Op-Ed Articles
The Bear Squeezes Back
Ruble Rises Against Dollar:
By Duncan Cameron
By defeating attempts to drive its currency down, the Russian Central Bank had executed a procedure known as a "bear squeeze,"
The Road to Torture - It's All-American
By Philip Giraldi
The United States is now regarded by most of the world as a hypocritical rogue regime where torture is allowed and then covered up.
Bush & Cheney Should Be Charged with War Crimes: Col. Wilkerson
By Democracy Now!
39 people were killed in the interrogation process. Why does no one ever mention that?"
When Soldiers Say No to War
By Camillo Mac Bica
I remain hopeful, therefore, that as soldiers recognize the deception and our shared humanity and victimization, like the soldiers at the Western Front, they will lay down their weapons and just say no to war.
Why 2014 was a Game Changer in Palestine
By Ramzy Baroud
The Jewish and democratic paradigm is dying for good, exposing Israel's reality the way it is.
Why Millions of Christians Will Mourn This Christmas
By Daniel McAdams
It will be a miserable Christmas for the overseas victims of US interventions this year.
Christmas Versus Xmas: A Political Reading
By James Petras
Xmas' is a time to celebrate massive profiteering, based on the indebtedness of the 'masses'.
In Alabama, A Public Hospital Serves the Poor - with Lawsuits
By Paul Kiel
Public hospitals can be among the most aggressive in collecting debts from poor patients, not only garnishing their wages, but cleaning out their bank accounts.
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Hard News
Military troops kill over 80 IS fighters across Syria: -
Syrian troops on Wednesday killed as many as 81 fighters of the Islamic State (IS) militants in the country's northern province of al-Hasakah and the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, the state news agency SANA reported.
44 Islamic State jihadists killed fighting Syrian Kurds: monitor:
At least 30 members of the Islamic State group were killed in clashes with Kurdish troops in Syrian Kurdistan (northeastern Syria) on Thursday, a monitoring group said.
IS shoots down warplane in Syria, captures Jordanian pilot:
The Islamic State group captured a Jordanian pilot after shooting down his warplane over Syria, Jordan said Wednesday, in the extremists' first successful downing of an aircraft from the international coalition waging an air campaign against the extremists.
Father of captured Jordanian pilot begs ISIS to release him:
"I direct a message to our generous brothers of the Islamic State in Syria: to host my son, the pilot Mu'ath, with generous hospitality," he said. "I ask God that their hearts are gathered together with love, and that he is returned to his family, wife and mother."
Iraq: Suicide bomber kills 33 people south of Baghdad:
A suicide bomber killed 33 people and wounded 55 others in Madaen, about 25 km (15 miles) south of Baghdad, on Wednesday, Iraqi police and medical officials said. The bomber blew himself up near a line of Sunni pro-government fighters waiting for their salaries
ISIS 'launches new chlorine gas attack' in Iraq's Anbar - report:
Islamic State militants have reportedly shelled a city in the western Iraqi province of Anbar with chlorine gas-imbued missiles, media reports citing security sources say. The attack is said to have targeted a district with trapped and starving civilians.
U.S. to send more private contractors to Iraq:
The U.S. government is preparing to boost the number of private contractors in Iraq as part of President Barack Obama's growing effort to beat back Islamic State militants threatening the Baghdad government, a senior U.S. official said, AKI Press reports.
US Taxpayers Spent US$1.6 Trillion on War Since 9/11:
The United States government has spent US$1.6 trillion dollars on war since the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service This means U.S. taxpayers have shelled out roughly $337 million a day for the last 13 years.
Palestinian killed, Israeli soldier injured in Gaza gunfight:
A Palestinian man was killed and an Israeli soldier seriously injured during a gun battle in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
Israel approves over 350 new illegal, settlements in occupied Jerusalem:
Jerusalem City Council has approved the construction of almost 400 new illegal, settlements in two districts of the city and its southern part, including annexed areas situated beyond the Green Line.
Israel issues demolition orders to occupied East Jerusalem homes:
Israeli forces on Monday issued five demolitions orders to Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, the owners said.
Likud comptroller disqualifies Netanyahu from Likud leadership race; PM likely to appeal:
Party comptroller accuses PM of using party resources for his primary campaign.
Netanyahu receives hefty donations from US patrons:
Despite criticism that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has harmed Israeli relations with the US, the Likud leader received almost half a million dollars in donations for the faction's primary from American benefactors.
Major corruption scandal involving over 30 public officials, politicians uncovered in Israeli:
The group, which the police said numbered more than 30, is suspected of cronyism and illicitly transferring funds to NGO and includes a senior politician and director-general of a governmental office. Some of the investigation's details are still under gag order.
