Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Thursday 28 August 2014


Mother Pleads For Life Of Islamic State Hostage

Video

The mother of American journalist Steven Sotloff who is being held by Islamic rebels in Syria, makes a direct appeal to his captors to release him.


The Leninist in the White House

By Paul Craig Roberts

The reason ISIS is operating on Syrian territory is that Washington armed them and sent them to Syria.


Bombs Away Over Syria!
Washington Has Gone Stark Raving Mad

By David Stockman

Whether you use a 12th century sword or 20th century attack helicopter as a means of rule, you will be bombed by the "indispensable nation"


The Evil of U.S. Aggression Against Iraq

By Jacob G. Hornberger

How can anyone still be an interventionist after what has happened in Iraq?


Forgetting Cheney's Legacy of Lies

By Ray McGovern

The neocons - aided by their "liberal interventionist" allies and the U.S. mainstream media - are building new "group thinks" on the Middle East and Ukraine with many Americans having forgotten how they were duped into war a dozen years ago.


The Propaganda Trap
Tranquilized By Trivia

By Edward Curtin

Why so many Americans can't comprehend, how their country has fallen victim to the military-industrial-intelligence apparatus that operates deep in the shadows, and oftentimes right in the open.


"These Are War Crimes,"
Says Father of Gaza Family Wiped Out by Israeli Attack

By Joe Catron

"They lay with shrapnel everywhere and a pool of blood around them. It's like they were swimming in it. There were six of them, five killed.


Why Arabs Betrayed Gaza

By Ramzy Baroud

Some Arabs wish to see Israel crush any semblance of Palestinian resistance.


In Case You Missed It
George Galloway Explains Why The Jewish People Had No Right To Palestine

Video

How the British granted Israel the Palestinian territories.


Libya in Chaos:
NATO Bombing of Libya Led to Rise of Militias Now Fighting for Oil-Rich Land

Video & Transcript

Libya is facing its worst violence since the U.S.-backed ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. To talk more about Libya, we are joined by Vijay Prashad, professor of international studies at Trinity College. He is the author of several books, including Arab Spring, Libyan Winter.


Ukraine Accuses Russia of 'Invasion'

By Jon Queally

No media outlets reporting on the claims appeared able to independently verify the accusations.


Nisteling: The Art of Deep Listening

By Robert J. Burrowes

I believe that this is the essential foundation step in any strategy to end human violence.
 

Hard News
    


Iraq: Air Force directs airstrikes to the IS Kills 75:
A statement by the Ministry of Defense, "said that the air force and Army Aviation and in cooperation with military intelligence directed air strikes, and killed 75 elements of the IS and wounded eight others and burned 12 vehicles


15 Australian fighters killed in Iraq, Syria:
Fifteen Australians, including two young suicide bombers, are believed to have died fighting in Syria and Iraq, intelligence chief David Irvine said on Wednesday, warning that espionage and foreign intervention threats were increasing.


Second American jihadist killed in Syria: reports:
A Syrian opposition group is reporting that a second American jihadist was killed in battle while fighting for the Islamic State, according to news report


Iraq forces mass to break ISIS siege of Amerli:
Iraq was massing forces Wednesday for an operation to break a two-month jihadist siege of the Shiite Turkmen town of Amerli, amid growing fears for residents short of food and water.


Australia to Help US in Iraq Air Strikes:
Australia has expressed willingness to contribute its Super Hornet fighter jets to help US-led air strikes in Iraq. Defence Minister David Johnston said Wednesday night that Australia was ready to assist the US with air strikes targeting IS terrorists in Iraq, Xinhua reported.


ISIS has 100,000 fighters, growing fast - Iraqi govt adviser:
The number of Islamic State recruits is much higher than that estimated by foreign observers - around 100,000, says one of Iraq's foremost security experts with unique access to intelligence. The terrorists are swallowing up other insurgent groups


Saddam's revenge - his ex-officers staff the Islamic State:
As fighters for the Islamic State continue to seize territory, the group has quietly built an effective management structure of mostly middle-aged Iraqis, including many military officers under Saddam Hussein, overseeing departments of finance, arms, local governance, military operations and recruitment.


Another Israeli Hermes Drone Shot Down In Iraq:
An Israeli Hermes drone crashed in the vicinity of Baghdad Airport on Wednesday, the second such loss in less than three days after another Israeli pilotless drone of the same model was shot down by Iranian troops in the Central parts of the country.


ISIS, Syrian regime commit war crimes: U.N.:
"Children have been present at the executions, which take the form of beheading or shooting in the head at close range ... Bodies are placed on public display, often on crucifixes, for up to three days, serving as a warning to local residents."


