
working to finalize on Tuesday, a
diplomatic source said.
The secret side
of Iran-US relations since the 1979
revolution:
Iran’s attitude to the United States is
like someone pining for a former,
perhaps abusive lover. It has declared
its contempt but also longs to again be
a partner. And as is often the case, the
line dividing hate and love is a thin
one.
Afghanistan
suicide bomb 'kills 33' near former CIA
base:
A suicide car bomb has killed at least
33 people, mostly women and children,
near a military base in Afghanistan,
officials say. The bomber detonated
explosives at a checkpoint near Camp
Chapman, formerly used by the CIA, in
eastern Khost province on Sunday.
32 killed in Al-Shabaab
attack in Somalia:
A total of 32 people, including 25
militants were killed Monday in fighting
between Africa Union (AU) forces and the
Islamist group Al-Shabaab in the
southern Somali district of Rage Celle,
a local official said.
Explosions kill
14 in north Cameroon town near Nigeria:
Two bombs planted by suspected Boko
Haram fighters went off at a bar in a
northern town in Cameroon, killing at
least 14 people, a military spokesman
said Monday.
Ten Libyan
soldiers killed fighting Islamists in
Benghazi: officials:
Five soldiers were killed and six
wounded when they came under attack by
Islamist fighters in one district of the
eastern city, said Milad Zwai, spokesman
for army special forces in the port
city, Libya's second-largest
5 elderly men
among 7 killed:
: Two loyalist soldiers
were killed Monday in clashes with armed
groups in Libya’s restive city of
Benghazi, a pro-government news agency
said, a day after five elderly men died
in shelling.
Tunisian Forces
Kill 3 Senior Leaders of Insurgent
Group:
Tunisia’s interior minister said
security forces had killed three senior
leaders of an insurgent group who were
trying to establish an armed presence in
the south of the country.
At least one
killed in Nigeria suicide bombing:
At least one person was killed and three
others injured on Monday after a suicide
bombing at a military checkpoint in
Maiduguri, capital of northeastern
Nigeria's Borno state, a security source
said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
U.S. considering
drones in North Africa to monitor
Islamic State: WSJ:
The United States is holding discussions
with countries in North Africa about
locating drones at a base there to
heighten monitoring of Islamic State in
Libya, the Wall Street Journal reported
on Sunday, citing a senior
administration official.
Poroshenko orders
all illegal arms group disarmed in
Ukraine amid standoff with Right Sector:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has
ordered security forces to disarm all
illegal armed groups in the country,
following a deadly gunfight involving
the Right Sector ultranationalists and
the police in the town of Mukachevo.
U.S. considers
training Ukrainian army troops: general:
U.S. officials are considering expanding
the American military training mission
in Ukraine to include army and special
operations troops, likely focusing on
issues like tactics and combat medicine,
a top U.S. Army general said on Monday.
Tsipras: Greece
Faced Financial Strangling, Will Keep
Fighting :
The Greek Prime
Minister promised that “no matter what
the burdens will be ... it will not be
the case that those who have shouldered
the burden during the last years will be
stuck footing the bill once more ...
those who avoided paying — many of whom
were protected by the previous
governments — will ... shoulder the
burden."
Greece bailout deal sparks domestic
opposition:
Greek junior coalition partner says it
cannot back agreement with EU, as civil
servants' union calls for 24-hour
strike.
Puerto Rico
Officials, Advisers Hold Meeting With
Creditors:
Puerto Rican officials and advisers on
Monday held the first of what they say
will be several meetings with creditors
to explain why they believe it is
necessary to restructure the U.S.
territory's public debt amid a deepening
economic crisis.
Escaped Drug Lord
'El Chapo' in Sinaloa,:
It should be of little surprise that
Mexican drug lord and leader of the
world’s most powerful Sinaloa
narcotrafficking cartel, Joaquin “El
Chapo” Guzman, has escaped jail under
dubious circumstances for the second
time. How quickly he has been allowed to
flee is however, remarkable.
DEA Knew About El
Chapo Escape Plans:
A shocking new report suggests that
officials from the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) knew about the
“escape plans” plotted by the top
Mexican drug lord, Joaquin Guzman “El
Chapo” and his allies.
US torture
report: psychologists should no longer
aid military, group says:
A representative of the US’s largest
professional association of
psychologists, which is in the throes of
crisis after an independent review found
it to be complicit in torture, has said
psychologists should no longer
participate in US detentions and
interrogations.
Massachusetts man
charged in terror plot, accused of
planning to attack bar:
An FBI affidavit filed in the case notes
that the defendant has a “long history
of mental illness” and that during the
past 18 months, he’d become “obsessed
with Islam.”
New York City to
pay Garner family $5.9m in choking death:
New York City has agreed to pay $5.9m
(£3.8m) to the family of Eric Garner who
died after a violent arrest. The arrest
was captured on video and Garner's words
"I can't breathe" became a slogan for
protesters nationwide.
Wisconsin
Governor Walker says running for U.S.
president in 2016:
- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
announced on Monday he was joining the
crowded Republican field seeking the
White House in the November 2016
election. |
July 10,
2015
MH-17 Case
Slips into Propaganda Fog
By Robert Parry |
 |
Instead of a
transparent investigation
seeking justice, the case
became a propaganda game of
finger-pointing, with the
CIA withholding key evidence
all the better to blame
Russia -
Continue |
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Those Who
Pretend to Sleep
By John R. Hall
|
 |
Here in the
belly of the beast, among
the zombie-fascist, gun-totin’,
flag-wavin’ hordes of fellow
Americans I spend my days in
fearless loathing. -
Continue |
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Iraqi Officials:
Bombs in Baghdad, Iraqi Town Kill 16
People:
A series of bombings in Iraq, including
a car bombing in Baghdad and a town
south of the Iraqi capital, killed 16
people on Thursday, officials said.
Iraq police and
militiamen clash in Baghdad:
An interior ministry officer said around
15 gunmen from the Hashed al-Shaabi
(Popular Mobilisation) force stormed an
unfinished health ministry building in
the Zayyounah neighbourhood overnight.
U.N. says Yemen's
warring factions agree to humanitarian
truce:
The pause in the fighting will last
about a week until the end of the Muslim
holy month of Ramadan and aims to allow
the delivery of assistance to some of
the 21 million Yemenis in need.
New Al-Qaeda
leader in Yemen urges attacks on United
States:
The newly appointed leader of Al-Qaeda’s
Yemen branch called for attacks on the
United States, as the U.N. announced the
start of a weeklong truce in the
war-torn country
Iran says Western
powers backtracking as nuclear deadline
expires:
Iran accused major powers Friday of
backtracking on previous pledges and
throwing up new "red lines" at nuclear
talks, after the deadline to reach an
agreement in time to receive expedited
scrutiny from the U.S. Congress expired
with no deal.
U.S. refuses to
back down on Iran sanctions relief:
“While the Iranian team is showing
flexibility, the Americans are refusing
to accept Iran’s obvious right,
particularly on sanctions,” Fars quoted
an unnamed source as saying.
Tunis: 5 Islamist
militants killed
: Tunisian security forces have killed
five Islamist militants in clashes in
the mountains near the central town of
Gafsa, a security source said on Friday.
3 killed as
Cameroon repulses Boko Haram attack:
Cameroon's army has repulsed an attack
by Boko Haram and killed three of the
Nigerian Islamist militants in heavy
fighting in the Far North region of the
country, a Cameroon government spokesman
said on Thursday.
Egypt: Nearly 250
ISIS terrorists killed in Sinai, over 60
arrested:
Fighting still ongoing between Egyptian
army and Islamic State militants in
Sinai, with Cairo presenting high
numbers of enemy casualties to
reporters, in attempt to win propaganda
battle.
Russia's Cutting
Edge Submarine Fleet to Receive
'Aircraft Carrier Killer':
Russia plans to expand its nascent
high-end submarine fleet with two new
fifth generation nuclear-powered
watercraft, known only as an "aircraft
carrier killer" and an "underwater
interceptor" at the moment.
Greece seeks
53.5B euros in new bailout package:
Greece's government has agreed to
longstanding demands by creditors to
impose sweeping sales tax hikes and cuts
in state spending for pensions.
The Greek reform proposals : Pension
reform:
The Authorities recognise that the
pension system is unsustainable and
needs fundamental reforms. This is why
they will implement in full the 2010
pension reform law (3863/2010), and
implement in full or replace/adjust the
sustainability factors for supplementary
and lump-sum pensions from the 2012
reform as a part of the new pension
reform
3 reasons the
average American may be worse off than
Greece:
Americans actually have more debt
relative to income earned
Pope calls for
new economic order, criticizes
capitalism:
Pope Francis on Thursday urged the
downtrodden to change the world economic
order, denouncing a "new colonialism" by
agencies that impose austerity programs
and calling for the poor to have the
"sacred rights" of labor, lodging and
land.
Pope begs
forgiveness for crimes of church against
indigenous of America:
History's first Latin American pope
"humbly" begged forgiveness during an
encounter in Bolivia with indigenous
groups and other activists and in the
presence of Bolivia's first-ever
indigenous president, Evo Morales.
Latinos surpass
whites as largest ethnic group in
California:
Latinos have officially become the
largest ethnic group in California,
making it the third US state without a
white majority. Texas is expected to
reach the same milestone by the end of
the decade.
FBI and DOJ
Target New Enemy In Crypto Wars: Apple
and Google:
The FBI and Department of Justice on
Wednesday targeted a new set of threats
to national security and law
enforcement: not ISIS, or pedophiles,
but Apple and Google.
Who believes this
nonsense?
