October 31, 2015
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Adolf, Amin and Bibi
By
Uri Avnery |
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A troubling suspicion is getting around:
that our prime minister has serious mental
problems. Is he losing his marbles?
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Consider the source:
Attacks on
Syria rebel strongholds kill 91: Pro-rebel Observatory:
At least 91 people, including 17 children, were killed
Friday in attacks on opposition strongholds in the north
and outside Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said. Of the 91, at least 59 died in regime
attacks on Douma, a town on the eastern edges of the
capital
US sends
less than 50 special forces to advise 'moderate
opposition' in Syria - White House:
The presence of any sort of US troops in Syria was not
authorized by either the elected government in Damascus
or by the United Nations.
16 times
Obama said there would be no boots on the ground in
Syria:
Here's a recap of Obama's no-boots pledge:
Russia
says no country can use military force in Syria without
government approval:
Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on
Friday that no country could use military force in Syria
without first securing the agreement of the Syrian
government, the TASS news agency reported.
News
Analysis -
Syria Is a Clusterf*ck, and It's
About to Get Worse for the U.S.:
The mission creep parallels to Vietnam should be cause
for concern
New allies
in northern Syria don’t seem to share U.S. goals:
The stated U.S. aim is to oust the Islamic State from
its de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria. But if the
Shammar tribal militia, the biggest in Hasaka province,
is any example, many Arab forces on the ground have a
different agenda. For that matter, so does the Kurdish
People’s Protection Force, or YPG, which dominates this
area.
Propaganda alert:
Report: Iran signals readiness to
compromise before key Syria talks:
Iran could accept a six-month transition period at the
end of which Assad's fate would be decided in nationwide
elections, a senior official from the Middle East
familiar with the Iranian position told Reuters on
Thursday.
Iran strongly rejects reports on
agreement on Assad removal:
A senior Iranian official has strongly rejected reports
that the Islamic Republic has agreed to a plan for the
removal from power of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
in six months.
At Vienna talks, UN directed to
restart Syria peace process:
The United States, Russia and more than a dozen other
nations have directed the UN to begin a new diplomatic
process with Syria's government and opposition with the
goal of reaching a nationwide cease-fire and political
transition.
Watch: US Senator Attacks Defense
Secretary for not Planning War With Russia!
: Video -
ISIS oil exports worth $500m a
year 'conducted through Turkey':
The lion's share of Islamic State illegal oil exports is
conducted through Turkey and Kurdish areas. Although
Washington could curb the illegal traffic, it has chosen
to focus on other issues, a former CIA officer told the
Sputnik news agency.
Rocket barrage kills 26 Iranian
exiles at Iraq camp:
A rocket barrage killed at least 26 Iranian exiles at a
camp near Baghdad, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Friday
after the deadliest attack against the opposition group
in years.
Islamic State Beheads 4 Iraq Kurd
Fighters After Joint US Raid:
The Islamic State group beheaded four Iraqi Kurdish
fighters following a joint raid with American special
forces against the jihadists, according to a video
posted online.
Canada’s Airstrikes in Iraq Under
Scrutiny Amid Civilian Casualties:
An airstrike against a suspected Islamic State weapons
factory conducted by Canada’s Air Forces in Iraq could
have resulted in civilian casualties, an internal report
by the Pentagon, cited by CBC News, claims.
Israeli forces kill three
Palestinians including a baby:
Three Palestinians - including an eight-month old baby -
have died from Israeli fire and another is critically
wounded, while many others were injured in West Bank and
Gaza protests.
Sid Blumenthal Emailed Hillary
About ‘Setting Up Secret Channels Between Insurgents And
Governments’: Clinton
was receptive to the idea which came via Blumenthal from
Jonathan Powell, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair’s
chief of staff.
Ukraine soldier killed by rebel
fire at Donetsk airport:
A Ukraine soldier died Friday during fighting with
insurgents near the shelled-out remains of the airport
in Donetsk, a stronghold of the pro-Russian separatists,
the army announced.
Greece's Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras 'ashamed' of Europe's handling of refugee crisis:
“I feel shamed as a member of this European leadership,
both for the inability of Europe in dealing with this
human drama, and for the level of debate at a senior
level, where one is passing the buck to the other,”
Tsipras said.
German Investigation Blows Wide
Open Huge Scale of NSA European Spy-Ops:
A special investigation into the extent of mass
surveillance carried out by the US National Security
Agency (NSA) within Germany has unveiled a huge list of
targets wanted by the US agency, including many European
governments and companies.
Shaker Aamer released from US
gulag after 14-year detention:
No 10 says no plan to detain British resident on return
from imprisonment without trial in US military camp
where he was beaten
FBI planes gathered days of
video, electronic surveillance over Baltimore:
The records show that the FBI not only provided live
video intelligence to the Baltimore police, but also
collected and saved high-resolution video footage of
hundreds of people participating in protests on the
streets of Baltimore—footage that may be used in the
future to build profiles on those people.
'They treat us like dogs': 27
women detained in Texas immigration center begin hunger
strike: Nearly 30
women at an immigration detention facility in Texas have
begun a hunger strike. In their letters, made public by
a civil rights group, they highlight “grave injustices,”
detentions of up to 18 months, inedible food, and
“little or no security.”
6,000 drug offenders to be
released from prison Friday:
Roughly 6,000 federal inmates were set to be released
from Federal prison starting on Friday, in the largest
one-time release of federal prisoners in U.S. history,
according to the Bureau of Prisons.
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October 30, 2015
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Wimp Nation: Poised to
Fall
By
Fred Reed |
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The United States has become a nation of
weak, pampered, easily frightened, helpless
milquetoasts. If their cat dies, they call a
grief therapist. Everything frightens
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GOP and the Rise of
Anti-Knowledge
By
Mike Lofgren |
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Ben Carson’s rise to the top of the
Republican presidential field shows that
many Republicans, especially Christian
fundamentalists, have decoupled from the
real world — and are proud of it. -
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Month of
Russian air strikes on Syria kill nearly 600: Pro-rebel
monitor:
Russian air strikes on Syria have killed nearly 600
people, a third of them civilians, since Moscow started
its aerial campaign a month ago, a group monitoring the
war said on Thursday.
Airstrikes
in Syria kill 35 people, target 12 hospitals:
Doctors without Borders: Recent airstrikes in Syria have
targeted 12 hospitals in violation of international law,
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said. The airstrikes
have killed at least 35 patients and medical staff and
wounded 72.
Moscow
demands US-led coalition in Syria 'prove or deny'
allegations Russia is 'bombing civilians':
: "Today we invited military attaches from the US, Great
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Turkey
and the NATO bloc to ask them to give official
validation to their statements, or make a rebuttal,"
Defense Ministry deputy head Anatoly Antonov said on
Tuesday.
Apparent
Russian raids in Syria's south for first time:
Russia appears to have carried out strikes in southern
Syria's Daraa province for the first time in an apparent
expansion of its aerial campaign, activists said
Thursday.
Shells hit
near Russian Embassy in Damascus:
Syrian activists and state-owned media are saying that
several mortar shells hit near the Russian Embassy in
Damascus, but no injuries were recorded.
Sarkozy
says 'don't isolate Russia' as powers meet on Syria:
"We must merge the two coalitions into one," Sarkozy
said. "Without Russia, one cannot meet the great
challenges of this world," he said, adding that the
global role of Putin is "more positive than negative,
despite our differences."
100 ISIS
militants killed in clashes with Kurdish forces in
Yezidi region north Iraq:
The Kurdish Popular Defence Forces (HPG) and the Shingal
Resisting Units (YPS) announced they were able to kill
more than 100 extremists of the Islamic State (ISIS) in
Mount Sinjar in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh.
17
civilians and employees died as a result of torture in
prisons of Daash north of Mosul:
Local residents told the National Iraqi News Agency /
NINA / that the forensic medicine in Mosul received /17
/ bodies belonged to civilians and most of them
policemen in their twenties of age died due to
continuous torture in prisons of Daash during the past
few days
Erdogan
says Turkey may hit US-backed Syrian Kurds to block
advance:
"This was a warning. 'Pull yourself together. If you try
to do this elsewhere -- Turkey doesn't need permission
from anyone -- we will do what is necessary,'" Erdogan
said, signaling that he could defy Washington's demand
that Ankara avoid hitting Syrian Kurds and focus his
military might on ISIL targets.
Turkish
police storm opposition media in run-up to Sunday’s
election:
In a blatant attempt to silence opposition media in the
run-up to Sunday’s general election, Turkish police
stormed the headquarters of the Koza-Ipek corporation
and took its broadcasts off the air, allowing them to
resume only after the media company was under government
control.
Mideast
and North African Military Corruption “Critical”:
WESTERN NATIONS, primarily the U.S., Great Britain,
Germany, and Russia, have helped increase corruption
among Middle Eastern and North African states by selling
them vast quantities of weapons with little oversight,
according to a new report by Transparency International.
Saudi
warplanes kill 13 Yemenis in attack on bus:
At least 13 people have been killed in Saudi military
attacks on a bus carrying the employees of a private
company in Yemen’s southwestern Ta’izz Province.
Young
unarmed man murdered in cold blod in Hebron:
The eyewitness from ISM, identified as Orion, states: “I
am 100% sure he was unarmed. I saw the two soldiers
creeping slowly along the road outside our apartment
window with their guns cocked, so I looked down the
street to see why. I saw an unarmed man walking normally
towards the soldiers and suddenly they shot.”
Israel
clears Palestinian woman of stabbing charges:
Israel’s public prosecution cleared a Palestinian woman
who was shot three weeks ago from charges pertaining to
her intention to carry out a stabbing attack.
Fabricated
quotes attributed to Saudi Prince Alwalid Bin Talal on
Israel-Palestine go viral:
Saudi prince denies saying that he would side with
Israelis against Palestinians, as false quotes are
spread by news outlets, social media
7
militants killed in central Mali as army scours region:
The clashes, which took place late Wednesday and left
another 10 militants injured, erupted in the Tiebanda
forest where the Islamists were planning to set up a
base some 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Burkina Faso
border, said a ministry source who asked not to be
identified.