France admits it directly supplied arms to Syrian "rebels":
President François Hollande confirmed in a Le Monde interview on August 19 that France has been directly supplying arms to the "rebels" of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in its proxy war to remove the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.


Islamists seize Golan Heights border crossing:
 Al-Qaeda's Syria wing the Nusra Front and other Islamist fighters have taken control of a border crossing on the line dividing Syria from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, an activist group said Wednesday.


6 rebels killed as Syrian planes bomb border post near Israeli-occupied Golan Heights:
Al Qaeda's Syria wing Nusra alongside moderate rebel groups who had launched the attack early on Wednesday on the border post were "holding ground" despite the heavy bombardment, according to a source in the Islamist Beit al Maqdis brigade, whose fighters were involved in the fighting.


Gaza truce holds but Netanyahu under fire:
Israeli media commentators voiced deep disappointment over his leadership during the most prolonged bout of Israeli-Palestinian violence in a decade, echoing attacks by members of Netanyahu's governing coalition.


Gaza Ceasefire: Hold the Cheers: Its lawfare strategy uses "new military ethics" to justify lawlessness. Analysis.
 It's based on the notion that wrongdoing repeated often enough unaccountably will get nations worldwide to accept it or do nothing to stop it.


The children killed in Gaza by Israel :
The Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights has compiled a list of 504 children killed in Gaza, comprising almost quarter of the total Palestinian killed


Why Israel's bombardment of Gaza neighborhood left US officers 'stunned':
258 artillery pieces, according to the officer's estimate - pumped at least 7,000 high explosive shells into the Gaza neighborhood, which included a barrage of some 4,800 shells during a seven-hour period at the height of the operation. Senior U.S. officers were stunned by the report.


Gaza Residents Share Allegations of Abuse, Claim Israeli Soldiers Used Them as Human Shields:
Mahmoud Abu Said could hardly speak about what happened to him when the soldiers first arrived to his neighborhood. His eyes filled with tears, the muscles in his face began to twitch, and his voice faltered.


Israeli source: US will back Israel in Security Council:
A government source in Jerusalem told Ynet, that the US would be looking out for Israel's interests among the international community, namely in the UN Security Council, where concrete decisions could potentially be made regarding the future of Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank.


Good news:
Ontario university students unions vote to join boycott against Israel:
The Ontario branch of the Canadian Federation of Students, representing more than 300,000 university students in the province, has unanimously passed a motion to boycott Israel.


27 Boko Haram fighters killed by soldiers in northern Cameroon:
Cameroon's army killed 27 members of the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram near a northern town, state radio said, in a sign of growing cross-border activity by the militants.


At Least 150,000 Flee Libya, Ceasefire Talks Unsuccessful - UN Libya Envoy:
A record number of Libyans are leaving the country amid new airstrikes, outgoing UN Libya envoy, Tarek Mitri, told the UN Security Council Wednesday.


Libya: The house of cards has collapsed: Analysis:"
 "The US, UK and France went to war to overthrow Gaddafi in 2011. But now that the hopes of the Arab spring are a distant memory, they insist that military support for Libya's warring factions will not help restore desperately needed stability and that only dialogue can succeed"


Having lit the fuse, now they run away:
Libya by the Governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States:
The governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States strongly condemn the escalation of fighting and violence in and around Tripoli, Benghazi, and across Libya, especially against residential areas, public facilities, and critical infrastructure, by both land attacks and air strikes.



Libya is Threatened by a Full-Scale Civil War:
A full-scale civil war could emerge, again, in Libya, according to the Libyan Ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Dabbashi, who asked the U.N. Security Council members to intervene by approving a resolution to disarm the several armed factions that fight to control the country.


Libya Ministers Resign Over Militia Fighting:
The official Libyan news agency says six ministers have resigned after accusing the government of taking sides in escalating battles among rival militias.


25 Taliban militants killed in counter-terrorism operations: MoI:
Afghan counter-terror operationsAt least 25 Taliban militants were killed and 6 others were injured during military operations by Afghan national security forces in the past 24 hours.


Both Afghan Candidates Pull Observers From U.N. Audit Of Votes:
The Associated Press reports that Abdullah Abdullah was the first to withdraw his observer, saying the process was full of fraud.


Three civilians burnt alive in car as Ukrainian army shells center of Donetsk:
Kiev forces have shelled residential areas in the center of the rebel-held town of Donetsk, killing at least three people and damaging several apartment blocks, a kindergarten and a cultural center.


