Tuesday 26 July 2011

I Saw Many Killed Under Torture: Guantanamo Torture Survivor

By RT

"I was one of those who survived those kinds of torture. They used electroshocks on me because I would not sign papers." Continue

The Left Has Lost Its Way Over Libya

By William Bowles

I think it’s time to take a look at the timeline of the latest barbarian attack on the defenceless of the world. I think it reveals far more about how the left in the West operates. Continue

The Saudi States of America

By Julia Davis

Look behind the mask of false pretenses to see the awful truth: riches seeking ever more money, celebrity looking for more notoriety, propaganda masquerading as the truth and the deprivation of liberties posturing as the savior in the “war on terror” Continue

Fundamentalism Kills

By Chris Hedges

The gravest threat we face from terrorism, comes not from the Islamic world but the radical Christian right and the secular fundamentalists. Continue

Unnecessary Austerity, Unnecessary Shutdown

By Chuck Collins, Alison Goldberg, Scott Klinger, Sam Pizzigati

Reversing tax giveaways to the super-rich and the nation's largest corporations could raise $4 trillion within a decade and avert possible government closures. Continue

The Unintended Consequences of Debt Ceiling Intransigence

By Paul Craig Roberts

We are talking about a crisis beyond anything the world has ever seen. Does anyone think that President Obama is going to just sit there while the power of the US collapses? Continue

No, You're Not King Sir Jackass

By Karl Denninger

The economy is a damn wreck.  The banks are only "solvent" because they're lying about asset values.  And Wall Street is punch-drunk - again - on cheap leverage, headed for yet another utter and complete disaster. Continue

Americans 'Disgusted' as Politicians Fail to Compromise on Debt

By Bloomberg

The average American had real disposable income after taxes of $33,064, according to May figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The lead debt-ceiling negotiators, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell each will earn $193,400 this year. Continue

Wealth Gap Widens Between US Whites, Minorities In 25

By HOPE YEN

The recession and uneven recovery have erased decades of minority gains, leaving whites on average with 20 times the net worth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics. Continue

The Question Conservatives Can’t Answer

By Paul Buchheit

I asked anyone out there to explain, defend, or justify the fact that over 20% of our country’s income (it was 7 percent in 1980) now goes to the richest 1 percent of Americans. Continue

U.S. in Revolt
It Can Be Done. Now is the Time.

By Kevin Zeese

We Can Stop the Corporate Machine and Create a New World. Continue

Twenty Two Taliban "Militants" Killed in Helmand: Six Taliban militants were killed in clashes with Afghan forces in Nad Ali district of Helmand province. The incident took place as fourteen other Taliban militants were killed in clashes with Afghan security forces in Musa Qala district of Helmand province, the media office added.
Civilians killed by NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan: At least three civilians including two schoolchildren died and six were injured following a NATO airstrike in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan, regional governor Said Fazlulla Wakhidi said on Tuesday.
Five Afghan children shot by British forces in helicopter raid: The youngsters were working in a field in Helmand province when they were hit by "stray bullets" from an Apache gunship which was targeting the Taliban.
New U.S. envoy to Afghanistan: No rush for the exits: The new U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan said Monday that the United States is not rushing to leave the country and cautioned that what happens in the months ahead will have far-reaching effects across the globe.
US turns heat on ISI, says it spies on Pakistani-Americans: In further signs that ties between the United States and Pakistan continue to deteriorate, American interlocutors have now accused Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI of spying on the Pakistani diaspora in America and intimidating them.
12 suspected Qaeda militants killed in south Yemen: Twelve suspected Al-Qaeda militants were killed in overnight bombings and clashes near Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province in south Yemen, a military officer and a local official said on Tuesday.
NATO bombs Libyan hospital: NATO aircraft has bombed out a hospital in the west of Libya, claim the local authorities. According to the latest reports, 8 people, including 3 doctors, died in the attack.
NATO: Bombing of Libya to Go On for as Long As Needed: NATO said Tuesday that the bombing of regime forces in Libya will continue for as long as needed despite growing reluctance among some countries to participate, and Muammar Al Qathafi cannot "wait us out.
Libyan PM says airstrikes must stop before talks: Libya will not begin talks on ending a conflict with rebels before NATO air strikes stop, and Muammar Gaddafi's leadership is not up for negotiation, the prime minister said on Tuesday.
Russia sends more humanitarian aid to Tripoli: A Russian plane carrying 36.2 tons of humanitarian aid left for the Libyan capital, Tripoli, Tuesday morning, according to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry.
Israeli President: Syrian leader Assad Must Step Down: Syrian leader Bashar Assad must step down, Israel's president declared Tuesday, sending his message to Israel's neighbor at an unprecedented news conference with Arab media.
Former British MP George Galloway: Syria is Pressured Because of Supporting Palestinian, Lebanese Resistance: In an interview with al-Manar Channel, Galloway said, "They are trying to pressure Syria and President al-Assad because of the good things that he did such as supporting Palestinian and Lebanese resistance and rejecting to surrender to Israel.
US House C'ttee saves Israeli aid in foreign aid cut: The US House Foreign Affairs Committee cut the Obama administration's $51 billion 2012 budget request for the State Department and foreign aid by $6.4 billion, but kept unchanged the $3 billion in military aid for Israel.
State media: Mubarak ‘completely refuses to eat’: Ex-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is weak and refusing to eat solid food, according to a report from the country’s official news agency MENA. With Mubarak due to stand trial on August 3, many Egyptians see his sickness as a gambit to avoid trial.
Thousands throng Oslo flower vigil for victims of attacks: As many as 150,000 Norwegians poured onto Oslo's streets on Monday, raising a sea of flower-bearing hands into the air in memory of the 76 victims of last week's twin bombing and shooting attacks.
'Breivik part of an anti-Islam network': The lawyer of Norwegian terror suspect Anders Behring Breivik has said his client is part of an anti-Islam network with several terror cells across the West.
Norway attacks: Anders Behring Breivik appears insane, says his lawyer: Lawyer of man who confessed to Norway killings says client claims he is part of international network and may be insane
Bet you feel safer now? US unveils sanctions against global organized crime: The United States Monday unveiled a series of tough sanctions aimed at cracking down on international organized crime, including gangs from Russia, Japan and Mexico, as well as the Italian Mafia.
Guns in Mexico crimes came from US sting: report: At least 122 weapons recovered at crime scenes in Mexico have been linked to a US government weapons sting operation gone awry, two US members of Congress said in a report Tuesday.
U.S. Appeals Court: OK to check DNA of those arrested: A closely divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has found that the collection of DNA samples from people arrested -- but not yet convicted -- of crimes is constitutional, in an opinion released today.
The scourge of 'peak oil': When demand for oil consistently surpasses supply, experts warn that our lives will look "very differently"
Defense Cuts? Don't Believe Them Until You See Them: One upshot of the debt-ceiling debate is that politicians might finally be ready to trim the outrageously bloated U.S. military budget. That’s the story, anyway, being told by the Washington Post
Congress Warned of Credit 'Downgrade' if War Savings Counted as Deficit Reduction: Senate Democrats' inclusion in their proposed debt package of $1 trillion in savings from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may not satisfy ratings agencies threatening a credit downgrade since the wars were expected to end with or without a debt deal.
Swift U.S. action on debt needed in global interest: IMF: - The International Monetary Fund on Monday urged the United States to swiftly raise the debt ceiling to ward off risks of a credit downgrade that could damage the global economy.
Analysis: U.S. credit downgrade 'inevitable': Only seven days stand between the U.S. and the effects of a credit default. But a downgrade of the nation’s stellar AAA credit rating seems a lot more likely, and a lot sooner.