Libya:
Anti-IS imam killed by Ajdabiya car bomb:
An Ajdabiya imam was murdered when a car bomb exploded
beneath his vehicle in a busy central street. Sheikh
Suleiman Kabylie, a Salafist teacher at the Tawhid
mosque had been an outspoken critic of IS, both
preaching against the terrorists and denouncing them on
his social media page.
Warplanes
attack IS strongholds in Libya's Sirte:
Unidentified warplanes on Thursday attacked some
strongholds of the Islamic State (IS) in Libyan city of
Sirte, according to local eyewitness. No party claimed
responsibility for the attack, but some analysts
speculated the strikes were made by Libyan National
Army.
Roadside
bomb kills four Afghan policemen:
The incident took place in the Sayid Karam district on
Wednesday evening when the policemen’s patrol car hit a
buried explosive device, provincial police chief General
Zalmai Oryakhail said on Thursday.
US drone
strike kills 3 alleged 'IS militants' near Pakistan
border:
At least three militants of a self- styled Islamic State
group were killed and five others injured today in a US
drone strike in Afghanistan's restive Nangarhar province
bordering Pakistan.
American
Drone Assassinations May Violate International Law,
Experts Say:
The standards governing America’s drone assassinations
may violate the Geneva Conventions and other
international norms, legal experts say.
US
deserves a war crime charge:
Not only do the American public not know the details
about the drone program, but U.S. officials also don’t
even know who or how many people they are killing
Taliban
overrun district in quake-hit Afghanistan:
Officials said fighters seized control of the district
capital of Darqand in Takhar province, on the border
with Tajikistan in the early hours of Wednesday,
continuing a campaign that has intensified across the
country this year.
Russian
intel chief warns where ISIS may invade next:
- Russian intelligence on Wednesday warned of an
increased risk of fighters with the Taliban or the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, invading
Central Asia. President Putin earlier this month called
the situation in Afghanistan "close to critical" and
urged other ex-Soviet nations to be prepared to act
together to repel a possible attack
Ukraine
can expect years of dependency on West before economy
recovers:
Pritzker's visit coincided with the U.S. announcement
that it would give Ukraine another $1 billion in loan
guarantees on condition the country makes a series of
reforms. That comes on top of a $17.5 billion aid
program from the International Monetary Fund.
Putin
urges dollar to be ditched in oil deals:
Addressing oil executives and government officials in
the Kremlin, Putin renewed the call, saying national
currencies should be widely used in operations with the
countries with which Russia is actively trading
Nato considers sending 4,000 troops to Russian
borders:
Proposals being considered including deploying troops to
Eastern Europe under direct Nato command in peacetime,
in an unprecedented move that will likely be greeted
with fury in Moscow
U.S. Navy
scrambled jets after Russian planes approached carrier:
official:
A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier scrambled four F-18 jets on
Tuesday after two Russian anti-submarine aircraft flew
within a nautical mile of the warship, a Navy official
said on Thursday.
Greece
searches for 34 migrants off Lesbos, five children drown:
Five children, two men and one woman were known to have
drowned after the wooden boat, crammed with more than
280 people, sank near the island of Lesbos on Wednesday.
Eight more people drowned at two other locations,
bringing the day's total dead to 16.
Refugees
will freeze to death, warn EU heads:
Migrants crossing the Balkans will begin freezing to
death as winter approaches, the head of European Union
has said, as leaders warned the continent was "falling
apart" trying to deal with the biggest refugee crisis
since the Second World War.
Over 80%
of asylum seekers in Germany unqualified - report:
The agency has reportedly calculated that due to the
looming asylum crisis there will be at least 400,000
additional welfare recipients in the coming year.
Germany to
spend up to 16 billion euros on refugees next year:
Helmut Dedy, deputy managing director of the Association
of German Cities, said the federal states and
municipalities could end up spending 7 billion to 16
billion euros on costs related to refugees next year,
depending on the number of new arrivals.
US warns
Britain: If you leave EU you face barriers to trading
with America:
Trade representative Michael Froman says UK would face
same tariffs and barriers as China, Brazil or India in
the event of Brexit
Manufacturing
Consent For Increased Government Surveillance? :
MI5 Boss: IS Planning UK Mass Casualty Attacks
: His remarks come days before the Government is
expected to publish a draft of landmark legislation
covering spies activities in the digital era. And he
insisted the security agencies need greater powers to
keep the country safe.
Online
freedom hit as governments ramp up surveillance:
Global online freedom declined for a fifth consecutive
year as governments around the world stepped up
surveillance and censorship efforts, a study showed
Wednesday.
Police use
terror powers to seize BBC Newsnight journalist's laptop:
Police have used powers under the Terrorism Act to seize
the laptop of a young Newsnight journalist in a case
that has shocked BBC colleagues and alarmed freedom of
speech campaigners, The Independent can disclose.
EU
Parliament votes for Snowden charges to be dropped:
The European Union's legislature has called for member
states to protect US surveillance whistle-blower Edward
Snowden from possible extradition. The European
Parliament voted in a narrow 285-281 vote at a plenary
session in Strasbourg, France
Police can
use Stingray surveillance devices to listen to calls –
documents:
It’s long been known that authorities can use the
secretive Stingray tools to track people by their cell
phones. Now it’s been revealed that police are actually
able to listen in on calls using the device.
Judge
sticks with decision to release Guantanamo force-feeding
videos:
“What the government is really saying is that its
classification system trumps the decisions of the
federal courts as to the public's access to official
court records,” Kessler wrote. “In other words, the
Executive Branch (in this case, the military) purports
to be a law unto itself.”
ACLU: Stop
brutalizing kids in the classroom:
Wearing a uniform and a badge should not make someone
less accountable for their actions. In fact, it should
make them more so.
Detroit
Public Schools: 93% Not Proficient in Reading; 96% Not
Proficient in Math:
This is despite the fact that in the 2011-2012 school
year—the latest for which the Department of Education
has reported the financial data—the Detroit public
schools had “total expenditures” of $18,361 per student
and “current expenditures” of $13,330 per student.
Ryan
elected speaker, tasked with fixing ‘broken’ House and
uniting GOP:
Republicans rallied behind Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to
elect him the House's 54th speaker Thursday as a
splintered GOP turned to the youthful but battle-tested
lawmaker to mend self-inflicted party wounds and craft a
conservative message to woo voters.
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October 28, 2015
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Britain’s Poppy Fascism
By
Finian Cunningham |
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The massive demonstration of grieving and
repudiation of war has since given way to an
obscene glorification of war. -
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Report
says at least 200 Iran-linked fighters killed in Syria:
Revolutionary Guard leader says fighters from Iraq,
Pakistan and Afghanistan have entered Syria in response
to call from President Assad
Russia
hits 118 Syria targets in 24 hours:
Russian jets hit 118 targets during 71 sorties over the
provinces of Idlib, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Damascus and
Latakia, the Defense Ministry said. It was the highest
one-day tally since the Kremlin began its bombing
campaign on Sept. 30.
Syrian
Army reportedly liberates 50 villages in Aleppo
province:
“Yesterday, the
army advanced deep towards the Idlib province. We have
liberated some 50 villages and took hold of an area of
about 120 square kilometers,” a source from the Desert
Hawks armed militia group told RIA Novosti.
ISIS
position in Palmyra up-close,
RT 1st intl TV crew to follow Syrian Army assault
U.S.
weighs special forces in Syria, helicopters in Iraq:
The United States is considering sending a small number
of special operations forces to Syria and attack
helicopters to Iraq as it weighs options to build
momentum in the battle against Islamic State, U.S.
officials said on Tuesday.
US
official: As the United States steps up, Europe could
become more involved in Syria:
The president's special envoy for the global coalition
to counter Islamic State militants said Wednesday that
as the U.S. continues to build up its military options
in Syrian, European nations might consider combat
operations to battle extremists.
Qatar
rules out military intervention in Syria:
Qatar's Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah has ruled out
sending troops to fight Syria's government, Qatari-owned
Al Jazeera English quoted him as saying on Wednesday.
Iran's top
diplomat to attend Syria talks in Vienna:
Foreign ministry spokeswoman says Javad Zarif and three
of his top deputies will travel to Austria on Friday.
22 Iraqi
Troops Killed in US Airstrikes in Ramadi:
Iraqi security sources disclosed that the US-led
coalition's airstrikes have once again killed 22 army
and volunteer forces on Tuesday. "The coalition
warplanes pounded the Iraqi forces after they advanced
near the city of Ramadi after al-Jama bridge and al-Davajen
bridge," a security source said.
16 killed
in clashes with IS militants in Iraq:
A total of 16 were killed on Wednesday in separate
clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's
northern central province of Salahudin, a provincial
security source told Xinhua.
Iraq: We Didn't
Ask for U.S. Ground Operations:
The Iraqi government said Wednesday it didn't ask for —
and doesn't need — the "direct action on the ground"
promised by the Pentagon.
Pentagon:
U.S. troops in combat 'every day' against ISIS:
U.S. troops are in combat despite administration
assertions to the opposite, Carter said that U.S. forces
are participating in combat operations, but the mission
against the Islamic State is not a combat mission.
Yemen:
Saudi airstrikes kill 19 people in Sa'ada:
The Saudi-led airstrikes killed 19 citizens, including
children and women, in several areas in Sa'ada province,
a security source said on Wednesday.
Over 1,000
Militants Arrived in Yemen to Join ISIL, Fight Againt
Houthis:
Militants from all over the Middle East arrived at the
military camp Salah al-Din in the Yemeni city of Aden to
join Islamic State and fight against Houthi rebels, a
Yemeni security source told Sputnik.
Palestinian shot dead in Kiryat Arba after alleged
stabbing attempt:
- Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man on
Wednesday after allegedly attempting to carry out a
stabbing attack near the illegal Israeli settlement of
Kiryat Arba in Hebron in the southern occupied West
Bank.
