Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Saturday 16 May 2015

Op-Ed Articles
  
 Is Washington Coming To Its Senses?

By Paul Craig Roberts

If Western peoples hope to escape from the Police State that Washington has imposed on the entire Western World, we must pray that Putin does not fall for the seduction.


Saudi Option of Yemen War to Blow Iran P5+1 Deal

By Finian Cunningham

Escalating the war in Yemen may be the Saudi option of trying to force Washington's hand over Iran.


The Myth of the Inevitable War

By Philip Jenkins

History should caution the United States from believing that armed conflict with "perpetual" enemies is unavoidable.


The American Military Uncontained
Chaos Spread, Casualties Inflicted, Missions Unaccomplished

By William J. Astore

Post-Desert Storm, the military of which I was a part stood triumphant on a planet that was visibly ours and ours alone.


How to Fight Western Propaganda

By Andre Vltchek

What are we, who oppose the regime, supposed to do? - First of all, things are not as hopeless as they used to be.


US Empire
American Exceptionalism Is No Shining City On a Hill

By Gilbert Mercier

The US as the "divine gift" of a moral and virtuous land, is a cruel fairy tale.


Top 10 Activist Errors

By David Swanson

War is not going to go away on its own. It is not even going away with our help. But it could go away if we really get our act together.


Time To Celebrate Real Heroes, Like The One Just Lost

By John Pilger

Kwementyaye Randall was, like so many others, stolen from his mother. He was seven when he was taken by the "authorities'


The Nakba
A Crime Watched, Ignored and Remembered

By Ilan Pappe

The land of the new state was declared exclusively Jewish, the Palestinians remaining in the land were put under military rule that denied them basic human and civil rights.


Five Major Banks to Plead Guilty to Rigging Currency Markets

By Andre Damon

Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Barclays and UBS are expected to plead guilty to felony fraud and antitrust charges.


TPP: The Dirtiest Trade Deal You've Never Heard Of

2 Minute Video

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could cost us our internet freedom, labor rights, access to affordable medicine, the safety of our food, and protections that keep our water and air clean.

          
Hard News    


30 IS militants killed in Syria air strikes:
Twelve militants of the Islamic State terrorist group died in a US-led coalition airstrike north of Aleppo in Syria and 18 were killed during an attack on Kweres air base to the east of the city, a watchdog said on Friday.


IS kills 23 Syria civilians in advance on ancient Palmyra: -
Extremists from the Islamic State jihadist group executed at least 23 civilians on Friday as they advanced towards Syria's ancient desert metropolis of Palmyra, a monitoring group said.


Hezbollah, Syrian army seize control of new Qalamoun hill:
"The Syrian army and [Hezbollah] mujahideen have wrested control of the entire mountain range of Jabal al-Barouh, which connects the Syrian town of Ras al-Maara with the outskirts of the Lebanese [town] of Nahle," Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said.


Amid battle with IS, suicide attacks kill 10 police in Iraq:
Three near-simultaneous suicide car bombings on Friday targeted an Iraqi government compound and killed 10 policemen in Ramadi, where government forces are battling Islamic State militants, officials said.


ISIS seizes Ramadi govt HQ in Anbar offensive: :
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) jihadists have raised their black flag over the provincial government compound in the city of Ramadi in western Iraq on Friday. The insurgents attacked Ramadi overnight using six suicide car bombs to reach the city centre, where the Anbar governorate compound is located, police sources said.


US plays down IS militants' gains in Iraq:
 Despite major new setbacks in Iraq, the U.S. military command leading the fight against Islamic State militants insisted Friday that its strategy is working and that the militants' takeover of a key oil refinery and a government compound are fleeting gains feeding an IS propaganda machine.


5 Boko Haram militants shot dead in Iraq:
"The Nigerian Boko Haram militants were in Mosul to take part in a military training course conducted by Islamic State (IS)," Mamuzini added.


Dead man talking:
Baath party TV releases audio of 'killed' Saddam deputy:
The TV channel of Iraq's former ruling Baath party on Friday released an audio recording purportedly of the elusive Saddam Hussein deputy some officials said had been killed last month.


Fighting continues in Yemeni city despite truce, 10 killed:
At least 10 people were killed in heavy clashes in Yemen on Friday despite a five-day humanitarian truce, while aid distribution to the millions deprived of food, fuel and medicine by weeks of fighting and air strikes continued.


U.S. may raise Arab states to 'major' ally status:
The White House is open to the possibility of declaring all of the Arab states attending a Camp David summit "major non-NATO allies," a designation that makes it easier for the United States to provide financial and military aid, a top U.S. official said Thursday.


Go home or go to jail: Israel pressures African migrants to leave:
Israel is offering illegal immigrants $3,500 and a one-way ticket home as it begins to crack down on refugees, who face prison if they don't take up the deal. Rights groups are appalled at the move, saying Israel should be doing more to protect them.