Monday 25 July 2011

Exploiting a Tragedy

By Stephen M. Walt

It was entirely predictable that various right-wing Islamophobes would type first and think later. Continue

Report: Norwegian Shooter Loves Israel

By Israel National News

Breivik says, "The time has come to stop the stupid support of the Palestinians...and to start supporting our cultural cousins - Israel." Continue

The Greater Threat
Christian Extremism From Timothy McVeigh to Anders Breivik

By Pierre Tristam

"Islamists" who may want us harm need only sit back and enjoy the view. They might as well have outsourced the job to their "Christian" brethren, with plenty of assists from mainstream conservatives. Continue

The Omnipotence of Al Qaeda and Meaninglessness of "Terrorism"

By Glenn Greenwald

Al Qaeda is always to blame, even when it isn't, even when it's allegedly the work of a Nordic, Muslim-hating, right-wing European nationalist. Continue

Obama is NOT “Caving” to Corporate Interests

By Jeff Cohen

Obama is an often-willing servant of corporate interests -- not someone reluctantly doing their bidding. Continue

Broke! 10 Facts About The Financial Condition Of American Families

By Michael Snyder

The following 10 facts will blow your mind..... #1 Only 58 percent of Americans have a job right now. #2 Only 56 percent of Americans are currently covered by employer-provided health insurance. Continue

Reform, Revolution or Radical Transformation?

By Dennis Trainor, Jr

You think your vote actually matters? 4 Minute Video -Continue

Open Letter to Conscious Men and Women Of This World

By By Raquel GutiƩrrez Aguilar

“Offenses and Threats That Are Always Happening to Us from the Gringo Government... They Touched Me Last Night” Continue

