Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Sunday 4 January 2015

Op-Ed Articles
 
 The Real Politics Behind the US War on IS

By Gareth Porter

Obama had powerful incentives to adopt a military campaign that it could sell to key political constituencies.


Ukraine; 'Regime Change 101.'
America's Soft Power Technique

By Oliver Stone

The West has maintained the dominant narrative of "Russia in Crimea" whereas the true narrative is "USA in Ukraine."


Washington Propaganda Over North Korea Exploits Fear

By Michael S. Rozeff

The prime emotional purpose of Washington's propaganda is to KEEP FEAR ALIVE in Americans, so that they will accept the role of the state as their ardent defender.


Leaked 'Kill List' Shows
US Military Knew It Was Killing Children

Video

The "kill list" used by NATO forces in Afghanistan included low-ranking members of the Taliban along with drug dealers suspected of supporting them.


Palestinians Need Less Negotiations, Not More

By Matt Peppe

Once this two-state scam is exposed for what it is, the only possibility left is a binational state where Palestinians enjoy equal rights with Jews.


Israeli Founder Contests Founding Myths

By William R. Polk

The Torah (or Old Testament) is a master work of literature and faith, but it tells many mythological tales that have little or no basis in real history, as Uri Avnery, one of Israel's founders, has had the courage to declare.


Fascism Will be Fought
2015: Defending Humanity by Reason or Force

By Andre Vltchek

The Empire broke many; it bought many, or scared them into submission. But others are standing up. Not everyone is for sale, neither is everyone ready to serve.


And the Winner of the 'War On Terror' Financed Dream Home 2014 Giveaway Is...

By Ken Silverstein

In any fair world Tenet would be tried for criminal incompetence. Instead, he got the Presidential Medal of Freedom and after resigning in 2004 (at which point his agency salary was south of $200,000), he received a $4 million advance to write a memoir.
 
      

Hard News
    



Bush Blair Legacy Continues As
 Iraqi warplanes kill 16 ISIS members in southern Tikrit:
"This afternoon, Iraqi warplanes conducted an air strike against an ISIS gathering point near the outskirts of Sayed-Gharib village, located in northwest of al-Dajil district," pointing out that, "The air strike resulted in killing 16 ISIS elements and destroying 2 vehicles that belonged to the group."


Unknown aircrafts drop weapons to ISIS southeast of Tikrit:
 "This is not the first time ; an unknown aircraft dropped weapons and munitions to ISIS in Yathrib area south of Tikrit, several areas in Salahuddin, and in Mosul," adding that, "We do not know to which source those aircrafts belong yet."


SIL executes 15 civilians in E. Fallujah:
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants have executed 15 civilians in east of the Iraqi city of Fallujah on Saturday, due to their cooperation with Iraqi security forces.


3 Sunni clerics killed in Basra:
Gunmen killed three Sunni clerics near the mostly Shiite city of Basra in southern Iraq, a government spokesman said Friday, an apparent sectarian attack that drew immediate calls for calm.


ISIS reportedly kidnaps 170 men in Iraq after local residents burn flags:
Islamic State militants kidnapped 170 men from two villages in Iraq's Kirkuk province on Friday after two of the group's flags were burned in the area, AFP reported.


19 killed in rebel fire on Syria's Aleppo: monitor:
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included at least five children, three of whom were killed with their mother when a rocket hit the car they were in.


Car bomb kills 5 al-Qaida members in Syria's Idlib
 At least five al-Qaida fighters were killed and 10 others wounded on Saturday when a booby-trapped car went off in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, the pro-government Sham FM radio reported.


Saudi IS Cleric Killed in Northern Syria;
A Saudi cleric with the Islamic state group has been killed in the northern Syrian town of Kobani that has been witnessing intense clashes for months between jihadis and Kurdish gunmen, activists said Friday.


Syria's Qaeda wing fights Hezbollah near Lebanon border:
Al Qaeda-linked fighters battled with members of Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Syrian army in a mountainous area on the Syria-Lebanon border on Saturday, leading to deaths on both sides, security sources said.


ISIS : Is Lebanon next?:
Islamic State militants in Qalamoun on the Syrian-Lebanese border seek control of nearby Lebanese villages to support their fighting positions, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said, Reuters reported.


Lebanon imposes visas on war-fleeing Syrians:
Some Syrian applicants will be asked to provide evidence of a hotel reservation and $1,000 as well as a valid Syrian passport or ID card


Eight killed in Yemeni clash:
According to Yemeni security sources on Saturday, six soldiers and two militants lost their lives after the armed tribesmen attacked a military base in Ma'rib, seizing several armored vehicles and tanks.


Israel freezes Palestinian funds in response to ICC bid:
Jerusalem withholds transfer of NIS 500 million in taxes in retaliation for Abbas moving to join int'l court, press war crimes suits


Palestinians mull resubmitting statehood bid to UN:
New non-permanent Security Council members may tip the scales if another vote is held, PA believes


Palestinian move to join ICC will have implications for US aid, State Department says :
"Congress must do everything in its power to block funds to the PA" Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.)