FBI: U.S. Authorities Thwarted July 4
Terrorist Attacks:
In the past four weeks, authorities have
arrested at least 10 people who were
allegedly inspired by ISIS and planned
to carry out terrorist attacks against
the country earlier this month, Comey
told reporters.
This is the USA?
Judge: Man charged with IS support to be
held indefinitely:
A federal judge has ordered the
indefinite detention of a 19-year-old
North Carolina man accused of plotting a
series of American deaths to show his
support for the Middle East group
calling itself the Islamic State.
US: More than 21
million affected by government data
breach:
Hackers stole Social Security numbers,
health histories and other highly
sensitive data from more than 21 million
people, the Obama administration said
Thursday, acknowledging that the breach
of U.S. government computer systems was
far more severe than previously
disclosed.
South Carolina
governor signs bill to remove
Confederate flag:
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
signed legislation on Thursday to
permanently remove the Confederate
battle flag from the state capitol
grounds, following an emotional debate
spurred by the massacre of nine black
churchgoers last month.
Rotten to the core:
Marco Rubio is
bought and paid for by the biggest
education scam in America:
The Republican presidential hopeful is
campaigning for, and with the backing
of, the for-profit college industry
|
June 09,
2015
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34 IS militants
killed in Syria clashes:
At least 34 Islamic State (IS) militants
were killed on Thursday in clashes with
Kurdish forces and US-led international
coalition airstrikes in northeastern
Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights (SOHR) reported.
Attacks kill 19
people in Syria's Aleppo;
Fifteen of the dead, among them four of
the children, came in the barrel bomb
strike on a rebel-held district of the
divided northern city, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said.
13 rebels, one
Hezbollah fighter killed in Zabadani
clash:
Hezbollah and Syrian army forces
Wednesday advanced further into a
northwestern region of a Syrian border
town which has been the scene of fierce
fighting over the past week, a source
told The Daily Star.
Syria army
'battles IS outside Palmyra':
Government troops were now some five
kilometres (three miles) west of the
city and engaged in fierce clashes with
forces from the extremist group.
Syria Kurds hunt
jihadists after retaking town near IS
bastion:
The town, only 50km (30 miles) north of
Raqqa, is of strategic importance.- “Ain
Issa was liberated and IS fighters were
driven out”, the Kurdish People s
Protection Units (YPG) said on Twitter.
40 killed in
clashes, airstrikes against IS in Iraq:
At least 40 people were killed on
Thursday in clashes with Islamic State
(IS) militants and airstrikes by Iraqi
and US-led coalition aircraft in the
Iraqi provinces of Anbar and Salahudin,
a government statement and provincial
security sources said.
Six killed, 17
injured as attacks rock Baghdad:
“Three homemade bombs went off in public
areas in Baghdad’s Taji, Tarmiya and Al-Aamel
neighborhoods,” a local police captain,
speaking on condition of anonymity, told
Anadolu Agency.
36 rebels killed
in south Yemen attacks, airstrikes:
Yemeni fighters allied with exiled
President Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi
killed 15 rebels in a Thursday attack on
their checkpoints in the country's
southern Abyan province, a military
source said.
UN calls for
humanitarian truce in Yemen as of Friday:
A humanitarian truce will go into force
in Yemen Friday to allow for urgently
needed aid to reach civilians, the U.N.
spokesman said. The pause will go into
effect at 23:59 local time (2059 GMT)
Friday until the end of Ramadan on July
17, he said.
Kerry: We will
not rush into nuclear deal with Iran:
US Secretary of State John Kerry says,
however, he is prepared to walk away if
tough decisions are not made soon.
Report: Obama puts Iran deal odds at
'less than 50-50':
"He said the chances he thought were
less than 50-50 at this point and that
he wouldn't agree to something he
thought was weak or unenforceable," said
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.,
Russia wants
Iran's arms embargo 'lifted as soon as
possible'
: Russia wants to see a
United Nations arms embargo against Iran
lifted "as soon as possible" but it is
up to Tehran to accept the terms of a
final nuclear deal, Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.
Israeli PM warns
Hamas over two Israelis 'held in Gaza':
Israel said it believes one, an
Ethiopian Israeli, was being held by
Hamas. An Israeli Arab is also being
held in Gaza, defence officials say.
From his office in cloud
cuckoo land:
Mike Huckabee:
“There’s Really No Such Thing As A
Palestinian”
- That’s been a political tool to try
and force land away from Israel.”
S. Arabia
manipulating world media with
petro-dollars – Reporters Without
Borders:
To paint a better picture of the
Kingdom, Riyadh has been paying media
across the globe as well as setting
plans to ban reporters critical of the
government from working in the country,
Reporters Without Borders concluded
after digging into WikiLeaks.
Former Saudi FM
Prince Saud al-Faisal dies:
Prince Saud, appointed in 1975, was the
world's longest serving foreign minister
when he retired in April.
Libya: 23
civilians and soldiers killed in 3 days
following clashes in Benghazi:
Libya's national army, aligned to the
country's Tobruk-based government, has
reported 15 of its troops have been
killed in the fighting. Eight civilians,
four of them brothers from the same
family, were killed when a shell landed
on a house in a built up area in central
Benghazi.
Libya's
recognized government warns tankers away
from Ras Lanuf port:
Libya's recognized government warned its
security forces would seize any tankers
approaching the Ras Lanuf terminal
without permission, saying any attempt
to make oil deals with the rival
government in Tripoli would be "piracy".
22 killed in
Algerian ethnic clashes:
At least 22 people have been killed in
ethnic clashes between Arab and Amazigh
communities around the Algerian desert
town of Ghardaia, with several
businesses and homes burned down,
medical sources and state media said on
Wednesday.
3,000-strong
Ethiopian force crosses into Somalia:
According to eyewitnesses in Dolo town,
450km southwest of Mogadishu, the
military force proceeded to Luq town,
350km southwest of the Somali capital.
Will Germany
admit to genocide in Namibia?:
100 years after the end of colonial rule
in modern-day Namibia, the German
government has yet to acknowledge the
killings of tens of thousands of Herero
and Nama people as ‘genocide.’ Now it
looks like there might be movement on
the issue
Afghan spy agency
says third Islamic State commander
killed in drone strike:
Shahidullah Shahid, a former member of
the Pakistani Taliban who defected to
the Islamic State and was operating in
Afghanistan, was killed along with five
militants on Tuesday, an official said.
Afghans, Taliban
agree ‘to meet again’ following Pakistan
talks:
Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif
hailed the meeting as a breakthrough,
though the Taliban show no sign of
easing up on their bloody summer
offensive, launching two suicide attacks
in Kabul on Tuesday as talks were about
to get under way.
Pro-ISIS Airline
Pilots Tracked by Law Enforcement in
Southeast Asia:
“Both [pilots] appear to be influenced
by pro-IS elements including extremist
online propaganda by well-known radical
Indonesia outlets and a suspected
Indonesian foreign terrorist fighter who
is likely to be in either Syria or
Iraq,” the report states.
China bars 'big'
shareholders from selling their stocks:
China's market regulator has barred
major shareholders and executives of
listed companies from selling their
shares for the next six months, it said
in a statement, the latest government
action to stem a slide in the markets.
EU's Tusk urges
debt relief as part of Greek deal:
The European Union's chairman joined
growing international calls for Greece
to be granted debt restructuring as part
of any new loan deal if it delivers
convincing reforms to avert imminent
bankruptcy.
Germany's
Schaeuble: Greece needs debt haircut but
we can't help:
Germany's finance minister conceded for
the first time on Thursday that a
write-off of some of Europe's loans to
Greece might be needed to get the
country's debt to a manageable level,
but in the same breath ruled out such a
step.
British
Government subjected thousands of people
to chemical and biological warfare
trials:
New research, has revealed that British
military aircraft dropped thousands of
kilos of a chemical of ‘largely unknown
toxic potential’ on British civilian
populations in and around Salisbury in
Wiltshire, Cardington in Bedfordshire
and Norwich in Norfolk.
WikiLeaks: NSA
Targeted German Chancellery, Merkel
Aides:
WikiLeaks on Wednesday published a new
list of German phone numbers it claims
showed the U.S. National Security Agency
targeted phones belonging to Chancellor
Angela Merkel's close aides and
chancellery offices for surveillance.
Hacking Team
Emails Expose Proposed Death Squad Deal,
Secret U.K. Sales Push and Much More:
One of Hacking Team’s key corporate
partners is Nice Systems, an
Israel-based company with close links to
Israeli military and intelligence
agencies.
Spying on the
Internet is Orders of Magnitude More
Invasive Than Phone Metadata:
The NSA’s phone metadata program is
being ended. But XKEYSCORE and mass
internet surveillance almost certainly
continues — and is more outrageous.
FBI chief wants
'backdoor access' to encrypted
communications to fight Isis:
Experts warn that ‘magical thinking’ of
a security flaw only the US government
could exploit could easily be utilized
by hackers, foreign spies and terrorists
Chris Christie:
Fears Over NSA Spying Powers
'Ridiculous':
Chris Christie called for strengthening
U.S. intelligence gathering capabilities
and downplayed the privacy concerns
expressed by some of his Republican
colleagues during a national security
address
Exxon Mobil Knew
of Climate Change in 1981 but Funded
Deniers
: An email by a former leading climate
scientist at oil giant Exxon Mobil
suggested the company knew about the
risks fossil fuels exploration posed for
climate change back in 1981 and yet the
company instead spent million on
supporting climate change deniers.
BRICS Announces
New University for the South :
?Russian President Vladimir Putin
announced Thursday the BRICS group of
nations will create their own
university. “Member states of the bloc
have agreed to coordinate their efforts
in (the area of) information security,
including on the Internet. There will be
a network of community universities to
bolster scientific and technological
exchange
Expect the
Barometer to Rise in Mexico:
Over 90 percent of Mexicans have lost
faith in their political parties. What
comes next?
