14 March 2013 — Information Clearing House
The United States, and President Obama, Arm al-Qaeda
By Alan Jones
The close association between the FSA and al-Qaeda affiliates means that the United States, and President Obama, are effectively arming terrorists.
War Pimp Alert
Assad Preparing to Use Chemical Arms, says Israel’s Military Intel Chief
By Gili Cohen
The head of Israel’s military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, said on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar Assad is preparing to make use of his chemical weapons cache, although he has yet to give an order for them to be used.
Iraq’s Pain Has Only Intensified Since 2003
By Sami Ramadani
Ten years on from the shock and awe of the 2003 Bush and Blair war – which followed 13 years of murderous sanctions, and 35 years of Saddamist dictatorship – my tormented land, once a cradle of civilisation, is staring into the abyss.
Cheney’s Legacy In Iraq
By Ramzy Baroud
The US and Britain jointly destroyed modern Iraq and no amount of remorse or apology – not that any was offered, to begin with – will alter this fact.
Ex-ISI Chief Sees Civil War in Pakistan After US Afghan Pullout
By KHALID KHURSHID
The situation now is in favor of Muslims and not the West. After the US pullout from Afghanistan, NATO will disintegrate as an entity.”
Going Against the Grain
Al-Jazeera Video Report
Journalist Gideon Levy is arguably the most hated man in Israel for his reports on the occupied Palestinian territories.
U.S. “Far-right” Wants to Kill Capriles
By Daniel Wallis and Andrew Cawthorne
“We have detected plans by the far right, linked to the groups of (former Bush administration officials) Roger Noriega and Otto Reich, to make an attempt against the opposition presidential candidate,” Nicolas Maduro said.
Rand Paul Exposes the Democrats
By Margaret Kimberley
The Democratic Party is not just ineffectual, it is actually a partner with the Republicans working against the aims of achieving a peaceful and just country and world.
Don’t Fall For Pentagon Spin
How the military industrial complex avoided calamity
By Ben Freeman
If you believe the hype, sequestration is going to deal a catastrophic blow to the politically powerful defense industry.
Official Account of the 9/11 Attacks Unraveling
Forgetting Torture: Lee Hamilton, John Brennan, and Abu Zubaydah
By Kevin Ryan
The retractions about Zubaydah create a tension with the 9/11 Commission Report that reveals an obvious need to revise the report.
37 Percent of People in US Are Completely Lost
By Mark Morford
It’s safe to say about 37 percent of Americans are just are not very bright. Or rather, quite shockingly dumb. Perhaps beyond reach. Perhaps beyond hope or redemption.
Environmental Threats Could Push Billions Into Extreme Poverty, Warns UN
By Claire Provost
UN‘s 2013 human development report urges action on climate change, deforestation and pollution before it is too late.
Pope Francis’ Junta Past:
Argentine Journalist on New Pontiff’s Ties to Abduction of Jesuit Priests
By Democracy Now!
A leading Argentine journalist who exposes Francis’ connection to the abduction of two Jesuit priests.
Blasts, raid on government building kill 24 in Baghdad:
A string of explosions tore through central Baghdad within minutes of each other on Thursday, followed by a coordinated assault by gunmen who raided a government building and battled security forces in the streets. The attack left at least 24 people dead and dozens wounded.
Iraq war costs U.S. more than $2 trillion – study:
The U.S. war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans, expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest, a study released on Thursday said.
Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq “1,455,590”:
The number is shocking and sobering. It is at least 10 times greater than most estimates cited in the US media, yet it is based on a scientific study of violent Iraqi deaths caused by the U.S.-led invasion of March 2003.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq
Reality versus “Thank you for your service”:
Whistleblower Accuses Government Of Neglecting Suicidal Veterans And Suppressing Science:
A leading epidemiologist says that the Department of Veterans Affairs, charged with caring for millions who have served their country, neglected assisting suicidal veterans who participated in longitudinal studies and never released important research data on the exposure of Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to toxins, inhalational hazards and burn pits.
Two civilians killed in south Yemen clashes:
Renewed clashes between Yemeni police and southern separatists killed two civilians on Wednesday, five days ahead of the country’s troubled national dialogue, medics and an activist told AFP.
Syrian rebels often kill captives, rights group says:
Syrian rebels routinely kill captured soldiers and suspected regime informers, human rights monitors said Thursday, warning of mounting war crimes committed by those trying to topple President Bashar Assad.
Syria’s children shot at, tortured, raped – charity report:
A boy of 12 sees his best friend shot through the heart. Another of 15 is held in a cell with 150 other people, and taken out every day to be put in a giant wheel and burnt with cigarettes.
Syria anti-regime protesters demonstrate against Al-Nusra:
Protests erupted after the Islamist Al-Nusra Front — blacklisted in December by the United States as a “terrorist” organisation — set up a religious council in the east of Deir Ezzor province, where Mayadeen is situated, to administer affairs in the area.
Ambassador: US providing $114 million in aid to Syrian rebels:
The Obama administration is providing the Syrian opposition with $114 million in aid, more than previously revealed, to help topple Bashar Assad, U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford told Congress on Wednesday.
Britain, France ready to arm Syria rebels:
Opposition activists called on the two governments to provide heavy weaponry not just small arms to tilt the balance in the two-year uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
Russia, Germany opposed to arming Syria rebels:
Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called on European countries not to arm the Syrian opposition. Otherwise, there will be a threat that the conflict in Syria may spread to other countries, Westerwelle believes.