Pro-Russians seize more territories from Ukraine army:
Pro-Russian fighters in eastern Ukraine have reportedly seized swathes of territory from government forces who abandoned vehicles and ammunition as they retreated.


Ukraine crisis: Pro-Russian rebels take strategic port of Novoazovsk on the Azov Sea:
The town of Novoazovsk lies in a strategically significant location - on the Azov Sea and on the road linking Russia to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula.


Kiev says Russian army convoy in east Ukraine: Report:
A day after Russia-Ukraine talks, Ukrainian army claims "up to 100" tanks and heavy weaponry crossed border from Russia.


Ukraine: Nato plans east European bases:
 Nato is to deploy its forces at new bases in eastern Europe for the first time, in response to the Ukraine crisis and in an attempt to deter Vladimir Putin from causing trouble in the former Soviet Baltic republics, according to its secretary general.


NATO Expansion Plan Raises Specter of Iron Curtain: Analysis:
The bases will be stationed on Russian borders "for as long as necessary," The Guardian quoted Rasmussen as saying.


Russia's Gazprom Neft to Sell Oil for Rubles, Yuan: -
The Russian oil company Gazprom Neft has agreed to export 80,000 tons of oil from Novoportovskoye field in the Arctic; it will accept payment in rubles, and will also deliver oil via the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean pipeline (ESPO), accepting payment in Chinese yuan for the transfers, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported Wednesday.


FBI Said to Examine Whether Russia Tied to JPMorgan Hacking:
Russian hackers attacked the U.S. financial system in mid-August, infiltrating and stealing data from JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and at least one other bank, an incident the FBI is investigating as a possible retaliation for government-sponsored sanctions, according to two people familiar with the probe.


Europe's Greater Depression is worse than the 1930s:
Europe hasn't recovered, because it hasn't let itself. Too much fiscal austerity and too little monetary stimulus have, instead, put it more than halfway to a lost decade that's already worse than the 1930s. It's a greater depression.


The Greatest Depression? German Yields Now Negative Through 2017:
Yields on all German bonds out to 3 years are now negative and 10Y Bunds have collapsed to 90.5bps - record lows.


Get Back To Work Mr. Hollande; French Jobseekers Surge To Record High:
Despite all the 'promises' French joblessness has risen every month since April 2011... July's jump is the 2nd biggest sinmce April 2013 and at 3.424 million is a fresh record high.


IMF chief Christine Lagarde to be investigated for alleged role in political fraud case:
The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, has been charged with "simple negligence" over her handling of a controversial €400m payout to French business tycoon Bernard Tapie when she was finance minister.


Poverty Declines in Latin America and the Caribbean:
During the presentation The United Nations Development Program Director, for Latin America and the Caribbean Jessica Faieta stated, "In Latin America and the Caribbean, poverty has been reduced by almost half in the last decade, and the middle class rose from 22 percent of the population in 2000 to 34 percent in 2012."


The Economy Gets A Downgrade While Corporate Profits Get An Upgrade:
The updated budget and economic outlook released on Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) contained good news for corporations, but bad news for the rest of the economy.


US Home Prices Down Again: :
S&P's Case-Shiller home price index has declined for the second straight month.


House Poor: Proof of Shrinking Wealth in America : Video -
 On "Single Best Chart," Scarlet Fu examines the median value of assets owned by American households. She speaks on "Bloomberg Surveillance."


Big U.S. Banks: "Something is Very Wrong" : Video -
Overleveraged banks could send the economy into another financial crisis. That's the message of a Stanford finance professor who's been on a mission to get banks to raise their reserve levels. She says "something is very wrong" with the banking industry.


Georgia cops fired Taser 13 times 'as a cattle prod' to make tired man walk before he died:
 At a press conference on Tuesday, attorney Chris Stewart said that police records showed that East Point officers had discharged their Tasers 13 times to make Gregory Towns, who was handcuffed, get up and walk.


City Council Tells Police To Have Plan For Getting Rid Of MRAP Military Vehicle In Next 60 Days:
The Davis City Council has told the police department it must get rid of a military vehicle it received in the next 60 days. The controversy over the mine-resistant, ambush protected vehicle attracted a large crowd on Tuesday that was largely against it.


Scientists find secret of reversing bad memories:
Neuroscientists believe they can erase feelings of fear or anxiety attached to stressful events, in a breakthrough which could help treat depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.


The Origins of War in Child Abuse: Video -
Stefan Molyneux of Freedomain Radio interviews Lloyd deMause, the author of 'The Origins of War in Child Abuse.'