Rotten to the core:
Mexicans Spread
Disease, Says Trump
: Donald Trump claims the Mexican
government is behind a conspiracy to
expel disease-ridden criminals, rapists
and other “worst elements” to the United
States.
Rotten to the core:
Presidential
hopeful Bush tells overworked Americans
‘work longer hours’:
Speaking in Hudson, New Hampshire, Bush
said he would be looking to improve the
economy, if elected in November 2016,
but in order to achieve this, people
would have to work even more hours.
S. Carolina
lawmakers vote to remove Confederate
flag:
South Carolina legislators voted
overwhelmingly to remove the Confederate
battle flag from the monument on capitol
grounds. All amendments to the proposal
were defeated in a 15-hour debate, and
the 94-20 vote took place shortly after
1am local time. |
July 08,
2015
|
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War
Without Mercy in Yemen
Towards
the End of Saudi Arabia?
By Sayed Hasan |
 |
It announces
with certainty the
inevitable fall of the House
of Saud, whose Wahhabi
ideology and foreign policy
have been the cancer of
Islam and of the Arab world
for decades. -
Continue |
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Austerity
Has Failed
By Thomas Piketty, Jeffrey
Sachs, Heiner Flassbeck,
Dani Rodrik and Simon
Wren-Lewis |
 |
Five leading
economists warn the German
chancellor, “History will
remember you for your
actions this week.” -
Continue |
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Iraqi army, Shia
fighters kill 109 Daesh militants:
Iraqi government soldiers killed 36 ISIL
militants and destroyed three cars
belonging to the terrorists as they
thwarted an ISIL onslaught on Fatha
district, located 35 kilometers (21
miles) northeast of the strategic
northern city Tikrit.
Isis 'kills four
children' as it 'destroys' ancient
church in Iraqi city of Mosul:
Members of the group blew up a church
which had been standing for thousands of
years. Isis fighters inadvertently
killed four children who were near the
church at the time, Saeed Mamuzini, a
spokesman for the Mosul arm of the
Kurdistant Deomcractic Party told the
Rudaw Kurdish news website.
13 Syria rebels,
1 Hezbollah fighter killed in Zabadani
clash:
Hezbollah and Syrian army forces
Wednesday advanced further into a
northwestern region of a Syrian border
town which has been the scene of fierce
fighting over the past week, a source
told The Daily Star.
Syria ratifies
fresh $1 billion credit line from Iran:
The agreement was between two
state-owned banks, the Syrian Commercial
Bank and Export Development Bank of
Iran, it said. Syria signed a previous
$3.6 billion credit line with Iran in
July 2013 which has been used up mostly
for oil imports, bankers have said
30 soldiers
killed in mutiny at Yemen army base:
Saudi-led coalition jets, which have
bombed Yemeni rebel positions since
March, intervened when "dozens of
soldiers defected and announced their
support" for Shia Huthi rebels
yesterday, prompting clashes with
pro-government troops, the military
source said.
Yemen crisis:
Dozens of soldiers killed in air strike:
One military source said the soldiers
were loyal to the exiled president and
that the facility was hit in error. But
another source claimed the strike was
called in to stop the soldiers defecting
to the Houthi rebel movement.
'Real risk' of
famine in Yemen as death toll passes
3,000:
The situation is "clearly deteriorating
by the day," said Antoine Grand, head of
the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) in Yemen, with food
shortages making famine a "real risk",
and electricity and fuel increasingly
scarce.
Iran says makes
new proposal in nuclear talks, West
unimpressed:
Kerry and Zarif were involved in a tense
exchange over U.N. sanctions on Monday
night, diplomats said. Tehran says
conventional weapons and missiles have
nothing to do with the nuclear issue and
embargoes should therefore be removed.
4 Reasons Why
Sheldon Adelson Anti-BDS Campaign Will
Backfire:
And so, the great irony of Israel
continues: Those who hold themselves out
as Israel’s staunchest defenders are
often, in fact, its worst enemies.
Death toll in Jos,
Nigeria attacks now 51: relief agency:
Boko Haram is suspected of carrying out
Sunday night's attack, which saw a
mosque hit with bullets and a
rocket-propelled grenade, and a
restaurant targeted within minutes of
each other.
Nigeria: 30 are
Killed in Kaduna, Borno
: There appears to be no end in sight to
the guerilla warfare in Northern
Nigeria, as no fewer than 25 people lost
their lives while 32 others sustained
injuries when a bomb was detonated in
Zaria, Kaduna State yesterday.
15 killed in
Arab-Berber violence in Algeria:
news agency: The agency, citing hospital
and local officials, said dozens of
other people were hurt in Tuesday's
violence between Chaamba Arabs and
Mozabite Berbers in the M'zab region on
the edge of the Sahara desert
5 Egyptian
civilians killed in Sinai mortar attack:
Five Egyptian civilians were killed on
Wednesday when a mortar round hit a
house in a North Sinai village where the
army is battling jihadist insurgents,
security officials said.
Afghanistan: 66
insurgents killed, 53 injured in
operations:
Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that
Afghan National Police (ANP) has
conducted clearance operations against
insurgents in different areas of
Kandahar, Uruzgan, Maidan Wardak,
Nangarhar, Baghlan and Paktiya
provinces. In these operations 32 rebels
were eliminated and 20 others injured.
Chinese shares
continue to slide:
The Shanghai Composite index plunged 8%
on opening, taking the drop in share
values to 30% since their June peak.
China unveils new
measures to prop up stocks:
China's government on Wednesday told
state companies and corporate executives
to buy shares, raised the amount of
equities insurance companies can hold
and promised more credit to finance
trading.
The really
worrying financial crisis is happening
in China, not Greece:
China looks like it is heading for its
version of the 1929 stock market crash
Russia: Upper
house approves first list of 12
‘undesirable’ foreign groups:
Russia’s Federation Council has released
a list of foreign organizations it plans
to declare ‘undesirable’. The 12 entries
in the document include the Soros
Foundation and the US National Endowment
for Democracy.
Putin: Russia and
China can overcome any difficulty
together:
Welcoming China's leader to two summits
in the Russian city of Ufa, President
Vladimir Putin says Russia and China can
overcome their countries' difficulties
by working together.
Greece seeks
three-year loan, pledges to enact
reforms next week:
Greece promised to implement pension and
tax reforms as early as next week as the
first step to securing a three-year
rescue loan to cover debt obligations,
according to a letter requesting the
funding from European partners on
Wednesday.
IMF Slams
Germany, Says Greece "Needs Debt
Restructuring":
IMF chief Christine Lagarde reiterates
that Greece's massive debt will need
restructuring, something Germany is
resisting. "Greece is in a situation of
acute crisis, which needs to be
addressed seriously and promptly," she
tells the Brookings Institution
think-tank in Washington.
Britain slashes
spending in new austerity drive:
"We found savings of £12 billion from
welfare and £5 billion from tackling tax
evasion, avoidance, planning and
imbalances in the tax system. "The other
half will largely come from government
departments through savings and cuts."
Britain commits
to NATO 2 percent defense spending
target for next 5 years:
"Committing today to meet the NATO
pledge to spend 2 percent of our
national income on defense. Not just
this year, but every year of this
decade." Shares in BAE Systems,
Britain's biggest defense contractor,
traded up 2.9 percent after the news,
making the company one of the top risers
on Britain's bluechip index.
NSA spied on
German Chancellors for 10 yrs, tapped
125 govt phone numbers - WikiLeaks:
Washington has been tapping the phones
of the political offices of the last
three German chancellors – Angela
Merkel, Gerhard Schröder (in office
1998–2002) and Helmut Kohl (chancellor
from 1982 to 1998), the whistleblowing
site said in a report Wednesday.
NSA Intercepts
98% Of South American Communications:
Assange:
“Ninety-eight percent of Latin American
communications are intercepted by the
NSA while passing through the United
States to the world,” Assange said in an
interview with the publication.
New York Stock
Exchange Grinds to a Halt
: The New York Stock Exchange has
suddenly stopped trading. The New York
Stock Exchange suspended all trading
Wednesday, after reports of technical
glitches. Officials at the NYSE say the
situation is being resolved, and there
is no sign the incident was caused by a
cyber attack.
Rand Paul: ‘Very
Good Chance’ Hillary Lied To Congress
About Benghazi [VIDEO]:
According to a new report, the
government knew about arms being sent to
the Libyan rebels at the time, which
Paul says is “an important issue”
because many of those who ended up with
the arms “are not friends of America.”
To Help US
Veterans Charity, George W. Bush Charged
$100,000:
Former President George W. Bush charged
$100,000 to speak at a charity
fundraiser for U.S. military veterans
severely wounded in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and former First Lady Laura
Bush collected $50,000 to appear a year
earlier, officials of the Texas-based
Helping a Hero charity confirmed to ABC
News. |
July 07,
2015
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Laos After the Bombs
By Brett S. Morris |
 |
From 1964 to
1973, the US dropped two million tons of bombs on Laos.
The horrendous effects are still being felt. -
Continue |
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78 killed as Syrian Kurds retake northern
villages from ISIS: activists:
Intensified airstrikes across northern Syria and clashes on the
ground have killed at least 78 ISIS fighters since Sunday night, the
Britain-based Observatory said.
Al-Nusra suicide bombing kills 25 soldiers in
Syria's Aleppo: monitor: A
suicide bomber from Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front,
killed 25 government soldiers and fighters in an attack on an army
base in government-held western Aleppo on Monday, a Britain-based
monitoring group said.