Show Up Or Shut-up

Video

People's Protest: DC's Freedom Plaza on October 6th Continue

11 Killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan: Clash between anti-government militants and police left 11 people dead including 10 "insurgents" and a policeman in Kandahar province, 450 km south of Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, according to a press release of Kandahar' s provincial administration on Monday.
US-led operation kills 4 Afghan civilians: At least four Afghan civilians have been killed and several others have been wounded in a bomb and shooting incident in Afghanistan, NATO says.
Afghan officials: NATO killed three civilians: Wardak government spokesman Shahidullah Shahid says Dr. Aqeela Hekmat and two of her family members were killed in their vehicle. Aqeela was the head of gynecology and maternal health for neighboring Ghazni province.
Report: Italian soldier killed in Afghanistan: An Italian soldier was killed Monday and two others were injured in an attack in north-western Afghanistan, media reports said.
NATO helicopter downed in Afghanistan: NATO said the crew and passengers received only minor injures in the incident. A police official said the helicopter appeared to have been downed by a rocket-propelled grenade.
US Tax Payers Fund The Taliban: A year-long military-led investigation has concluded that U.S. taxpayer money has been indirectly funneled to the Taliban under a $2.16 billion transportation contract that the United States has funded in part to promote Afghan businesses.
US wastes $34 bln in Afghan, Iraq contracting-study: The United States has wasted some $34 billion on service contracts with the private sector in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a study being finalized for Congress.
Aden suicide truck bomb kills nine Yemeni soldiers: A suicide bomber detonated a truck packed with explosives at an army camp in Aden yesterday, killing nine Yemeni soldiers, a military source said, amid raging battles between troops and Islamist militants.
Libya: NATO kills 7 people, bombed hospital, food warehouses: A hospital worker in western Libya said that NATO forces struck a local hospital on Monday and killed seven people, including three doctors.
Germany Finances Libyan Rebels with 100 Million Euro: Germany has already spent 15 M Euro for humanitarian aid for Libyan refugees but has so far refused to take part in NATO’s military operation
Rebel Chief: Gadhafi and Family Can Remain in Libya: The head of Libya's opposition movement says leader Moammar Gadhafi and his family may stay in the country as long as they give up power, and rebel leaders determine where and under what conditions they remain.
Three killed, nine wounded in separate attacks in Iraq: Two policemen and a civilian were killed and nine people wounded in separate attacks in central and eastern Iraq on Sunday, the police said.
Reward: Citizen's arrest of Tony Blair worth $4,500: Tony Blair is coming to Auckland on Thursday to speak at a corporate fundraising lunch at Eden Park and anyone able to make a citizens arrest according to the criteria below will earn $4,500.
Syrian president sacks Homs governor: More than 50 people have been killed in the past week in Homs, 160 kilometres north of Damascus, either by army gunfire or in clashes between rival demonstrators, rights activists have said.
Syria passes law to allow political parties: Syria's government, under massive pressure to reform or quit, has adopted a draft law allowing for the creation of new political parties alongside the long-ruling Baath party.
Report: UN panel rules IDF boarded Marmara 'to kill': UN commission to publish findings on IDF raid on Turkish flotilla vessel, prompting Israel to debate whether to apologize to Turkey, newspaper says
Turkey threatens diplomatic action pending Israel apology for Gaza flotilla attack: Prime Minister Erdogan says 'plan B' includes reducing diplomatic representation in Tel Aviv and visiting the Gaza Strip, Turkish daily Hurriyet reports.
Iran: Murder of nuclear scientist is Israeli-American 'act of terror': Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says assassination of physics professor at his Tehran home on Saturday may have consequences.
Iran And China Are Discussing An Oil Barter To Circumvent U.S. Sanctions: This comes after U.S. imposed financial sanctions have prevented China from paying at least $20 billion for its oil imports.
Norway killer tells judge ‘two more cells’ exist: - Anders Behring Breivik told a Norwegian judge on Monday his bombing and shooting rampage that killed 93 people aimed to save Europe from a Muslim takeover, and said that "two more cells" existed in his organization.
An Interview with a Madman: Breivik Asks -- and Answers -- His Own Questions: As part of the manifesto, Breivik interviews himself, offering a highly personal Q&A in which he throws himself admiring questions and answers them with disturbing calm.
Watch: Oslo Gunman's Video Manifesto: Oslo authorities believe Anders Behring Breivik posted video mere hours before killing spree.
Somalia famine ‘worst I have ever seen’: aid chief: The plight of children escaping from famine in Somalia is “the worst I have ever seen,” the head of the UN’s World Food Programme said on Monday following emergency talks on the crisis in Rome.
Africa famine: a million more Somalis need help, new figures show: The number of Somalis needing urgent food aid has jumped by one million people and children are worst affected, the UN's children's charity said on Monday.
Melting Arctic ice releasing banned toxins, warn scientists: Unknown amount of trapped persistent organic pollutants poses threat to marine life and humans as temperatures rise
US Gulag: Judges keep accused Taliban fighter held at Guantanamo Bay: The two rulings are just the latest from an an appeals court that has consistently sided with the Obama Administration in cases related to Guantanamo Bay detainees
Immigrants For Sale: Private prisons don't care about who they lock up. At a rate of $200 per immigrant a night at their prisons, this is a money making scheme that destroys families and lives.
Greece Downgraded To Pre-Default By Moody’s: Greece suffered a multi-notch credit downgrade at the hands of Moody’s on Monday. Its sovereigns were dropped to Caa1, from Ca, indicating that private sector holders of Greek debt will incur losses.
US rushes to avert disastrous default: The White House and top lawmakers have struggled for a deal to save the world's richest country from a disastrous default on its debt, amid fears of a panicked reaction from investors around the globe.
Jim Rogers: U.S. Already Has Lost AAA Rating : Famed investor Jim Rogers says the U.S., in effect, already has lost its AAA credit rating amid fiscal mismanagement, and he remains pessimistic on the country's outlook. He calls the current debt negotiations in Washington a political "charade."
Max Keiser: 'US will see social and civil unrest': The Pentagon which is fighting yesterday's war, funding military operations that don't address the fact that we are in the 21 century currency war. It has nothing to do with the land based war; it has nothing to do with missiles, rockets, and submarines. It is about the currency.

Friday 22 July 2011

"Stop The Machine! Create A New World"

By October 2011

It is time to light the spark that sets off a true democratic, nonviolent transition to a world in which people are freed to create just and sustainable solutions. Continue

Give Bashar Al-Assad A Chance

By Chandra Muzaffar

The media, it is obvious, are determined to ensure that those who resist US-Zionist helmed hegemony are defeated. Continue

The Grumpy Diplomats of the Rogue State

By Ilan Pappe

When Palestinians solve the issue of representation and the international community exposes Israel for what it is — namely the only racist country in the Middle East — then politics and reality can fuse again. Continue

Amid Murdoch Scandal
Israel Backers Worry About Muting of Pro-Israel Media Voice


By Ron Kampeas ·

Supporters of Israel are worried that a diminished Murdoch presence may mute the strongly pro-Israel voice of many of the publications he owns. Continue

Murdoch Henchman Responsible for Climate-Gate?