Israel 'mulls war crimes suits against top Palestinians':
Israel is considering filing war crimes suits overseas against Palestinian leaders in response to their application to join the International Criminal Court and press such charges against Israel, an official source said Saturday.


Israeli settlers stone two cars belonging to US consulate staff:
US security staff reportedly unholster weapons during standoff in Jerusalem between US consular party and far-right settlers from illegal West Bank outpost


The second most powerful banker in America:
Fischer, is a native of Zambia and a dual citizen of the United States and Israel


Islamic State kills 14 Libyan soldiers, official government says:
Supporters of Islamic State, the militant group that has overrun parts of Iraq and Syria, have killed 14 Libyan soldiers in the south of the country, the official government said on Saturday.


Egyptian Christians kidnapped in Libya:
Masked kidnappers handcuff and seize 13 Copts after separating them from Muslim workers in central city of Sirte.


French military intervention in Libya 'within 3 months': sources:
 French Defence Minister says 'the moment has come' to tackle unrest in Libya, on visit to French troops in Libya's northern neighbour Niger


At least 15 killed in 'Boko Haram' attack on Cameroon bus:
At least 15 people have been killed in an attack by suspected Boko Haram militants on a bus in northern Cameroon, a senior local security official and a businessman said on Saturday.


Boko Haram kidnaps 40 boys and young men in northeastern Nigeria:
 Suspected Boko Haram gunmen have kidnapped 40 boys and young men aged between 10 and 23 in the northeastern Nigerian state Borno. In 2014, the militants abducted about 200 girls from a boarding school in the same state.


Two Egyptian protesters killed in Cairo:
Two protesters were killed in Cairo on Friday when security forces dispersed a protest staged by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, a source with Morsi's main support bloc has said.


31 suspected militants killed in NW Pakistan;
At least 31 suspected militants were killed in renewed Pakistani army airstrikes on militant hideouts in northwestern Pakistan near border of war-stricken Afghanistan on Saturday, army officials said.


Four killed in renewed Indo-Pak border clash:
Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire along their tense border on Saturday, killing four people including a teenaged girl and forcing hundreds to flee their homes in the latest round of deadly clashes.


Pakistani teen 'shot dead by Indian forces':
Pakistani military says 13-year-old girl in Sialkot killed during skirmish between security forces near Kashmir.


Afghanistan: NATO airstrike killed 18 alleged militants in Paktika:
Spokesman for the provincial governor office, Mukhlis Afghan, told Afghanistan Times that the airstrike was conducted by NATO forces in Gayan district of the province early on Saturday morning


White House okays sanctions against North Korea for alleged Sony hack;
U.S. President Barack Obama has authorized new economic sanctions against North Korea, in part for the country's alleged hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment in November, the White House said.


Sony insider - not North Korea - likely involved in hack, experts say:
From the time the hack became public November 24, many of these experts have voiced their suspicions that a disgruntled Sony Pictures insider was involved.


New Clues In Sony Hack Point To Insiders, Away from DPRK:
A strong counter-narrative to the official account of the hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment has emerged in recent days, with the visage of the petulant North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, replaced by another, more familiar face: former Sony Pictures employees angry over their firing during a recent reorganization at the company.


Putin saved Russia from disintegration - Gorbachev:
 He added that saving Russia during that crucial period was a "historical deed."


Moscow warns Ukraine 'on Nazi path':
A torch-lit march held in Kiev to honor a controversial anti-Soviet resistance leader shows Ukraine is following in the footsteps of the Nazis, a senior Russian foreign ministry official said Friday.


Fears over growing 'hatred' of Islam in Germany:
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Germany in recent weeks to protest the "Islamisation of the West", shocking the country and drawing condemnation from Chancellor Angela Merkel.


British Ebola nurse in critical condition, hospital says:
Pauline Cafferkey's condition deteriorates as another person with symptoms of disease after travel to west Africa is tested


Affairs of state? Tony Blair 'breaks into sweat' over alleged relationship with Murdoch's wife:
Deng described her passion for Blair in a private note which was revealed by Vanity Fair


Another 10 Police Arrested in Case of Missing Mexican Students:
The police officers are from the Iguala, the same municipal police force that attacked the busload of Ayotzinapa students before they disappeared.


Cuban Province Records World's Lowest Infant Mortality Rate:
The central province of Cienfuegos, Cuba, ended 2014 with a rate of infant mortality of three deaths per thousand live births, the lowest in the country and in the world, local health authorities reported Friday.


Thousands of Undocumented Persons Line up for US Driver's Licenses:
California becomes the latest state to issue licenses to residents regardless of their immigration status.


Miami Cops Misuse Tasers, With Deadly Results:
In one instance, Miami-Dade Police shocked a 6-year-old boy. In another, a 12-year-old girl was tasered.