At least 55 killed in Boko Haram raids on 2 Nigerian villages: residents:
 "Boko Haram fighters raided Bale and Kayamla villages where they killed at least 55 people and burnt several homes after looting them before proceeding to the outskirts of Maiduguri where they were crushed by troops," a vigilante official, Abacha Zinnari, said.


Boko Haram attacks outskirts of Nigeria's Maiduguri:
The Islamist militants attacked the settlement of Mule, about 10 km (6 miles) from the Borno state capital. By about 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) the shooting had subsided, the sources said. A death toll was not immediately available.


Battle over Burundi radio killed 12 rebels - army:
Twelve soldiers who backed an attempted coup in Burundi against President Pierre Nkurunziza were killed in fierce fighting on Thursday when they tried to seize state radio, a top army officer said, a day after the battle in the capital.


Burundi's president returns to divided capital after failed coup:
Pierre Nkurunziza warns that protests must end, but demonstrators vow to stay out on streets


Burundi Coup Leaders Arrested :
Three army generals who attempted a coup against the Burundi President were arrested on Friday, according to government officials.


US supported Libyan rebels commit "war crimes" UN says:
"Armed groups across Libya are responsible for abductions of civilians, including minors, on account of their actual or perceived origin, opinion, family and political affiliation," the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement.


War crime: NATO deliberately destroyed Libya's water infrastructure:
Truth, is the first casualty of war - especially for mainstream media journos who can't be bothered to fact-check the claims of people they interview in war zones, while under pressure from editors to produce copy that doesn't rock too many boats.


Italy: Video shows corpse-filled sunken migrant ship:
A navy video of the corpse-filled interior of the sunken fishing boat that capsized last month off Libya coupled with survivor testimony make plausible fears that some 800 smuggled migrants died in the shipwreck, prosecutors in Sicily said Friday.


Desert as deadly as sea for migrants:
At least as many migrants may be dying of hunger and thirst in the Sahara as are drowning in the Mediterranean during this year's huge surge of human trafficking from Libya to Europe, the International Organization for Migration said on Friday.


Pakistani Air Strikes Kill 17 Alleged Militants: Officials:
Pakistani air strikes today killed at least 17 militants in the country's restive tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, security officials said, part of a major operation against the Taliban.


Don't let armed drones ease the path to conflict, US bishops warn:
The use of armed drones have practical and moral consequences for conflict and warfare - and the government needs to take action to address them, the U.S. Catholic bishops have said.


Russia to boost military presence in Crimea:
"Naturally, we will increase our forces in Crimea because NATO countries have stepped up their activities... in the immediate vicinity of our borders," said Russia's envoy to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Aleksandr Grushko on Friday.


Russian, Chinese Combat Ships Enter Aegean Sea for Mediterranean Joint Drills:
A group of combat ships from the Russian and Chinese navies have entered the Aegean Sea and are heading for the area of their Joint Sea 2015 naval drills, Russia's Navy spokesman Captain First Rank Igor Dygalo said on Friday.


Greece's Tsipras insists "very close" to deal with lenders:
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras late Friday said his country's left-wing government is "very close" to reaching a vital deal with bailout lenders, but insisted there was "no possibility" of giving in to key demands including further cuts to pensions and wages.


Deaths in Chile student protests:
 Two students killed in city of Valisparo as tens of thousands protest against government education policy.


2 political candidate fatally shot in restive Mexico states:
A candidate for mayor was shot to death in western Mexico and another man running for city council was gunned downed in southern Mexico, bringing to at least three the number of candidates killed in the run-up to the June 7 midterm elections.


Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to death:
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the man convicted of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent crimes in April 2013, was sentenced to death by a Massachusetts jury after 14.5 hours over 2.5 days of deliberation.


I was sexually abused by police at Chicago 'black site': Video -
Rare video showing the Homan Square detention operations that the Chicago police have downplaye


Homan Square detainee: I was sexually abused by police at Chicago 'black site' :
'After they did that, I would have done anything for them'


Why 25,000 Detroit Residents Will Soon Have Their Water Turned Off:
The city of Detroit may be bankrupt financially, but moral bankruptcy abounds as well as city officials began handing out notices to as many as 25,000 residents to tell them that they have ten days to pay or their taps will be turned off.


Jeb Bush Confronted By College Student: 'Your Brother Created ISIS':
The heated confrontation took place at a town hall meeting in Reno, Nevada. Bush had argued that the Obama administration's weak foreign policy was responsible for the rise of the terrorist group, also known as ISIS, in the Middle East.


Humans have shorter attention span than goldfish, thanks to smartphones:
A Microsoft study highlights the deteriorating attention span of humans, saying it has fallen from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight seconds