Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Friday, 9 January 2009

Yes, it's anti-Semitism

By Jeff Jacoby
Let's say it for the thousand-and-first time: Every negative comment about Israel is not an expression of bigotry. Israel is no more immune to criticism than any other country. But it takes willful blindness not to see that anti-Zionism today -- opposition to the existence of Israel, rejection of the idea that the Jewish people are entitled to a state -- is merely the old wine of anti-Semitism in its newest bottle

Raketen aus dem Libanon treffen Israel

Raketen aus dem Libanon treffen Israel

The Great Dragon Awakens: China Challenges American Hegemony

11 septembre: «Je demande pardon»

Roman photo d’actualité

12 septembre 2008 Il n’a fallu que trois jours à Jean-Marie Bigard pour « demander pardon » d’avoir remis en question la version officielle du 11 septembre et fait référence au documentaire Loose Change et au livre L’Effroyable imposture. Face aux violentes réactions de plusieurs éditorialistes et responsables politiques, l’humoriste a répondu par un court communiqué : « Je demande pardon à tout le monde pour les propos que j’ai tenus. Je ne parlerai plus jamais des événements du 11 septembre. Je n’émettrai plus jamais de doutes. J’ai été traité de révisionniste, ce que je ne suis évidemment pas. » Pourtant, du Japon à l’Italie en passant par les États-Unis, le Canada et le Venezuela, les mêmes propos ont été tenus par des parlementaires et des présidents. Doivent-ils aussi demander pardon ? C’est l’objet de ce roman photo.

Wednesday, 7 January 2009

Afghan War Crime Evidence Destroyed

Evidence of war crimes on the site of a 2001 massacre believed to contain the remains of up to 2,000 Taliban prisoners has been destroyed. More

Worries In Pakistan Of 'Parallel' Government

Residents of Pakistan's western Pashtun border regions are suddenly facing the threat of severe punishment, including the death penalty, for acts ranging from drinking alcohol to sending their daughters to school. The new restrictions are the work of the Taliban, which has established Shari'a law in territory under its control. Local political leaders say the Taliban's moves are an attempt to establish a parallel government in the region. More

Ex-Detainee of U.S. Describes a 6-Year Ordeal

Ex-Detainee of U.S. Describes a 6-Year Ordeal
By JANE PERLEZ, RAYMOND BONNER and SALMAN MASOOD
Though never charged with a crime, Muhammad Saad Iqbal spent six years in American custody, during which he says he was secretly taken to Egypt and tortured. 

Tuesday, 6 January 2009

Panetta Chosen as C.I.A. Chief in Surprise Step

By MARK MAZZETTI and CARL HULSE
The choice of Leon E. Panetta, a former White House chief of staff, to head the intelligence agency raised questions about his relevant experience.

India will buy eight reconnaissance aircraft from Boeing for $2.1 billion (£1.4 billion) in its biggest military purchase from the US

US vehicle sales fell more than 35 per cent in December, dragging automakers' annual sales totals to their lowest levels in 50 years

Israeli soldiers fight street battles in Gaza City

Israeli soldiers fight street battles in Gaza City

Hamas: Israel has legitimised killing its children

Hamas: Israel has legitimised killing its children

M&S cuts 1,000 jobs as fashion sales dive

M&S cuts 1,000 jobs as fashion sales dive

Retailers the first big losers of 2009 as Britain returned to work with the worst employment prospects in a generation

El peligro del desgaste en el combate urbano

El ejército israelí no quiere caer en el "síndrome libanés" 
Exterior 

Cruentos combates en la ciudad de Gaza

Tropas israelíes y militantes de Hamas se enfrentaron en el sector oriental de la capital de la Franja; ya hay más de 550 muertos 

Tehran offers to 'protect' Ebadi

Iran says it will provide security for Nobel Peace Prize-winning lawyer Shirin Ebadi, amid global concern for her safety.

New US embassy opens in Baghdad

The new US embassy in Baghdad - one of the largest and most expensive ever built - is officially opened Iraq's capital.

China to 'clean up' the internet

China launches a new campaign to get rid of unhealthy, vulgar and pornographic content on the internet.

India Gives Terror Evidence to Pakistan

India gave Pakistan the most detailed evidence yet that it says ties the militants who attacked Mumbai to "elements" in Pakistan.

The So-called International Community

By Mona Charen
Let's fantasize. Let's pretend that the "international community" (it's not a community, thus the quotation marks) actually lived by the principles it claims to advance

Westerners seem to expect more civilized behavior from Israel than fromits adversaries. Should they?