Syria militants confess to receiving training
in Turkey: Militants, who were
caught recently in the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo, confessed
in interviews broadcast by the Syrian state TV on Sunday that
military personnel from the US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar had trained
them on Turkey’s soil.
U.S. only training 60 Syrian fighters, far
below expectations: The program,
which was launched in May in Jordan and later in Turkey, had aimed
to train as many as 5,400 fighters a year.
Obama: Assad must go for war to end:
President Barack Obama Monday said the only way to defeat ISIS and
end Syria’s civil war is through a government without Syrian
President Bashar Assad, as he pledged to increase U.S. support for
the moderate opposition in the war.
Barack Obama says fight against Isis will be
'generational struggle': “This
broader challenge of countering violent extremism is not simply a
military effort,” Obama said in remarks from the Pentagon on Monday.
“Ideologies are not defeated by guns. They’re defeated with better
ideas – a more attractive and more compelling vision.
U.S.-Led Coalition Hits Raqqa; Dozens Killed
in Iraq Bombings: Civilian
casualties have been reported in one of the largest U.S.-led strikes
against the Islamic State in Syria to date. At least 10 militants
were killed along with a reported eight civilians in the ISIL
stronghold of Raqqa
10 Killed in Suicide car Bombings in Iraq:
In the morning, two suicide bombers drove their explosives-laden
vehicles into Iraqi troops and allied militias in Sikak district in
the city of Baiji, some 200 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, the
source told Xinhua news agency.
War
criminal:
Tony Blair: Iraq war didn’t cause 7/7:
“This is a global problem ... we're not going to allow anyone to
excuse themselves by saying that the slaughter of totally innocent
people is somehow a response to any decision by any government.” He
also said the issue is likely to get worse in the future, warning
that the terror threat “is not going away.”
Saudi Air strikes, ground combat in Yemen
killed nearly 200: Saudi-led
coalition air strikes and clashes killed at least 176 fighters and
civilians in Yemen on Monday, residents and media run by the Houthi
movement said, the highest daily toll since the Arab air offensive
began more than three months ago.
UN: civilian death toll in Yemen conflict
tops 1,500: The United Nations'
human rights office says the number of civilians killed in three
months of violence in Yemen has risen above 1,500.
Watch: Saudi Soldier Flee Huthi Attack
- Video
Iran nuclear deal deadline to be extended
again: Talks between Iran and
Western powers to find a nuclear deal will continue past the July 7
deadline for a "couple of days", European Union foreign policy chief
Federica Mogherini has announced.
'No big deal': Senior Iranian commander says
Tehran ready for war with US: A
top commander warned that Iran is ready for an all-out war with US,
alleging that aggression against Tehran “will mobilize the Muslim
world" against it. The remarks follow Secretary of State John
Kerry’s claims that military force was still an option.
Document Reveals Billionaire Backers Behind
United Against Nuclear Iran:
Together, the funding associated with Kaplan and Adelson accounted
for more than three-quarters of the group’s total revenue of $1.7
million for the 2013 tax year.
Hillary Clinton Pledges to Defend Israeli
Apartheid & Fight BDS Movement in Letter to Mega-Donor:
Hillary Clinton sent a letter to media mogul Haim Saban, a
mega-donor, “I am writing to express my alarm over the Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or ‘BDS,’ a global effort to
isolate the State of Israel by ending commercial and academic
exchanges,” Clinton wrote
IDF violence against 'Marianne' peace sailors
: Video - Video that shows the
violence used by israeli comandos during the kidnaping of 'Mariane'
boat of Freedom Flotilla III.
Nigeria suicide blast 'kills 25' in Zaria:
At least 25 people were killed when a bomb blast ripped through a
packed government office in Zaria, northern Nigeria, on Tuesday, in
a suspected suicide attack likely to be blamed on Boko Haram.
Kenya: Al-Shabab kills 14 quarry workers in
Mandera gun attack: At least 14
people have been killed and several others wounded in a gun attack
near a military camp at the Kenyan border with Somalia. Residents
told the BBC they had heard two explosions, followed by heavy
gunfire in the middle of a night.
Afghanistan: 49 ISIS affiliates killed in
Nangarhar drone strikes: At least
49 militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) terrorist group were killed in separate drone strikes in
eastern Nangahar province. According to the local government
officials, the militants were killed in Achin district on Monday.
Taliban kill Pakistani soldier in attack on
army bunker: A Taliban gunman
Tuesday shot and killed a Pakistani soldier in an attack on an army
bunker in the country's northwestern region that is a hotbed of
Islamist militant activity, an official said.
Pakistan airdrops arms to Taliban: Afghan
official: Report: A senior Afghan
official has accused Pakistani helicopters of airdropping weapons to
the Taliban militants in the troubled southeastern part of
Afghanistan.The Afghan Defense Ministry, said on Monday that Afghan
forces have been instructed to use all means to stop the Pakistani
military choppers to assist the militants.
Taliban, Afghan govt talk peace in Islamabad:
According to reports, the government side is being led by Deputy
Foreign Minister Hikmat Khalil Karzai, while the Taliban are being
led by Former Deputy Foreign Minister Mullah Jalil and Senior leader
Qari Din Muhammad.
About 8,000 militants, including IS, present near
Tajik-Afghan border: They were
about 800 people in the early 2014, now their number has grown to
8,000. In two years, their number has increased 10-fold," he said.
Chinese chaos worse than Greece:
A stock market crash there has seen $3.2 trillion wiped from the
value of Chinese shares in just three weeks, triggering an emergency
response from the government and warnings of “monstrous” public
disorder.
Russia
claims to have developed secret 'superweapon' capable of switching
off foreign satellites and enemy weapons:
Russia has claimed to have built a revolutionary new weapon system
that can render enemy satellites and weapons useless. Its Russian
makers say it is a 'fundamentally new electronic warfare system'
which can be mounted on ground-based as well as air- and sea-borne
carriers.
Russia’s S-400 Air Defense System to Sport
New Missile: General Babakov said
that crews operating the new missile system were now being trained
at military academies, retraining centers and test ranges.
Here's the $17 Trillion Reason Why the BRICS
Summit This Week Is a Big Deal:
The combined economic output last year of Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa almost matched the U.S.’s gross domestic
product. Back in 2007, the U.S. economy was double the BRICS.
Migrant sailboat sinks in Aegean, at least 17
missing: Greece's maritime
ministry said Greek and Turkish rescue efforts had saved 16 of the
between 33 and 37 migrants believed to be on board when the boat
went down between the Greek islands of Farmakonisi and Agathonisi.
Greenwald: What Portugal Can Teach Us About
Decriminalizing Drugs: The data
show that, judged by virtually every metric, the Portuguese
decriminalization framework has been a resounding success. Within
this success lie self-evident lessons that should guide drug policy
debates around the world.
Leaked Documents Show FBI, DEA and U.S. Army
Buying Italian Spyware: The FBI,
Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Army have all bought
controversial software that allows users to take remote control of
suspects’ computers, recording their calls, emails, keystrokes and
even activating their cameras, according to internal documents
hacked from the software’s Italian manufacturer.
US-Orchestrated Coup Attempt in Ecuador:
Ecuador is in the eye of the storm. Obama's earlier 2010 attempt to
forcibly unseat popular President Rafael Correa failed. He's trying
again.
Rotten to the core :
Mexicans Spread Disease, Says Trump F: Donald
Trump claims the Mexican
government is behind a conspiracy to expel disease-ridden criminals,
rapists and other “worst elements” to the United States.
Rotten to the core:
Eric Holder Returns as Hero to Law Firm That
Lobbies for Big Banks: After
failing to criminally prosecute any of the financial firms
responsible for the market collapse in 2008, former Attorney General
Eric Holder is returning to Covington & Burling, a corporate law
firm known for serving Wall Street clients.
Rotten to the core :
WSJ Allows Gingrich To Boost Anti-Consumer
Group Without Disclosing He's Paid By Them:
The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by Newt Gingrich
attacking the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and
promoting the U.S. Consumer Coalition without disclosing that the
anti-CFPB group employs him as a paid adviser.
New SWAT Documents Give Snapshot of Ugly
Militarization of U.S. Police:
“Special Weapons And Tactics” units spend a majority of their time
responding to low-risk situations that do not require SWAT’s
quasi-military approach.
Watch: Caught on camera: Dallas cop confronts
teen: "I'll break your f***ing
neck"
South Carolina senate votes to remove
Confederate flag from statehouse grounds:
A bill to remove the flag from the state grounds passed a crucial
second reading by an overwhelming vote of 37-3 after an emotional
debate in the state Senate. |
July 06,
2015
Still Waiting for USS Liberty’s Truth
By Ray McGovern |
 |
The most
potent and poignant example of how much American
independence has been surrendered to Israel when it
comes to events in the Middle East may be the
contortions of cover-up that followed Israel’s attempt
to sink the USS Liberty during the Six-Day War in 1967,
killing 34 American seamen. -
Continue |
Out of Whack
By David Swanson |
 |
Obamacare is the
name given a law that says you must buy overpriced
private health insurance from companies that fund
election campaigns.
-
Continue |
At least 73 killed by Iraqi government
attacks in Anbar province: At
least 73 people have been killed by Iraqi army attacks in Anbar
province, including 50 killed in an airstrike on a sports field in
Ramadi, shortly after midnight on Sunday. 23 people were also killed
and 40 wounded in shelling north of Fallujah, local sources told
Al-Jazeera.
30 killed in suicide attacks, combat near dam
in western Iraq: At least 10
members of the Iraqi security forces died on the weekend in five
suicide attacks against their positions near a dam in western Al
Anbar province, where about 20 jihadists were also killed.
