Iraq's 50,000 'Ghost Soldiers'
This is further proof of army corruption
By Patrick Cockburn
The Iraqi army includes 50,000 "ghost soldiers" who do not exist, but their officers receive their salaries fraudulently according to the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Oil Price Slide Rocks World Economy
By Nick Beams
The oil price slide is another expression of the rise of inter-imperialist conflicts and, ultimately, war.
Guess What Happened The Last Time The Price Of Oil Crashed Like This?
By Michael Snyder
If you have been waiting for the next major financial collapse, what you have just read in this article indicates that it is now closer than it has ever been.
The Only Way to Stop the Empire
By Gary Flomenhoft
The empire will continue to churn along, and debt will continue to build up, because any other approach to paying for it is not feasible, and therefore collapse is inevitable.
US Resorts to Illegality To Protect Failed Policies
By Paul Craig Roberts & Dave Kranzler
The illegal rigging of the price of gold in the futures market is deemed by the US government to be essential to the success of its economic policy.
Are Humans Going Extinct?
By Dahr Jamail
Some scientists, fear that climate disruption is so serious, that humans are in the process of causing our own extinction.
Postcard from the End of America: Taylor, PA
By Linh Dinh
With life so good, it's unclear why food stamp usage is at a record high and more and more adults are forced to live with their parents?
This is What Happens When You Call The Cops
By Martin Armstrong
A shocking video putting together numerous clips of Police Brutality that is very disturbing to say the least.
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Hard News
Death toll in Syria conflict 'rises above 200,000':
Syria's civil war has killed more than 200,000 people in less than four years, a monitoring group told AFP on Tuesday, adding that most were fighters from the two sides.
10 Civilians killed, injured northeastern Baghdad:
Security source stated to IraqiNews.com "The IED, which was emplaced in a popular market, resulted in killing three civilians and wounding seven others."
250 paratroopers to be deployed in Iraq, says U.S. Defense Department:
On Tuesday, U.S. Defense Department announced, that nearly 250 American soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division will be deployed in Iraq later this month.
US official confirms Iran is bombing Islamic State:
Video appears to show Iranian air force F-4 Phantom jet pounding jihadi forces in Iraq
ISIS claims to have developed dirty bomb - reports:
So-called Islamic State militants claim to have developed a crude nuclear weapon using materials seized from Mosul University, Iraq. A British extremist boasted of the damage the dirty bomb would do if detonated in Iraq, UK media reports.
Patrick Cockburn: War with Isis: Theresa May tinkers while Iraq and Syria burn : Op-Ed:
All this is good news for Isis because it shows that the Sunni monarchies of the Gulf are still focussed on their confrontation with the Shia rather than with defeating Sunni jihadis in Iraq and Syria.
Right war, right reasons: day Gordon Brown came clean on Iraq:
Gordon Brown took a major political gamble yesterday by describing Tony Blair's decision to go to war in Iraq as "the right decision for the right reasons" and insisting that "everything that Mr Blair did during this period, he did properly".
How the BBC whitewashes mass murder and war crimes in Iraq:
While the BBC's Paul Wood's words are a classic example of a journalist echoing US propaganda, arguably it is what he chooses not to mention that is most shocking.
Six Lebanese soldiers killed in Nusra ambush - agency;
Six Lebanese soldiers were killed and two others injured Tuesday evening in an ambush set up by gunmen in Tallet Al-Hamra in the outskirts of Rass Baalbek near borders with Syria, National News Agency (NNA) said.
Lebanon detains Islamic State leader Baghdadi's wife:
Lebanese security forces have detained a wife and son of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi near the border with Syria, the army says. In June, Baghdadi was named the leader of the "caliphate" created by IS in the parts of Syria and Iraq it controls.
Militant attack in southern Yemen kills 4 soldiers: Sana'a:
Yemeni security officials say a militant attack in Abyan province in the south of the country has killed four soldiers and wounded three.
