Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Friday 2 January 2015

Op-Ed Articles
 
Is War in the Cards for 2015?

By Patrick J. Buchanan

Before going home, Congress voted to levy new sanctions on Russia and authorized U.S. lethal weapons to be sent to Kiev to enable Ukraine to retake Luhansk and Donetsk and perhaps Crimea.


2015 Will Be All About Iran, China and Russia

By Pepe Escobar

The Masters of the Universe/Washington combo won't give up their strategy to make Russia a pariah state cut off from trade, the transfer of funds, banking and Western credit markets and thus prone to regime change.


Ukraine: "From the spirits that I called ..."

By Moon Of Alabama

The coup government in Kiev will likely falter and Ukrainian state will be declared bankrupt.


The Incredible US "Peace Plan" For Syria

By Thierry Meyssan

The "peace" plan of the "liberal hawks" consists therefore in achieving the original goals by dividing Syria in two: an area governed by Damascus and another by "moderate rebels" (read: the Pentagon).


North Korea/Sony Story Shows How Eagerly U.S. Media Still Regurgitate Government Claims

By Glenn Greenwald

The U.S. media should have learned by now not to uncritically disseminate government claims, particularly when those claims can serve as a pretext for U.S. aggression.


What Would Happen if the Int'l Criminal Court Indicted Israel's Netanyahu?

By Juan Cole

Getting a conviction on Article VII should be child's play for the prosecutor.


History Lesson
America Is the Same Oligarchy It Was over a Century Ago

By Aaron Dykes and Melissa Melton

When Americans see charts like this one which illustrate that virtually all the food on grocery store shelves basically comes from no more than 10 megacompanies, it's kinda hard to believe we aren't an oligarchy (because we are).


Postcard from the End of America: Passyunk Square, Philadephia

By Linh Dinh

Anwar's eyes are red as he babbles about suicide, "And I wouldn't want my wife and children to suffer either."

 
      

Hard News
    



Syria's war 'killed 76,021' people in 2014:
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday 33,278 civilians were killed last year in the conflic. The majority of the deaths were combatants, including nearly 32,747 anti-government fighters and 22,627 government soldiers and militiamen, it said.


50 ISIS militants reported dead in Kobani assault:
At least 50 so-called Islamic State (IS) militants were reported dead in an intense day of clashes and US-led airstrikes in the Syrian border town of Kobani, a monitoring group has said.


At least 19 killed in rebel fire on Syria's Aleppo:
At least 19 people were killed overnight by Syrian rebel fire on government-controlled parts of the northern city of Aleppo, a monitor said on Friday.


Bush Blair Legacy Continues :
Iraq 2014: Civilian deaths almost doubling year on year:
17,049 civilians have been recorded killed in Iraq during 2014 (up to Dec 30). This is roughly double the number recorded in 2013 (9,743), which in turn was roughly double the number in 2012 (4,622).


Iraq: At least 100 ISIL militants killed:
At least 100 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants were killed in the southern part of Baghdad on Wednesday, Iraq's defense ministry said.


15 Killed as air strikes target top ISIS meeting in Mosul:
Air strikes launched by the U.S.-led coalition has targeted a high-level meeting of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) south of the Iraqi province of Mosul Thursday night, killing 15 members of the group including senior leaders, a security source told Al Arabiya News Channel.


Iraqi Kurds recapture key village from ISIL:
Peshmerga forces take control of village 80km away from Erbil after engaging in fierce house-to-house battles.


Seven killed in clashes between Yemen's army and tribesmen:
Clashes between the Yemeni army and tribesmen in Marib province left seven dead and more than 15 injured late on Thursday, tribal sources said.


Palestine seeks ICC probe into 'Israeli war crimes':
The Palestinian Authority has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate crimes committed in the Palestinian territories since June 13, 2014, ICC sources have said.


Netanyahu expects ICC to reject Palestinian bid:
"We expect the ICC to reject the hypocritical request by the Palestinian Authority, which is not a state but an entity linked to a terrorist organization," he said in a statement, referring to the Islamist movement Hamas.


US 'strongly opposes' Palestinian bid to join ICC:
State Department says Abbas signing documents applying for court was 'counter-productive,' will 'damage atmosphere' with Israel


'US an enemy': Palestinian official blasts Washington over UNSC statehood veto:
Palestine will start an international campaign showcasing the US as "an enemy," pushing Israeli extremists to carry on with their actions and supporting Israel in everything, Fatah central committee member Abbas Zaki said.