The Ponzi Scheme Presidency

Bush's Legacy of Destruction
By Tom Engelhardt

Israel Storms Through Gaza

Israel Storms Through Gaza

Rocket Hits Ashkelon Home

by Hana Levi Julian

Phoneless Hamas Army Confused

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Thierry Meyssan: «Si j’avais plié, je n’aurais pas eu à partir»

Entretien avec un dissident français contraint à l’exil

Les maîtres de la défaite : l’empire états-unien en déconfiture, au milieu de force fracas belliqueux

La crise
par James Petras*

Économie : Obama choisit ceux qui ont échoué

La nouvelle administration US
Économie : Obama choisit ceux qui ont échoué
par Éric Toussaint*, Damien Millet*

China verschärft Internet-Zensur

China verschärft Internet-Zensur

Israel's Gaza Strategy

Israel's Gaza Strategy 

Martin Kramer (Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies-Shalem Center)

  • Unlike the Lebanon war of 2006, this war has been planned in advance, and every stage has been war-gamed. After the Hamas takeover in June 2007, Israel imposed a regime of economic sanctions on Gaza. The West Bank enjoyed an economic boomlet while Gaza languished under sanctions, with zero growth - reinforcing the message that "Islamic resistance" is a dead end.
  • The Israeli operation is meant to impress on Hamas that there is something far worse than the sanctions - that Israel is capable of hunting Hamas on air, sea, and land, at tremendous cost to Hamas and minimal cost to Israel, while much of the world stands by, and parts of it (including some Arabs) quietly applaud.
  • Hamas assumes (probably correctly) that its Palestinian opponents fed Israel with much of the intelligence it needed to wage precision warfare against Hamas. There is likely to be a vicious settling of scores as soon as a cease-fire is in place, if not before.
  • The temptation to "engage" Hamas has grown, which means skirting the Quartet's insistence that Hamas not be "engaged" until it accepts past PA-Israel agreements, recognizes Israel, and renounces armed struggle. Legitimation of Hamas could seal the fate of the "peace process," and give "resistance" the reputation of a truly winning strategy.
  • Israel is united in pursuing its war of demolition against Hamas. Its aim is not only to stop the rockets from falling in southern Israel, but to move a long stride forward toward a change of regime in Gaza. 

Israel setzt Angriffe unvermindert fort

Israel setzt Angriffe unvermindert fort Nachrichten

Israel setzt Angriffe unvermindert fort


Trotz internationaler Bemühungen will Israel seine Bodenoffensive im Gazastreifen nicht beenden. Die Hamas überlegt einen Waffenstillstand. » mehr

Israeli Attack Splits Gaza; Truce Calls Are Rebuffed

By ETHAN BRONNER
Witnesses said that Israeli forces pushing into Gaza had taken over certain strategic areas as Hamas continued to launch rockets into southern Israel.

Ukraine Gas Dispute Intensifies

Russia's dispute with Ukraine over natural gas prices descended into counter claims and legal threats over the weekend, as six European countries downstream said they had begun to record slight supply disruptions.

The CIA-ISI axis

India should have no illusions of US support

Sony, the embattled Japanese electronics group, is set for a program of job cuts and sweeping changes to management and manufacturing processes

Monday, 5 January 2009

China factory output dips further

China's manufacturing output falls for a third consecutive month as the economic slowdown continued to hit its economy.

Israeli forces split Gaza in two

Fighting in Gaza rages into the night as Israeli forces backed by heavy armour effectively cut the territory in two.

Sunday, 4 January 2009

Israeli Forces Enter Gaza Strip

JERUSALEM, Jan. 3 -- Israel launched a major ground invasion of the Gaza Strip on Saturday night, moving in tanks, infantry and artillery units after eight days of relentless air attacks failed to halt Hamas rocket fire from the narrow coastal territory. 
(By Griff Witte, The Washington Post)

El 20% de los españoles son de origen judío

El 20% de los españoles son de origen judío

Permalink 04.01.09 @ 10:25:46. Archivado en Sefarad

The Invasion of Gaza: "Operation Cast Lead", Part of a Broader Israeli Military-Intelligence Agenda

La guerre du gaz entre l'Ukraine et Gazprom atteint l'Union européenne

La guerre du gaz entre l'Ukraine et Gazprom atteint l'Union européenne

Le Vatican se démarque des lois italiennes

Le Vatican se démarque des lois italiennes

L'armée israélienne aux portes de la ville de Gaza

L'armée israélienne aux portes de la ville de Gaza

The Irish Economy’s Rise Was Steep, and the Fall Was Fast

By LANDON THOMAS Jr. 
The Irish developer Sean Dunne, who became a symbol of the country’s boom, faces a foundering economy.  

Gas Dispute Has Effects Past Russia and Ukraine

By ANDREW E. KRAMER 
Poland, Romania and Bulgaria reported dwindling flows of natural gas after Russia halted shipments to Ukraine.  

Is the Real Target Hamas Rule?