Rebel attack kills 72 in northeast India:
Rina Vor was putting her four young children to sleep in her village in India's remote northeast when she heard the gunfire. She gathered them and ran for safety.
Afghanistan: 22 militants killed, seven injured in military operations:
As many as 22 militants were killed in military offensives launched by security forces over the past 24 hours across the country.
No, North Korea Didn't Hack Sony:
The FBI and the President may claim that the Hermit Kingdom is to blame for the most high-profile network breach in forever. But almost all signs point in another direction.
Security firm says Sony hack might have been an inside job:
Despite claims by the FBI that North Korea was behind the massive hack against Sony, several cybersecurity experts have come forward to raise questions about the allegation, with some suggesting that insiders at the company could be to blame.
MH370 was 'shot down by US military', claims former French airline boss:
A former French airline CEO Marc Dugain claims that the US may have shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 and then covered it up, adding to a rash of conflicting theories about the missing plane.
Ukrainian government prepares extreme austerity measures:
According to the Prime Minister, in 2014 Ukraine "received a total of $9 billion in financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, and other financial institutions," but overall spent $14 billion servicing its debts. "We will need $15 billion more next year," he noted.
Ruble Gains 4th Day as Russia Exporter Demand Outweighs S&P Risk:
The ruble gained for a fourth day as tax payments and speculation Russian exporters are being pushed to sell foreign currency outweighed concern that the sovereign's credit rating will be cut to junk.
Informal capital controls arrest Russian ruble's slide:
The rouble hit its highest levels in two weeks on Tuesday, shored up by informal capital control measures designed to head off a repeat of the inflation and protests that marked Russia's 1998 financial crisis.
Russia Offers Dollar Loans to Aid Banks Before Debt Payments:
The Bank of Russia will offer banks four-week and one-year funding in dollars and euros, backed by foreign-currency loans to large exporters, according to a statement today. The instrument will be available to banks with equity of at least 100 billion rubles ($1.8 billion) until 2018.
Russia Crisis Hits Pimco Fund, Wipes Out Options:
Pacific Investment Management Co. (PEBIX) is facing mounting losses on its Russian bond holdings; almost every bullish ruble option contract registered in the U.S. has been made worthless;
It's Official: The Worldwide Bail-ins Are Coming:
On November 16, leaders of the G20 Group of Nations - the 20 largest economies - made an important decision. The world's megabanks now have official permission to pledge depositor accounts as collateral to make leveraged derivative bets. And if they lose a bet, the counterparty to the contract has first dibs on your money.
War criminal rushed to the hospital:
Former President George H.W. Bush remained in the hospital on Wednesday after he was admitted to the facility the night before for what a spokesman called a "shortness of breath."
US Pays Spy Alan Gross US$3.2 Mn in Compensation:
Alan Gross, the U.S. spy freed last week after five years in a Cuban prison, will receive US$3.2million from the government as part of a compensation package, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Pentagon cites ISIL threat for withholding prisoner abuse photos:
The Pentagon has said it is not releasing decade-old photos showing abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq because they could be used by ISIL to incite "lone wolf" attacks in the west and endanger US military personnel.
The Torture Report: Latin America's Lessons for the United States: News Analysis -
The Senate report on torture obligates the United States to prosecute those who sanctioned its use. Latin America's efforts can help show us how.
FBI keeps lid on sniper plot to kill 'Occupy Wall Street' organizers:
Heavily redacted FBI memos confirm that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was aware of a plot to assassinate the Houston organizers of "Occupy Wall Street," but the agency has managed to withhold the details from the American public using the worn-out excuse that transparency compromises national security.
Fatal Cop Shooting of Teen in Berkeley, Missouri Sparks Clashes:
A white police officer shot a black teenager to death at a gas station in the city next door to Ferguson, Missouri, touching off clashes early Wednesday between demonstrators and law enforcement.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/
Off duty, black cops in New York feel threat from fellow police: -
From the dingy donut shops of Manhattan to the cloistered police watering holes in Brooklyn, a number of black NYPD officers say they have experienced the same racial profiling that cost Eric Garner his life.
New York City mayor calls for a halt to protests against police violence:
In a move unprecedented in recent memory, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Monday for a nearly week-long halt to demonstrations against police violence following the shooting of two New York City police officers.
Cops Handcuff & Shackle 4-Year-Old Boy, Haul Him Off to Jail for a Temper Tantrum;
Unable to gain control of a 4-year-old, the school made the ridiculous decision to call a sheriff's deputy who is assigned to the schools.
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