At Least 3 Refugees Killed by Turkey-Placed Landmines on Border With Syria:
At least three civilians have been killed and nine more have been injured by landmines planted by Turkey while attempting to flee Syria, where Islamic State has been advancing since September, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday.
Iran: Death Sentence for Facebook Posts: HRW:
A Tehran criminal court had convicted him in August of sabb al-nabbi, or "insulting the prophet," referring to the Prophet Muhammad, which carries the death penalty.
US Sends 3,000 'Smart Bombs' to Israel that Killed Thousands in Gaza Strip this Summer: Report:
The United States is arming Israel with 3,000 more of the similar 'Smart bombs' that killed more than 2,140 Palestinians and injured over 11,000 others this summer in one of the biggest Israeli onslaught at the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu sacks Livni and calls for elections as 'soon as possible':
Snap elections will now have to be held, although local media is reporting these are unlikely to happen until March.
French MPs vote in favor of recognizing Palestine state:
French lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favour of recognising Palestine as a state, following similar moves in Britain and Spain as European countries try to restart the stalled Middle East peace process.
'Egypt thwarts Islamic State-linked bid to hit Israeli targets at sea':
Gunmen commandeered an Egyptian Navy missile boat on November 12, Israeli TV reports, but were stopped in the Mediterranean by pursuing vessels; 8 people died
Al-Shabaab militants kill 36 Christian quarry workers in Kenya:
Witnesses said the attackers surrounded the camp in a remote district near the Somali border shortly after midnight on Tuesday, roused the sleeping workers and ordered those who could not prove they were Muslims to lie on the ground before spraying them with bullets.
Eight People Killed As Libyan Army Airstrikes Hit Targets in West:
Army airstrikes today hit a warehouse and a factory in a western Libyan city, killing eight people and wounding 24 as the country's warring sides gave different accounts of the attack.
Egypt's army says it killed 7 militants in North Sinai: State Media:
Egypt's army says it killed seven militants and arrested 15 in North Sinai, as part of a campaign to purge the border area of an Islamic militant insurgency.
Nigeria cancels U.S. military training as relations between both nations worsen:
The animosity between the Nigerian government and its American counterpart has deepened with the Nigerian government cancelling a plan to have the United States military train a battalion of the Nigerian army to confront the extremist Boko Haram sect.
Suicide blast kills 9 people at Afghan funeral:
At least nine people, including two policemen, have been killed in a suicide attack at a funeral of a tribal elder in Afghanistan's Baghlan province, police officials have said.
US kills eight people in eastern Afghanistan:
At least eight people have been killed in a US drone attack in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar.
Aid agencies call for temporary exit from Afghanistan:
A three-week-long wave of Taliban attacks in Kabul has led several aid agencies to put their staff members on higher security alert, and some have sent foreign workers out of Afghanistan earlier than usual ahead of the holidays, aid officials say.
Kabul police boss 'back in post after resignation rejected':
General Zahir Zahir was reportedly reinstated "on the request of high-ranking officials".
Pakistan: 17 Militants Killed in Fresh Airstrikes: State Media:
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the fighter jets of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) targeted militant hideouts near Miranshah, the headquarter of NWA, early today and killed 17 militants including some foreigners.
Ukraine: New ceasefire agreed for Luhansk region:
Ukrainian and pro-Russian rebels have agreed to a new ceasefire in part of eastern Ukraine, set to begin on Friday, international observers say.
Falling oil crude prices estimated to have cost Russia $100 bln:
The price of this global commodity has declined by nearly 40 per cent this year - below the cost of production in some countries, including Russia.
Russia warns of recession next year:
The Russian government has for the first time acknowledged that the country will fall into recession next year, battered by the combination of Western sanctions and a plunge in the price of its oil exports.
Russian ruble in worst daily drop in 16 years:
Western sanctions and decrease in global oil prices are seen as the reasons for recent sharp drop in the currency.
Capital controls feared as Russian rouble collapses:
Some Russian banks have already started limiting withdrawals of dollars and euros to $10,000, an implicit lockdown for big depositors.