By ETHAN BRONNER 
If Hamas rockets cannot be stopped, then is the real aim of Israel’s operation to remove Hamas entirely, no matter the cost?  

Obama Considers Major Expansion in Aid to Jobless

By JACKIE CALMES and CARL HULSE
The Democratic economic package may include much more government-assisted health care insurance and unemployment compensation.

Israeli Troops Launch Attack on Gaza

By ISABEL KERSHNER and TAGHREED EL-KHODARY
Israeli tanks and troops swept across the border into Gaza on Saturday night, opening a ground war against Hamas after a week of intense airstrikes.

Israel rückt mit Soldaten und Panzern in Gazastreifen vor

Israel rückt mit Soldaten und Panzern in Gazastreifen vor

Israels Bodentruppen rücken in Gaza vor

Israelische Truppen marschieren in Gaza ein - Regierung mobilisiert Zehntausende Reservisten

Israelische Truppen marschieren in Gaza ein - Regierung mobilisiert Zehntausende Reservisten

Die Boden-Offensive hat begonnen: Im Norden des Gaza-Streifens haben israelische Streitkräfte nach Angaben eines Militärsprechers die Grenze passiert. Für die Hamas wird es damit ernst - die Regierung lässt bereits Zehntausende Reservisten in die Kasernen rufen, um die Truppen zu verstärken. mehr... [ Forum ]

China

Pakistan

Israel

Europe's gas pipeline network

Belgium

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip takes off toward Israel

A classroom hit by a Palestinian rocket on Wednesday in Beersheba, Israel

La nueva Vietnam

Una república socialista que implementó medidas de libre mercado, con futuro promisorio: así se ve hoy a este país oriental, donde conviven la modernidad y las tradiciones más ancestrales 

Israeli troops enter Gaza Strip

Israeli ground troops and armoured vehicles enter Gaza to 'take control of areas used by militants to fire rockets at Israel'.

The Wall Street Ponzi Scheme called Fractional Reserve Banking

Borrowing from Peter to Pay Paul

Saturday, 3 January 2009

Ethiopia begins Somalia pullout

Ethiopian troops begin pulling out of Somalia after two years helping the transitional government fight insurgents.

Russia looks to re-route EU gas

Russian gas giant Gazprom tells the BBC that it can no longer depend on Ukraine as a transit route to the EU.

Friday, 2 January 2009

"Taking Action" Thousands of years before the term "proactive" was coined bymotivational experts, the Jewish Sages gave this indispensable tool forsuc

Thousands of years before the term "proactive" was coined by motivational experts, the Jewish Sages gave this indispensable tool for success a name. They called it "zerizus". "Zerizus" is the quality within us that fuels achievement, the trait that takes what we are capable of and turns it into real accomplishment. "Zerizus" is, in the words of author Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, the "joyful willpower" that we all need to make our dreams come true.
TODAY: Finish What You Start, Part II

'Hitler’s Private Library'

By TIMOTHY W. RYBACK
Reviewed by JACOB HEILBRUNN

A tantalizing study of Hitler’s book collection and what it says about the man.

'Things I've Been Silent About'

By AZAR NAFISI
Reviewed by ELAINE SCIOLINO

The author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran” fleshes out personal stories left untold or half-told in her earlier work.

Hamas' march to victory

By Caroline B. Glick
George Orwell once quipped, "The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it."
Since Tuesday it has become clear that the Olmert-Livni-Barak government has decided to end the war with Iran's Hamas proxy army in Gaza as quickly as possible. That is, the government has decided to lose the war

The World from Berlin: 'Hamas Has Not Been Weakened'

With Israel's offensive against Hamas about to enter its second week, there is little sign of the violence letting up. German commentators call on the international community to act and say that Turkey could make the perfect mediator between the two sides.

Gazprom vs. Kiev: Europe Worried as Gas Stops Flowing to Ukraine

Russia has once again shut off its gas supply to Ukraine over a price dispute. This time Europe says it's ready with stockpiles, but the dispute is far from over: Russia swears to verify on Friday that Ukraine has not siphoned gas bound for Europe

Nuclear Fusion: Energy of the Stars, With No Emissions

Nuclear Fusion: Energy of the Stars, With No Emissions A consortium of governments will build a groundbreaking fusion power plant in France for a price in excess of Euro5 billion. After decades of discouraging setbacks, plasma physics has made jaw-dropping recent progress. Could it save the world? http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,599211,00.html

Interview with Israeli Author Meir Shalev: 'Even the Left Was in Favor

An operation against Hamas was necessary -- but a war aimed at eliminating the Palestinian radical group is irresponsible, says Israeli author Meir Shalev in an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE. Israel, he says, needs to find a political solution through negotiations.