Amnesty:
Israeli forces have 'ripped up the rulebook':
"Intentional lethal force should only be used when
absolutely necessary to protect life," he said. "Instead
we are increasingly seeing Israeli forces recklessly
flouting international standards by shooting to kill in
situations where it is completely unjustified."
Abbas
calls on UN for 'special regime' to protect Palestinians:
While addressing a special meeting of the UN Human
Rights Council in Genvea on Wednesday, Abbas called for
the creation of a "special regime for international
protection for the Palestinian people, immediately and
urgently".
Trudeau
needs to usher in a new Canadian position on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
Op-Ed: Mr. Trudeau should echo the United Nations,
paraphrase Mr. Harper and say to Mr. Netanyahu: “Get out
of the West Bank.”
Hammond
arrives in Saudi amid London embassy protests:
Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond is in Saudi Arabia to
discuss security and human right issues. His visit comes
as hundreds of activists head to the Saudi embassy in
London to protest the execution of 17-year-old Sheikh
Al-Nimr and other prisoners.
Suspected
Boko Haram fighters kill 13 people in Niger:
Thirteen people were killed and three others injured in
an attack on a village in southeast Niger that was
blamed on Boko Haram fighters, local officials said
Wednesday.
Nigerian
troops rescue over 330 women, children held by Boko
Haram:
The Nigerian army on Wednesday said it had freed more
than 330 people, mostly women and children, from Boko
Haram's Sambisa forest stronghold in the volatile
northeast.
18 bodies
found from downed Libya helicopter;
The death toll from the downing over the Mediterranean
of a helicopter belonging to Libya's Tripoli-based
government has risen to 18, a naval officer said
Wednesday.
AU report
finds forced cannibalism and rape in S Sudan:
African Union (AU) investigators have discovered mass
graves in South Sudan and found evidence of killings,
rape and forced cannibalism, according to a new report.
Afghan
troops battle to retake border town Takhar:
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid emailed media
organisations to say the battle for Darqad began at dawn
on Wednesday. He said two Taliban guerillas were killed
as the insurgents captured government buildings,
including police headquarters.
Australia
paid people smugglers to turn back refugee boats –
report:
The claims made by Amnesty International also accuse
Canberra of essentially colluding with a
people-smuggling operation.
At least
five refugees, including four children, drown in Aegean:
Greek authorities say at least five people, including
four children, have drowned as thousands of refugees and
economic migrants continued to head to the Aegean Sea
islands in frail boats from Turkey, in worsening
weather.
Germany to
send refugees back to Afghanistan, Balkans:
minister: German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere
said on Wednesday that his country would facilitate a
swifter deportation of rejected asylum seekers from
Afghanistan and the Balkans.
Ukraine's
Local Elections Expose Poroshenko's Weakening Grip:
Victories of Opposition Bloc in the east and Svoboda in
the west and poor showing of the 'mainstream' Maidan
parties confirms growing disenchantment and polarisation
Malnutrition and 'Victorian' diseases soaring in England
'due to food poverty and cuts':
Cases of malnutrition and other “Victorian” diseases are
soaring in England, in what campaigners said was a
result of cuts to social services and rising food
poverty.
Colombia's
president says truce with FARC rebels likely:
The country's president has said he will push for a
truce with the rebel group starting on January 1. The
news comes after months of fighting despite a FARC-declared
ceasefire over the summer.
Mexico:
Police Killings in Michoacán:
The evidence in two episodes in Michoacán state in 2015
in which at least 50 civilians died points to unlawful
killings by federal police, Human Rights Watch said
today.
Refugee
crisis grows in Central America as women 'run for their
lives':
Thousands of women flee their homes in parts of Central
America and Mexico each year to escape armed gangs and
domestic violence and seek refuge in the United States,
a flow that is becoming a refugee crisis, the UN refugee
agency says.
Watch:
Tyson Caught on Hidden Camera Ripping Heads Off Live
Animals
: A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation into
Tyson Foods—a major chicken supplier to McDonald’s, KFC,
Chick-fil-A, and more— has exposed horrific cruelty to
animals, including birds being punched, thrown, beaten
and having their heads ripped off while they are still
alive.
Budget
provision lets US gov’t robocall debtors:
Hidden in the US budget compromise is an amendment that
would allow automated calls to the cell phones of those
who owe money to the government, including debts related
to student loans, taxes and mortgages.
Record
number of Americans renounce citizenship:
According to IRS data published in the Federal Register
on Monday, 1,426 Americans expatriated in the third
quarter of 2015, bringing this year's total to 3,221 so
far. The figure is 25 percent higher than the same
period last year
Ex-US
House speaker pleads guilty in hush-money scheme:
One of Washington's most powerful lawmakers in the 2000s
has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and evading
banking laws. The former House speaker was allegedly
attempting to cover up sexual misconduct.
Sanders
will propose nixing marijuana from federal list of
dangerous drugs:
Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders will announce his
support Wednesday for removing marijuana from a list of
the most dangerous drugs outlawed by the federal
government — a move that would free states to legalize
it without impediments from Washington.
Hillary
Clinton Hasn’t Learned a Thing from Iraq: Op-Ed
: Clinton was the Obama administration’s most forceful
advocate for intervening to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi.
She even out-hawked Robert Gates
These GOP
Candidates Were Born Into Privilege But Want You To
Think Otherwise:
U.S. voters love a good rags-to-riches tale, even those
candidates born into lives of wealth, power, and
privilege have portrayed themselves in their campaign
trail stories as scrappy underdogs who pulled themselves
up by their bootstraps.
Republicans pick Ryan for speaker; House passes budget
deal:
Republicans made Paul Ryan their choice to be the next
speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on
Wednesday as the chamber passed a major budget and debt
limit deal that would launch his tenure with far less
risk of a major fiscal standoff.
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October 27/28, 2015
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Bring Back Jimmy Carter!
By
Paul Craig Roberts |
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Washington is using ISIS in an illegal
attempt to overthrow an elected government
that will not submit to being a Washington
puppet. -
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IS 'blows
up Palmyra columns to kill three captives':
Islamic State militants have killed three captives in
Syria's ancient city of Palmyra by tying them to columns
and blowing them up, activists say.
Russia
says soldier kills himself in first loss of Syria
campaign:
Russia’s military on Tuesday said that a soldier had
killed himself while on duty in Syria, the first
confirmed death of a serviceman in the war-torn country
since Moscow launched its bombing campaign last month.
US ground
ops in Syria ‘illegal’, may lead to ‘unpredictable’
consequences
: Commenting on the potential involvement of US ground
troops against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, Kosachev once
again highlighted that, when it comes to Syria, the
US-led anti-ISIS campaign is already violating
international law. Potential troops on the ground,
Kosachev believes, will further violate international
regulations
US says Iran to be invited to next round of
Syria talks:
The State Department said on Tuesday that it expected
Damascus' key ally Iran to be invited to the talks,
which will be attended by US Secretary of State John
Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov along
with key Arab and European diplomats.
Turkey struck Kurdish militia in
Syria twice: PM Davutoglu:
Washington has supported Kurds in Syria as an effective
force in combating Islamic State militants, complicating
its relationship with longtime ally and fellow NATO
member Turkey.
Suicide bomber attacks Shiite
pilgrims in Iraq, kills 7:
A man wearing an explosive belt attacked a tent serving
refreshments to pilgrims in Baghdad observing an annual
Shiite ritual Monday, killing at least seven people,
officials said.
Bombs kill
four in Iraq, mortars target police training center:
sources:
At least four people were killed by bomb blasts in Iraq
on Tuesday and mortars targeted a police training
facility, security and medical sources said, wounding
two officers.
MSF
hospital in Yemen hit by Arab-coalition air strikes:
A Yemeni hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)
has been hit by a series of Arab-coalition air strikes,
the medical aid group has said, the latest bombing of a
civilian target in a seven-month air campaign.
Yemen:
ISIS rises in Aden as chaos descends on port city:
They storm university classrooms to demand men and women
to stop studying together, charge into supermarkets
firing in the air to force the female cashiers to cover
up, harass families celebrating a Muslim holiday on the
beach.
Three
Palestinians Killed By Israeli Army Fire In Hebron:
Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Tuesday evening,
two Palestinians near the Gush Etzion junction, north of
Hebron, and one Palestinian in Hebron city.
UK
academics sever ties with Israeli universities:
Hundreds of professors vow to continue boycott until
Israel stops violating international law.
Palling
Around with Nazis: Netanyahu’s political ancestors are
also guilty by association:
The Zionist militias were looking for help seizing
Palestine from the British, so it made sense to align
themselves with Hitler. They offered to help fight on
Germany’s side, in exchange for the transfer of Europe’s
Jews to Palestine and Hitler’s support of a
‘totalitarian’ Jewish state.
At least 14 killed after
helicopter shot down in Libya:
A helicopter has crashed west of the Libya’s capital,
Tripoli, killing at least 14 people, Tripoli Chief of
Staff Spokesman Col. Ali Sheikhi said, as cited by AP.
He also said that the helicopter had been shot down.
Rival
groups kill six hostages in tit-for-tat CAR violence:
Three hostages seized in Central African Republic this
week were killed and three more seized later by another
group were killed as well, apparently in retaliation, a
government spokesman said on Tuesday.
Pakistan
says militants firing from Afghanistan kill seven
soldiers:
Islamist militants firing from Afghanistan into Pakistan
killed seven Pakistani paramilitary soldiers on Tuesday,
officials said, in an attack likely to put more strain
on tense relations between the neighbors.
The
Occupation Will Continue:,UK troops to stay in
Afghanistan:
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told Parliament on
Tuesday that “we have now concluded that we should
maintain the scale of the UK’s current military mission
in the country in 2016, to help build a secure and
stable Afghanistan.”
US navy
Spratly sail-by 'threatens China sovereignty':
Beijing officials say USS Lassen entered waters around
China-claimed islets "illegally" without Chinese
permission.
Japan MOF
seeks cuts in host-nation spending for U.S. military:
Japan's Ministry of Finance on Monday called for cuts in
the country's budget spending for U.S. forces stationed
in Japan in a bid to restore public finances, a move
likely to meet opposition from its key ally Washington.