By Keith Olbermann

The so-called "Climate-Gate" controversy - now turns out to bear the stamp of Neil Wallis, one of the key figures in Murdoch's hacking of the phones, voicemails, and other electronic communications of thousands of people. Continue

The Real Crime: Concentration of Power

By Ralph Gomory

We are missing the lesson of the current British outrage over Murdoch just as we missed the lesson of the financial crisis in America. Continue

An Economy Destroyed
The Enemy Is Washington

By Paul Craig Roberts

The downgrade threat is not credible, and neither is the default threat. Both are make-believe crises that are being hyped in order to force cutbacks in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Continue

Audit: Fed Gave $16 Trillion in Emergency Loans

By Stephen C. Webster

Last year, the gross domestic product of the entire U.S. economy was $14.5 trillion. Continue

Corporate Tax Holiday in Debt Ceiling Deal:
Where's the Uproar?


By Matt Taibb

For those who don’t know about it, tax repatriation is one of the all-time long cons and also one of the most supremely evil achievements of the Washington lobbying community. Continue

Gang of Six takes from poor, gives to rich
There Will be Major Cuts in Social Security

By Bernie Sanders

What we are talking about is that Social Security cuts would go into effect virtually immediately. Continue

Obama is Gutting the Core Principles of the Democratic Party

By Glenn Greenwald

Obama is now on the verge of injecting what until recently was the politically toxic and unattainable dream of Wall Street and the American right – attacks on the nation's social safety net – into the heart and soul of the Democratic party's platform. Continue

Eye-balling the Fifth Century

By Fred Reed

The government doesn’t give a wan, eitolated damn about you. Continue

America: Why Aren’t You Protesting?

By Andrew Smolski

With money moving freely around the world, markets will react as markets like to react, dropping dollar supremacy, moving investments to other countries with a better “order”, and leaving a highly militarized and narcissistically angry society holding nothing but guns and their broken dreams. Continue

