Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Saturday 27 February 2016

Op-Ed

End Times for the Caliphate?
 
By Patrick Cockburn
People who have been smuggled out of Mosul say that the caliphate is buckling under military and economic pressure. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44316.htm
 
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Newly Translated WikiLeaks Saudi Cable 
Overthrow the Syrian Regime, but Play Nice with Russia
 
By Brad Hoff
An internal Saudi government cable sheds new light on the kingdom's current threats of military escalation in Syria.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44315.htm
 
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Hillary Clinton's Terrible Vision for Syria
 
By Brad Blankenship
Hillary Clinton is not a diplomat; she is a bloodthirsty and deranged woman with no respect for human rights and a true exemplar of corruption.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44318.htm
 
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Russians Ride Fast
 
By Israel Shamir
"You can follow the lead of your Israeli Lobby, or you can have peace and security, but you can't have both, it is that simple." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44317.htm
 
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UK Targeted in EU Arms Embargo Against Saudi Arabia.
 
By Felicity Arbuthnot
The European Parliament voted on Thursday, February 25th, for an EU-wide arms embargo against Saudi in protest at its assault on its southern neighbor. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44321.htm
 
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In Israel, Racism Is The Law
 
By Ben White
Successive Israeli governments since 1948 are responsible for the institutionalised discrimination against Palestinians.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44320.htm
 
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Why "Brexit" Would Be Good News for Russia
 
By Finian Cunningham
British inclusion in Europe is of paramount geopolitical advantage to Washington.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44323.htm
 
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America's Addiction to Terrorism
The National Insecurity State
 
By Henry A. Giroux
The European Parliament voted on Thursday, February 25th, for an EU-wide arms embargo against Saudi in protest at its assault on its southern neighbor. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44322.htm
 
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US Presidential Elections 2016: The Revolt of the Masses
 
By James Petras
Trump's appeal is rooted in the deep amorphous anger of the downwardly mobile middle class, which has no ideology . . . but plenty of resentment at its declining status.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44324.htm
 
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Academia: Hands off Revolutionary Philosophy!
 
By Andre Vltchek
Philosophers have been muzzled by the Western global regime; most of great modern philosophy concealed from the masses. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44319.htm
 
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Hard News   
 Syria ceasefire comes into force under US-Russia deal:  A landmark United Nations-backed ceasefire has came into effect in Syria - the first major truce in a five-year civil war that has claimed more than 270,000 lives.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-27/landmark-syria-ceasefire-comes-into-force/7204738

Syria factions agree on truce plan as raids intensify:  Opposition alliance says 97 factions will respect ceasefire as Russian jets reportedly target rebel-held areas.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/syria-factions-agree-truce-plan-raids-intensify-160226134554725.html 

Nusra Front rejects Syria truce, urges stronger attacks: audio statement:  The al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front rejected on Friday the cessation of hostilities in Syria due to begin at midnight, and urged insurgents to intensify attacks against President Bashar al-Assad and his allies.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-nusra-idUSKCN0VZ1ZZ 

The Joint US-Russian Statement on Syria is not a declaration of a ceasefire.
It is an attempt by the Russians to split the Free Syrian Army - and its US backers - from the jihadi terrorists Russia is bombing.
http://russia-insider.com/en/military/russia-did-not-agree-ceasefire-syria/ri13012 

Turkey drops ground offensive option from policy on Syria:  Turkey said Friday that a ground offensive in Syria is not "binding" and prepared, apparently backing out from a possible unilateral intervention into Syria that it might have considered several weeks ago.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-02/27/c_135135360.htm 

Turkish troops taking on Isil in 'secret battle' in Iraq: Exclusive:  More than 1,000 soldiers are engaged in covert ground war with the Islamic State near their stronghold of Mosul, against Iraq's
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/12172521/Turkish-troops-taking-on-Isil-in-secret-battle-in-Iraq.html 