Leaked
TAFTA/TTIP Chapter Shows EU Breaking Its Promises On The
Environment:
The European Commission is now so desperate for a deal
-- any deal -- that it has gone back on just about every
promise it made (pdf) to protect the environment and
ensure that TTIP promoted sustainable development.
Trudeau Is
Less Liberal Than You Think: Op-Ed:
Many environmentalists rejoiced when Stephen Harper’s
government was thrown out of office in Canada. But
Justin Trudeau is no
Bikini islanders seek US refuge
as sea levels threaten homes:
About 1,000 Bikini islanders have applied to relocate to
the United States as rising seas threaten their adopted
home. Islanders say that their homes are being swamped
by the increased ingress of sea water during king tides.
Senate
passes CISA, strikes down four pro-privacy amendments:
The Senate on Tuesday passed CISA, a controversial bill
encouraging companies to share private user data with
the government that is worrying to civil liberties
advocates. Four amendments were proposed to address
privacy concerns, but they all died on the floor.
IRS
possessed Stingray cellphone surveillance gear,
documents reveal:
Invoices reveal tax service, 13th federal agency to use
secretive dragnet, upgraded device that pretends to be
cellphone tower to gather metadata
Brutal
Spring Valley High School video shows what happens when
you put cops in schools:
A new video demonstrates the dramatic consequences of
what's widely known as the "school-to-prison pipeline."
Boehner-Obama Spending Deals Have Increased Debt
$3,970,023,503,348.07:
That equals $33,832.64 for every household in the United
States.
Why Donald
Trump Could Win the Republican Nomination:
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is
forcing his party's establishment to confront the vast
divide between party leaders and the voters who,
according to nearly every poll for months, have wanted
him to carry their torch to the White House.
|
October 26, 2015
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The Older, Better Canada
is Back Again
By
Eric Margolis |
 |
Bibi Netanyahu and Harper became best
friends. Under Harper, Canada, once a leader
of human rights, told Palestinians they did
not deserve a state and were ‘terrorists.’ -
Continue |
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Netanyahu Rewrites History
By
Cesar Chelala |
 |
Netanyahu’s words intend to give the
impression that resistance of the
Palestinians is based on their hatred of the
Jewish people
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At least
24 killed in explosions, clashes in northern Syria:
Among the victims were 14 members of the National
Defense Forces, a pro-government Syrian military group,
killed in an explosion on the road leading to the
village of al-Ramusa, southwest of Aleppo, where clashes
with opposition forces took place.
Fact or
propaganda?
Iran
Buries 20 Soldiers Killed In Fighting In Syria:
The cost of Iran’s involvement in the Syrian conflict is
being felt at home, as Iranians buried 20 soldiers
killed in 12 days of fighting recently.
Another 8
Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria:
Eight more Hezbollah fighters were killed over the past
24 hours in battles in Syria, a according to security
source
Kremlin
rejects HRW report over killing Syria civilians:
The New York-based rights group said in a statement on
Saturday that two airstrikes that happened in northern
Homs in western Syria on October 15 killed 59 civilians.
Russia
hits record 94 targets in Syria in 24 hours: military:
"In 59 sorties in the past 24 hours, Russia's air force
hit 94 terrorist targets in the provinces of Hama, Idlib,
Latakia, Damascus, Aleppo and Deir Ezzor," Russian news
agencies quoted defence ministry spokesman Igor
Konashenkov as saying.
Syrian
rebels to Russia: Stop bombing us:
An alliance of Free Syrian Army-related insurgent groups
said on Monday it was skeptical about a Russian proposal
to help rebels, and that Moscow must stop bombing rebels
and civilians and withdraw its support for President
Bashar al-Assad.
U.S.
Backed Moderate Rebels Behead Captured Syrian Soldiers
and Threaten Minority Groups:
The U.S. backed moderate rebel fighters from the “Free
Syrian Army” (FSA) have released more images from the
Hama Governorate’s northern countryside; this time, the
images include the mutilated heads of captured Syrian
Arab Army (SAA) soldiers that were executed over the
weekend.
Erdogan
says Turkey won't let Kurds 'seize' northern Syria:
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused Kurdish groups
on Saturday of trying to grab control of northern Syria,
saying Ankara would not allow this to happen.
Several
dead in raids on suspected ISIL cell in Turkey:
Seven suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
fighters and two policemen killed in operation in
Diyabakir.
Iraq: 27
killed in clashes in Baiji, Al Anbar
-: Two Iraqi
soldiers and 25 militants of the Islamic State in Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL) were killed Sunday in northern
city of Baiji, and in the western province of Anbar, the
joint operations command said.
Bomb
attack on Shi'ite pilgrims in Baghdad kills 7:
A suicide bomber killed seven people, including two
police, in an attack on a Shiite Muslim procession
Monday in a northern Baghdad neighborhood, police and
medical sources said.
Murdered
Iraq Trade Ministry official was about to expose
corruption-officials:
An Iraqi Trade Ministry media adviser killed last month
by a bomb attached to his car had been about to hand
over files accusing the ministry of corruption to the
country's Integrity Commission, officials in the
ministry's legal department told Reuters.
Baghdad
Allows Russia to Bomb ISIL Terrorists Running From Syria
Into Iraq:
As Russian airstrikes push ISIL terrorists from Syria
into Iraq, Moscow and Baghdad agreed to hit the
militants in Iraq, said Hakem al-Zameli, the head of the
Iraqi Parliament’s National Security and Defense
Commission, according to Fars News Agency.
Officials
parsing words over 'combat' in Iraq:
U.S. special operations forces not only engaged in
combat with ISIS fighters last week for the first time,
but they also called in airstrikes from the ground,
according to defense officials.
36 killed
in clashes in Yemen's Taez, medical aid blocked:
Heavy clashes and air strikes in Yemen's third city Taez
left at least 36 fighters dead, army sources said, as
aid workers struggled to make medical deliveries.
Yemen
suicide bomber kills 2 pro-government fighters in Aden:
A suicide bomber killed two anti-rebel militiamen at a
checkpoint in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on
Monday, security and medical officials said.
800
Colombian Soldiers to Join Saudi-Led Forces in Yemen:
The troops include former Colombian soldiers fighting
under contract with Saudi Arabia. According to Colombian
newspaper El Tiempo, the first group of just under 100
Colombian troops arrived in Yemen earlier this month.
At least 3 killed in Saudi mosque
suicide blast near Yemen: Al-Arabiya:
A suicide bomber blew himself up at a mosque in Najran
in southern Saudi Arabia on Monday, killing at least
three people and wounding several others, Saudi-owned
al-Arabiya television reported.
Two Saudi soldiers killed by
Yemeni forces: At
least two Saudi soldiers lost their lives when Yemeni
forces carried out a retaliatory attack against a
military base in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border
region of Jizan
Saudi
prince arrested on private plane with 2 tons of drugs -
reports:
Lebanese security forces are interrogating a Saudi
prince on charges of carrying drugs on his private plane
after they allegedly retrieved 2 tons of narcotics from
the aircraft, local media reported.
Palestinian teen shot dead during clashes in Hebron:
Israeli forces shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian
during clashes in the southern occupied West Bank
district of Hebron on Monday evening, the Palestinian
Ministry of Health told Ma'an.
The tide
is turning against Zionist extremism: Op-Ed
The
inherent contradiction of Israel as both a modern
democratic state and brutal occupier is becoming clear
to all.
Confessions of an Israeli traitor: Op-Ed:
The occupation is destroying our own society, too
US freezes
$370m in aid to PA:
The US House of Representatives blocks financial aid to
the Palestinian Authority, in light of the current
string of violent attacks and incitement against Israel.
Yearly payments normally stand at $450 million, but were
set to be cut to the now frozen amount of $370 million
in 2015 as a fine for Palestinian Authority behavior
against Israel last year.
First-Ever
U.S. Presidential Candidates' Forum Held Abroad in
Jerusalem:
US presidential candidates have been invited to
participate in the first-ever US Presidential
Candidates' Forum held abroad, focusing on foreign and
defense policy issues. From Jerusalem, Israel, each
presidential candidate will have an opportunity to
present their views on U.S. foreign policy, US-Israel
relations.
Kenya: 15
Islamic extremist rebels killed in Somalia:
Kenya’s military says it has destroyed a base in Somalia
operated by the Islamic extremist rebels of al-Shabab
and killed 15 of its fighters.
Death toll
in Libya anti-peace deal rally shelling hits 12:
The death toll for the shelling of a rally in Libya’s
second city Benghazi protesting against a U.N.-proposed
peace deal has jumped to 12, medics said.
Activist
Abdurraouf Eshati admits £18.6m arms plot role:
The
court heard the documents outlined a plan to send the
huge consignment of ammunition to Libya, via a contact
in Italy, in support of the Zintan people of the eastern
region.
Over 230
killed, thousands injured in Afghanistan earthquake,
Pakistan severely hit:
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck a remote area of
northeastern Afghanistan on Monday, shaking the capital
Kabul and killing 233 people — 200 in Pakistan and 33 in
Afghanistan — and injuring thousands, officials said.
Doctors
Without Borders hospital bombing death toll hits 30:
Death toll from U.S. bombing of medical centre includes
“10 known patients, 13 known staff and seven
unrecognizable bodies.”
Afghanistan Seeking Artillery, Mi-35 Helicopters From
Russia Amid Growing Insurgency:
Report: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has requested
Russia for military assistance amid growing insurgency
and failing security forces, the Wall Street Journal
reported Sunday.
'Strong
evidence' of genocide in Myanmar:
Al Jazeera investigation reveals government triggered
deadly communal violence for political gain.
Dead Iraq soldier families say
they feel 'revulsion' at Tony Blair over 'apology' for
war: Families of
soldiers killed in Iraq attack the former prime minister
for his refusal to make a full apology for the Iraq war
and warn the report into the conflict will be a
"cover-up".