Iraqi fighter jet drops bomb over Baghdad,
kills 12 people: Three children
and two women were among the 12 killed, a police officer at the
scene and a medical official at a nearby hospital said. At least 25
others were wounded, the two officials added, speaking on condition
of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
U.S. strikes kill 35 militants east Syria:
The U.S.-led coalition’s warplanes targeted on Sunday an IS-led
convoy in ash-Shola area in ??the southern countryside of Deir
ez-Zor, east Syria.
ISIS takes ground from Syrian Kurds after
airstrikes: ISIS fighters stormed
a Syrian town held by Kurdish-led forces near Raqqa city Monday,
part of a wider offensive by the militants two days after their de
facto capital was hit by some of the heaviest U.S.-led airstrikes in
the conflict.
Syria army and Hezbollah storm rebel-held
Zabadani:
On the second day of a major offensive on the border city of
Zabadani, the Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters managed to enter
the western parts of the city on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights reported.
Face-to-face with Abu Sakkar, Syria's 'heart-eating cannibal':
"It looks like you're carving him a Valentine's heart," says one of
his men, raucously. Abu Sakkar picks up a bloody handful of
something and declares: "We will eat your hearts and your livers you
soldiers of Bashar the dog."
Turkey's military commanders recalled to
discuss possible Syria intervention:
Meeting comes in spite of Prime Minister's assertion that no
intervention is planned
Saudi bombs kill 45 civilians
in Aden: : Yemen security
officials and eyewitnesses say a massive airstrike by the Saudi-led
coalition targeting rebels has hit a marketplace north of Aden,
killing over 45 civilians. Officials say bodies were strewn about
following the strike and that Saudi-led airstrikes continued across
the country
Saudi-Led Strikes Kill 30 In Northern Yemen,
Houthis Say: The airstrike
targeted the Aahem market in Hajjah province, where preliminary
figures showed that 30 civilians were killed and an unspecified
number of people were wounded. "The Saudi enemy targeted citizens
while they were doing their shopping at Aahem market," the agency
quoted a security source in Hajjah as saying.
Unlawful Coalition Airstrikes
on Saada City in Yemen: HRW:
Human Rights Watch identified several attacks that appeared to
violate international humanitarian law, also known as the laws of
war, and resulted in numerous civilian deaths and injuries.
Iran deploys new long-range radar days ahead
of nuclear talks deadline: Iran
is building up its air defense systems and particularly the ability
to detect enemy aircraft as the US and Israel maintain that they
could use military force to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear
capability.
U.S. stockpiles powerful bunker-buster bombs
in case Iran nuclear talks fail:
The bunker-busting bombs are America's most destructive munitions
short of atomic weapons. At 15 tons, each is 5 tons heavier than any
other bomb in the U.S. arsenal.
Teen's death highlights Israel abuse of West
Bank youth: The death of a teen,
shot by an Israeli army officer, underscores the police violence
Palestinian youth are facing.
Gaza children 'emotionally shattered' one
year after conflict: More than 70
percent of children in the worst-affected areas of Gaza suffer from
regular nightmares and bed wetting and live in fear of further
fighting, while half do not want to attend school because they are
afraid to leave home, the charity said.
Egypt killed 241 Sinai "militants" in five
days, army says: Military
reinforces troops and equipment in the peninsula, posts gruesome
photos to Facebook as crackdown after large attack continues
Bombs at mosque, restaurant in central
Nigerian city kill 44: Two bombs
blamed on the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram exploded at a
crowded mosque and an elite Muslim restaurant in Nigeria's central
city of Jos, killing 44 people, officials said Monday.
Suicide bomber kills five in NE Nigeria
church: Police, witness: The
bomber detonated his explosives, killing the worshippers, including
a woman and her two children as well as the pastor, they said.
3 car bombs kill 10 in Libyan city:
A Libyan official says at least 10 civilians were killed when three
separate car bombs exploded simultaneously in the eastern coastal
city of Darna.
Afghanistan: 17 militants killed in drone
strike and internal clash of insurgent groups in Nangarhar:
A statement issued on Monday by the police headquarters of Nangarhar
states that three militants were killed in a drone strike and 14
others in internal clash of the militant groups.
Seven Pakistani troops killed as army pushes
to finish anti-Taliban offensive:
Taliban ambushes and bombings killed at least seven Pakistani
soldiers in the northwest as the military made a new push into the
militants' last major stronghold near the border with Afghanistan,
intelligence officers said Sunday.
Pakistani gunmen kill three in attack blamed
on Islamist groups: Gunmen riding
motorcycles on Monday opened fire outside a passport office in
southwestern Pakistan, killing three people, including a police
officer, in an attack police blamed on radical Islamist groups.
US kills 13 people in E Afghanistan:
The assaults come after another US drone attack targeted two
residential buildings in the Lal Pur district of Nangarhar on June
30, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than a dozen
others.
Japan joins US-Aussie military drills amid
regional tensions: The ‘Talisman
Saber’ exercises will last two weeks, with 30,000 US and Australian
troops taking part
Australia in battle to save threatened
species: About 20 percent of
Australia's unique mammals are threatened with extinction, along
with 12 percent of its birds.
Landmine kills five Ukrainian soldiers in
separatist east: Separatists
accused the Ukrainian military of violating the ceasefire 32 times
in the past 24 hours but reported no casualties, rebel press service
DAN said.
Poroshenko’s pledge for Ukraine to join EU
'rather ambitious' – Euro Parliament president:
European Parliament President Martin Schulz believes the Ukrainian
president’s desire for the country to join the EU in just five to
six years is “rather ambitious.” Petro Poroshenko, however, believes
the country will have met the entry criteria by then.
Greece to extend bank holiday for at least a
few more days: bankers: "The bank
holiday will be extended, until Friday or next Monday," one senior
banker told Reuters.
Europe's creditor powers must finally face
reality: Greece needs mass debt
relief now: Without a major effort to write off €330bn in loans,
Greece's battered economy will remain a financial black-hole for its
creditors
Greek debt crisis: country faces insolvency,
says Germany– live: Greece will
issue a new decree today to extend the bank holiday for a few more
days, bankers are telling Reuters.
Greece and Its Creditors Should Do a
Guns-For-Pensions Deal: Greece
spends a whopping 2.2% of GDP on defense, more than any NATO
member-state save the United States and France. Bringing Greece into
line with the NATO average would alone achieve ¾ of what the IMF is
demanding through pension cuts.
Iceland, grows booming economy after jailing
bankster criminals: Banks around
the world are no longer the quaint little savings-and-loan
depositories of yesterday. Today, most of them are owned or co-opted
by giant mega-wealthy criminal conglomerates that charge customers
for everything from cash deposits to ATM fees.
New phone hacking scandal exposes U.S.
hypocrisy, arrogance: Economy
chiefs of the Brazilian establishment were under surveillance as
well, with finance ministers and the governor of the Brazilian
Central Bank on the target list. The irony is that only months ago
at the summit of the Americas in Panama, U.S. President Barack Obama
reassured Rousseff that NSA would not spy on allied leaders.
PayPal to Pay $25 Million to Settle CFPB Case:
The CFPB alleges that PayPal deceptively advertised promotional
benefits that it failed to honor, signed consumers up for credit
without their permission, made them use PayPal Credit instead of
their preferred payment method, and then mishandled billing
disputes.
Civil Asset Forfeiture: Guilty Until Proven
Innocent: Imagine going back home
one day to find an empty house and all your belongings gone; or even
worse, imagine being in your house and having your door suddenly
smashed open by law enforcement officers in masks and being told at
gunpoint that your personal possessions are being taken away.
Health Insurance Companies
Seek Big Rate Increases for 2016:
Health insurance companies around the country are seeking rate
increases of 20 percent to 40 percent or more, saying their new
customers under the Affordable Care Act turned out to be sicker than
expected. Federal officials say they are determined to see that the
requests are scaled back.
Republicans cast into turmoil as Donald Trump
rides the populist surge: Donald
Trump, the maverick billionaire businessman, has seen his following
soar - despite calling Mexicans "rapists" |
July 05,
2015
|
The Racket
Video |
 |
How the
Western press reports the
actions of ‘The Racket’
the multinational
corporations and their
role in shaping the global
media agenda. -
Continue |
ISIS teens
execute 25 soldiers in Syria’s Palmyra:The
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria on
Saturday released a grisly video showing
25 Syrian government soldiers being
executed by teenagers in the ancient
amphitheater in the city of Palmyra.
Syrian mosque
blast kills at least 25 with al-Qaida
links:
Opposition-based social media websites
had conflicting casualty figures, with
some saying more than 40 people were
dead.
Syria army and
Hezbollah in major assault near Damascus:
The Syrian army backed by the Lebanese
armed group Hezbollah launched an assult
on the city of Zabadani, near Damascus,
in a fresh push to seize the last rebel
stronghold along Lebanon’s border.
Syria rebels take
army center in Aleppo: activists:
Syrian rebels have seized a strategic
military center in government-held
western Aleppo city, as fierce battles
rage between the opposing sides,
activists said Saturday.
ISIS looting
Syrian, Iraqi sites on industrial scale:
UNESCO:
ISIS militants are looting ancient sites
across Iraq and Syria on an industrial
scale and selling on treasures to
middlemen to raise cash, Irina Bokova,
the head of the U.N. cultural agency
UNESCO said Thursday.
Turkey reinforces
Syria border, PM says no incursion
planned:
Turkey has deployed additional troops
and equipment along part of its border
with Syria as fighting north of the city
of Aleppo intensifies, security sources
said, but Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
said there were no immediate plans for
any incursion.