Gaza's children struggle to overcome nightmares of war:
Muntasser survived an Israeli strike on Gaza this summer which killed his young brother and three cousins. Five months and a suicide attempt later the Palestinian boy remains haunted by the memory.


Settlers throw stones at US Consulate staff in West Bank:
American security guards draw weapons in defense in rare clash near illegal outpost; incident ends without injuries


Afghan authorities investigate army attack that killed 28 at wedding:
Afghan soldiers fired artillery toward a house from two directions, officials say; most victims were women and children.


The True Cost of the Afghanistan War May Surprise You:
The CRS report says the cost of keeping a single American soldier there this year is an eye-watering $3.9 million.


90 killed in clashes in Democratic Congo:
Ninety people have been killed so far in clashes that erupted Monday - and remain ongoing. "The clashes have left 20 Burundian troops and 70 DRC militants dead," a Burundian security source, requesting anonymity, told The Anadolu Agency.


At least 7 soldiers killed in attack at Somali military base:
Somalian al Shabaab militants attacked a military base in the outskirts of the town of Baidoa on Friday morning, killing at least seven soldiers, a Somali military official said.


Libyan forces shoot down militia helicopter:
A Libyan jet shot down a militia helicopter on Tuesday after militia fighters launched air strikes on a key oil terminal in the east of the country, a military spokesman said.


Parts of Libya in the dark:
Two power plants that combine to produce about 500 megawatts of power are down because of fighting in the region, the General Electric Company of Libya said.


US denies any role in Gambia coup attempt:
THE US has been forced to issue an official denial that it played any role in an apparent coup attempt in The Gambia after the country's leader Yahya Jammeh blamed the attack on foreign powers.


Ukraine reports first military death of 2015:
"In the past 24 hours one Ukrainian serviceman has been killed and another five have been injured because of provocative actions (by separatists)," military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told a news briefing.


Kiev's brutal strategy in eastern Ukraine:
The main cities in the Donbas region - has been destroyed, coal and food supplies are disrupted, and Kiev froze government pension and other payments to the region in November. With brutal winter conditions approaching, risks of starvation and death are becoming too real. As the United Nations and Amnesty International put it, a humanitarian crisis is looming.


Ukraine nationalists march in Kiev to honour Bandera:
Many Russians revile Bandera, born on 1 January 1909. President Vladimir Putin has called him "Hitler's accomplice".


Turkmenistan Devalues its Currency by 18% - Start of the Deflationary Contagion:
We are in a major economic collapse on a global scale. Most people do not understand that this is the real threat we face.


Draghi comments send euro lower:
 The value of the euro has fallen to its lowest level since the middle of 2010, following comments from Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank.


UNASUR Condemns US Sanctions on Venezuela:
Regional bloc calls on the U.S. to respect Venezuelan sovereignty


US Military's Training of Mexican Security Forces Continues As Human-Rights Abuses Mount In Mexico:
The spending has continued even as Mexico's military and police forces continue to face accusations of pervasive human-rights abuses committed against Mexican citizens


Computer glitch prevents US' most advanced F-35 fighter jet from firing until 2019 - report:
The Pentagon's fighter jet F-35 may not be fully operational until 2019 due to a newly discovered computer glitch. The $400 billion ultra-sophisticated jet, the most expensive in US history, was expected to enter service in 2015.


Should Obama Release Several Thousand Secret Photos of America's Horrific Torture Program?:
Should our government be allowed to hide its *uckups just because our enemies might use them against us?


Tell no-one: A century of secret deals between the NSA and the telecom industry: Video - James Bamford :
For nearly one hundred years, the NSA and its predecessors have been engaging in secret, illegal deals with the American telecom industry, with both virtually immune from prosecution.


Fatal Police Shooting of Black Man in New Jersey:
"He had nothing in his hands. He had his hands up trying to get out of the car, one on the door was getting out like this and he just started shooting him," said Tahli Dawkins, who was taking out her garbage when the deadly incident occurred.


Alabama Man Shot, Killed by Police While Turning in Stray Cat.:
These are the sorts of stories that drip, drip, drip across newspapers and websites and underscore fears that something is very wrong with law enforcement in today's America.


The school to prison pipeline : Video -
Wab Kinew travelled to Texas, where being late for class can get you sent to jail