Russia drops South Stream gas pipeline plan:
Mr Putin blamed European opposition to the South Stream plan, which was funded by Russia's state gas giant Gazprom. Russian officials accused the commission of blocking the work for purely political purposes.
South Stream closed, Gazprom builds new Black Sea pipeline to Turkey: Video -
Russia is scrapping its multi-billion dollar South Stream pipeline to focus instead on Turkey becoming a key gas transit hub. The announcement was made after hours of talks between the presidents of Russia and Turkey.
Europe May Face 'Disaster' Due to South Stream Cancellation: Czech Company:
Cancellation of the South Stream gas pipeline project spells a disaster for the Baltic States, as well as Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Austria, the marketing director of Czech gas company said.
Oil War Pushes Venezuela Over Brink, Probability of Default Soars to 84%:
Venezuela's budget deficit is 16% of GDP, the worst in the world. Inflation is running at a white-hot 63%, also the worst in the world. The economy is heavily subsidized, but now the money for the subsidies is running out.
Mexico's acceptance of mass murder:
Mexico's federal, state and local governments have been shown up as either complicit with mass murder, or too self-serving or incompetent to deal with it squarely.
http://america.aljazeera.com/
Demands for Peña Nieto to Resign Grow Louder in Mexico:
"Peña get out" was heard at demonstrations across the country on the second anniversary of Peña Nieto's presidency.
US to appeal judge's ruling on Guantánamo Bay force-feeding videos:
The Obama administration will ask a federal appeals court to overturn a judge's ruling that it must disclose videos depicting its controversial tube feedings of hunger strikers at Guantánamo Bay.
Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind:
Prof Hawking says the primitive forms of artificial intelligence developed so far have already proved very useful, but he fears the consequences of creating something that can match or surpass humans. He told the BBC:"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race."
Feds dig up law from 1789 to demand Apple, Google decrypt smartphones:
The FBI has made it no secret that it hates Apple and Google's efforts to encrypt files in your smartphones and tablets. Now court documents have emerged showing just how far the Feds are willing to go to decrypt citizens' data.
What Happens When Spies Can Eavesdrop on Any Conversation?:
Imagine having access to the all of the world's recorded conversations, videos that people have posted to YouTube, in addition to chatter collected by random microphones in public places. Then picture the possibility of searching that dataset for clues related to terms that you are interested in the same way you search Google
Shocking new information in Tsarnaev case casts doubt on official story:
In a stunning reversal, federal prosecutors claim in an October 2014 court filing that they have "no evidence" to suggest Tamerlan Tsarnaev "participated in" a triple murder in Waltham, Massachusetts in 2011. Officials had previously leaked to the press assertions precisely contrary to the new declaration.
Mentally Ill Man Refuses to Take Medication So SWAT Shows Up and Kills Him:
A person running in their house and locking themselves in a room is hardly an act of aggression. However, the MPD treated it as such and responded with its SWAT team
Cops who shot 12-year-old boy, watched him lie in agony and gave NO first aid before he died:
Footage shows rookie Timothy Loehmann shooting the youngster within two seconds of his squad car arriving at the scene last weekend following a 911 call that said the weapon was 'probably fake'.
Ex-Philadelphia Police Captain Ray Lewis Slams Ferguson Police : Video -
"It's an oppressive organization now controlled by the one percent of corporate America. Corporate America is using police forces as their mercenaries."
Obama resists demands to curtail police militarisation :
Barack Obama has resisted calls to cancel or significantly curtail federal programs that transfer billions of dollars of military equipment to local police forces on Monday, choosing instead to focus on improving the training of officers given access to high-powered weapons and armoured vehicles previously used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama asks Congress to fund 50,000 police body cameras:
US President Barack Obama has requested $263m (£167m) to improve police training, pay for body cameras and restore trust in policing.
Lucrative pensions for Congress draw criticism:
If history is any indication, most departing members of Congress will cash in on a retirement system that critics say is too generous and costs too much.
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