Aligning With the Nazis, Blindfold Tightly in Place

Movie Review | 'Good'

“Good” is an anemic screen adaptation of C. P. Taylor’s play about a respectable “good German” who passively acquiesces to Hitler’s agenda.

A Society in the Forest, Banding Together to Escape Persecution

Movie Review | 'Defiance'

Edward Zwick’s stiff, musclebound new movie tells the true story of the Bielski partisans, who fought the Nazis and rescued hundreds of Jews through the darkest years of war and genocide.

Striking Deep into Israel, Hamas Employs an Upgraded Arsenal

Mark Mazzetti
By firing rockets deep into Israeli territory, Hamas has in recent days displayed an arsenal that has been upgraded with weapons parts smuggled into Gaza since it seized control of the territory 18 months ago, according to American and Israeli officials. Hamas and other militant groups have lobbed thousands of rockets into Israel since 2001. The difference now, officials said, is that Hamas is using more of the imported Katyusha rockets, which have a longer range than the homemade Kassam rockets it relied on in the past. A senior Israeli military official said Israeli intelligence believed Hamas took advantage of a six-month truce with Israel to bolster its stockpiles.
    American and Israeli officials said there was evidence that some Hamas fighters might have been schooled in urban assault tactics at Iranian camps run by the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. In April, the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center released a report saying Hamas had been engaged in a military buildup since the group took control of Gaza in June 2007. The report cited data by the Israel Security Agency asserting that Hamas had smuggled at least 80 tons of explosives into Gaza since then. 
(New York Times)

Chinese Migrants Return to Rural Roots

Laid Off by Struggling Factories in Distant Cities, Laborers Find Few Prospects Back Home 
(By Lauren Keane, The Washington Post)

Los precios de las telecomunicaciones bajan el 7,5% respecto a 2007

Los precios de las telecomunicaciones bajan el 7,5% respecto a 2007

Bribes Corrode Afghans’ Trust in Government

By DEXTER FILKINS
The state built on the ruins of the Taliban regime now often seems to exist for little more than the enrichment of those who run it.

Steel Industry, in Slump, Looks to U.S. Stimulus

By LOUIS UCHITELLE
The steel industry, a bellwether for the state of the nation’s economy, is looking to the government for a huge investment program: up to $1 trillion over two years.

Iran's China Model: Economic Growth Without Political Reform

Iran's China Model: Economic Growth Without Political Reform

Experts from Frankfurt, Tehran, and Boston discussed Iran's use of China as an economic role model on Radio Farda's weekly roundtable, "Viewpoints" [read more in Persian]. Meanwhile, one economist says Iran's inflation rate is likely to rise substantially in the near future [listen in Persian].

The Crisis of Common Sense: Is It So Difficult To Understand The Financial Crisis?

Rockets put Israel's nuclear plant in battle zone

Rockets put Israel's nuclear plant in battle zone

Military chiefs fear that new long-range Hamas missiles could threaten the country's top-secret nuclear facility at Dimon

Russia reassures Europe over gas

Russia assures EU countries they will face no disruption after it halted gas supplies to Ukraine in a row over payment.

Stimulus Versus Recession

The U.S. is preparing massive efforts to battle the twin threats of deep recession and deflation in 2009. The results will affect the investment climate for years to come.

Israel's Attacks On Gaza Deepen Palestinian Rift

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec. 31 -- Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip has exacerbated the deep divisions between Palestinians who want to make peace with Israel and those who support Hamas's militant struggle against the Jewish state.
(By Griff Witte, The Washington Post)

Thursday, 1 January 2009

L'Argent

L'Argent

par Serge Halimi 

Grads Strike South, Penthouse

by Hana Levi Julian

Moscou a fermé le robinet du gaz vers l'Ukraine

Moscou a fermé le robinet du gaz vers l'Ukraine

Le scénario de la crise du gaz de 2006 entre l'Ukraine et la Russie se répéte. Le porte-parole de Gazprom a annoncé ce jeudi matin que le contrat qui liait le géant gazier à l'Ukraine était arrivé à expiration. Les livraisons ont donc cessé ce jeudi matin.

FBI: Mumbai's culprit has no Pak links

An FBI team investigating the Mumbai attacks' case has said that the alleged main culprit, Ajmal Kasab, has no links with Pakistan.

Nasrallah: The Gaza solution lies in Egypt

By Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah
The Secretary General of Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, addressed a crowd of Lebanese supporters in a videoconference on December 28, 2008. The following is the text of his speech: 

Israel bombardiert weiter

Israel bombardiert weiter

Vorerst kein Waffenstillstand. Israel will seine Angriffe auf den Gaza-Streifen fortsetzen, bis die "Bedingungen" stimmen - also die Raketenangriffe der Hamas aufhören. Deren Aktionen treffen auch im arabischen Lager auf harte Kritik. mehr... [ Video | Forum ]