Op-Ed
=========
=========
=========
=========
=========
=========
=========
=========
=========
=========
=========
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hard News
Syria says IS group killed 300 in attacks in country's east: The IS attack on the neighbourhood was carried out early Saturday, with several suicide bombers blowing themselves up at government forces' positions, the TV report said.
Two Senior ISIS Commanders Among Scores Killed in Syria's Idlib: Scores of the militants of Ahrar al-Sham, including a notorious commander, were killed in a roadside bomb explosion Southeast of Idlib, while another terrorist commander lost his life elsewhere in the province. http://en.abna24.com/service/ Airstrike targeting British hacker working for Isis killed three civilians instead, US admits: US Central Command said dead and injured civilians were in 'vicinity' of drone strike meant for Junaid Hussain on 13 August, which was not disclosed before. http://www.theguardian.com/us- Syrian opposition to go to Geneva as talks open: U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura invited the Syrian government and an opposition umbrella group to Geneva for "proximity talks," in which they would meet in separate rooms. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/ Syrian rebel group says merges with others to boost Aleppo fight: The group Failaq al-Sham, or Sham Legion, said on its Twitter feed it had merged with eight other fighting groups to form a new entity called the Northern Brigade. http://www.reuters.com/ Syrian Kurds plan big attack to seal Turkish border: source: Such an offensive could deprive Islamic State fighters of a logistical route that has been used by the group to bring in supplies and foreign recruits. Turkey says it will not allow the Syrian Kurds to move west of the Euphrates. http://www.reuters.com/ Dutch to join bombing of targets in Syria: The Netherlands will broaden its role in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State to include the bombing of IS targets in Syria, the government said on Friday. http://www.euronews.com/ 7 killed as ISIS-Nusra Clashes Resume Along Lebanese Border: - At least seven militants were killed Friday in renewed clashes between Daesh (ISIS) and the Nusra Front along the Lebanese-Syrian border, a security source told The Daily Star, as the rift between the rival extremist groups continues to widen. http://www.aina.org/news/ 8 hundred more troops from the United States to be sent to Iraq and Syria in the coming months: US Military officials have said that they believe additional forces will be needed to work with Iraqi, Kurdish and Syrian opposition fighters on the ground in the two countries. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/ 17 ISIS fighters killed in aerial bombardment in western Ramadi: On Saturday, a security source announced, that 17 fighters of the so-called the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have been killed in an aerial bombardment carried out by the Iraqi Army Aviation in western Ramadi. http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq- Turkey summons Russian envoy, claims Su-34 fighter jet violated air space: According to Ankara, the incident involving a Russian Su-34 took place Friday. Several warnings in Russian and in English were allegedly sent to the jet. https://www.rt.com/news/ Turkey refusing to withdraw troops from Iraq: Turkey is refusing to withdraw its troops from northern Iraq despite repeated protests by Baghdad. Iraqi officials say it will do whatever it takes to push Turkey to pull its troops out of the country. https://www.youtube.com/watch? Group said trapped in cellar become focus in Turkey's Kurdish conflict: Six of 28 people trapped in the basement of a residential building, under 24-hour curfew, in the town of Cizre have died over the past week and others are seriously wounded, according to the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). http://www.reuters.com/ 19 civilians killed as coalition escalates Yemen raids : Friday's strikes coincided with ongoing battles between the pro-government and Houthi forces in several provinces including Taiz. Separately, Saba said the displaced families in the province of Amran in the far north has increased to 34,300. http://yemenpost.net/ IS claims car bombing killing 7 in southern Yemen: The Yemen-based affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) group have claimed responsibility for a fresh suicide car bombing in Yemen that took place Friday night at a military checkpoint near Yemen's President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's residence. http://news.xinhuanet.com/ Saudi soldier killed in border shelling from Yemen: A Saudi Border Guard solider, was killed when military shells coming from Yemeni territory hit a Saudi border post in al-Harth sector in the