Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Thursday 30 April 2015

Op-Ed Articles
  
The Day After Damascus Falls

By Robert Parry

The Saudi-Israeli alliance has gone on the offensive, ramping up a "regime change" war in Syria and, in effect, promoting a military victory for Al-Qaeda or its spinoff, the Islamic State. But the consequences of that victory could toll the final bell for the American Republic.


Making More Enemies than We Kill?

By Taylor Owen and Ben Kiernan

"DEAR OBAMA, when a U.S. drone missile kills a child in Yemen, the father will go to war with you, guaranteed. Nothing to do with Al Qaeda."


Unending War on Terror

By Philip

We Americans have killed directly or indirectly maybe a million people, destabilized or overthrown at least four governments, and trashed our own economy.


The Kingpin Strategy

By Andrew Cockburn

Assassination as Policy in Washington and How It Failed, 1990-2015.


Judicial Immunity for the Assassins

By Jacob G. Hornberger

The Court said that they would not hold any U.S. official responsible for what would ordinarily be considered criminal offenses, so long as the officials claimed that the act was related to "national security."


This is an American Torture Story

By Noam Chomsky

Torture is a crime and no one should get away with it. It's up to us to enforce that.


Meet The Only Person Being Punished After The Senate Torture Report

By Ali Watkins

It's not the former torturers. Or their superiors. It's the person who helped expose them.


The Limits of Propaganda

By Dmitry Orlov

This is why the people in Washington are in a bit of a panic, and labeling internal dissidents as a "threat"


Inglorious Goobers
Progressives Line Up to Defend Corrupt Clintons

By Chris Floyd

As with Obama, there seems to be no crime or morally corrupt practice they will not countenance if it is committed by the standard-bearer of the Democratic Party.


10 Shocking Facts About Baltimore

By Bill Quigley

A quarter of the city's inhabitants live in abject poverty.


Remembering Russell Means
"I Am An American Indian Patriot"

Video

"We live in a prisoner of war camp, that's why they call it a reservation"


The Public Sector Is A Milk Cow For Private Enterprise

By Paul Craig Roberts

Social Security and Medicare are under attack from Wall Street, conservatives, and free market economists.


The Dwindling US Economy

By Paul Craig Roberts

The United States is an economic basket case.


Give 'Em Hell, Bernie

By Matt Taibbi

He is the rarest of Washington animals, a completely honest person.


Russell Brand Grills Labour Boss

Video

Russell Brand meets Labour leader Ed Miliband to talk about the public's frustration with government and how change can happen.

          

Hard News
    



Blast at explosives factory in Syria kills 25 IS fighters: monitor:
Twenty-five fighters from the Islamic State group were killed when a powerful blast rocked an explosives manufacturing plant in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Wednesday.


Children among 21 killed in north Syria strikes: activists:
Airstrikes by Syrian government forces killed at least 21 people, including six children, and wounded 50 Wednesday in the northern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, an activist group monitoring the war said.


Syria accuses Turkey of 'direct aggression' alongside militants: -
Syria has accused Turkey of providing supporting fire and logistical help to enable "terrorist groups" to capture the Syrian city of Idlib and the strategic town of Jisr al-Shughour, state television said on Tuesday.


40 US soldiers arrive in Turkey to train "Syrian" mercenaries:
Around 40 U.S. Special Forces members have arrived in Turkey to join their Turkish colleagues in training Syrian rebel groups to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), sources have told Hürriyet.


Officials say bombings around Iraqi capital, Baghdad, kill 8, including Shiite militiamen:
Police said the deadliest of Wednesday's attacks took place in Baghdad's western neighborhood of Amiriyah, where a bomb exploded in a commercial area, killing three civilians and wounding 12.


Defense Bill Recognizes Iraq's Kurdish, Sunni Militias as a 'Country':
The bill "would require that the Kurdish peshmerga, the Sunni tribal security forces with a national security mission, and the Iraqi Sunni National Guard be deemed a country," according to a bill summary. Doing so "would allow these security forces to directly receive assistance from the United States."