Fact or fiction? NATO says 50 "insurgents" killed in east Afghanistan: International and Afghan troops battled heavily armed insurgents holed up in caves and bunkers that served as a way station for foreign fighters crossing into the country from Pakistan, the U.S.-led coalition said Friday. The two days of fighting killed more than 50 of the militants. 50 "insurgents" killed and zero NATO forces killed or injured? Strange!
Thirteen security forces killed in Syria: A local newspaper has reported that fresh clashes in the city of Homs have claimed the life of at least 13 army and security personnel and injured up to one hundred others.
Syria erupts in huge day of protest against Assad: President Bashar Assad’s regime faced a massive wave of unrest on Friday as Syria erupted in a wave of demonstrations across the country, Arab media reported.
7 Killed as bomb blast rocks downtown Oslo: A powerful explosion damaged government buildings in the center of the Norwegian capital, killing seven and injuring at least 15. Shortly after the blast, a man dressed as a police officer opened fire at a Labor Party youth conference near Oslo.
The Oslo "Jihadist Terrorist" Blame Game Begins: The news of today's Norway bombing is still developing and already the Telegraph has started the blame game. The target? Why jihadists of course. The description of the shooter at the Labor Party youth camp is 6 foot tall, and blond: last time we checked Libya didn't have an endogenous Aryan population.
Six Iran troops killed in clashes with Kurd rebels: A senior officer of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards was among six soldiers killed in clashes with Kurdish rebels on the border with Iraq, Fars news agency reported on Friday.
Officials: 2 explosions kill 3 in Baghdad: Police say the first roadside bomb exploded 2 p.m. Friday, damaging the storefront and shattering bottles of liquor in the Sunni neighborhood of Mansour. The second blast came a few minutes later as police and security forces rushed to the scene. It killed two security officers and a passer-by.
Exclusive: U.S. Blocks Oversight of Its Mercenary Army in Iraq: By January 2012, the State Department will do something it’s never done before: command a mercenary army the size of a heavy combat brigade.
Commentary: US doing little to help Iraqis who aided troops: Americans like to think of themselves as a moral people. So is it really possible that we will abandon thousands of Iraqis who risked their lives to help American troops and civilians but now face a grave threat of being killed as "collaborators"? The short answer is yes.
Two Yemeni soldiers, 'Qaeda' member killed in south: Two Yemeni soldiers have been killed and four others wounded in clashes with suspected Al-Qaeda militants near Zinjibar, the capital of the southern province of Abyan, a military source said Friday.
Shelling by security forces in south Yemen town kills young girl and her mother: A government shell hit a home in the city Friday, killing a young girl believed to be about 10 and her mother. Another 5-year-old girl was injured, said a medical official who saw the casualties.
Witnesses: Child killed by Yemeni troops: Yemeni security forces fired at protesters in the city of Taiz, killing a child and wounding six people, witnesses said.
US claims on drone strikes ‘untrue’: Claims by a senior Obama administration official that there hasn’t been a single collateral (civilian) death in drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2010 were found to be untrue following a detailed investigation by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ).
London exhibition shows horrors of US drone attacks on Pakistan: Pakistani human rights lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar condemned the unmanned aircraft firing missiles in the North Waziristan region, which have resulted in more than 2,200 deaths, mostly innocent civilians.
Libya rebel casualties mount in battle for Zliten: Sixteen rebel fighters have been killed and another 126 wounded in two days of fierce fighting for control of Zliten, the last coastal city between insurgent-held Misrata and the capital, rebels said on Friday.
Intense front-line battles stretch Libya medical services: Video contains some disturbing images
Video- Huge Pro-Gaddafi Rally in Sirt: Can Cameron the Cruel, sarcozy the Assassin or Obomber draw this sort of crowd?
Pentagon mulls NATO request for more U.S. drones in Libyan war: NATO commanders requested the sophisticated surveillance aircraft after concluding that they were running out of military targets in Libya after four months of bombing and missile strikes
Mutilated Pro-Gaddafi Soldiers Found Dead in Rebel-controlled Area – report : : A mass grave believed to contain the remains of Gaddafi loyalists has been discovered in the Nafusa Mountains in Libya, adding to concerns over the way the Libyan rebels treat captives and the civil population in territories under its control.
Libyan government bemoans a prosperous future lost to civil war: The Libyan government in Tripoli estimates the grinding conflict that has been tearing the country apart for the past five months has cost the national economy some $50 billion.
At least 1,400 arrests for antiwar dissent, but who’s counting? Not the press.: The national news media almost totally ignore homefront protests of the Afghanistan war, killer drones, torture, and more, regardless of their newsworthiness. By its lack of coverage, isn’t the press thus helping perpetuate an endless war?
Rape shame of the US military: A US female soldier in Iraq is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by an enemy. Yet most cases go unreported
Study finds Wars not only reason for rise in defense spending: The base budget now supports a force with essentially the same size, force structure, and capabilities as in FY 2001 but at a 35 percent higher cost.
Egypt's military postpones first post-Mubarak elections: Egypt's military rulers pledged Wednesday that new election and parliamentary laws would ensure fairness and transparency, but they put off setting a date for the country's first post-revolution parliamentary vote.
Thousands stage anti-govt. rally in Cairo: In a speech, Cairo's Friday Prayers leader urged protesters to continue their rallies until their demands are met. He called for change in Egypt's political system, constitution and parliament.
House moves to restrict U.S. foreign aid: House Republicans sought to put their stamp on U.S. foreign policy Wednesday by advancing a bill that would slash federal payments to the United Nations and other international bodies and slap restrictions on aid to Pakistan, Egypt and others.
Israel paper sketches West Bank expansion: Israeli authorities allegedly are planning to declare more of the West Bank as state land to expand settlements, a military document indicates.
Obama Should Support Palestinian Statehood at the United Nations: Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu refuses even to temporarily halt the seizure of Palestinian land during the course of negotiations, insisting on his right to keep building on occupied West Bank land he asserts will be his after negotiations anyway.
Propaganda road trip: Easy riding settlers go West Bank to West Coast: "When people meet two settlers who speak perfect English and roll motorbikes, we're going to change perceptions," said Mr Halley senior. "I'm happy to move my yarmulke aside and show people that I don't have horns."
'Israel could produce small numbers of nuclear weapons in 1973,' say newly released U.S. documents: After the Yom Kippur War in 1973, U.S. intelligence estimates balance of conventional weaponry was in Arabs' favor, leading Israel to consider threatening them with nuclear weapons.
Famine victims converge on Mogadishu; region's camps report deaths: Uprooted by famine and conflict, more than 20,000 desperate people have sought refuge in the Somali capital Mogadishu so far this month. Thousands more continue to flee into the region, some on the brink of death.
James Murdoch misled MPs, say former NoW editor and lawyer: Colin Myler and Tom Crone challenge News Corp executive's statement to MPs at phone-hacking hearing
Murdoch: This scandal has exposed the scale of elite corruption: Cameron wants to bury the collusion uncovered in the hacking revelations but it's part of a growing crisis of official Britain
Murdoch US Scandal Brewing?: A new example that sheds light—and brings the United States into the picture—involves a Murdoch unit’s mafia-style tactics with another company. And it also involves hacking. But not just hacking.
Dahr Jamail: Murdoch's ambitions in the Middle East : While News Corp remains under heavy scrutiny in the UK, US, and the rest of the West, the launch of Abu Dhabi-based Arabic language news channel Sky News Arabia is still on track.
UN Says Climate Change Threatens World Security : Climate change could exponentially increase the scale of natural disasters while at the same time threatening world security, a senior UN official told the UN Security Council Wednesday.
Working in the US for .23 cents/hour: How major defense corporations are benefiting from prison labor and undercutting wages for millions in the country.

Thursday 21 July 2011

Headless Corpse, Mass Grave and
Worrying Questions About Libya's Rebel Army

By Ruth Sherlock, Al-Qawalish

The five corpses floated disfigured and bloating in the murky bottom of the water tank. Wearing green soldiers' uniforms, the men lay belly down, decomposing in the putrid water. Continue

'West Ignoring Rebel War Crimes
Claim Civilians Fleeing To Tripoli' In Libya


By Sky News

Sky News Video Report. Continue

Stopping the Train: Stopping the System

By Ron Jacobs

There is no alternative to certain destruction unless every U.S American confronts their role in maintaining the machinery of death and greed we call America. Continue

How War Is Used To Redistribute Wealth

By Dennis Kucinich

"War Takes Money From The American People & Gives It To War Profiteers!" Continue

Amid the Murdoch Scandal,
There’s an Acrid Smell of Business as Usual

By John Pilger

Long before it was possible to hack phones, Murdoch was waging a war on journalism, truth, humanity, and succeeded because he knew how to exploit a system that welcomed his devotion to the "free market". Continue

Iran Opens Oil Bourse
Harbinger of Trouble for New York and London?