Bombings tkill 19
people in and around Baghdad:
Police officials said the deadliest
attack occurred Saturday night when a
car bomb exploded on a commercial street
in Baghdad's western neighborhood of
Amil, killing nine people and wounding
24 others. Several shops and cars were
damaged.
Yemeni man lost
27 family members in Saudi-led air
strike:
Human Rights Watch report accuses Saudi
Arabia of illegally bombing Yemen
without adequate concern for the
country's civilian population
US Kills 4 People
in Yemen:
A drone attacked an army base held by al
Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in
southeastern Yemen in the early hours of
Friday, killing four suspected
militants, witnesses said.official.
Egypt: No Less
Than 100 "Terrorists" Killed in Egypt -
Armed Forces:
No less than 100 terrorists were killed
by security forces in North Sinai on
Wednesday, while 17 from the army were
killed, the general command of Egypt's
armed forces said.
Egypt says 25
"militants" killed in air strikes as
Sisi inspects troops:
Egyptian warplanes killed 25 Islamist
militants in North Sinai on Saturday,
security sources said, as the Egyptian
president visited the province after a
major escalation of the conflict there.
Civilians killed
in Egypt's Sinai battles:
Three children and a woman have been
killed in two separate incidents in
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, while Egyptian
army launched new air strikes near
Sheikh Zuweid killing 12 rebels and
destroying weapons and explosives
caches.
Egypt's
Brotherhood calls for uprising after
killings:
Muslim Brotherhood calls on supporters
to "rise in revolt" after police kill 13
leading members in raid on Cairo home.
Israel giving
Egyptian army free hand in Sinai,
official says:
Israel has been giving the Egyptian
military a free hand to operate in
northern Sinai against local jihadist
groups, voluntarily ignoring an annex to
the 1979 Camp David Peace Accords
banning the presence of significant
Egyptian forces in the area, an Israeli
official told The Times of Israel on
Thursday.
Israel accuses
Hamas of aiding Islamic State in Egypt:
An Israeli general has accused members
of Hamas in Gaza of providing support to
militants linked to Islamic State in
Egypt's Sinai peninsula, where the
Egyptian army has fought deadly battles
with Islamist insurgents in recent days.
Senior Hamas
Member Condemns Sinai Terrorism:
"We've worked hard
to strengthen relations with Egypt which
have indeed grown stronger. We are
always interested in good relations with
Egypt, and in this case only one side
could break off the relations. I condemn
the events in Sinai.”
Islamic State
threatens to topple Hamas in Gaza Strip
in video statement:
The video statement, issued from an
Islamic State stronghold in Syria, was a
rare public challenge to Hamas, which
has been cracking down on jihadis in
Gaza who oppose its truces with Israel
and reconciliation with the US-backed
rival Palestinian faction Fatah.
The Myth of Hamas’s Human Shields
- Video
Hamas official:
PA detains 100 members in arrest raids:
Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishaq
said in a statement the detentions were
a "stab in the back" for Palestinians
during the holy month of Ramadan,
referring to the move as a "favor" for
Israel.
Obama Signs Trade
Bill, That Includes Anti-BDS Measures,
Into Law:
U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday
signed into law the fast track trade
bill – known as the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) – that also contains
landmark legislation combating the
boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)
movement in Europe.
Hillary Clinton
signals to Jewish donors: I’ll be better
for Israel:
Hillary Clinton is privately signaling
to wealthy Jewish donors that — no
matter the result of the Iranian nuclear
negotiations — she will be a better
friend to Israel than President Barack
Obama.
UK complicit in
Israel's crimes against the Palestinian
people
: The latest official government
figures, collated by War on Want,
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and
Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT),
reveal that the UK approved £4 million
worth of arms sales to Israel in the
four months that followed last year's
bombardment of Gaza.
Saudi prince to
visit Israel in unprecedented overture
:
In fact, Israel and Saudi Arabia have
held five secret meetings since the
beginning of 2014 to discuss the common
threat the Islamic Republic posses to
the region
Tentative
agreement on sanctions relief for Iran
reached in Vienna - sources:
A tentative agreement between six world
powers and Iran has been reached that
includes sanctions relief for Tehran, AP
reported Saturday, citing diplomatic
sources. Sanctions has been one of the
most difficult issues at the talks,
sources say.
Iran Air Flight
655:
In an act that the US would call
terrorism if committed by any other
country, the USS Vicennes blew an
Iranian commercial airliner out of the
sky on July 3, 1988. We have never even
apologized or accepted legal liability.
200 killed as
female suicide bombers cause heavy
casualties in NE Nigeria village:
residents:
Several female suicide bombers blew
themselves up in the midst of fleeing
residents in a northeast Nigerian
village, continuing a series of attacks
that have killed some 200 people in just
three days, witnesses said Saturday.
29 villagers
killed by fleeing Boko Haram:
A detachment of fleeing Boko Haram
terrorists has attacked a Borno
community, killing at least 29 persons,
a local official said.
10 civilians
killed in 3 car bombs in Libya:
The bombings, which went off Friday
evening, set off clashes between
militants belonging to the Islamic
State’s local affiliate and
al-Qaida-linked militias that continued
into Saturday afternoon.
Five UN
peacekeepers killed when convoy attacked
in Mali:
Five U.N. peacekeepers were killed and
another six severely wounded in an
attack on their convoy in northern Mali,
a spokesperson for the country's U.N.
peacekeeping mission said Thursday.
France suspends
two of its soldiers in Burkina Faso over
child sex abuse:
Allegations include abuse of
five-year-old girl, police say, and
follow alleged sex abuse scandal
involving French troops in Central
African Republic
Tunisia declares
state of emergency after hotel attack:
state media:
Tunisia's emergency law temporarily
gives the government more executive
flexibility, hands the army and police
more authority, and restricts certain
rights such as the right to public
assembly.
Tunisia attack:
Officials were warned of an imminent
terrorist attack in Sousse – but did
nothing:
The Tunisian interior ministry received
an alert in May of an imminent attack in
Sousse, but failed to act on the
information, the head of a security
watchdog has told The Independent.
30 Afghan Police
Personnel Killed in Taliban Attacks:
At least 30 Afghan police personnel have
been killed in heavy clashes that broke
out between Taliban militants and
security forces in Afghanistan's eastern
Wardak province
Putin tells Obama
he wants dialogue based on equality and
respect:
Putin expressed confidence that Russia
and the United States could find
solutions to the most complicated
international issues and meet global
threats and challenges together if they
based their relationship on the
principles of equality and respect for
each other's interests, the Kremlin
added.
Greek bank
official dismisses 'haircut' report as
"baseless":
The Financial Times reported on Friday
that Greek banks were preparing
contingency plans for a possible
"haircut" on deposits amid fears of
financial collapse, a report the
country's banking association said was
"completely baseless".
Greek finance
minister accuses creditors of 'terrorism':
Yanis Varoufakis accused Athens'
creditors of "terrorism" and of having
intentions to humiliate the Greeks.
Top economists
see 'No' vote as Greece's least-worst
choice:
While polls in Greece show the country
evenly divided going into Sunday's
crucial bailout referendum, some of the
world's top economists are united in
arguing that a 'No' result is the
country's best - or least-worst -
choice.
Greece crisis
live:
Germany suggests Greece could exit
eurozone 'temporarily'
An Attack on
Press Freedom: SPIEGEL Targeted by US
Intelligence:
The sources said US intelligence
services had determined the existence of
intensive contacts between SPIEGEL
reporters and the German government and
decided to intervene because those
communications were viewed as damaging
to the United States' interests.
WikiLeaks founder
Assange denied asylum in France:
In an open letter to French President
Francois Hollande published in the
newspaper "Le Monde" on Friday, Assange
asked to be given asylum in France as a
"humanitarian and symbolic gesture." -
Hollande swiftly said no to the request,
with his office releasing a statement
hours after the open letter was
published.
UK: Tories to Gut
Inheritance Tax, Deepen Austerity
: The Tories plan on presenting a budget
with tax cuts for wealthy households,
and welfare cuts for the poor, according
to leaks.
WikiLeaks: U.S.
wiretapped Brazilian presidents:
The U.S. National Security Agency
wiretapped several key Brazilian
government officials including President
Dilma Rousseff, her secretary and her
chief of staff, according to WikiLeaks
documents disclosed Saturday.
News
outlets hype terror threat:
FBI, Homeland Security warn of July 4th
terror attacks by ISIS:
A U.S. official told USA Today that
there is no specific threat of attack at
this time, but that Independence Day's
powerful symbolism makes celebrations
around the date appealing targets for
members of the Islamic State and other
extremists.
|
July 01,
2015
|
Greece’s Downfall and Redemption
By Finian Cunningham |
 |
Decades of
exorbitant military spending account for Greece’s
present downfall under an Olympian-sized debt. European
governments and news media portray the problem of
Greece’s financial woes as public spending profligacy. -
Continue |
Sixth Great Mass
Extinction Event Begins
By Dahr Jamail |
 |
Study showed that
species are already being killed off at rates much
faster than they were during the other five extinction
events, and warned ominously that humans could very
likely be among the first wave of species going extinct.
-
Continue |
Iraq: 40 "ISIS members" killed in Anbar
and Salahuddin, says Ministry of Defense:
“A joint air strike has been carried out by the army aviation
and the air force in the city of Qaim, resulted in the killing
of 30 terrorists, and the destruction of a house in which exists
a group of foreign suicide bombers"
Bombs Inside, Around Baghdad Kill at
Least 8 Civilians:
Police officials say the deadliest among Tuesday's attacks was
in the town of Mahmudiyah, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) south
of Baghdad. They say a bombing there killed three civilians and
wounded 10.
