15 January 2013 — Information Clearing House
Mali and the Scramble for Africa:A New Wave of Barbarism
By Ben Schreiner
The notion that the West’s renewed interest in Africa is derived from an altruistic desire to help African states combat terrorism and establish democracy is rather absurd.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33622.htm
The War on Libya Blowback in Mali
By Owen Jones
France used tactics of divide-and-rule in Mali, leading to entrenched bitterness between the nomadic Tuareg people – the base of the current revolt – and other communities in Mali.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33619.htm
Foreign Fighters Seek Islamic State in Post-Assad Syria
By Yara Bayoumy
“Syria…will be an Islamic and Sharia state and we will not accept anything else. Democracy and secularism are completely rejected,”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33616.htm
Rebranding the War on Terror for the age of Obama:
‘Zero Dark Thirty’ and the promotion of extra judicial killing
By Deepa Kumar
The film teaches us that brown men can and should be targeted and killed with impunity, in violation of international law, and that we should trust the CIA to act with all due diligence.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33621.htm
Senator Asks CIA Nominee When Drones Can Kill Americans
By Spencer Ackerman
“Does the President have to provide individual Americans with the opportunity to surrender before killing them?”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33617.htm
Obama’s Empire
By Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick
Obama has not challenged U.S. perpetuation of the most powerful and far-reaching empire in human history with an estimated 700 to 1,000 foreign bases.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33618.htm
World War in Asia?
By Linh Dinh
With the Asia Pivot, the US wants to encircle China, and supplies old and new allies with missiles aimed at its main rival. An amped up arms race means cash flow for the world’s biggest death dealer.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33620.htm
How 20 Tents Rocked Israel
By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth
Palestinians take the fight to their occupiers.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33623.htm
Is AIPAC Waging A Shadow War On Hagel?
By Max Blumenthal
Is the Israel lobby’s premier organization outsourcing its assault on Chuck Hagel?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33615.htm
A New Jefferson Bible
By David Swanson
Jefferson created his Bible using two copies of the King James Bible and a razor blade.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33624.htm
Mali: More than 60 Malian killed in Gao:
More than 60 “rebels” were killed in their bases near the northern Malian city of Gao under intense bombardment by French air power, a security source and residents said on Monday.
France to ‘gradually deploy’ 2,500 troops to Mali following all-night bombing mission:
The U.S. will also provide assistance in Mali, but no American troops will be on the ground and details are still being worked out, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday during a press conference in Lisbon, Portugal with Defense Minister Jose Aguiar Branco.
First of 900 Nigerian troops to Mali ‘in next 24 hours’:
The first of a planned 900 Nigerian troops will deploy to Mali in the next 24 hours as part of a UN-mandated African force aimed at helping the country battle Islamists, a defence spokesman said Tuesday.
Canadian C-17 heading for Mali to support French troops:
A Canadian military transport plane is set to take off from CFB-Trenton today for Mali, by way of France, to provide “logistical” support to French troops battling insurgency in the African nation.
U.S. moves to bolster French military campaign in Mali:
The U.S. is preparing to ferry more French troops to Mali and provide other help. The fight against Al Qaeda affiliates gained urgency given the rebel advances.
Mali’s crisis caused by development failures, not military aid:
US military planners failed to anticipate Mali‘s collapse in the face of Islamist rebels, but the west let the rot set in years before
Somalia Govt ‘Uninformed’ of French Raid – Defense Minister:
The defense minister in Somalia ‘s federal government has told reporters that they were ‘uninformed ‘ of the French military operation in Somalia, Garowe Online reports.
Somali militants post gruesome photo of dead French soldier:
In a gruesome display that included a taunt of France’s president, Somali militants on Monday posted photos of what appeared to be a dead French soldier surrounded by weapons and gear.
Libya: Italy shuts Benghazi consulate after Libya gun attack:
Italy temporarily closed its consulate in Benghazi on Tuesday and pulled its staff out of the country following a failed gun attack on the consul in eastern Libya, the foreign ministry said.
Two policemen injured in Libya bomb attack:
Unidentified assailants threw a bomb into the policemen’s car Monday night. Security forces later detained the occupants of two suspect vehicles for questioning over the attack, dpa reported.
http://en.trend.az/regions/met/arabicr/2108256.html
15 killed in “terrorist attack” at Syrian University:
AT LEAST 15 people were killed and dozens wounded in two explosions that rocked the University of Aleppo in Syria‘s second largest city today.
Syrian government forces brutally torture a young man : Video
– WARNING –
Rebels training child soldiers in Syria: Video –
Aleppo Dispatch: The Dark Side of the Syrian Opposition:
Ibrahim’s plight is indicative of the growing anarchy gripping Syria‘s “liberated” areas.