By John Daly

Iran is working a program, that, if it succeeds, could help undermine the dollar’s preeminence as the world’s reserve currency more effectively than a Republican filibuster. Continue

Banks to Pay $25 Billion Bribe For Immunity
States Negotiating Immunity for Banks over Foreclosures

By By Scot J. Paltrow

50 State attorneys general are negotiating to give major banks wide immunity over irregularities in handling foreclosures, even as evidence has emerged that banks are continuing to file questionable documents. Continue

Crisis Junkies Warring Against Our Future

By Robert S. Becker

We are beset by two teams of crisis junkies playing a game of chicken for self-serving ends. Continue

How to Liberate America from Wall Street

By David Korten

How is it that our nation is awash in money, but too broke to provide jobs and services? Continue

What?s the Difference?

By James Rothenberg

The political parties serve their own interests, just as regular people do. And just as regular people are selfish (self-ish), so are the parties. They represent the will of the people to the extent that it can be useful to them. Continue

Creating a Military State

By Andy Worthington

If lawmakers are successful, anyone regarded as a terrorist must be held in military detention, where, it is planned, they may be subjected to abuse with impunity, and, if required, held forever without a trial and without any rights. Continue

1 in 66 Americans is a Diagnosed Psychotic

By Robert Johnson

Outselling even common drugs to treat high blood pressure and acid reflux, antipsychotic medications are the single top-selling prescription drug in the United States. Continue

Bicycle bomber strikes in Afghan city: A suicide bomber on a bicycle has killed five people in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif as NATO troops there prepare to hand control to Afghan forces.
Afghanistan: Woman shot dead by occupation troops: Coalition troops opened fired at a civilian car, killing one woman and injuring five others in Tagab district of central Kapisa province, a public representative said on Tuesday.
Watchdog Says U.S. Aid Money in Afghanistan May Be Fueling Insurgency: The United States' inability to control the billions of dollars of American aid flowing into Afghanistan every year is increasing the risk that some of that money is inadvertently fueling the Afghan insurgency, according to a scathing new report by one of the U.S. government's own watchdogs.
Four killed in Pakistan bomb attack: Four people were killed and seven others were injured Thursday in a bomb attack in southwest Pakistan, Xinhua reported.
U.S. kills 4 in NW Pakistan: At least four people were killed Wednesday when a U.S. drone targeted the North Waziristan tribal area in northwest Pakistan, local sources said. Since the start of 2011, the U.S. drones have launched at least 44 times (counted on daily times) of strikes in Pakistan's northwest tribal areas, reportedly killing over 400 people in total.
Civilian Deaths from CIA Drone Strikes: Zero or Dozens?: Zero civilian casualties — during a period when there were more than 100 CIA drone strikes — sounded almost too good to be true. As it turns out, it was.
Pakistan gave $4m to illegal Kashmiri lobby group in Washington: Pakistan's powerful spy agency is under renewed pressure after an investigation by the FBI revealed that it ploughed over $4m into an illegal pro-Kashmiri lobby outfit in Washington.
Yemen Qaeda chief, 10 soldiers killed in fighting: - Ayad al-Shabwani, a leader of Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was killed during a battle with the army that left 10 soldiers dead, a military source and medics said on Thursday.
Yemen troops 'kill protester' in Taez: medics: Yemeni Republican Guards shot dead one protester and wounded three in the second-largest city of Taez on Thursday, medics said.
Libya rebels seek extra arms from France: Libya's rebels asked France for extra arms to help them overrun Tripoli within "days", as they ramped up a pre-Ramadan offensive that has Muammar Gaddafi's troops on the run in the east.
Speculation Grows That Berlusconi Supplied "Missing" Weapons To Libya: The Italian government has blocked an investigation into a huge consignment of weapons in the Mediterranean that have gone missing.
Ethnic Cleansing of Black Libyans: The "rebels" in Misrata in Libya have driven out the entire Black population of the city, according to a chilling story in The Wall Street Journal today under the headline "Libya City Torn by Tribal Feud."
Libya: Tension In Former Rebel Stronghold: Video: As the Nato bombing campaign on Libya enters its fifth month, Colonel Gaddafi's government says a series of rallies in major western cities are proof his support base is, if anything, getting stronger.
Egypt not to allow foreign poll monitors: The decision is part of a new election law approved by the country's ruling generals.
Propaganda alert: Netanyahu says ready for talks, admits to Damascus meetings: Israel is willing to hold peace talks with the Palestinians immediately, in Jerusalem or even Ramallah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in excerpts of an interview released Wednesday.
Apologise for flotilla deaths or I go to Gaza, Turkish PM tells Israel: In announcing his intention to visit the Gaza Strip, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, has raised the stakes in an ongoing crisis with Israel, observers say.
Israel: Boycott the state, not just the settlements: West Bank settlements would not be viable without government aid, so boycotts should target the Israeli state as well.
Identity theft may have been Israelis' goal - analyst: New Zealand passports are "extremely valuable" and it is most likely four Israelis in Christchurch at the time of the February 22 quake were on an identity-theft mission, a political risk consultant says.
Israeli Killed in Christchurch Earthquake Was Carrying Five Passports: It’s getting more difficult, by the hour, to find the full text of this story as it was first published by The Southland Times.
How AIPAC's Stealth Political Action Committees Undermine US Elections: Video - How has the American Israel Public Affairs Committee secretly coordinated stealth PACs, and what has been done about it?
Defence cuts will leave China as the world's policeman, warns Nato chief: DEFENCE cuts across Europe will diminish Nato’s global role and leave China as the world’s policemen, the alliance chief warned yesterday.
What did PM tell Murdoch about the BSkyB takeover?: Cameron admits he may have discussed controversial deal
CIA Prior Knowledge of 911 Attacks: Stewart slyly sneaks in the fact that the CIA had prior knowledge of the 911 attacks, but “Didn’t tell anyone else” – This is NOT the original official version of the story.
Australia may seize former captive's book profits: - Australia told a former detainee at the U.S. prison camp in Cuba on Wednesday that it may seize any profits from his autobiography, a report said.
Jeremy Scahill on CIA black sites in Somalia—and the pushback to disappear the story : Scahill documented the ongoing presence of a CIA "black site" despite all the Obama-administration reassurances that the practice was ended.
Demonizing US Muslims: Rep. Peter King plans a third round of Muslim-American hearings: “This coordinated and ongoing recruitment and radicalization of young Muslim men in the U.S. is a serious and growing threat to our homeland security and simply cannot be ignored,” King said in a statement released Tuesday.
Muslim lawmaker: Herman Cain is a "bigot": Keith Ellison tells Salon that the presidential hopeful's anti-Islam remarks aren't just offensive -- but dangerous
The NSA Is Building An Artificial Intelligence System That Can Read Minds: It sounds like something right out of science fiction -- a system that can literally read thoughts like a magician.
Former DEA and CIA Operatives: Los Zetas May Attempt to Overthrow Mexican Government in 2012: “Many of the weapons have been stored in safe houses. I think Los Zetas are storing them for the upcoming elections of 2012,” said Robert Plumlee, a former CIA pilot who has testified before Congress on drugs and weapons trafficking research.
Slain kids cast larger shadow on Mexican drug war: Well over a quarter of Mexico's 112 million population is under 18, and economists say the country risks squandering its future if President Felipe Calderon's government is unable to arrest the creeping slide of young people into the violence.
More Mexicans fleeing the drug war seek U.S. asylum: Asylum requests from Mexico reached a record 5,551 last year, according to U.S. government figures, more than a third up on 2006 when President Felipe Calderon took office and sent the military to crush the cartels. Just 165 asylum requests were granted in 2010.
Role reversal: Latin America taunts US on debt woes: For everybody from presidents on down to street vendors, seeing U.S. politicians argue over where to make painful budget cuts has also been a reminder that those days are over in Latin America.
China begs the US to save the dollar: China has a pretty big question for US lawmakers: What the hell are you doing?
Fed planning for potential default: The Federal Reserve is actively preparing for the possibility that the United States could default as a deadline for raising the government's $14.3 trillion borrowing limit looms, a top Fed policymaker said on Wednesday.
Wells Fargo Busted For Lying To People, Wristslapped With $85 Million Fine By The Emperor Of Moral Hazard Himself
Anger at government highest in 19 years: poll: Dissatisfaction and anger with the federal government are at a nearly 20-year high, according to the results of a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday.