Faux sincerity. Weasel words. The
Spin King strikes again:
MICHAEL BURLEIGH on Tony Blair's controversial Iraq war
apology
Report:
‘Dishonest, Biased’ BBC Protects UK Ally Saudi Arabia:
The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald outed the BBC Monday as
“dishonest and biased” after the broadcaster’s recent
article parroting claims by an anonymous Saudi official
covered up the extent of the monarchy’s dirty dealings
with the al-Qaida affiliated Nusra Front.
Corbyn
'breached' Saudi-UK special relationship – Riyadh’s
ambassador to London:
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has breached the respect and
trust between the UK and Saudi Arabia, a move which may
have “serious repercussions,” the Gulf Kingdom’s
ambassador to Britain has warned.
How
Britain tortured Nazi PoWs:
The horrifying interrogation methods that belie our
proud boast that we fought a clean war.
Ham,
sausages cause cancer, steak also suspect, says
long-awaited UN report:
The UN has finally come out with a verdict on meat, with
a report indicating that processed meat like sausages,
bacon and ham can cause cancer, with red meat also under
suspicion.
TV comic,
wins Guatemala presidency:
Morales, who is to assume the presidency Jan. 14 and has
never held political office, said he would get right to
work with a transition team to study economic issues and
work on development-oriented government policies.
Mass
Arrests in Chicago Outside Meeting of US Police Chiefs:
The arrests took place as police chiefs from across the
United States gathered for their annual meeting, which
comes in the wake of massive protests from New York to
Los Angeles over the killing of unarmed people of color
by members of law enforcement.
Police
Citing “Terrorism” to Buy Stingrays Used Only For
Ordinary Crimes:
The records also
highlight the continuing problem of excessive secrecy
about use of this invasive tracking equipment.
Raw Milk
Farmer Charged For Removing Hidden Government Cameras
Spying on His Property:
Michael Schmidt is as honest as they come. He is a raw
milk farmer that takes care of his animals and provides
high quality raw milk to his farm shareholders.
Donald
Trump is much derided – but he is right about the Middle
East:
The candidate is demoised as an exotic celebrity but he
knows more about Iraq and Syria than his critics
Poll shows
Donald Trump beating Hillary Clinton in head-to-head
contest, Trump taking 70% of the electoral votes:
The latest 2016 presidential poll has Donald Trump
destroying Hitlery Clinton in a head-to-head matchup,
375 electoral votes to Hitlery’s 163.
Trump 2nd
place Iowa Poll a SHAM — paid for by Club for Growth
Action!:
The poll that placed Trump in second place in Iowa was a
fake— paid for by the Club for Growth Action and differs
from the NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll over
the weekend that has Trump in first place in Iowa by
five points.
Dr. Ben
Carson's prescription: Abolish Medicare:
Republicans have fended off accusations for years that
they'd gut Medicare for seniors and end the program "as
we know it."
|
October 25, 2015
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Consider
the source:
43 Syrian government soldiers and
pro-government militiamen killed in clashes on Khanser
: The first hours of these clashes, which coincided with
IS attack on the regime-held areas of al- Sfirah, Tal
Aran and Tal Hasel, witnessed the death of 28 regime’s
soldiers, where IS started the attack by detonating 2
booby-trapped vehicles in the area.
Over 27 FSA Militants Killed,
Injured in Army Attack near Syria's Dara'a:
The Syrian Army said that its forces raided positions of
the Free Syrian Army (FSA) near al-Yadouda town, and
killed or wounded over 27 militants.
Syrian
Army Kills Jabhat al-Nusra Leader:
The Syrian army killed the leader of Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra
Front) terrorist group, Egypt-born Abu Suleiman al-Masri
in Aleppo, a source confirmed to Sputnik Saturday.
Lavrov:
Russia is ready to offer air support to Syrian
opposition fighting ISIS:
Russia says it is ready to provide air support, in the
form of airstrikes, to help Syrian opposition forces,
like the Free Syrian Army, who are fighting Islamic
State, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavorov says.
Free Syrian Army rejects Russia's
offer to cooperate:
"Russia is bombing the Free Syrian Army and now it wants
to cooperate with us while it remains committed to
Assad?"
Free Syrian Army proposes Russia
to hold talks on Syrian crisis in Cairo – official:
Representatives of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel
group have sent Russia a proposal to hold talks on
Syrian crisis in Cairo, Egypt, one of the founders of
the FSA told RIA Novosti, adding that the opposition is
ready for the dialogue with Moscow.
$500M a
year in oil revenue buoys Islamic State fighters:
The Islamic State group rakes in up to $50 million a
month from selling crude from oilfields under its
control in Iraq and Syria, part of a well-run industry
that diplomacy and airstrikes have failed to shut down,
according to Iraqi intelligence and U.S. officials.
U.S.,
Saudi Arabia to Bolster Support For "Moderate" Syrian
Mercanaries:
"They pledged to continue and intensify support to the
moderate Syrian opposition while the political track is
being pursued," the State Department statement said
after Kerry's meetings in Saudi Arabia. It did not spell
out what kind of support would be offered.
Syria's President Assad ready for
early elections - Russian delegation to Damascus:
The Syrian President Bashar Assad has agreed to hold
preliminary elections in the country, on the condition
the move has the backing of the population, a member of
Moscow's Parliamentary delegation has told the TASS news
agency.
U.S.
reports 21 more air strikes against Islamic State in
Iraq, 0 in Syria:
A U.S. military statement said on Saturday the United
States and its allies carried out 21 air strikes against
Islamic State militants in Iraq on Friday, but mentioned
no air raids in Syria.
25 killed in 2 suicide bombings
in Iraq's Anbar: A
total of 25 security members were killed and 34 others
wounded on Sunday in two suicide truck bomb attacks
during clashes between Iraqi security forces and Islamic
State (IS) militants in the western province of Anbar, a
provincial security source said.
Iraqi F-16 fighter jets bomb
Ramadi for the first time, dozens of ISIS elements
killed: The Security
Committee in Khalidiya Council in Anbar province
announced on Sunday the participation of Iraqi F16
fighter jets for the first time in bombing ISIS
gatherings in Ramadi (110 km west of Baghdad), asserting
that the strikes hit their targets accurately and killed
dozens of members of the organization.
Video appears to show the joint
US raid against ISIS in Iraq that killed a US soldier:
Two videos of the raid have emerged. One was obtained by
NBC News from the news website Arab24, which claims to
have received the footage from Kurdish military
officials.
36 Killed in Clashes in Yemen's
Taez, Medical Aid Blocked:
Heavy clashes and air strikes in Yemen's third city Taez
left at least 36 fighters dead today, army sources said,
as aid workers struggled to make medical deliveries.
Israeli police shoot, kill
17-year-old Palestinian in Hebron:
Israeli border police shot and killed a 17-year-old
Palestinian girl near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in
the southern occupied West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian
and Israeli sources said.
Washington plans up to $1 billion
hike in military aid to Israel:
Israeli and American teams are putting together a plan
to increase annual U.S. military aid to Israel by as
much as $1 billion, on top of the current $3.1 billion,
a source close to the military aid process said
Wednesday.
U.S.
Officials Detected Israeli Planes in Iranian Airspace in
2012
: Israel violated Iranian airspace in 2012 in what U.S.
officials interpreted as a dry run for a strike on the
Islamic Republic’s nuclear
WATCH:
Justin Trudeau has Israel's back
- Video
In U.S.-backed Gulf regimes, you
face years in prison — or execution — for insulting the
king: Pro-democracy
activists in U.S.-allied Gulf monarchies are brutally
punished for writing poems or ripping up photos
Death toll in Libya anti-peace
deal rally shelling hits 12:
At least 12 people died and 39 were wounded after a
volley of shells hit the rally attended by hundreds of
people, the LANA news agency close to the
internationally recognized Libyan government reported
Saturday.
Bodies of
40 migrants found washed ashore in Libya, another 30
suspected missing:
Libya's Red Crescent says the bodies of 40 migrants have
washed ashore in the Mediterranean country. Red Crescent
spokesman Mohamed al-Masrati says 27 of the bodies were
found Saturday at the town of Zliten, east of the
capital, Tripoli. The rest were found along the shores
of Tripoli
Orwell Would Be
Proud Of Her:
Clinton
Says Libya Chaos Shows Consequences Of U.S. Withdrawal
From Unstable Places
: “We have learned the hard way when America is absent,
especially from unstable places, there are consequences.
Extremism takes root, aggressors seek to fill the vacuum
and security everywhere is threatened, including here at
home.
Mother of
slain State Dept. officer in Benghazi:
Hillary Clinton ‘tells lies,’ treated me like dirt : She
watched Thursday’s marathon hearing in which Clinton
finally testified before the House Select Committee on
Benghazi and says that the Democratic presidential
hopeful lied to Congress about what happened that
fateful September 11.
Kenyan
military: 15 Islamic extremist rebels killed, their base
destroyed in southern Somalia:
Kenyan military spokesman Col. David Obonyo said in a
statement Sunday that Kenyan troops under the African
Union mission in Somalia destroyed an al-Shabab base at
Yantooy by Jubba River in southern Somalia in a dawn
attack.
Four
Egyptian policemen killed in two separate attacks:
In a statement, the ministry said three policemen -- an
officer and two conscripts -- had been killed on
Saturday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in
the North Sinai city of Arish. Another eight police
conscripts were injured, the ministry said.
Four female suicide bombers
killed in Borno: Four
female suicide bombers died, killing one other person
and wounding 10, when civilian guards prevented them
from entering Maiduguri, yesterday.
27 insurgents killed as clash
continues in Afghan southern Helmand province:
Taliban-led militancy and counter-militancy have got new
impetus in Taliban former stronghold southern Helmand
province as 27 militants have been killed and both sides
have been fighting to gain more grounds.
20 Daesh militants killed in
Afghan drone strikes:
Afghan officials claimed a Pakistani commander of the
Islamic State was among the 20 fighters of the group who
were killed in three US drone strikes in Afghanistan’s
eastern Nangarhar province on Friday.
