Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Thursday, 25 February 2016

Op-Ed
Regime Change in Ankara? More Likely Than You Think
 
By Mike Whitney
It is not hard to imagine Obama secretly giving Erdogan the greenlight, and then pulling the rug out from under him as soon as his troops crossed over into Syria. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44302.htm
 
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Turkey is Screwed. And it's all US Fault
 
By Arras
It's not Russia that caused the current Turkish problems. It was the USA. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44303.htm
 
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Syria: A First Major Win Due To The Cessation of Hostilities Agreement
 
By Moon Of Alabama
With the push for the cessation of hostilities the Russian/Syrian side has won a major point. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44301.htm
 
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By Bill Van Auken
Washington's most important "friend" and "ally" in the war for regime change in Syria has been, since its inception nearly five years ago, Al Qaeda.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44312.htm
 
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Israel is on the Brink of a Tyranny of the Majority
 
By Jonathan Cook
By discrediting and disenfranchising Palestinian parliament members, Israel's democracy is being exposed as a facade. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44309.htm
 
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How US Helps Al Qaeda in Yemen
 
By Jonathan Marshall
The Obama administration, has turned a blind eye to Riyadh's savaging of Yemen, even though that is helping Al Qaeda militants expand their territory. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44314.htm
 
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The New Silk Roads and the Rise of the 'Chinese Dream'
 
By Pepe Escobar
Beijing is advancing a Chinese-led globalization that will challenge U.S. hegemony both regionally and globally.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44300.htm
 
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The Rape of East Timor: "Sounds Like Fun"
 
By John Pilger
How one of the greatest crimes of the 20th century was executed and covered up.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44305.htm
 
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Brexit and Good Riddance
 
By Finian Cunningham
Britain, by leaving, may actually do Europe a favor.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44313.htm
 
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John Pilger: Trump is speaking straight to ordinary Americans:
 
By John Pilger
The firebrand journalist answered your questions in a live webchat - taking on everyone from Cameron to Obama and Trump.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44310.htm
 
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By Matt Taibbi
He's no ordinary con man. He's way above average - and the American political system is his easiest mark ever.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44311.htm
 
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Hillary Clinton, The Council on Foreign Relations and The Establishment
 
By Matt Peppe
Elected officials are merely the public face of the ruling establishment. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44306.htm
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Hard News   
 50 Saudi soldiers killed in Yemen's missile attacks:  Yemeni forces have managed to kill at least 50 Saudi troops, including commanders, in a ballistic missile attack in the country's northern Jawf province.
http://en.abna24.com/service/middle-east-west-asia/archive/2016/02/25/737019/story.html

13 killed in Saudi airstrikes in Yemen:
The Yemeni al-Masirah television said on Wednesday that the airstrikes, which targeted trucks carrying foodstuff eight times, took place in Jawf's town of al-Matammah.
http://en.trend.az/world/arab/2499060.html 

UAE pulls ground troops from Aden, Yemen reports say :  According to the reports in AP, the Emirates has withdrawn its soldiers out of the airport in Yemen's second city and pulled out all of its fighters in one day.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-pulls-out-ground-troops-yemen-reports-98821815 

European Parliament calls for Saudi arms embargo:
The European Parliament called on the European Union to impose an arms embargo against Saudi Arabia Thursday, saying Britain, France and other EU governments should no longer sell weapons to a country accused of targeting civilians in Yemen.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Feb-25/339169-eu-lawmakers-urge-saudi-arms-embargo.ashx 

Scores killed as ISIL takes village in NE Syria:  Abu Shadi al-Safarani, an Aleppo-based activist opposed to Syria's Assad regime, told Anadolu Agency that 95 regime troops had been killed -- and scores others captured -- when ISIL took the village.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/169806/scores-killed-as-isil-takes-village-in-ne-syria 

Opposition group: Senior Russian generals killed in Syria car bomb :  Dozens of Russian generals were killed on Sunday in a car bomb attack at their base near the Syrian city of Latakia, the Ahrar al-Sham opposition movement claimed on Wednesday.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/24143-opposition-group-senior-russian-generals-killed-in-syria-car-bomb 

Syria army retakes key town on road to Aleppo from ISIS:  The road through the town of Khanasser is the sole link between government-held areas in and around Aleppo and those in the rest of the country. State news agency SANA hailed its recapture just two days after its fall to the extremists.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Feb-25/339126-syrian-govt-retakes-town-from-isis-observatory.ashx 