Sunday 17 July 2011

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Pakistan's Sovereignty For Sale?
Dollars, Drones and Development

By Jalees Hazir |

Notions about Pakistan's dependence on the global bully are exaggerated. Continue

How the US Controls "Civil society" Throughout Africa
Enemy-sponsored organisations threaten nation

By Tafataona Mahoso

The "great democracies" of the West have been the most consistent and most persistent enemy of the African: during slavery, during the scramble for Africa after the Berlin Conference, during colonialism, during apartheid and now during the current effort to recolonise Africa. Continue

Neocons Fume Over US Boat to Gaza

By Ray McGovern

My co-passengers and I of the U.S. Boat to Gaza have now gone from “High-Seas Hippies,” according to the right-wing Washington Times, to “fools, knaves, hypocrites, bigots, and supporters of terrorism,” says Alan Dershowitz. Continue

More Trouble in Murdochworld

By Mike Whitney

The firestorm in the UK is not really about phone hacking at all. It's about Corporate fiefdoms and unelected oligarchs who control the flow of information and use that power to their own advantage.Continue

Wall Street’s Euthanasia of Industry

By Michael Hudson

“You know, there’s one good thing that President Obama has done that we never anticipated in Europe. He’s shown the Europeans that we can never depend upon America again" Continue

Obama Raises Record Sums from the Wealthy

By Patrick Martin

Proving that President Obama is the first choice of Wall Street and the American super-rich, his reelection campaign announced Wednesday that it had broken all previous records for fundraising, raking in $86 million during the second quarter of this year. Continue

James Bamford Unplugged!
The Secrecy of the Obama Administration

By Boiling Frogs

NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake, The implications of WikiLeaks, the absurdity of Obama’s Nobel Peace Award and the absence of real coverage and analyses in the US Mainstream Media. Continue

The Most Incredible Thing Fox News Has Ever Done

By James Fallows

Or at least the most amazingly brazen I can think of at this moment. It's about the News of the World hacking scandal. Continue

In Case You Missed It
The CIA and the Media

By Carl Bernstein

How Americas Most Powerful News Media Worked Hand in Glove with the Central Intelligence Agency and Why the Church Committee Covered It Up. Continue

