Op-Ed Articles
The Rohingya - Adrift on a Sea of Sorrows
By Eric Margolis
When is genocide not really genocide? When the victims are small, impoverished brown people no wants or cares about - Burma's Rohingya.
Golden Silences in the Propaganda System
By Edward S. Herman
This is dramatically illustrated when we compare the treatment of "worthy" and "unworthy" victims.
Putin: US Foreign Policy Boosted Expansion of Terrorism
By Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten
Putin accuses the West, quite bluntly, to be responsible for the emergence of the Islamic State.
Iran Breaks New Ground In Iraq
By Mahan Abedin
In Iraq the failure of the American- and British-trained army is by definition a victory for Iran.
Obama's Iran Nuclear 'Diplomacy' Boosts US Arms Racket
By Finian Cunningham
US President Barack Obama's nuclear diplomacy with Iran has left many commentators guessing about what objectives Washington is really pursuing.
US Resorts to the Viagra of Militarism
By Finian Cunningham
Unable to deal with its own demise, Washington is resorting to the viagra of militarism to effect an image of virility that it no longer possesses in practice.
Revolution and American Empire
By Rob Urie
Western history ties politics, the freedom to dominate other people, to economics through the reasons for domination.
Denny Hastert is Contemptible
But His Indictment Exemplifies America's Over-Criminalization Pathology
By Glenn Greenwald
Bush-era House Speaker Denny Hastert, is a living, breathing embodiment of everything sleazy and wrong with U.S. politics.
Financial Coup in Greece
By Stelios Kouloglou
"The government today faces a new kind of coup, one that is not carried out with tanks, as in 1967, but through banks." - Yanis Varoufakis.
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| Hard News
ISIS settles into Ramadi, restores order:
Despite a fearsome reputation for inflicting savage violence on foes, ISIS militants have gone out of their way to try to win over residents of Iraq's Ramadi, providing basic services and governance, locals speaking to Reuters said.
Pro-Iran militias take upper hand after U.S.-backed forces crumble in Anbar:
Iraqi forces have seized from Islamic State militants a string of hamlets and villages in the dust-choked desert southeast of Ramadi in recent days, closing in on the key city for a counteroffensive.
Talk grows of U.S. boots on the ground in Iraq:
Last week, two key architects of George W. Bush's 2007 troop surge told the Senate that up to 20,000 additional U.S. troops are needed to defeat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. They've found an ally in Sen. John McCain, a longtime Republican hawk.
At least 70 dead after two Syrian attacks on Aleppo:
Syrian army airstrikes on Saturday killed at least 70 people, most of them civilians, and wounded scores in the northern province of Aleppo. The attacks struck civilian areas, including a packed market in a town held by the Islamic State group, activists said.
12 civilians killed, more others injured in terrorist attacks in Aleppo:
Twelve civilians were killed and others were injured on Sunday in terrorist rocket attacks that hit residential areas in the northern city of Aleppo.
50 Syrian troops killed in two bomb attacks in Hasakah : Report:
At least 50 Syrian soldiers were killed or injured on Saturday when two car bombs blew up in the northeastern governorate of Al-Hasakah amid clashes with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant
Explosion near clinic leaves 27 dead in northern Syria:
16 children among dead and scores of people wounded. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria said in a statement that the blast occurred near a clinic in Mayselon neighborhood in Qamishli city. Scores of victims were wounded in the attack and were taken to area hospitals for treatment.
Al Qaeda Syria Boss Says That His "So-Called Khorasan Group Doesn't Exist":
After the airstrikes had commenced, reports began to surface that no identifiable Syrian activists within the country had ever heard of such an organization.
Video shows arms shipment from Turkey to Syrian rebels:
The footage shows gendarmerie and police officers opening crates on the back of the trucks which contain what newspaper Cumhuriyet described as weapons and ammunition. Cumhuriyet said the video was from January 19, 2014 but did not say how it had obtained the footage.
Turkey helps isis? Video -
Turkish spy agency (MIT) arming al-Qaeda"
Britain to expand training of Syrian rebels in Turkey:
Britain is preparing to expand its military training mission in Iraq and increase the number of personnel helping ready the moderate Syrian opposition in Turkey, a British source familiar with the plan said on Sunday.
Lavrov: ISIS won't be eliminated through air raids only:
"To realize that mission, land military operations are a necessity, Lavrov said, adding "I don't think how we could do that without the participation of the Syrian government."
Syria: A Country Divided:Map:
Weakened by years of war, Assad's government now controls only a sliver of Syrian territory.
Car bomb kills 12 rebels in south Yemen:
A bomb-laden vehicle parked near an arms depot exploded killing 12 Iran-backed rebels and wounding eight others in southern Yemen's Abyan province Saturday, a local official told AFP.
Saudi-led Yemen coalition still using banned cluster bombs: HRW:
Human Rights Watch on Sunday published new evidence alleging a Saudi-led coalition is using internationally banned cluster bombs in Yemen, urging it to stop such attacks that were harming civilians.
https://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.
Yemeni rebels take control of southern city:
Security officials said the city of Saeed fell into the hands of the Houthis after some local tribal sheikhs and military leaders accepted money and weapons to facilitate their entry into the area. They say dozens of fighters were killed in the two-day long battle, along with six civilians.
Saudi border guard killed in Yemen shelling: Riyadh:
Shelling from Yemen has killed a Saudi border guard and wounded seven others, the latest casualties along the kingdom's southern frontier, the interior ministry said on Sunday. The latest casualty brings to at least 31 the number of people killed along the border since March 26.