Death toll
from Pakistan Shiites blast rises to 24:
The death toll from a suspected suicide blast which
targeted Shiite Muslims in the southern Pakistani city
of Jacobabad has risen to 24, a provincial minister said
Saturday.
1 killed
in ISIS-claimed attack in Bangladesh:
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the
bombing of the main Shi'ite shrine in the Bangladeshi
capital 0n Saturday that killed one person and wounded
nearly 80, as thousands gathered for the annual Ashura
procession.
Maldives president appeals for
calm after deputy's arrest over boat blast:
Yameen Abdul Gayoom says it was not easy to see
vice-president arrested on suspicion of treason for
allegedly plotting to assassinate him
Montenegrin police fire teargas to break up crowd
demanding PM quit:
- Police in Montenegro on Saturday fired teargas for the
second successive weekend to break up around 5,000
protesters who marched on parliament to demand the
resignation of veteran Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic
and snap elections
Tony
Blair’s US trip to 'broker' £1bn Libya terror deal that
left British families with nothing:
Tony Blair has ignored a deadline to explain to MPs his
alleged role in a deal that deprived British victims of
Libyan terrorism millions of pounds in compensation
Newly
declassified documents reveal how America missed a major
nuclear war scare:
That 10-day NATO exercise in November of 1983 is
suspected of unintentionally and quietly pushing America
and the Soviet Union closer to war. And now, there's new
evidence suggesting those suspicions were right on.
Bad news
for retirees: No Social Security cost-of-living
increase, higher medical costs for many:
Tens of millions of seniors will see no annual
cost-of-living adjustment in their Social Security
checks in 2016, the government said Thursday, unwelcome
news that also will flatten benefit payments for retired
federal workers and service members.
Poll: 70%
of Republicans view Donald Trump as most electable:
Republican voters view Donald Trump as their strongest
general election candidate, according to an Associated
Press-GfK poll that highlights the sharp contrast
between the party's voters and its top professionals
regarding the billionaire businessman's ultimate
political strength.
|
October 23, 2015
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Is Instability the Goal of
U.S. Mideast Policy?
By
Sheldon Richman |
 |
American neoconservatives, who include
Wolfowitz and a host of people in the Bush's
Pentagon and State Department, have for
years acted as a brain trust for the
right-wing of Israel's ruling elite (Likud).
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US in Search of a Cause?
By
Patrick J. Buchanan |
 |
America is a nation divided, not only upon
the means we should use to attain our ends
in the world, but upon the ends themselves.
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Israel Is Occupation
Addicted
Must Watch - Video
|
 |
Gideon
Levy, Respected Israeli journalist, explains
why Israel is like an addict living off the
financial aid from the USA to keep feeding
it's "occupation addition"
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Kill Them All – US Strike
on Afghan Hospital
By
Finian Cunningham |
 |
Washington – both the White House and
Pentagon chiefs – are using a «kill them
all» policy, whereby high levels of civilian
casualties are deemed acceptable in order to
neutralise an individual suspected
combatant. -
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Americans Stand Naked
Before Injustice
By
Paul Craig Roberts |
 |
The
percentage of Americans who have even the
slightest comprehension of their loss of
liberty is so tiny that the American people
have no prospect of regaining their liberty.
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To Find a Happy Day
By
Cathy Breen |
 |
As someone from the U.S., I am shamed by our
lack of response and indifference, as well
as our inability to acknowledge our
responsibility in unleashing the chaos and
violence in the Middle East through our war
making. -
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Mosque
blasts kill 55 in NE Nigeria:
Two bomb blasts ripped through mosques in northeast
Nigeria on Friday, killing at least 55 people and
injuring more than 100, as Boko Haram fighters seized a
town in neighbouring Cameroon.
Nine killed after mortars hit
protest in Libya's Benghazi:
At least nine people were killed and dozens more injured
in Libya's second city Benghazi on Friday when mortar
shells hit a protest against a United Nations proposal
for a unity government to end a political crisis,
medical sources said.
Consider
the source::
At least 25 rebels, including 2
military leaders, killed and wounded in the ongoing
clashes in the southern countryside of Aleppo:
Clashes are still taking places between the regime
forces, backed by allied militiamen of Syrian, Arab and
Asian nationals against the rebel and Islamist factions
leading to kill and wound at least 25 fighters of the
rebel and Islamist factions,
Eight
Iranians killed in Syria: Iranian general:
Eight Iranians, two of them Revolutionary Guards forces,
have been killed in Syria in recent days after Tehran
increased its advisory missions to help Damascus, a
guards spokesman said Friday.
Rebel
shelling kills five across Syria:
Syrian soldiers drove back armed rebels in Hama and Deir
Ezzor provinces and made advances in Aleppo, where an
offensive was recently launched from within the besieged
city.
Fact or
propaganda?
Islamic
State attacks Syrian army supply route to Aleppo -
Pro-rebel monitor:
Islamic State captured parts of a road running between
the towns of Khanaser and Ithriya, said Rami Abdulrahman,
head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights. He said battles were continuing in the area.
50
ton-question: Who got US ammo intended for anti-ISIS
Arabs?:
Arab rebels in northern Syria say they have received
none of the ammunition air-dropped by the US. The
supplies appear to have ended up with Kurdish fighters,
whose anti-ISIS offensive stalled following protests
from US ally Turkey.
Russia
hold Syria talks with US, Saudi Arabia, Turkey:
Lavrov announced that Russia and Jordan -- another
member of the U.S.-led coalition -- had agreed to
"coordinate" their military actions in Syria and set up
a "mechanism" to facilitate that end.
Putin says
Syria's Assad is open to working with some rebels:
"I asked him: 'What view would you take if we found, now
in Syria, an armed opposition which nonetheless was
ready to oppose and really fight against terrorists,
against Islamic State? What would be your view if we
were to support their efforts in fighting Islamic State
in the same way we are supporting the Syrian army',"
Putin said. "He answered: 'I would view that
positively'," Putin said of Assad.
Again on
the Table: Washington Weighs Pros and Cons of Syria
No-Fly Zone:
During the October 18 gathering, US Secretary of State
John Kerry and a number of other high-ranking officials
approved the idea, while Pentagon chief Ashton Carter
pointed to the extensive military resources required to
enforce such zones in Syria.
Why Is the
Administration Still Debating a “No-Fly Zone” for Syria?:
News Analysis - It’s good that the White House is still
rejecting calls for a Syrian “no-fly zone,” but the fact
that there are still people inside the administration
pushing an idea as terrible and reckless as this one is
worrisome.
Iraq: Badr
militia announces killing 19 ISIS elements north of
Salahuddin:
“The 10th brigade belonging to the Badr forces repelled
an attack on the village of al-Mesk and the mountains of
Makhoul south of Sharqat District (60 km north of
Salahuddin).” The statement added, “A booby-trapped
vehicle was treated and 19 ISIS elements were killed.”
8 people
killed, wounded in bomb blast south of Baghdad:
“An explosive device exploded, this evening, near shops
in Abu Dashir area south of Baghdad, resulting in the
death of two people and wounding six others.”
Fact or
fiction?
Russia
receives authorization to strike Daesh inside Iraq:
The Iraqi government authorized Russia to target Daesh
convoys coming from Syria, a senior Iraqi official said.
The authorization for Russia to target Daesh inside Iraq
comes amid security coordination between Iraq, Russia,
Iran and Syria.
ISIL
attacks jump 42 percent globally, report finds:
In the three months from July through September. That
represents, on average, about 12 attacks per day,
compared to 8.3 from April to June.
Expect
more raids on ISIS by US troops, Pentagon chief warns:
"Raids is one of those categories and I suspect that
we'll have further opportunities in the future and we're
going to avail ourselves." Carter said at Friday’s
Pentagon briefing.
76 killed
in battle for western Yemeni city of Taiz;
Heavy fighting between Yemeni pro-government forces and
Shiite Houthi rebels besieging the western city of Taiz
has killed 76 people since Wednesday, Yemeni security
officials said Friday.
'Don't
bury me' Yemeni child crying before he dies:
He is just a child. But more than six months of war in
his country, Yemen, had taught him the bitter realities
of conflict. People die, then they are buried.
Defense
Contractors Rally Round Saudi Arabia, Wave Off
Humanitarian Concerns:
Lockheed Martin and Boeing officials say members of
Congress shouldn't have qualms about Saudi Arabian human
rights issues.
Germany
defends export of tanks to Qatar:
Germany defended on Friday a decision to allow the
export of tanks and artillery to Qatar, saying it was
confident the arms would not be used in a war in Yemen
between government supporters and the Iran-allied
Houthis.
Suicide bombing targeting Shiite
procession in Pakistan kills 22:
Sindh region Transport Minister Mumtaz Jakhrani
confirmed the death toll in the attack in the city of
Jacobabad to Samaa news channel. "It was a suicide
attack as the head and some other body parts of the
suicide bomber were found at the site," he added.
Bombing at
mosque in Pakistan kills 10 on eve of Shi'ite holy day:
A suicide bombing at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque killed at
least 10 people in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan
on Thursday, officials said, raising fears of more
sectarian attacks during the upcoming Shi'ite holiday of
Ashura.
Turkey
announces new wave of 50,000 Syrian refugees to head for
Europe:
Turkey is preparing for tens of thousands more refugees
from Syria as government forces and Russian warplanes
pound opposition-held areas, and officials said many
would try illegally to get to Europe.
Serbia,
Croatia to speed up flow of refugees after thousands
spend cold night out in the open:
Shocked into action, Serbia and Croatia agreed Friday to
increase the flow of asylum-seekers over their border
after thousands were forced to spend a muddy night out
in the open in near-freezing temperatures.
U.N.
Report Calls on Governments to Protect Whistleblowers
Like Snowden, Not Prosecute Them:
Confidential sources and whistleblowers are a crucial
element of a healthy democracy, says the U.N. Special
Rapporteur for free speech.
Cisa
amendment would allow US to jail foreigners for crimes
committed abroad:
An amendment to a controversial cybersecurity bill will
allow US courts to pursue and jail foreign nationals
even if the crimes they commit are against other
foreigners and on foreign soil.