Trained for Pain:
Get your Torture Degree from School of Americas

By RT

Graduates from the School of the Americas have been implicated in massacres and torture throughout the hemisphere — including the murder of six Jesuit priests and four American churchwomen in El Salvador. Continue

Activists claim 30 killed in Syrian clashes: At least 30 people were killed in 24 hours in the central Syrian city of Homs in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a human rights activist said on Sunday.
14 killed in clashes in Yemen: Four soldiers and 10 militants linked to al-Qaeda have been killed in clashes in the southern Yemeni town of Zinjibar.
Yemen's Saleh to stay in Saudi Arabia for now: official: Yemen's wounded President Ali Abdullah Saleh will stay in Saudi Arabia until doctors declare him fit, a Yemeni official said on Friday, denying reports that Saleh could come back in time for this weekend's 33rd anniversary of his ascent to power.
Libya : 12 killed as rebels suffer heavy casualties in battle for Brega: Medics at Benghazi Hospital said 12 people died in Saturday’s fighting and as many as 200 were injured. There were no immediate reports on casualties from Sunday’s clashes.
NATO airstrikes pound Tripoli‚ civilians hit : Gadhafi said today afternoon that his country will never surrender in the face of assaults by rebels and a NATO air campaign.
Libya's «Freedom Fighters» Found to Engage in Pillage: Human Rights Watch released materials citing cases of gross abuse by anti-Gadhafi rebels in a mountainous area located in the western part of Libya.
10 "Militants" Killed in Afghanistan: Authorities say the "Taliban fighters" were killed Sunday in a school in Nangarhar province.
Advisor to Afghan president killed: Gunmen strapped with explosives have killed a close adviser to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and a member of parliament in another insurgent strike against the Afghan leader's inner circle.
Afghan civilians killed in NATO raids: Afghan lawmakers have unanimously demanded that NATO stop killing civilians in their country.
At least 3 killed as clashes escalate on the Iran-Iraq border: At least two Iranian Kurdish rebels and one member of Tehran’s elite Revolutionary Guards were killed during clashes along the Islamic Republic’s border with Iraq, the two sides said Sunday.
Roadside bomb kills two in Baghdad: Iraqi officials say a roadside bomb targeting a security patrol has killed one policeman and a passer-by in western Baghdad.
British Occupation Force Soldier Killed in Afghanistan: MoD said the soldier was shot dead while “conducting a routine patrol with members of the Afghan national army yesterday”, adding the soldier “received a fatal gunshot wound during this incident”.
‘CIA Trusted Ahmad Wali Karzai's Assassin': The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Special Forces had close working relation with the bodyguard who shot dead the younger brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai last week.
Pakistan: Three killed, 16 injured in attack on NATO tankers: “The remote-controlled device planted under the tanker exploded before it entered the tribal area, the fire has engulfed five markets,” Muhammad Ijaz Khan, a senior police officer, said.
Mumbai blasts detainee reportedly dies of torture: A man, involved in the July 13 Mumbai blasts, reportedly died of police torture during interrogation, according to media reports on Sunday.
Bahrain Shiites pull out of reconciliation talks: Khalil al-Marzooq says top leaders of Al Wefaq party decided to withdraw from the U.S.-backed talks during a meeting Sunday, claiming the other side was not serious about addressing Shiite demands for greater rights and political freedoms.
Democracy in steep decline around the world: The Arab Spring is, in many ways, a mirage. Several nations in the region may eventually make the transition to democracy - this is hardly assured - but in reality, democracy is faltering throughout the developing world, from Asia to Latin America, from Africa to the former Soviet states.
First UN aid drops reach rebel-held Somalia: Medicine and food are airlifted to territory held by al-Shabab after opposition group lifts ban on foreign agencies.
11 million hungry from East Africa's drought: East Africa's worst drought in 60 years is putting 11 million lives at risk, many of them in war-torn Somalia, where thousands of hungry families are making the dangerous trek across parched, violent territory to the promise of safety and food in Kenya.
Rebekah Brooks's arrest intensifies phone-hacking crisis: Former News International chief executive identified as a criminal suspect and held throughout the day by Scotland Yard
Rupert Murdoch Has Gamed American Politics Every Bit as Thoroughly as Britain's: While Murdoch’s Fox News hosts prattle on and on about their enthusiasm for the free market, they work for a firm that seeks to game the system so Murdoch’s “properties” are best positioned to monopolize the discourse.
CIA Veteran Robert Baer Predicts September Israel-Iran War : Audio interview with former CIA agent.
James Bamford Unplugged!: The Secrecy of the Obama Administration : James Bamford joins us to discuss the NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake, The implications of WikiLeaks, the absurdity of Obama’s Nobel Peace Award and the absence of real coverage and analyses in the US Mainstream Media
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain: Communities have right to ban mosques: Cain said his view doesn't amount to religious discrimination because he says Muslims are trying to inject Shariah law into the U.S.
48 hours to save the euro as Greece deal stalls: EXPERTS last night warned Europe has only 48 hours to save the single currency amid concern over the failure to seal a new rescue plan for debt-laden Greece.
Hunger Haunts California Town: “When youngsters have just noodles, bread or crackers to eat for dinner, as many here do, they cannot perform well in school,” the food bank website says. “This is how many families in poverty must live today, relying on carbohydrate-based food that’s filling but very low in nutrition.”
75,000 US veterans could be homeless : Data published by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs shows that over 75,000 US military personnel could be homeless after they return from foreign wars.