19 October 2012 — Information Clearing House
Turkey Leads US-sponsored Military Encirclement of Syria
By Chris Marsden
Turkey is leading the way, using the pretext of stray mortar fire from Syria that killed five civilians to legitimise the deployment of 250 tanks, jets, helicopter gunships, troops, artillery emplacements and antiaircraft batteries on the border.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32785.htm
No Panic in Iran Despite Currency Collapse, International Sanctions
By Gwynne Dyer
Since stopping the enrichment program would not end the sanctions, why would the Iranian government even consider doing so?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32788.htm
Toward Barbarism: US Imperialism Unleashed
By Ben Schreine
With signs of a global economic downturn mounting, US aggression across the Middle East and North Africa ratchets up. Once again, US imperialism stands poised to open the gates of Hell.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32786.htm
Afghanistan: Video Shows Drunk, Stoned US Defense Contractors
Video
The contractor, Virginia-based Jorge Scientific, has won almost $1 billion in U.S. government contracts.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32780.htm
David Hicks Book Banned In The USA?
Has the US Banned the Autobiography of a Former Guantanamo Prisoner?
By Richard Edmondson
People might remember the name David Hicks. He is an Australian who was held prisoner at Guantanamo Bay from 2001 until 2007.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32787.htm
FBI Thwarts Dumbass Terrorist – After Helping Him, of Course
By Scott Shackford
The FBI has a stellar reputation for creating terrorist activities to thwart, organizing plans and pushing hapless goons along for the ride before arresting them.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32781.htm
Post Election Bombs
By Linh Dinh
To keep this edge, now tied to its very economic survival, Uncle Sam must stoke tension worldwide.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32779.htm
Progressives: In Swing States, Vote for Obama
By Daniel Ellsberg
It is urgently important to prevent a Republican administration under Romney/Ryan from taking office in January 2013.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32782.htm
Al Jazeera to Air Opposition Presidential Debate Amidst US Black-out
By Mark Wachtler
US media outlets continues to enlist a strict media black-out of independent and opposition party candidates and will not air the otherwise widely-viewed event.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32784.htm
Heather Brooke: My Battle to Expose Government Corruption
TED Video
Our leaders need to be held accountable: Brooke uncovered the British Parliamentary financial expenses that led to a major political scandal in 2009. She urges us to ask our leaders questions through platforms like Freedom of Information requests.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32783.htm
Get The Military Out Of Our Public Schools
By Tim Martin
I’m not your typical tree-hugging, NPR listening, hippy-loving liberal.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32789.htm
Syria air strikes on rebel town kill 44: At least 44 people were killed in air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan on Thursday, rescue workers told an AFP journalist at the scene.
Syrian rebels may have acquired surface-to-air missiles: France’s foreign minister has hinted that Syrian rebels have acquired surface-to-air missiles, forcing President Bashar al-Assad’s jet fighters to “fly extremely high”.
KSA, Qatar clash over Syria… Salafists VS Muslim Brotherhood: The French newspaper of the Lé Figaro has revealed in a report published on its page that a clash has been fired out between Qatar and Saudi Arabia to control on the militants in Syria.
http://www.breakingnews.sy/en/article/9316.html
Syrian rebels said to cut deals for arms from extremists: “Even rebels we’ve identified as somebody we could work with have partnered with jihadists, because they have their own sources of money and weapons,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said in an interview.
French sneak cash to Syrians in direct aid program: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius met Wednesday with representatives of about 20 countries to share details about the secret French aid program and encourage others to join it. Five people from local Syrian revolutionary groups that have received the secret funds also attended
Us troops in Israel, Jordan and Iraq. Strange? American Troops Arrive in Israel for “Defense” Drill:
The first of 1,000 United States troops have begun to arrive in Israel to take part in a joint missile-defense exercise, which the lead American planner described on Wednesday as the largest in the history of the two countries’ relationship and a testament to the strength of their military ties.
Turkey ‘Admits’ Russian/Syria Air Cargo Legal: “The Turkish side does not in principle question the legitimacy of the cargo that was seized but is unhappy with the transportation notification procedure,” spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said. “Our Turkish partners have now effectively retracted the initial allegations that there was ammunition on board,” he added
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20121018/176726456.html
Meqdad warns Turkey against violating Syrian sovereignty:
Syria‘s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Faisal Meqdad said in comments Thursday his government would respond to any Turkish violations of his country’s sovereignty.
Turkish warplanes penetrate Iraq/Kurdistan’s airspace and bomb some villages. : Turkish warplanes penetrated the airspaces of the Kurdistan region and bombed a number of villages in Amedee area of Dohuk governorate.
Iraq Intends to Deploy Troops in North of Country to Avoid Turkish Army’s Military Operations:
Iraq urges the Kurdish autonomy to approve the deployment of troops on the border with Turkey to prevent the Turkish troops’ entering Iraq, as well as to stop air strikes on the country against the militants of Kurdistan Workers’ Party
12 Kurdish “rebels” killed in clashes:
Turkey‘s state-run news agency says security forces have killed 12 Kurdish rebels in clashes in the southeast, raising the two-day death toll in the fighting to 18.