Yemen's Army Warns to Launch Massive Missile Strikes on Saudi Arabia:
Commander of Yemen's army missile base near the Saudi borders warned that his country's missiles could soon rain down on all parts of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia winning Yemeni media war:
Saudi Arabia is throwing a great deal of money and resources into media backing for the government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. In short order, it has helped equip and launch two satellite TV channels supporting the exiled president, as well as an alternative version of Yemen's official news agency.
Islamic State's Saudi branch calls for clearing Arabian Peninsula of Shi'ites:
Saudi Arabia's branch of militant group Islamic State has said it wants to clear the Arabian Peninsula of Shi'ite Muslims and urged young men in the kingdom to join its cause, the U.S.-based SITE monitoring center has reported.
What does a Turkish-Saudi alliance say about Middle East conflicts?:
The formation of an anti-Shiite bloc under the new Saudi leadership pushes Turkey to strain its ties with Iran
26 killed in suicide attack inside Nigeria mosque: police:
A suicide bombing in a mosque in northeast Nigeria's key city of Maiduguri killed 26 people and injured 28 others who were at afternoon prayers on Saturday, police said.
Suicide bomber hits checkpoint near Libya's Misrata, 5 killed: official:
Five people were killed and eight wounded in a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS outside the Libyan city of Misrata Sunday, security officials said.
IS claims Libya suicide attack, declares war on key militia:
The Islamic State group on Sunday declared "war" on the powerful Fajr Libya militia alliance that controls Tripoli and claimed a suicide bombing that killed five of its fighters.
Gunmen kill 22 bus passengers in Pakistan attack:
Gunmen disguised as members of the Pakistani security forces killed at least 22 passengers on Friday night after forcing them off buses traveling from the western city of Quetta to Karachi on the southern coast, officials said.
Gun battle leaves 13 dead in N. Afghanistan:
Conflict between Taliban and the Afghan security forces in the northern Samangan province killed 13 people, including five policemen, provincial Governor Khairullah Anosh said on Sunday.
US calls for land reclamation 'halt' in South China Sea:
The US has called for an "immediate and lasting halt" to land reclamation in disputed areas of the South China Sea. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that China's actions in the area were "out of step" with international rules.
US to Arm China's Pacific Neighbors to Counter Beijing's Growing Influence:
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) has added a "China Sea Initiative" to the 2016 defense bill. The legislation was drafted, in part, to address China's ongoing construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea as a part of its ambitious land-reclamation campaign.
China to invest $900b in Belt and Road Initiative:
Corridors are set to run through China-Mongolia-Russia, New Eurasian Land Bridge, China-Central and West Asia, China-Indo-China Peninsula, China-Pakistan, and Bangladesh-China-India-
Map: The U.S. is bound by treaties to defend a quarter of humanity:
The United States is bound by a number of treaties that could, in theory, force it to get involved in a war if an ally is attacked. In total, 69 countries have some form of defense pact with the United States, they make up around 75 percent of the world's economic output.
Russian aircraft head off U.S. destroyer in Black Sea: RIA: -
Russian military aircraft were scrambled to head off a U.S. warship that was acting "aggressively" in the Black Sea, state news agency RIA reported on Saturday, but the Pentagon denied any unusual behavior.
Ukraine Names Georgia Ex-President Governor of Odessa :
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced Saturday that the new governor of his country's Odessa region will not even be a Ukrainian. Instead, it will be former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is currently wanted in his country over criminal charges.
BRICS summit in Russia to launch New Development Bank & currency pool - Putin:
Russia expects to launch the $100-billion BRICS New Development Bank along with a currency reserve pool worth another $100 billion at the July summit in Ufa, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
European Union anger at Russian travel blacklist:
The European Union has responded angrily to Russia's entry ban against 89 European politicians, officials and military leaders. Those banned are believed to include general secretary of the EU council Uwe Corsepius, and former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.
Spain to Permanently Host 2,500 US Troops at Moron Air Base:
The Spanish government approved an updated version of a 1988 agreement which allowed the U.S. to station troops and equipment in the Moron Air Base in Seville, in the south of the country.
International effort rescues over 5,000 Mediterranean migrants:
The corpses of 17 migrants were brought ashore in Sicily aboard an Italian naval vessel on Sunday along with 454 survivors as efforts intensified to rescue people fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.
Swedish fathers to get third month of paid paternity leave:
Sweden offers a generous 16-month parental leave which can be taken by either mothers or fathers.
Appeals Court Refuses to Block Release of Guantánamo Force-Feeding Videos:
The government has argued that releasing the videos would harm national security by, among other things, inflaming "Muslim sensitivities overseas."
The fraudulent debate over NSA reform :
Whether Section 215 of the Patriot Act is extended or allowed to expire, the vast US government apparatus for spying on the American people will continue unabated.
More than 350 People Killed by US Police in the past 5 Months :
The report was based on police records, news reports, internet sources and the paper's own original reporting.
Silk Road Mastermind Ross Ulbricht Sentenced To Life In Prison:
Ross Ulbricht, the man behind the darkweb drug marketplace known as the Silk Road, has just been sentenced to more imprisonment than he has actual lives: two life sentences and "max sentences on all other charges."
Ross is Our Socrates:
There is not an informed lover of liberty and progress who was not shaken by the life sentence handed down to Ross Ulbricht, visionary web developer and now martyr. The judge's words were chilling in the extreme. But here we are, with a peaceful, brilliant, fascinating young man condemned to die in prison for being ahead of his time.
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