Russian jets in Syria pound Latakia ahead of fighting halt:
Russia bombed Syrian rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria on Thursday as government forces sought to take more ground at the Turkish border, ahead of a planned halt to fighting, which rebels predicted Damascus and Moscow would ignore.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-idUKKCN0VY1WD 

Syrian opposition accepts ceasefire for 'two weeks':  High Negotiations Committee temporarily accepts US-Russia plan as UN efforts to air drop aid encounter difficulties.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/syrian-civil-war-air-drops-aid-deir-az-zor-160224194355887.html 

'No Plan B for Syrian settlement' - Russian Foreign Ministry:  "We're perplexed by our Western partners, the US included, mentioning the existence of some kind of 'Plan B,' Nothing is known on that one, we are considering no alternative plans," Bognanov told the 'Middle East: From violence to security' conference in Moscow.
https://www.rt.com/news/333581-plan-b-syria-bogdanov/ 

Saudi jets to arrive in Turkey to strike "ISIS":  Saudi jets are due to arrive at a Turkish base this week take part in the air campaign against ISIS in Syria, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday. The planes are to be stationed at the Incirlik base, which is already hosting US, British and French war planes
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/02/25/Saudi-jets-to-arrive-in-Turkey-to-strike-ISIS.html 

Infighting? Turkey's General Staff Concerned with Erdogan's Syria Policies:  The former head of the General Staff of the Turkish Intelligence Agency told Sputnik that the Armed Forces have been growing discontent with the Syrian policy of the Turkish leadership.
http://m.sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160224/1035289905/turkey-erdogan-syria-invasion.html 

Turkey attacks PKK targets in Northern Iraq, 12 top figures killed in Sirnak:  Turkish jets launched an air campaign on PKK targets, sources from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said, and also reportedly killed 12 PKK terrorists, some of whom were high ranking figures, in the Idil district of the province of Sirnak on the same day.
http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2016/02/24/warplanes-hit-pkk-targets-in-northern-iraq-12-top-figures-killed-in-sirnak 

Iraq: Security forces kill 19 ISIS militans:  On Thursday, a source in Anbar Operations Command announced the cleansing of Albu Daeig area in southern Fallujah, while indicated to the killing of 19 ISIS members during the operation.
http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/security-forces-cleanse-albu-daeig-kill-19-isis-militans/ 

Thousands face starvation in Iraq's Fallujah as siege tightens:
IS has started using food as a weapon after tribesmen rose up against it last week
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/10000s-face-starvation-iraqs-fallujah-siege-tightens-1545046929 

Two suicide bombers kill 15 at Shia mosque in Baghdad:  At least 15 people were killed when two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a Shia mosque in Baghdad on Thursday. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world/two-suicide-bombers-kill-15-at-shia-mosque-in-baghdad/story-Mf23aRqs1eGC6n70RF8HHP.html 

Security forces kill 5 ISIS militants during clashes north of Tikrit:  "The federal police in Makhoul Mountains had launched, surprise attacks on the ISIS headquarters in the villages of Massoud in Makhoul Mountains north of Tikrit, resulting in the death of five ISIS elements as well as the destruction of three defensive positions."
http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/148395/ 

'Cruel, inhuman and degrading:' Israel's systematic abuse of Palestinian detainees exposed by NGOs :
 Israel's domestic security agency systematically abuses Palestinians kept at its Shikma detention facility, two NGOs say, adding that "cruel, inhuman and degrading" treatment is inherent to the interrogation policy
https://www.rt.com/news/333532-israel-abuse-palestinian-detainees/ 

Islamic State militants kill 17 in Libya's Sabratha: officials:  Islamic State militants briefly entered the center of the western Libyan city of Sabratha, beheading 11 members of local security forces and killing another six in overnight clashes before retreating, local authorities said on Wednesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-sabratha-idUSKCN0VX1AV 

France waging secret war in Libya - report :  France is using its special forces and commandos to wage covert military operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIL/ISIS) in Libya, the country's media say.
https://www.rt.com/news/333506-france-secret-war-libya/ 

Explosion at police HQ in northeast Nigeria kills 4:
Bombs retrieved from Boko Haram exploded accidentally Thursday at police headquarters in Nigeria's northeastern city of Yola, killing four people and wounding a score of officers and school children cut by shattered glass, officials said.
https://www.ksl.com/?nid=235&sid=38644982&title=explosion-at-police-hq-in-northeast-nigeria-kills-4 