Obama
vetoes defense bill in high-stakes showdown over
spending:
Speaking to reporters for four minutes in a rare public
veto message, Obama said the bill fell "woefully short"
because it kept across-the-board budget cuts in place,
blocked needed military reforms and prohibited him from
closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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October
22, 2015
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Remember When U.S.
Officials Loved Assad?
By Jacob G.
Hornberger |
 |
Why does the U.S. government partner with
the dictatorship in Egypt to wage the war on
terrorism against Egyptian rebels but then
supports the Syria rebels who are trying to
oust the dictatorship in Syria? -
Continue |
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At Least 25 ISIL Terrorists
Killed in Deir Ezzur:
On Thursday, the Syrian army, backed by Russian
warplanes, thwarted a terrorists' attack on Deir Ezzur
military airport, killing 25 Takfiri militants.
Five civilians killed, 25 injured in terrorist
attacks in Aleppo and Homs:
Takfiri terrorist organizations targeted civilian
residential areas by rocket shells after heavy losses
were inflicted upon their ranks, weapons and positions
in the army and armed forces operations in combating
terrorism in different areas of the country.
Russia flew 53 sorties, hit 72
militant targets in Syria: agencies:
The Russian air force hit a range of targets in the
Hama, Idlib, Latakia, Aleppo, Damascus, and Deir al-Zor
provinces, a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by
the RIA and TASS news agencies.
US-led coalition forces launch
strikes on profitable IS-controlled oil field in Syria:
Airstrikes late Wednesday struck IS-controlled oil
refineries, in the Omar oil field near the town of Deir
el-Zour. Coalition spokesman Col. Steven Warren said the
attack hit 26 targets, making it one of the largest set
of strikes since launching the air campaign last year.
Russia says hits ISIS supply
route from Iraq to Syria:
Russia's military carried out an air strike on a bridge
over the Euphrates River in Syria which was being used
by ISIS militants to bring supplies from Iraq into
Syria, Russia's RIA news agency quoted a defence
ministry official as saying.
Putin says Russia close to
swapping data on Syria militant positions with West:
Putin accused the West of playing a "double game" with
terrorist groups in Syria, where a U.S.-led coalition
has conducted a bombing campaign with its allies.
Russia says reports of Syria
hospital strike 'fake':
Moscow on Thursday denied reports of a Russian strike on
a clinic in Syria as "fake", attacking the Britain-based
monitoring group behind the reports as no more reliable
than a "pizzeria".
Syria
crisis: US attacks Moscow welcome for Assad: Repeats WMD
propaganda:
"We view the red carpet welcome for Assad, who has used
chemical weapons against his own people, at odds with
the stated goal by the Russians for a political
transition in Syria," White House spokesman Eric Schultz
told reporters.
In
case you missed it:
Bashar al-Assad Not a Dictator,
Says Former British Ambassador to Syria:
Ex-diplomat Andrew Green defends Syrian ruler and
accuses No 10 spin of failing to understand situation on
the ground
Town joins
Kurdish-led order in Syria, widening sway at Turkish
border:
A Syrian town captured from Islamic State by Kurdish-led
forces in June joined the Kurdish-led political order in
northern Syria on Wednesday, officials said, a move
likely to deepen Turkish concerns about the Kurds'
expanding role just over the border.
21 killed
as reports says no Kurds among hostages rescued in U.S.
special forces raid in Iraq:
More than 20 Islamic State militants were killed and six
detained during the raid early on Thursday in which
Kurdish counter-terrorism forces took part.
8 people
killed, wounded in bomb blast near shops south of
Baghdad:
On Thursday, a source in the Interior Ministry
announced, that eight people had been either killed or
wounded in the explosion of an explosive device near
shops south of Baghdad.
U.S.
soldier killed in Iraq hostage rescue operation:
One U.S. soldier was killed as American Special Forces
conducted a raid in support of with Kurdish Iraqi forces
to free dozens of Kurds held in Northern Iraq, U.S.
defense officials said Friday.
Fact or
propaganda?
Israeli Colonel Leading ISIL Terrorists Arrested in
Iraq::
Noting that he was arrested along with a number of ISIL
terrorists, the commander said, "The Israeli colonel's
name is Yusi Oulen Shahak and is ranked colonel in
Golani Brigade of the Zionist regime's army with the
security and military code of Re34356578765az231434."
1
Palestinian killed, 1 injured after alleged attack in
Beit Shemesh:
An Israeli police spokesperson told Ma'an that two
Palestinians attempted to board a children's bus in the
city but were blocked from entering, before stabbing an
Israeli man in his twenties. Israeli police arrived on
scene and shot the suspected attackers.
Israeli
man shot dead after being mistaken for attacker:
A Jewish Israeli man was shot and killed in a scuffle
with Israeli soldiers who suspected he was a Palestinian
attacker, police said Thursday, in a reflection of the
jittery mood that has gripped Israelis amid a spate of
near-daily stabbings.
Knesset
rejects two-state solution bill:
Much of Netanyahu’s Likud Party opposes a two-state
solution, as does Bayit Yehudi, and it is not part of
the coalition’s guidelines.
UNESCO
condemns Israel for limits on al-Aqsa mosque access:
The United Nations cultural heritage body UNESCO
condemned Israel on Wednesday for limiting Muslim access
to Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound, a flashpoint in
a recent wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Hundreds
of Jews and Arabs Rally Arm-in-Arm for Peace in Israel:
Nearly 1000 Jewish and Arab residents joined seven
mayors from different municipalities to form a human
chain north of Israel, calling for coexistence and
condemning violence.
4 Sudanese
Mercenaries Killed in Yemen:
The Yemeni army and popular forces killed four Sudanese
soldiers of the Saudi-led coalition in clashes in Aden,
while 12 more were injured.
Yemen's
al-Qaeda branch now in control of several Aden
neighbourhoods:
Al-Qaeda's black flag has been seen flying over several
official buildings in Yemen's second city Aden as the
militants have made inroads in the absence of state
authority and with the country mired in conflict.
IMF: Saudi
running on empty in five years:
Gulf kingdom could deplete financial assets within five
years as it struggles with slumping oil prices.
20 shot
dead by suspected Islamists in NE Nigeria: locals:
A large group of Boko Haram gunmen fleeing a military
offensive on their camp in Nganzai district opened fire
on four cars just outside Jingalta village, 70
kilometres (45 miles) north of Maiduguri, killing all 20
passengers inside, a vigilante and a villager said.
Islamist
militants kill eight villagers in Cameroon: government:
Eight villagers in Cameroon's Far North region were
killed and nine injured in a raid by Nigerian Islamist
group Boko Haram that was followed by a gun battle
between militants and security forces, a government
official said on Thursday.
Six killed
in eastern Congo by suspected Ugandan rebels:
Six bodies were found with stab wounds and bullet holes
in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo on
Wednesday, killed by suspected Ugandan Islamist rebels,
local and military sources said on Thursday. legal/
Over
30,000 starving to death in South Sudan 'catastrophe':
UN:
"At least 30,000 people are living in extreme conditions
and are facing starvation and death," the UN's Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN children's agency
UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a
joint statement.
Clinton:
‘I Know Nothing’ About Ambassador Stevens’s Meeting with
Al-Qaeda Affiliate:
It was revealed in today’s Benghazi hearing that on the
day he was killed, Ambassador Chris Stevens reported in
a wire to the State Department that he had met with
Wissam bin Hamid, a warlord with al-Qaeda connections.
21 killed
in army's airstrike in NW Pakistan:
At least 21 "militants" were killed when Pakistani army
launched air strikes in two separate areas of the
country's northwest tribal region of Khyber Agency, an
official statement said Thursday.
Suicide
bomber kills at least 10 at Shiite mosque in SW
Pakistan: officials:
A suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque killing at
least 10 Shiite minority Muslims and wounding 12 others
in a remote southwestern Pakistani town Thursday,
officials said.
District
governor killed in eastern Afghan attack:
Governor of Jaghatu district in Afghanistan's eastern
Ghazni province was killed along with one policeman
following an armed attack on Thursday, police said.
Russia
Boosts Energy Investment in Argentina:
Economic ties are growing between the two nations, which
did US$2 billion in trade last year. Argentina will
construct a new hydroelectric dam with Russian support,
the two countries announced Wednesday.
Sweden
struggles to cope with migrant tide; Orban warns of
threat:
"The current refugee situation is unprecedented both in
a European and Swedish perspective." The agency said it
would need an additional 70 billion Swedish crowns
($8.41 billion) over the next two years to cope.
Iceland
does what the US won’t: 26 top bankers sent to prison
for role in financial crisis:
In stark contrast to the record low number of
prosecutions of CEO’s and high-level financial
executives in the U.S., Iceland has just sentenced 26
bankers to a combined 74 years in prison.
UK Goes
Full Orwell:
Government To Take
Children Away From Parents If They Might Become
Radicalized
Read: CIA
Director John Brennan emails:
Torture, Iran, and Secrecy: Trove of CIA Director John
Brennan’s emails released by WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks
publishes second batch of docs from CIA chief's personal
email:
The new release contains Brennan's address book and a
full version of 'Executive summary of key findings and
recommendations on Afghanistan and Pakistan’, some pages
of which were published on Wednesday by Anonymous.
In rare
admission, US says evidence against ex–Gitmo inmate was
unreliable:
The U.S. government has, in a seemingly rare admission
of intelligence failing, stated publicly that its
central allegation against a former Guantánamo prisoner
turned out to be unreliable and was withdrawn in 2011.
The 401(k)
Crisis Is Getting Worse:
Only 8 percent of taxpayers eligible to set aside money
in an IRA or Roth IRA did so in 2010, according to the
IRS.
Webb drops
out of Democratic race, will explore independent bid:
Webb, a former
Republican who won election to the Senate as a Democrat
in 2006, said both parties are too influenced by big
money that tends to favor "extremes" and promote
gridlock. He said he has agreements and disputes with
policies in each party and would be a strong independent
voice.
GOP
primary poll: Donald Trump on top with 32%:
Donald Trump is yet again on top of the latest national
poll of Republican voters, taking his biggest lead in
weeks with 32% of support.