Obama launches 2,800 strikes on Iraq, Syria without congressional approval:
U.S. forces have now surpassed 2,800 strikes against targets in Iraq and Syria under President Obama's war against the Islamic State, all as part of a conflict Congress has yet to specifically authorize - and amid worries lawmakers won't ever act.


Heavy fighting rages in Yemen; Saudi Arabia trains tribal fighters:
Houthi rebels' tanks and snipers killed at least 12 civilians overnight in Yemen's Aden as they advanced towards the centre of the city, residents said, and a Saudi-led coalition airdropped arms to anti-Houthi fighters in the city of Taiz.


Saudi Arabia training tribal ground force in Yemen - report:
Saudi Arabia has reportedly started training hundreds of Yemeni tribesmen to fight the Houthis on the ground, while Riyadh continues its bombardment campaign.


Yemenis flee war-torn Aden to al-Qaeda-controlled city:
After escaping intense fighting in Aden, residents face new challenges in Mukalla, which has been deserted by the army.


Iran Boarded Cargo Ship Inside Own Waters, Pentagon Says:
Iranian forces boarded a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. said, denying an earlier report that the seized vessel was American.


The Marco Rubio Amendment That Could Kill the Iran Deal:
At issue is a one-page amendment from the Florida Republican and 2016 presidential candidate that would certify as part of the deal that Iran's leaders have publicly accepted Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, a proposal earlier pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.


Report: Jeb Bush loses 'Adelson primary' over James Baker's J-Street speech:
In a message to Bush, the casino magnet reportedly said that the move by the foreign policy adviser cost the would-be presidential candidate 'a lot of money.


Rand Paul tells Jewish leaders: I do not support war with Iran over nuclear program:
 U.S. presidential candidate Senator Rand Paul told a Jewish audience that he did not support a war with Iran over their nuclear weapons program, and that it was the wrong decision to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein since he had served as a bulwark against the greater threat of Iran.


U.S. pressing France to postpone UN resolution on Palestine:
The draft UN proposal would include principles for resolving the conflict, such as establishing the borders of the Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines with land swaps, making Jerusalem the capital of both Israel and Palestine, setting a timeline for ending the occupation and holding an international peace conference.


Palestinians in Israel strike over home demolitions:
Protesters decry Israel's "policy of interior colonisation", which has intensified in recent months.


UN: Largest forgotten humanitarian crisis looms in CAR:
UN refugee agency sounds alarm as number of people in need of aid reaches 2.7 million amid continued fighting.


200 killed in Niger's bloodiest battle with Boko Haram:
Around 230 people were killed, including at least 74 from Niger, at the weekend in the country's bloodiest battle yet with Boko Haram militants from neighbouring Nigeria, the government said on Tuesday


70 reportedly killed in South Sudan clashes:
GOVERNMENT forces clashed with forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in several areas in north-central and northern Unity States on Tuesday. The outcome of the clashes is not yet clear though some sources says over 70 people mainly civilians have been killed.


One dead in Sudan student clashes: ministry: -
 A man died after being injured in clashes between two groups of university students in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Wednesday, the interior ministry said in a statement.


Afghanistan: 152 militants killed in Kunduz:
According to sources, fighting is still going on in Gor Tepa, Qala-e-Zal, Dasht-e-Archi and Ali Abad districts of the province. Safi said that 37 insurgents have been killed on Wednesday out of which 10 are foreigners. "The killed foreign militants include four Tajikistanis, two Usbekistanis, one Kirgiz, two Chechens and one Turkish citizen," he added.


39 militants killed, wounded in Operation Badar in Zabul:
"Including foreigners 20 militants have been killed and 19 others wounded in the operation so far" he said. "17 others including four militant commanders have been arrested" Waqif Shah added.


Vietnam marks 40 years since fall of Saigon:
Vietnam marked the 40th anniversary of Saigon's fall Thursday with a huge military parade celebrating the moment communist forces ended a decades-long conflict and delivered a painful blow to American moral and military prestige.