Eleven killed in Libya:
Clashes between Libyan authorities and “Gaddafi loyalists” have left 11 dead during the siege of anti-regime bastion Bani Walid. Libyan authorities continue to struggle against multiple militia groups in the midst of growing political disarray.
http://rt.com/news/libya-militias-bani-walid-677/
US kills nine people in Yemen : – Nine “suspected” al Qaeda militants were killed in what a local security source and residents said was a U.S. drone attack on a farmhouse outside a town in southern Yemen
8 “militants” killed in NW Pakistan: At least eight militants were killed, seven others injured and four militant hideouts destroyed when the Pakistani military launched an air strike over militant hides in the country’s northwest tribal area of Khyber Agency, reported local TV on Thursday.
114,000 US contractors active in Afghan war: As of July, nearly 114,000 contractors were working for the US Defense Department in Afghanistan, compared to the 90,000 American troops in the country at the time, AFP reported Thursday, quoting “official statistics.”
U.S. Navy, Allies Can’t Find Own Sea Mines Planted in Key Exercise: This outcome of the highly publicized military drills – not publicly known until now – underscores how difficult it may be for the United States and its partners to detect and incapacitate waterborne explosive devices that Iran has threatened to plant if its nuclear facilities come under attack.
For first time, Palestinians in Gaza fire missile at Israeli Air Force helicopter: IDF confirms that a Soviet-made Strela (SA-7) anti-aircraft missile was fired at a helicopter last week.
Libyan weapons flooding Gaza, Israeli official says: : A top Israeli defense official says Gaza is being flooded with sophisticated weapons from Libya and that the anti-aircraft missile fired last week at an Israeli helicopter likely originated there.
US Jews cancel talks with Protestants over Israel:
The Jewish groups announced their decision in response to a request by several mainline Protestant leaders for Congress to re-evaluate U.S. military aid to the Jewish state.
Bahrain detains 4 for alleged anti-king tweets: Bahrain has detained four people for defaming the island’s king with Twitter posts in a case that is likely to test the limits of expression in the violence-wracked Gulf nation.
Revealed: Canberra shared intel on Assange with Washington: WikiLeaks and Julian Assange have been the subject of intelligence exchanges between Australia and the United States for more than two years, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has revealed.
Manssor Arbabsiar pleads guilty to plotting to kill Saudi Arabian envoy: Iranian American, 58, enters guilty pleas at US court in Manhattan and claims Iranian army was involved in the plot. Defense lawyers say Arbabsiar suffers from bipolar disorder.
Manssor Arbabsiar: What Kind of Custody Is It When You Secretly Hold an American at a Military Base?: For the 12 day period when he was being secretly interrogated without a lawyer, he was being held at a military base.
http://www.emptywheel.net/tag/manssor-arbabsiar/
Entrapment?
New York Federal Reserve bomb plot foiled: Authorities emphasized that the plot never posed an actual risk. However, they claimed the case demonstrated the value of using sting operations to neutralize young extremists eager to harm Americans
Bangladesh father denies son involved in New York bomb plot: “The intelligence of the USA is playing with a mere boy whom we sent for higher study. The allegation against my son is not true at all. He could not even drive a car. How was he caught with a van?”
Policing Dissent: Boston Police Department are collecting and keeping information about constitutionally protected speech and political activity.
http://aclum.org/policing_dissent
Appeals court rules Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional: A U.S. appeals court in New York on Thursday ruled that a U.S. law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman unconstitutionally denies federal benefits to lawfully married same-sex couples.
Mitt Romney debates himself: Video – This video is a reminder that no matter what Mitt Romney says he believes, you can be pretty damn sure that not too long ago he said that he believed the exact opposite.
Petrol bombs vs teargas: Thousands across Greece protest austerity measures: Youths have clashed with the Athens police force, pelting officers with stones and petrol bombs during an anti-austerity march. More than 40,000 have taken to the streets in Greece in a 24-hour strike against wage and pension cuts.
http://rt.com/news/athens-greece-police-clash-706/
UK employment hits all-time high: More people are in employment in the UK than at any time since records began in 1971, rising to nearly 30m for June to August, according to official Government data.
More gloom for Britain’s High Streets as household retail names close 32 stores a DAY over the summer: The figures will raise the spectre of yet more urban centres becoming ‘ghost towns’ as shoppers cut spending during the recession and switch to shopping online.
Paul Tucker: ‘worst may still be ahead’ for UK banks: The “worst may still be ahead” for Britain’s banking sector, according to the Bank of England’s deputy governor, as he warned that bank balance sheets were still not strong enough to withstand the “end-of-the-world risks” that still existed.
Jobless claims take big jump in latest week: The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits leapt to the highest level in four months in the latest week, erasing the large drop reported last week and then some.
U.S. to Get Downgraded Amid Fiscal ‘Theater,’ Pimco Says: The sovereign credit rating of the U.S. will be cut as “fiscal theater” plays out in the world’s biggest economy, according to Pacific Investment Management Co., which runs the world’s largest bond fund.
Walmart Strikes: More Workers Join Fight In Oklahoma, Claim Intimidation:
The wave of organized Walmart strikes that hit 12 states last week has now inspired more of the company’s employees to take up the cause.
Cost Of War
Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq “1,455,590“
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America’s War On Iraq: 4,883
Number Of International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan : 3,206
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,382,994,175,564
The New Dark Age 