Iraqi security forces kill 19 ISIS militans:  The source said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com, "This morning the security forces carried out a military operation to cleanse the areas around al-Amiriyah, liberating Albu Daeig area after fierce battles and killing 19 ISIS members.
http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/security-forces-cleanse-albu-daeig-kill-19-isis-militans/ 

15 killed by suicide bombers in Iraq:
Suicide bombers hit a religious building and a military checkpoint in a Shiite-majority neighbourhood of Baghdad on Thursday, killing 15 people, an Iraqi security official said.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/15-killed-by-suicide-bombers-in-iraq-34487023.html 

Hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muqtada al-Sadr supporters protest corruption in Baghdad:  Protesters in Baghdad's Tahrir Square shouted slogans of "no to corruption and the corrupt" and speaking on stage Sadr told the masses they should be prepared to continue their protest movement.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iraq-hundreds-thousands-shiite-muqtada-al-sadr-supporters-protest-corruption-baghdad-1546243 

Israeli troops shoot dead Palestinian who tried to stab them-army:  A military spokeswoman said the assailant was the only casualty in the incident and a Palestinian official and family members identified the dead person as 17-year-old Mahmoud Shaalan, a Ramallah resident who also held U.S. citizenship.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-violence-idUSKCN0VZ2N1 

PA collaborates with Israel's torture agency:
Palestinian prisoners are being held in painful positions for up to 35 hours, according to a new report. The Israel Security Agency, known as Shin Bet, is confining detainees to filthy cells smaller than the size of an adult body stretched out, the report also reveals.
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/pa-collaborates-israels-torture-agency 

The ancient 'Silk Road' is back in business as new train connects China to Tehran:  The 5,900-mile trip from eastern Zhejiang province took 14 days, or 30 days less than a typical sea voyage between Shanghai and the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, according to the head of the Iranian railway company, Mohsen Pourseyed Aqayi.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/15/10999826/first-train-iran-china-silk-road-trade-route 

7 Libyan soldiers killed as army presses gains in Benghazi:  Seven soldiers were killed on Friday in clashes with Islamist militants in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, where military forces are pressing to consolidate recent gains, an army commander said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-idUSKCN0VZ2HF 

Egypt security forces kill 2 protesters:  Egypt's Interior Ministry says security forces have clashed with Islamist Muslim Brotherhood protesters in northern Egypt, killing two of them and arresting six.
https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Feb-26/339417-egypt-security-forces-kill-2-protesters.ashx 

Two blasts, gunfire target hotel in Somalia's Mogadishu:  Two loud explosions rocked the centre of Mogadishu on Friday followed by automatic gunfire, police and an AFP correspondent said, with Somalia's Shebab Islamists claiming they had attacked a hotel.
http://www.straitstimes.com/world/africa/two-blasts-gunfire-target-hotel-in-somalias-mogadishu 

U.S. Plans to Put Advisers on Front Lines of Nigeria's War on Boko Haram:  The Pentagon is poised to send dozens of Special Operations advisers to the front lines of Nigeria's fight against the West African militant group Boko Haram, according to military officials
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/world/africa/us-plans-to-help-nigeria-in-war-on-boko-haram-terrorists.html?_r=0 

Hunting Boko Haram: News analysis -  The U.S. Extends Its Drone War Deeper Into Africa With Secretive Base
https://theintercept.com/2016/02/25/us-extends-drone-war-deeper-into-africa-with-secretive-base/ 

Pak military trains IS in Afghanistan: Ex-IS man:  Pakistan's military provides weapons and training to ISIS militants in Afghanistan and instructs them to kill the "infidel" Afghan forces, according to the terror group's fighters who laid down their arms.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-military-trains-IS-in-Afghanistan-Ex-IS-man/articleshow/51140969.cms 

Philippine Army Kills 42 Islamist Militants In Battles In South:  Three soldiers were killed and 11 wounded when the forces seized the bastion of an affiliate of Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian network of Islamist militants, in the province of Lanao del Sur.
http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/philippine-army-kills-42-islamist-militants-in-battles-in-south-1281483 

Demonizing China:
Australia Announces Rise in Spending for Military:  Responding to the military challenge from China, the Australian government on Thursday announced a robust increase in military spending, including the biggest expansion to its navy since World War II.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/world/australia/australia-announces-rise-in-spending-for-military.html?_r=1 

Breedlove: US Ready To "Fight and Defeat" Russia in Europe:
"We are ready, if necessary, to fight and win," - said Breedlove at a hearing of the Committee on armed services of the U.S. house of representatives, to discuss measures to counter "Russian aggression" in Europe.
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/02/breedlove-us-ready-to-fight-and-defeat.html?