Worries about a ‘failed state’ in Syria:
Growing chaos in the liberated areas of northern Syria is convincing some members of the Syrian opposition that the country will become a “failed state” unless an orderly political transition begins soon to replace President Bashar al-Assad.
Iraqi Sunni MP, 6 others killed by suicide bomber in western province as protests rage:
The attack comes two days after a convoy carrying Iraq‘s Sunni finance minister, Rafia al-Issawi, was struck by a bomb as he traveled to the city. Al-Issawi comes from the same tribe and is from the same political bloc as the lawmaker.
3 people killed in Iraq’s violence:
Three people were killed and eight others wounded in separate attacks in northern and eastern Iraq on Tuesday, the police said.
Israeli troops kill Palestinian youth in the occupied West Bank:
Israeli soldiers shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian near the village of Budrus in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian witnesses and medics said.
Peres: “Arafat Should Not Have Been Assassinated:
Israeli President, Shimon Peres, stated that late Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, should not have been assassinated, adding that “without Arafat, the current situation is more complicated.”
http://www.imemc.org/article/64870
Hamas: Peres ‘Admitted’ that Israel Killed Arafat:
Hamas has called on Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to end talks with Israel, due to its claims that President Shimon Peres “admitted” that the Israeli government was responsible for the “murder” of former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.
IAEA Former Inspector: No Evidence of Iranian Nuclear Weapons Activity at Parchin:
Video and transcript
Saudi Arabia rejects maid beheading criticism:
Riyadh “deplores” international condemnation over recent execution of Sri Lankan maid convicted of killing infant.
11 security personnel killed in attacks in Pakistan:
At least 11 Pakistani security personnel were killed in a militant attack on a check-post and a roadside bomb explosion in restive regions of the country, officials said on Tuesday.
Pakistan Supreme Court orders arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf:
Ashraf is accused of taking bribes to approve new energy projects while he was Pakistan’s minister for water and power. He denies the allegations.
Pakistan’s Imran Khan calls on president to resign:
“The government should immediately announce new elections and should also announce a date for it,” Khan told the news conference. “Change is not possible without holding of free and fair elections,” he added.
Cleric urges ‘revolution’ at Pakistan protest:
Tahir-ul-Qadri, a Canadian-Pakistani cleric who led a two-day protest march into the Pakistani capital, has called for a “revolution” in Pakistan, after the government ignored a deadline he set for it to resign.
Afghanistan: Family Killed in Kandahar Bomb Blast:
At least four members of a family including two children were killed in a roadside bomb blast in southern Kandahar province on Monday night, local officials said.
Afghan elders to decide on US troop immunity:
Afghan president says decision on immunity for US troops staying in Afghanistan after 2014 to be made after a few months
Russia urges NATO to stop killing Afghan civilians:
Killing of civilians in Afghanistan by NATO airstrikes has become a vicious trend and must stop, a senior Russian diplomat said on Monday.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90777/8093159.html
Afghanistan: MPs Trade Blows over Ministers Impeachment:
Parliament descended into a brawl in Tuesday’s sitting session apparently over the question of whether to impeach 11 ministers whose ministries failed to spend more than 50 percent of their development budgets in 1390.
Bangladesh to buy $1bln worth of Russian arms on loan:
Bangladesh will receive a $1-billion loan from Russia to buy Russia-produced weapons and military equipment.
‘Red October’: Global cyber-spy network uncovered by Russian experts:
A sophisticated cyber-espionage network targeting the world’s diplomatic, government and research agencies, as well as gas and oil industries, has been uncovered by experts at Russia’s Kaspersky Lab.
http://rt.com/news/red-october-cyber-attack-network-000/
Mexico violence ‘kills 38 in three days’:
At least 16 bodies were found in the Toluca region on Monday and another 22 in Mexico City over the weekend.
US Military Suicides Reached Record High In 2012:
Suicides in the U.S. military surged to a record 349 last year, far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan, and some private experts are predicting the dark trend will grow worse this year.
Army psychologist critical of military rights abuses commits suicide:
He went to Iraq to help U.S. troops manage post-traumatic stress disorder, and returned with the disorder, according to news reports.
US court drops charges on Aaron Swartz days after his suicide:
According to a Huffington Post report, Swartz’s defense team suspected federal attorneys were using Swartz as an example to show how serious they could be with online crime cases.
Anger at suicide of US internet activist:
Family accuses US Attorney’s office and MIT of contributing to the death of 26-year-old Aaron Swartz.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/01/20131145435451897.html
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 : 3,256
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,413,466,559,962
The New Dark Age 