southwestern Saudi border area of Jizan according to local Arabic daily Okaz. http://www.gdnonline.com/ Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia hit by gun and bomb attack: At least four people dead after one suicide bomber blew himself up and a second attacker was reportedly overpowered by worshippers. http://www.theguardian.com/ U.S. left out as world reaps Iran opening: The concourses of Imam Khomeini International Airport increasingly echo with the sounds of French, English and German, and hotels are full of money managers and investment bankers looking to profit from a country with a $406 billion economy and a young, well-educated population http://www.dailystar.com.lb/ France to recognize Palestine if deadlock with Israel not broken : France will recognize a Palestinian state if its efforts in coming weeks to try to break the deadlock between Israelis and Palestinians fail, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Friday. http://www.jpost.com/Arab- U.S., British spies hacked Israeli air force: reports citing Snowden: The United States and Britain have monitored secret sorties and communications by Israel's air force in a hacking operation dating back to 1998, according to documents attributed to leaks by former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. http://www.reuters.com/ Israel's Image Issue: Op-Ed: If Netanyahu is now an Israeli moderate, what does that say about the extent of Israeli Messianic nationalism? http://www.nytimes.com/2016/ At least 18 killed as suicide attacker hits market in NE Nigeria: witnesses: The attack was carried out by a teenage boy who detonated a suicide vest in the main market of Gombi district, killing mostly bystanders, said a witness identified as Ismail Gambo. http://news.xinhuanet.com/ Up to ten killed by suicide attack in northern Nigeria: A male suicide bomber attacked the market of Gombe in Adawama state, killing eight people and wounding 28, said a local Red Cross official. Two traders at the market put the death toll at ten, http://www.portalangop.co.ao/ Egyptian Ministry Source Denies EgyptAir Employee Suspected of Downing A321: An Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry source said no EgyptAir employee had been arrested on suspicion of participating in the A321 terrorist attack over the Sinai Peninsula. http://sputniknews.com/ UN finds more cases of child abuse by European troops in CAR: The UN human rights office says it has turned up six more cases of alleged sexual abuse against children by European troops in Central African Republic, including a 7-year-old girl who said she had to perform sexual acts on soldiers in exchange for water and cookies. http://www.theguardian.com/ Taliban Control of Afghanistan Highest Since U.S. Invasion: The Taliban controls more of the country than at any time since U.S. troops invaded in 2001, notes the quarterly report to Congress by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/ Afghanistan security, economy deteriorating rapidly: Report: A government watchdog reported Friday that the country is "more dangerous" than a year ago, with insurgents gaining strength and the economy worsening. http://www.washingtontimes. Targeted killings through drones are war crimes: Op-Ed: The threat that terrorists pose to US interests and security did not create killing drones: rather the technical feasibility of killing drones has generated imagined terrorist threats. https://www.opendemocracy.net/ Japan adopts negative interest rate in surprise move: The benchmark rate of -0.1% means that commercial banks will be charged by the central bank for some deposits. It is designed to encourage them to use their reserves to lend to businesses in an attempt to counter Japan's economic stagnation. http://www.bbc.com/news/ 33 drowned as refugee boat sinks off Turkish coast: Turkey's state-owned news provider Anadolu Agency said that coast guards rescued 75 more people from the sea near the resort of Ayvacik on 30 January. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ Stockholm pogrom: Crowd of masked men hunt and beat up non-Swedes: Dozens of masked man went on an anti-immigrant rampage in Stockholm in an apparent retaliation for the stabbing death of a young Swedish woman at a refugee center earlier this week, local media reported. https://www.rt.com/news/ German parliament approves more soldiers for Mali, Iraq: The German parliament approved government plans on Thursday to send up to 650 soldiers to Mali, boosting its presence in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the West African country which is beset by Islamist militant violence. http://www.reuters.com/ Special ISIS cells preparing terror attacks in Europe and Russia - Russian anti-terrorism body : The official added that former Iraqi army officers who served under Saddam Hussein are training the terrorists. https://www.rt.com/news/ Russian fighter jet intercepts US recon aircraft over Black Sea 'in unsafe manner'- Navy: According to US officials, a Russian jet approached the US aircraft in international airspace over the Black Sea and flew alongside it for some time. After that, the jet performed what US officials described as "an aggressive maneuver" when turning away from the intelligence plane. https://www.rt.com/usa/330650- Swiss government proposes paying everyone £1,700 a month whether they work or not: Swiss residents to vote on referendum to guarantee basic monthly income. It would be first country in the world to introduce unconditional income. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ Swiss say $4bn may be missing from Malaysia state fund: Investigators believe funds earmarked for social development projects could have been stolen as scandal deepens. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/ Canada Cuts Off Some Intelligence Sharing With U.S. Out of Fear for Canadians' Privacy: Canada's CBC network reported Thursday that the country is slamming on the brakes when it comes to sharing some communications intelligence with key allies - including the U.S. - out of fear that Canadian personal information is not properly protected. https://theintercept.com/2016/ Discriminatory New Visa Law Keeps German-Iranian Professor Out of U.S.: Dr. Amin Shokrollahi was planning to do something he had done many times before: take a flight from his home in Switzerland to the United States. https://theintercept.com/2016/ The cost of not paying taxes in the US: Americans' passports could be seized if they owe more than $50,000 in taxes, but could this law be unfairly applied? http://www.aljazeera.com/ 4 US cities among world's most violent in 2015: Four American cities are among the 50 with highest murder rates worldwide in 2015, a new study revealed. St. Louis, with 188 homicides per 317,000 residents is the highest among them, made it to the 15th place on the list. https://www.rt.com/usa/330620- Kids' lead levels high in many Michigan cities: While much of the state's focus on lead has rightly been on poisoned water in Flint, the metal continues to turn up annually in the bodies of thousands of children across the state, at percentages well above the numbers that raised red flags in Flint. http://www.detroitnews.com/ State Workers in Flint Given Clean Water Months Before Residents Warned of Danger: State workers in Flint, Mich., appear to have received clean drinking water months before Governor Rick Snyder publicly admitted there was a problem with the city's water, according to documents obtained by liberal group Progress Michigan. http://time.com/4199126/flint- U.S. economy slowed to scant 0.7 percent growth rate last quarter: The U.S. economy's growth slowed sharply in the final three months of 2015 to a 0.7 percent annual rate. Consumers slowed spending, businesses cut back on investment and global problems trimmed exports. http://www.nwaonline.com/news/ Who Can Afford The American Dream?: That American Dream thing is a going up in smoke. Upward mobility has stalled, and stagnation is setting in. http://www.shtfplan.com/ If The "Recovery" Is Real, Why Are "Radical" Politicians So Damn Popular?, BofA Asks: Back in November, we took a look at the link between austerity and anarchy. Courtesy of RBS' Alberto Gallo, we showed the correlation between budget cuts and riots, assassinations, and attempted revolutions. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/ Ted Cruz's National Security Plan Features War Crimes: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) repeated his promise to conduct "carpet bombing" in the Middle East to combat ISIS forces. Yet he did not acknowledge that carpet bombing is a war crime under the international Geneva Conventions. http://thinkprogress.org/ Hillary's Pro-Iraq War Vote Is Still a Really Big Deal: Hillary Clinton voted to authorize George W. Bush to go to war in Iraq. By contrast, Bernie Sanders didn't only vote against the Iraq War resolution. He had the foreign policy judgment to predict the disastrous results that would ensue. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ US declares 22 Clinton emails 'top secret': Hillary Clinton's home server contained closely-guarded government secrets, censoring 22 emails that contained material requiring one of the highest levels of classification. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/ Neoconservativism Is Down But Not Out of the 2016 Race: Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton-both have ties to neoconservatism. http://www.bloomberg.com/ Trump Somehow Wins Again As Fox's Debate Ratings, Cruz's Performance Both Underwhelming: On the ratings front, the numbers look disappointing for Fox, as it appears the total viewership likely won't even break 13 http://www.mediaite.com/ |