Afghanistan: Fourteen killed in clashes between Taliban and security forces in Kunduz:
At least 14 militants, including a commander, have been killed in northeastern Kunduz provincey. However, residents alleged the fighting had also inflicted casualties on civilians and forced them to leave the area for safer places.
http://www.albawaba.com/news/afghanistan-fourteen-killed-clashes-between-taliban-and-security-forces-kunduz-809910 

Death toll hits 28 in India's caste riots;  On Wednesday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the government to investigate alleged incidents of sexual violence after media reports said at least 10 women were raped by Jat rioters in Sonipat district.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/death-toll-hits-28-in-indias-caste-riots 

'Trade Rules Trump Climate': WTO Deals Blow to India's Solar Program:  In an outcome described as an outrage and a blow for local green jobs, the World Trade Organization ruled Wednesday in favor of the United States in its challenge to India's rapidly growing solar energy program.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/02/25/trade-rules-trump-climate-wto-deals-blow-indias-solar-program 

US blocked talks with North Korea before nuclear test:  The North Korean regime has long demanded a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War and open the way for diplomatic relations, a call that Washington has repeatedly rejected.
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/02/23/nkor-f23.html 

EU migration system could 'completely break down' in 10 days: commissioner:  The EU has until a March 7 summit with Turkey to curb the number of migrants coming to Europe or else the bloc's migration system could "completely break down", migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said Thursday.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2016/Feb-25/339201-eu-migration-system-could-completely-break-down-in-10-days-commissioner.ashx 

Italy Summons US Envoy Over NSA Spying Reports:  Italy has summoned the US ambassador to Rome following reports that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had tapped the telephones of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his aides in 2011
http://yournewswire.com/italy-summons-us-envoy-over-nsa-spying-reports/ 

IMF warns global economy is 'highly vulnerable':  The International Monetary Fund has said that the global economy is "highly vulnerable" and urged the United States and other large nations to prepare contingency plans that could be rolled out quickly.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/imf-warns-global-economy-highly-vulnerable-160225035232135.html 

Demonizing Russia:
Army chief recommends keeping brigade in Alaska:  Russia is not only acting aggressively in Europe, they're also asserting themselves in the Pacific, and specifically in the Arctic," Milley said during a Senate appropriations defense subcommittee hearing.
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/270617-army-chief-recommends-keeping-brigade-in-alaska-in-face-of-russian-threat 

U.S. Warns Banks Off Russian Bonds;  The U.S. government has warned some top U.S. banks not to bid on a potentially lucrative but politically risky Russian bond deal, saying it would undermine international sanctions on Moscow, people familiar with the matter said.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-warns-banks-off-russian-bonds-1456362124 

3 sick after California employee opens suspicious package: -  Firefighters and hazardous materials teams have cleared a Northern California federal building where an employee felt ill after opening an envelope containing a powdery substance
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-sick-after-california-employee-opens-suspicious-package/ 

L.A. is seizing tiny homes from the homeless:  Escalating their battle to stamp out an unprecedented spread of street encampments, city officials have begun seizing tiny houses from homeless people living on freeway overpasses in South Los Angeles.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-tiny-houses-seized-20160224-story.html 

"WATCHDOG" Names Hillary Clinton Most Corrupt Politician of 2015:  As corrupt public officials go, Hillary Clinton is in a league of her own. That's according to a Washington ethics watchdog that just named the Democratic presidential front-runner as the top ethics violator of 2015.
http://www.usapoliticstoday.com/watchdog-names-clinton-most-corrupt-politician-of-2015/ 

Trump May Have To Take A Break From Campaigning To Handle Fraud Case Against Trump University:
Trump's lawyers have denied charges that Trump University defrauded students. Lawyers also argued the plaintiffs can't successfully claim that the online classes didn't have value, according to the Financial Times.
http://thinkprogress.org/education/2016/02/24/3753052/trump-university-civil-suit/?

Political Science Professor: Odds Of President Trump Range BETWEEN 97% AND 99%:  A political science professor who claims his statistical model has correctly predicted the results of every election in the last 104 years has forecast that the odds of Donald Trump becoming America's next president currently range from 97 percent to 99 percent.
http://dailycaller.com/2016/02/24/political-science-professor-odds-of-president-trump-range-between-97-and-99/