Iraq PM 'retires' army chief as security
crisis deepens:
General Babaker Zebari, who has been in the job for a decade,
retires as PM Abbadi acknowledges military's failures. Military
sources say a Kurdish general with the Iraqi Air Force, Anwar
Hamad Amin, is expected to replace Zebari.
In case you missed it:
The Yinon Plan and the role of the ISIS:
“This is not regime change but regional
change.”
28 dead in Syria government air strikes:
monitor:
At least 18 people died in government
raids on the village of Ehsim in northwestern Idlib province,
the Syria Observatory for Human Rights said.
Islamic State beheads female civilians
for first time in Syria: monitor:
One of the women was beheaded along with her husband in Deir al-Zor
city. In al-Mayadeen city to the south east, the group beheaded
another woman and her husband. All of them were accused of
sorcery, the monitor said.
ISIS re-enters Syria's Tal Abyad, takes
district:activists:
ISIS fighters re-entered Syria's Tal Abyad Tuesday, seizing a
district from the Kurdish forces who captured the border town in
a key victory two weeks ago, an activist group monitoring the
war said.
Syrian troops regain area from IS in
northeastern city:
State TV says troops and pro-government members of the National
Defense Forces regained control of the Eastern Ghoweiran
neighborhood on Tuesday.
Jordan is mulling a significant military
intervention in southern Syria:
Jordan worries that jihadists could establish a permanent
foothold along the country's border with Syria, or sue the area
for attacks on the country's generally pro-US monarchy.
Turkish opposition leader warns against
intervention in Syria:
Turkey's main opposition party leader warned on Tuesday any
military intervention in Syria would spell disaster for Turkey
and in comments clearly aimed at President Tayyip Erdogan said
the country could not be "a plaything for your ambition."
Turkey Uneasy as U.S. Support of Syrian
Kurds Grows:
The United States has stepped up its military support for Syrian
Kurdish militias fighting the Islamic State, efforts that have
angered Turkey, a longtime ally and NATO member, which is now
weighing new measures to contain the ambitions of the Kurds,
including a buffer zone within Syria.
28 killed in IS attack on Yemen Shiites:
The car bomb late Monday targeted Houthi rebel chief brothers
Faycal and Hamid Jayache during a gathering to mourn the death
of a family member, a security source said. Eight women were
among the dead.
One UN officer killed in airstrike in
Yemen, UN:
The UN Secretary-General "deplores" the Saudi Arabia-led
coalition's airstrike yesterday (28 Jun) on the UN compound in
Aden, Yemen which resulted "in serious damage to the UN
Development Programme office and injured a guard."
Al Qaeda militants amongst 1,200
prisoners freed after militias attack Yemeni jail:
A local official tonight confirmed that some of the escapees
were "suspected of belonging to al Qaeda" and of masterminding
terrorist atrocities across the Middle East.
Why the Yemen Peace Talks Collapsed:
The Geneva Negotiations Failed Because the Aggressors Wanted
Them to Fail
Iran, P5+1 extend interim nuclear deal
until July 7 to win more time for talks:
Six world powers and Iran have come to an agreement to extend
the interim deal on Tehran’s nuclear program until July 7 to
allow more time for talks to reach a final deal, the US State
Department said Tuesday.
US: System reached to give UN access to
suspect Iran sites:
Agreed system will not include all military sites, but rather
focus on a case-by-case basis; 'if the IAEA believes that it
needs access and has a reason for that access, then we have a
process to ensure that it is given,' says US official.
Iran's new 5-year plan focuses on defence,
economy:
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Tuesday unveiled
the main points of the Islamic republic's next five-year plan,
with the focus on the military and economic growth.
Drexel Criticized for Noam Chomsky Honor:
Drexel University is under continuing criticism from Jewish
groups for awarding an honorary degree to left-wing scholar and
activist Noam Chomsky during its mid-June graduation ceremonies.
21 Libya soldiers killed this week:
Fighting raged between government forces and Islamists in
eastern Libya on Tuesday, with 21 soldiers killed since the
clashes broke out at the weekend, a medical official said.
Three killed in car bomb in suburb west
of Cairo - sources:
At least three people were killed on Tuesday when a car bomb
exploded near a police station in Cairo's western suburb of 6th
of October City, security sources said, a day after an attack
killed Egypt's top public prosecutor.
UN: South Sudan army raped girls and
burned them alive:
The UN has accused South Sudan's army of raping and then burning
girls alive inside their homes during its recent campaign, a
report by its mission in the country said.
Chibok girls 'forced to join Nigeria's
Boko Haram':
Witnesses say some are now being used to terrorise other
captives, and are even carrying out killings themselves.
Tunisia sees Libya link to beach resort
attacker - source:
A Tunisian gunman who killed 39 people at a resort hotel, mostly
British holiday-makers, probably spent time in a training camp
in Libya and had been in contact with militants over the border,
a security source said on Tuesday.
Suicide truck bomb kills two, wounds over
40 in Afghanistan:
A suicide truck bomb in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday killed
two civilians and wounded more than 40, officials said, in the
latest attack since the Taliban began their annual offensive.
Taleban claim Kabul attack on NATO
convoy, 1 killed:
A suicide attacker driving an explosives-packed vehicle targeted
a NATO military convoy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Tuesday,
killing at least one person and wounding up to 22, police,
military and government officials said.
U.S. raid on Afghan weapons cache incites
protests:
Little is known about the activities of U.S. counter-terrorism
troops that have been authorised to continue fighting the
Taliban and other militants after the NATO combat mission
officially ended last year.
Greece debt crisis: Tsipras asks for new
bailout - live updates:
Just hours before its current bailout expires, Athens proposes a
new two-year deal with debt relief -- but how will creditors
react?
Greece will not pay IMF debt on Tuesday:
finance minister:
Greece will not pay a 1.6 billion euro debt installment to the
International Monetary Fund due on Tuesday, but Athens still
holds out hope of a last-minute deal with creditors on an aid
package, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said.
German Finance Minister
Schaeuble: Greece is staying in the euro no matter what:
Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble just bucked the
trend in the Eurogroup, by saying that Greece can stay in the
eurozone even if it says "No" to the bailout package in Sunday's
referendum.
IMF has made €2.5 billion profit out of
Greece loans:
Out of its lending to all countries in debt crisis between 2010
and 2014 the IMF has made a total profit of €8.4 billion, over a
quarter of which is effectively from Greece. All of this money
has been added to the Fund’s reserves, which now total €19
billion.
French beheading suspect denies jihad
motivation:
The source said Yassin Salhi, 35, told investigators he was not
a jihadist and repeated earlier statements that he committed the
act outside the southeast city of Lyon on Friday after a row
with his wife the day before and his boss a few days earlier.
WikiLeaks says NSA spied
on top French companies:
The US wiretapped two of France's economy ministers and spied on
the country's largest companies, French media reported citing
WikiLeaks documents, just days after it emerged the US had spied
on three of the country's leaders.
NSA wiretapped two French finance
ministers: Wikileaks:
The U.S. National Security Agency wiretapped the communications
of two successive French finance ministers and collected
information on French export contracts, trade and budget talks,
according to a report by WikiLeaks.
Pope demands 'action now' to save planet
from environmental ruin:
Pope Francis demanded swift action on Thursday to save the
planet from environmental ruin, urging world leaders to hear
"the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor" and plunging the
Catholic Church into political controversy over climate change.
Puerto Rico governor calls for
bankruptcy; adviser says island 'insolvent':
The Caribbean island is struggling to relieve a $73 billion debt
burden. It came to a crunch point on Monday - ironically at the
same time as did debt-laden Greece - after a dire report on its
stability by former International Monetary Fund economists was
released ahead of key deadlines on Wednesday to repay debt.
Mexico deports more Central Americans
than the United States:
Between October and April, Mexico apprehended 92,889 Central
Americans. In the same time period, the United States detained
70,226 "other than Mexican" migrants, the vast majority from
Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Deported Central America Child Migrants
Face Threats, Death at Home: U.N.:
Thousands of children entering the United States illegally from
Central America might qualify for refugee status but are being
deported to their own country where they face persecution by
gangs.
Florida Man, Accused of Terrorism Based
on Book Collection, Set Free:
The U.S. government had produced “snippets of information from
various sources, out of context, to weave together a narrative
of terrorist ideation,” a Florida judge said Friday, ordering
the release of Marcus Dwayne Robertson, an Orlando-based Islamic
scholar who stood accused of supporting terrorism.
A college balks at Hillary Clinton’s fee,
so books Chelsea for $65,000 instead:
The university paid $65,000 for Chelsea Clinton’s brief
appearance Feb. 24, 2014, a demonstration of the celebrity
appeal and marketability that the former and possibly
second-time first daughter employs on behalf of her mother’s
presidential campaign and family’s global charitable empire.
|
|
June 29, 2015
Europe’s Attack on Greek Democracy
By Joseph E. Stiglitz |
 |
Almost none of the
huge amount of money loaned to Greece has actually gone
there. It has gone to pay out private-sector creditors –
including German and French banks.
-
Continue |
America’s Got War
By William J. Astore |
 |
Poverty,
Drugs, Afghanistan, Iraq, Terror, or How to Make War on
Everything. -
Continue |
|
Truth Is A Crime Against The State
By Paul Craig
Roberts
|
 |
The Western
presstitutes have succeeded in creating a false reality
for insouciant Americans and also for much of the
European Union population.