NATO can't fight Russians in Europe, says leading US think tank:  A report by influential US-based think tank the Atlantic Council says NATO's European members can't fight a war against Russia. Earlier, the commander of US European forces said Americans were ready to "fight and win" against Russia.
https://www.rt.com/news/333715-russia-europe-war-nato/ 

Turkey uses refugees to blackmail EU into compliance - ex-MI6 agent:  Will sober heads prevail, or will the bloodshed in Syria just open another chapter? We ask former a MI6 agent and EU foreign policy adviser. Alastair Crooke is on Sophie&Co today.
https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/333688-turkey-refugees-blackmail-eu/ 

Greece struggles under weight of mass refugee influx:  Despite refugee camps being fully packed in Greece, signs are eastern EU states are preparing for its total isolation.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/greece-filling-160226141537609.html 

Emails show Michigan Gov. Snyder's aides warned about degraded water quality in Flint early on:  The emails also showed that an effort was made at the time to keep the state's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) out of the loop so that tainted-water worries would not be subject to discovery via the Freedom of Information Act
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-idUSKCN0VZ2I7 

Trump wins Christie backing:
Christie said the billionaire had the best chance of beating Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election. His endorsement gives the front-runner Trump a further lift before the March 1 Super Tuesday nominating contests.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-idUSKCN0VZ2I7 

Marco Rubio waged an all-out verbal assault on Donald Trump Friday morning:  "A con artist is about to take over the Republican Party and the conservative movement, and we have to put a stop to it," Rubio charged on CBS' "This Morning."
http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-02-26/gop-rivals-barrel-toward-super-tuesday-after-wild-debate 

The Story Behind Donald Trump's Undocumented Polish Workers:  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) took some unexpected digs at billionaire Donald Trump during the CNN Republican presidential debate on Thursday, the most provocative of which surrounded Trump's past employment and alleged mistreatment of undocumented immigrants.
http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2016/02/25/3754039/donald-trump-undocumented/?

Rubio Attacked Trump For Running a 'Fake School.' But There's Just One Problem.:  Rubio's hands are not clean either, since he has supported a for-profit college chain that has hurt far more students than Trump University has. Corinthian Colleges, which actually offered degrees and was regionally accredited, damaged far more students' lives.
http://thinkprogress.org/education/2016/02/26/3754140/rubio-trump-for-profit-college/?

Donald Trump Out Front in Florida, Besting Marco Rubio in New Poll:
Trump takes 45 percent of Florida Republicans with Rubio in second with 25 percent. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, cracks double digits with 10 percent while Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, garners 8 percent and Dr. Ben Carson takes 5 percent.
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/donald-trump-out-front-florida-besting-marco-rubio-new-poll?

WATCH: Muslim refugees assure terrified Trump supporter they're not coming to chop off heads:  Watch the video
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/02/watch-muslim-refugees-assure-terrified-trump-supporter-theyre-not-coming-to-chop-off-heads/ 

Noam Chomsky on Clinton vs Sanders: Video -  The US academic says Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has the "best policies", but little chance of winning in a "mainly bought" election.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btJfkPBLULg 

In case you missed it:
Jimmy Carter: U.S. Is An 'Oligarchy With Unlimited Political Bribery' :
Jimmy Carter said that the United States is now an "oligarchy" in which "unlimited political bribery" has created "a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors." Both Democrats and Republicans, Carter said
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article42536.htm