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October 21, 2015
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Netanyahu Is a
History Revisionist
By Gilad
Atzmon |
 |
In his speech Netanyahu described a meeting
between Haj Amin al-Husseini and Hitler in
November 1941. Netanyahu chose not to reveal
how he had uncovered the transcript of the
conversation.
-
Continue |
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Consider the source: :
13 dead as
Russia strike hits Syria field hospital: pro-rebel
monitor:
At least 13 people including medical staff were killed
when Russian warplanes struck a field hospital in
northwestern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said Wednesday.
Russian
jets hit 83 targets in Syria over the past 24 hours:
"Russian airplanes in Syria carried out 46 sorties
against 83 infrastructure targets of the Islamic State
terrorist organisation," defense ministry spokesman Igor
Konashenkov told Russian news agencies, adding that the
strikes had hit mainly in the Idlib, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor,
Damascus and Hama provinces.
ISIS negotiating with Al-Nusra
Front to join forces against Syrian Army – Russian
military: The Russian
Defense Ministry said on Wednesday its intelligence had
overheard Islamic State commanders talking to Al-Nusra
Front about uniting forces against the Syrian Army.
Syrian
Arab militias dispute they received U.S. airdrop of
ammunition:
Two top Arab commanders say they didn’t receive any –
and don’t know who did. Question of whether Arabs or
Kurds were recipients is key to Turkey
Syria's
Assad in surprise visit to Moscow:
"I need to say that the political steps which Russia has
taken since the start of the crisis prevented the events
in Syria from developing along a more tragic scenario,"
Assad said in quotes released by the Kremlin.
Canada
withdrawing fighter jets from Iraq, Syria, Trudeau tells
Obama:
Canada's prime minister-elect Justin Trudeau said
Tuesday he told US President Barack Obama that Canadian
fighter jets would withdraw from fighting the Islamic
State group in Iraq and Syria.
Jimmy
Carter offers help for Russia’s bombing campaign in
Syria:
Carter said he sent maps of the Islamic State’s
locations in Syria, produced by the Carter Center, to
the Russian embassy so Moscow could improve the accuracy
of its strikes.
War porn:
Russia
drone footage shows devastated Damascus suburb:
Aerial video of ruined landscape in Damascus suburbs
appears to shows remarkably clear view of attacks in
Jobar.
Turkey
accepts transition period with Assad in Syria:
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Ankara was
ready to accept a political transition in which Assad
remains in symbolic power for six months before leaving
office.
A-10
Warthogs replace American F-16s at Incirlik Air Base:
The U.S. has replaced six F-16s positioned at an airbase
in southern Turkey with a dozen ground bombers, a
Pentagon official said on Tuesday.
Russian
airstrike successes FINALLY shame US into ramping up
attacks on ISIS:
Both Washington and Bagdad are said to have grown
frustrated at the lack of progress and pressure is now
being put on Iraq's prime minister Haider al-Abadi to
ask Moscow to conduct airstrikes in the country.
Iraqi
forces say they found 365 ISIS bodies in Baiji graves:
Iraqi forces said on Wednesday they had found 19
different mass graves containing the bodies of 365
fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
group in the reconquered town of Baiji.
Baghdad
violence kills 11, injures 30:
Nearly a dozen people have lost their lives and 30
others sustained injuries in separate bomb explosions
and shooting incidents in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad,
and elsewhere in the crisis-hit Arab country.
Iraq
militias urge PM to request Russian strikes on ISIS:
America's top general, Joseph Dunford, said on a trip to
Baghdad Tuesday that the United States won assurances
from Iraq that it would not seek such strikes.
U.S. to
Iraq: If Russia helps you fight ISIS, we can't:
The
U.S. has told Iraq's leaders they must choose between
ongoing American support in the battle against militants
of the Islamic State.
Power
failure in Iraq as militias outgun state:
Abadi’s resources remain limited. Iraq’s regular
military has not recovered from last year’s defeat by
Islamic State. Most young Shi’ite Iraqi men now prefer
to join the paramilitary groups, which are seen as
braver and less corrupt.
Trudeau’s plan to pull Canadian
war planes out of Iraq ‘bad news’:
Kurdish fighters: “It is a bad news for us. Canada was a
major partner in the coalition and it was a great help
to Kurdistan,” Mr. Yawar said in an interview posted
Wednesday of Mr. Trudeau’s plan to end this country’s
combat operations in Iraq and Syria.
Hezbollah
kills five Nusra militants in northern Lebanon rocket
attacks:
Hezbollah Wednesday hit al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front
militants with two rockets on Lebanon's northeastern
border, killing five and wounding six others, a security
source told The Daily Star.
Rockets
kill at least 22 civilians in Yemen's Taez: medics:
At least 22 civilians were killed and several others
wounded as rockets allegedly fired by rebels crashed
into the Yemeni city of Taez on Wednesday, medics and
military officials said.
Yemen
Crisis: Death Toll Rises As Saudi Arabia's Allies
Intensify Ground Operation:
Allies of the exiled Yemeni government intensified their
ground operations this week. Sudan sent in an additional
6,000 troops trained in guerilla warfare into Yemen.
Egypt and Morocco are also expected to increase their
ground forces in the coming weeks, an army spokesperson
informed Yemen Post.
Saudi
Arabia Will Be Broke In 5 Years, IMF Predicts:
As crazy as it sounds, the Saudis are going broke.
Fighting wars costs money and so does bribing the
citizenry to ensure you don’t get some kind of Arab
Spring-type uprising.
72% of
Saudi death sentences handed down for non-violent crimes
– report:
The vast majority of people facing execution in Saudi
Arabia were convicted for non-violent crimes including
political protest and drugs offences, according to new
research from the human rights organization Reprieve.
Bringing
into question Israel's extra-judicial killings:
While Israel has a gag order on reporting details of its
policy, many groups accuse soldiers of shooting-to-kill.
Netanyahu
under fire after accusing Palestinian grand mufti of
inciting Holocaust
: "It is a sad day in history when the leader of the
Israeli government hates his neighbor so much that he is
willing to absolve the most notorious war criminal in
history, Adolf Hitler, of the murder of 6 million Jews,"
said Saeb Erekat, the Palestine Liberation
Organization's secretary general.
The tide
is turning against Zionist extremism:
The inherent contradiction of Israel as both a modern
democratic state and brutal occupier is becoming clear
to all.
ISIS
executes 2 as shelling in Libya kills 5:
Five people were killed by shelling in the Libyan city
of Benghazi late Monday, a local hospital reported, as
the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed it had executed two men
in the east of the war-torn country.
South
African Police Fire Rubber Bullets At Student Protesters:
Three students were hurt during a rally against
university fee increases in South Africa at which
protesters threw stones and burned tires and police
fired rubber bullets and stun grenades, one week into
demonstrations at universities across the country.
15
Militants, Six Security Personnel Killed in Afghanistan:
At least 15 Taliban militants and six security force
members were killed in clashes as the Taliban seized a
district in Afghanistan's province of Herat, the
authorities said on Wednesday.
5 Daesh
fighters killed in Nangarhar:
At least five Daesh fighters have been killed and a
vehicle full of weapons and ammunition was seized in
eastern Nangarhar province, officials said on Wednesday.
EU orders
Starbucks, Fiat to pay up over tax deals:
The European Union has ordered Starbucks Corp. and Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles to pay back tens of millions of
euros in unpaid taxes obtained through illegal tax
deals, in an unprecedented decision by regulators that
risks blowing open thousands of corporate tax structures
across Europe.
Washington
Forces France to Pay $800Mln for Violation of US
Sanctions:
French bank Credit Agricole was accused by Washington of
dealing with countries under US embargo and processing
financial transactions for Sudan, Cuba and Iran through
the United States.
IRA's
'army council' still exists and influences Sinn Féin
strategy – report:
Decision-making body has ‘wholly political focus’ and
poses no threat, official report says on claims of
continued existence of IRA and other paramilitaries
Guardian journalist Seumas Milne
appointed Labour head of communications:
Milne is a former comment
editor at the Guardian. He has taken a close interest in
Middle Eastern issues, as well as writing a book on the
1984 miners’ strike that examined the role of the
intelligence agencies
Number of London's 'working poor'
surges 70% in 10 years:
Housing costs worsen poverty in the capital despite
record numbers in jobs as study finds work barely pays
for 1.2 million Londoners
GCHQ
handed new smartphone-hacking legal powers:
Spy agencies in Britain will be given the explicit right
to hack into smartphones and computers as part of a new
law being introduced by the Conservative government.
Wikileaks
to post CIA chief’s hacked emails:
Wikileaks is promising to post the contents of CIA
Director John Brennan's email account. The anti-secrecy
organization announced on Wednesday that it would put
the contents of his inbox on the Internet.
More than
half of states report job losses in September:
Most U.S. states reported jobs losses in September as
slowing growth has weighed on hiring nationwide in the
past two months. Total U.S. hiring faltered in August
and September as manufacturers struggled with the impact
of the strong dollar and weak growth overseas. At the
same time, U.S. consumers have spent cautiously.
With just
$10 “you’re wealthier than 25% of Americans”:
“If you’ve no debts and have $10 in your pocket you have
more wealth than 25% of Americans. Credit Suisse
estimates that 25% of Americans are in this situation of
having a negative net-worth.
Pay up or
go to jail: how a Mississippi town resurrected the
debtors' prison:
A poor single mother seeks justice against Biloxi after
she was imprisoned for not paying $400 in court fees, a
practice that systematically criminalizes povert
Offenders Who Can’t Pay, It’s a
Pint of Blood or Jail Time:
“For your consideration, there’s a blood drive outside.
If you don’t have any money, go out there and give blood
and bring in a receipt indicating you gave blood.”
Joe Biden Announces He Will Not
Seek Democratic Nomination for President:
Vice President Joe Biden announced Wednesday he will not
pursue a 2016 presidential bid, bringing an end to weeks
of speculation over whether or not he would shake up the
Democratic primary.
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