-
Continue |
The Lonely American
By Chris Hedges |
 |
A generation
has fallen down the rabbit hole of electronic
hallucinations—with images often dominated by violence
and pornography -
Continue |
27 Killed in air Strikes, Bomb Attacks in
Iraq :
At least 27 people were killed and 27 wounded on Monday in bomb
attacks and air strikes by the US-led coalition and Iraqi aircraft
targeting Islamic State (IS) militants across the country's western
province of Anbar, a provincial security source said.
61 killed in violence, clashes with IS
militants in Iraq:
In Anbar province, the army artillery pounded IS positions in
Saggara area near the city of Haditha, some 200 km northwest of the
Iraqi capital of Baghdad, leaving 26 IS militants killed along with
destroying two of their vehicles, a provincial security source told
Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
IS bombs kill 12 Syrian troops in Hasakeh:
monitor:
Three Islamic State group car bombs killed 12 Syrian troops and
militiamen in the northeastern city of Hasakeh where the jihadists
have taken two districts, a monitor said on Monday.
Syrian army retakes a key district of
Hassakeh city from militants:
The Syrian army said Monday it had recaptured a major residential
quarter in Hassakeh from ISIS insurgents who stormed the
strategically located northeastern city last week and drove out
thousands of civilians.
ISIS beheads a dozen men accused of fighting
for Al Qaeda in new sickening video
: the sickening footage shows the terrified men being interviewed
and paraded in front of the camera before their bloody execution.
Syria says Russia promises wide range of
support:
"I got a promise of aid to Syria - politically, economically and
militarily," Walid al-Moualem said at a televised news conference in
Moscow after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Israel made "humanitarian" aid to select
Syrian rebel groups:
Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said that, from the outset, Israel
knew there were rebels among those it was helping and "placed two
conditions on this aid - that terrorist groups not approach the
fence, and that the Druze not be touched".
Saudi Arabia Kills 15 Civilians In Yemen:
15 Civilians Killed: Saudi fighter jets launched on Monday a fresh
round of airstrikes against various areas in Yemen killing at least
15 civilians, including women and children.
Saudi soldier killed in shelling near Yemeni
border:
A Saudi soldier was killed and another wounded by shelling from
forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and
Houthi rebels near the Yemen border, Saudi state news agency SPA
said Sunday.
Ban urges probe of Saudi strikes on UN
compound in Yemen:
A guard was injured when the office of the UN Development Programme
in the southern city of Aden was hit on Sunday, causing serious
damage, said UN spokesman Farhan Haq.
Video claims to show Saudi border guards
beating Yemeni refugees:
Footage said to be from the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border appears to
show thousands of Yemeni refugees being refused entry to the kingdom
Palestinian woman stabs Israeli soldier at
Bethlehem checkpoint:
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that the soldier was in a
"moderate" condition after being stabbed by a Palestinian woman at
the 300 checkpoint in northern Bethlehem.
Israel largest state user of explosive
weapons in 2014 due to attack on Gaza:
-- Israel was the single largest user of explosive weapons among
international states in 2014 as a result of its war on Gaza, a
London-based NGO said this week, providing further testimony to its
devastating use of force on the coastal territory last summer.
Video: Israel has blocked our aid ship':
Footage shows passengers of the Freedom Flotilla delivering aid to
Gaza demanding action after their ship was seized by the Israeli
navy.
Clashes in Libya leave 14 Tobruk government
soldiers dead:
Fourteen soldiers loyal to Libya’s Tobruk-based government were
killed on Sunday in clashes with militants associated with the
Mujahideen Shura Council in the eastern city of Darnah, according to
a local security source.
11 killed in raid on 'Boko Haram hideout' in
Chad:
Several suspected Boko Haram fighters have blown themselves up
during a police raid in N'Djamena, Chad's capital, killing five
officers and six of the fighters, police and government officials
have said.
Chibok girls 'forced to join Nigeria's Boko
Haram':
Some of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria have been forced
to join Islamist militant group Boko Haram, the BBC has been told.
Witnesses say some are now being used to terrorise other captives,
and are even carrying out killings themselves.
Al-Shabab kills 5 Somali soldiers in attack
on army base:
Al-Shabab militants have killed at least five soldiers in an
overnight attack on an army base in the southern Somali port of
Kismayo. Islamist fighters beheaded some of the captured Somali
soldiers after briefly taking over the camp, witnesses told AFP news
agency.
Burundi: 2 killed in overnight attacks blamed
on the police:
Witnesses in Jabe neighborhood in the nation's capital of Bujumbura,
reported intense gunfire Saturday night in an apparent police
crackdown on areas seen as hosting anti-government protesters.
Violence, targeted killings consume Burundi
protests:
Burundi's protests move towards a dark chapter with night-time
assassinations as protesters turn to grenades.
Top Burundi official flees on eve of
controversial vote:
- The head of Burundi's parliament on Sunday said he had fled the
country on the eve of key elections following weeks of violence,
denouncing the president's "illegal" third term bid.
Car bomb attack kills Egypt's top public
prosecutor:
Egypt's top public prosecutor died Monday of wounds sustained in a
car bomb attack on his convoy as it was leaving his Cairo home in a
marked escalation of Islamist militant attacks on the judiciary.
Three Killed, 14 Injured as Roadside Bomb
Targets a Bus in Egypt:
The bus, which belonged to General Authority For Roads, Bridges and
Land Transport, was carrying employees when the roadside bomb
exploded in south Shiekh Zwayed city, said head of North Sinai
Security Directorate, Ali Azazi.
Taliban ambush in Herat province 'kills 11
soldiers':
The convoy of pick-up trucks was attacked on Sunday evening in
Karukh district of Herat, officials say.
In turf war with Afghan Taliban, Islamic
State loyalists gain ground:
- Fighters loyal to Islamic State have seized substantial territory
in Afghanistan for the first time, witnesses and officials said,
wresting areas in the east from rival Taliban insurgents in a new
threat to stability.
Cables detail Saudi diplomat’s meeting with
Haqqani’s son:
Leaked Saudi diplomatic cables reveal that the country’s embassy in
Islamabad remained in touch with the Haqqani network and also helped
arrange a visit for the militant group’s leader for medical
treatment.
Secret Australia-Saudi deal on intelligence:
Leaked cables reveal the intelligence links between the Saudi
Arabian and Australian governments, and the Saudi influence on
Muslim communities here.
Media reports allege Australian politics
infiltrated by Italian mafia:
Two Australian media organisations reported on Monday that
Australian politics has been infiltrated at high levels by the
Italian mafia, although there was no suggestion of direct links
between lawmakers and the criminal syndicate.
EU, Russia and Ukraine aim for gas Deal
Tomorrow:
The EU is hoping for a deal that will cover "at least the winter, up
until the end of March," the source said. Russia accounts for about
a third of the EU's gas needs, with half that amount transiting via
Ukraine.
Armenia police order protesters to disperse
after weeklong standoff but thousands refuse:
Riot police lined up across the road banged their truncheons against
their shields in warning, but made no immediate move. Behind them
stood water cannons and armored vehicles.
France attack suspect admits killing, police
make link to Syria:
The suspect, whose wife and sister were released on Sunday after two
days of questioning, is said by French security services to have
associated with hardline Islamists over more than a decade, and had
previously been flagged by them as a potential risk.
Greece to close banks Monday and begin
capital controls:
Greek banks are expected to stay shut until 7 July, two days after
Greece's planned referendum on the terms it had been offered by
international creditors for receiving fresh bailout money.
Greece won’t make IMF debt repayment Tuesday,
Greek official says:
Earlier this month, Greece had notified the IMF it plans to bundle
its loan repayments falling due this month into one payment of
around 1.6 billion euros ($1.7 billion), which is due Tuesday.
Christine Lagarde, scourge of tax evaders,
pays no tax:
IMF boss who caused international outrage when she suggested that
Greeks should pay their taxes earns a tax-free salary
Italy rescues 21 boats in space of 24 hours:
Italian authorities were on Monday dealing with the arrival of
another 2,900 migrants at southern ports after 21 boats were rescued
in the space of 24 hours from waters off Libya.
The Honduran meltdown: Made in USA:
Six years after the coup in Honduras, it's time for another history
lesson.
UK says Argentine plan to seize Falklands oil
driller assets 'unlawful':
On Saturday, a federal judge in Tierra del Fuego ordered the seizure
of $156 million in bank accounts, boats and other property belonging
to six European and U.S. oil companies operating in the islands.
US now has more Spanish speakers than Spain –
only Mexico has more:
The report says there are 41 million native Spanish speakers in the
US plus a further 11.6 million who are bilingual, mainly the
children of Spanish-speaking immigrants. This puts the US ahead of
Colombia (48 million) and Spain (46 million) and second only to
Mexico (121 million).
Records broken as heatwave hits US northwest:
Both India and Pakistan have had heatwaves this year, Western Europe
is developing one and North America is enduring one, in its
northwest. The precise definition differs from country to country
but the effects are the same.
FBI Reportedly Investigating String of Arsons
at Black Churches:
Of the fires—which broke out this week in Tennessee, Georgia, North
Carolina and South Carolina—three have been ruled arsons, with the
cause of the fourth still being investigated.
Supreme Court upholds lethal injections:
“And because some risk of pain is inherent in any method of
execution, we have held that the Constitution does not require the
avoidance of all risk of pain"
The death penalty: How we kill: What it means
for an inmate to be put to death in the US:
Lethal injection is by far the most common method of execution in
the U.S., and, because it is the most frequently used, it is the
most botched.
Jailhouse nation:
WITH less than 5% of the world’s population, the United States holds
roughly a quarter of its prisoners: more than 2.3m people, including
1.6m in state and federal prisons and over 700,000 in local jails
and immigration pens. Per head, the incarceration rate in the land
of the free has risen seven-fold since the 1970s
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