Released prisoners detail widespread use of torture by Ukrainian army and security services:
The information in the report is the result of interviews with over 200 prisoners released by the Ukrainian side of the war that has raged in eastern Ukraine for the past year. The interviews were conducted by researchers of the Foundation from August 25, 2014 to January 20, 2015.


Nicaragua lawmakers OK Russian satellite ground station:
Officials say the base will permit the operation of a system similar to GPS for peaceful uses, such as mitigating natural disasters.


Dominicans Ask US to Apologize for 1965 Invasion :
The signatories also asked for apologies "for the more than 8,000 deaths caused by the 42,000 marines that the U.S. Armed Forces sent to our country on April 28, 1965 to prevent the Dominican armed people from reestablishing the constitutional order interrupted by Trujillistas military, the Catholic Church and part of the business elite in 1963."


Venezuela, Uruguay Register Lowest Inequality in Latin America
The countries that showed the greatest decrease in inequality were Venezuela and Uruguay, countries whose governments have pursued aggressive policies of wealth redistribution .


Ecuador to Cancel Campesino Debt:
A new tax law will directly benefit the country's campesinos. The law will favor 1.9 million peasant farmers by cancelling 100% of their debt to the national development bank if a request is processed within the first 60 days of the legislation's enactment, while 50% will be condoned if submitted within the first three months


Right-Wing US Lawmakers Move to Block US Travel to Cuba :
 U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart introduced a measure to a bill effectively preventing U.S. companies from traveling to Cuba.


Revealed: Alberta's ploy to break First Nations' pipeline opposition:
Premier Jim Prentice angled for Alberta's First Nations to sign a pact that would turn them into pro-pipeline lobbyists in exchange for oil and gas profits


Freddie Gray protests sweep US from Baltimore to New York - live updates:
 Another day of unrest in Baltimore expands to include protests on both coasts - Baltimore a symptom of America's combustible mix of race and inequality


Protesters Shut Down Roads In Solidarity March With Baltimore;
Over 100 Arrested: A group that supports the protesters in Baltimore gathered in Union Square Wednesday and shut down the outbound Holland Tunnel, the West Side Highway and several other city streets as they marched.


Baltimore imposes bail bonds of half a million dollars in legal crackdown:
Baltimore's under-fire criminal justice system risked antagonising its already seething local community on Wednesday by suspending legal procedures and imposing bail bonds of up to half a million dollars on the city's most impoverished residents.


White washing murder: Police Won't Release Details of Freddie Gray's Death to Public :
"We cannot release all of this information to the public because if there is a decision to charge in any event by the State's Attorney's Office, the integrity of that investigation has to be protected," said Police Captain Eric Kowalczyk.


Survey: Half of Youth in the US Distrust Police Forces :
Close to 50 percent of young people in the United States believe the justice system is racially and ethnically biased, while 80 percent said racial inequality could be reduced if cameras were placed on police, who between 2003 and 2009 arbitrarily killed close to 3,000 people during arrests.


Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders: 'I am running for president':
Promising to fight what he deems "obscene levels" of income disparity and a campaign finance system that is a "real disgrace," independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday he will run for president as a Democrat.


Clinton Foundation Failed to Disclose 1,100 Foreign Donations:
The co-founder of the Clinton Foundation's Canadian affiliate is revealing new details about the charity's donors in an effort to counter allegations in the New York Times and the new book "Clinton Cash."


Al Jazeera America employee suing network for 'anti-Semitic, anti-U.S.' work environment:
According to lawsuit, worker was dismissed after complaining about supervisor's discriminatory behavior, including remarks such as 'whoever supports Israel should die a fiery death in hell.'


Just 2% of younger Americans trust media to 'do the right thing' :
The poll is the latest nail in the media's coffin, a downward spiral that has resulted in fewer younger Americans reading traditional media and especially traditional platforms such as newspapers and magazines.