Conflict in Syria creates wave of British jihadists:
The bloody uprising against Bashar al-Assad is creating a new wave of jihadists in Britain, with Syria now the main destination for militant Muslims wishing to fight abroad, The Independent has learnt.
Young Saudis Join Syria’s Rebels:
Following a circuitous route from Saudi Arabia up through Turkey or Jordan and then crossing a lawless border, hundreds of young Saudis are secretly making their way into Syria to join groups fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, GlobalPost has learned.
Militants from Russia’s North Caucasus join ‘jihad’ in Syria:
Dressed almost entirely in black, the militant from Russia’s Chechnya region declares an Islamist state is within reach.
At least 50 French citizens ‘waging jihad in Syria’:
As many as 80 French citizens are fighting with rebel groups in Syria, according to a report in French daily Le Figaro published Wednesday.
Rebels use China missiles to shoot down Syrian army helicopters: Video –
Chinese-made missiles have been used to shoot down two Syrian army helicopters, state media reported on Thursday, adding their performance could boost the international sales appeal of Chinese weapons.
Presstitute Alert –
Iran steps up weapons lifeline to Assad: Anonymous Western Diplomats Say:
Iran may be trying to end the battlefield stalemate by redoubling its commitment to Assad and offering Syria‘s increasingly isolated government a crucial lifeline, the envoys said.
Fact or propaganda?
Iran and Hezbollah ‘have built 50,000-strong force to help Syrian regime’:
Israeli military intelligence chief says Iran hopes to prolong life of Assad regime and maintain influence after his fall
Afghanistan: Seven killed in Helmand:
Six Taliban fighters, including their commanders Mullah Shah Wali and Mullah Abdul Wali, and a policeman were killed and two more policemen sustained injuries in the gunfight, he added.
Afghan house speaker’s father and brother among 5 killed:
Five persons, including father and brother of Wolesi Jirga’s speaker Abdul Qayum Ibrahimi, were killed in a suicide attack in Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province on Wednesday.
Afghanistan’s Karzai on collision course with US:”
“Those bombs that went off in Kabul and Khost were not a show of force to America. They were in service of America. It was in the service of the 2014 slogan to warn us if they (Americans) are not here then Taliban will come,” Karzai said just hours before a meeting with the top US defense official, Chuck Hagel.
Karzai speech ‘put Nato forces at risk’, commander warns:
International troops in Afghanistan have been put at risk after an “inflammatory speech” by President Hamid Karzai, Nato’s commander warned.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21782378
US propaganda paints Karzi as unstable, unreliable:
Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai out to prove he is no US puppet:
Mr. Karzai will stand down after elections in April 2014, and his final year in office promises to be turbulent as he launches strident criticism of the US government, which has backed him since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
Karzai warns of worsening relations with US if prison handover further delayed:
Hamid Karzai‘s statement comes after he and U.S. commander Gen. Joseph Dunford met Wednesday but failed to resolve the impasse that derailed a scheduled handover last Saturday.
5 policemen killed by cricketers in IHK attack:
Rebels disguised as cricketers killed five paramilitary police in an ambush in the main city of Indian-held Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said, in the deadliest attack for nearly five years.
Hotline with Pyongyang still open, Seoul says:
A South Korean presidential spokesman said Wednesday an inter-Korean military hotline was still open after North Korea reportedly severed another hotline with Seoul earlier amid its escalating war rhetoric.
EU mission to Mali seen as a threat to Europe:
The EU mission to Mali is a “direct threat” to Europe itself, according to a report by the EU anti-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove.
Christians ‘being rounded up and tortured’ in Libya:
Christians living in Libya have been rounded up, beaten and accused of proselytising, in the latest evidence of a militant Islamic movement gripping the country since the revolution.
Church torched in Libya’s Benghazi: –
Unknown assailants set fire to an Egyptian Coptic church in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday, witnesses said, the second attack on the building in weeks.
UN pays tribute to the memory of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez:
“Perhaps President Chavez will be best remembered for his ability to connect at a human level with the most vulnerable and give voice to their aspirations,” Ban said.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/768045.shtml
Pope Francis on gay marriage, unmarried mothers … and journalists:
“In our ecclesiastical region there are priests who don’t baptise the children of single mothers because they weren’t conceived in the sanctity of marriage. These are today’s hypocrites.”
Pope Francis and Argentina’s military junta: Which side was he on?:
Pope Francis, certainly was not one of those priests who spoke out against the regime in public. The question, instead, is whether he helped seal the fate of those who did.
Human Rights Body Holds Hearing on Unfolding Humanitarian Crisis at Guantánamo:
As Detained Men Enter Fifth Week of Hunger Strike in Peaceful Protest of 11 Years Detention, U.S. Officials Face Questions About Guantánamo for First Time Since Obama Re-Election
Lindh family happy feds not appealing prayer order:
The family of American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh says it’s grateful the government isn’t appealing a court ruling ordering an Indiana prison to allow Lindh and fellow Muslim inmates in a high-security unit to hold daily group prayers.
John Walker Lindh: A Boy and His Dogma:
From American teenager to ‘American Taliban’-the John Walker Lindh story, as told by his father…
Arrests in Brooklyn in 3rd night of police brutality protest (PHOTOS):
Eighteen have been arrested in Brooklyn’s East Flatbush neighborhood as New Yorkers came out for a third night of protest over the police killing of 16-year-old Kimani Gray, police reported.
http://rt.com/usa/police-flood-brooklyn-neighborhood-238/
Four Mirror Group Journalists Arrested In Phone Hacking Probe:
The suspects are being interviewed at various police stations in London while searches are being carried out at a number of addresses.
U.S. to let spy agencies scour Americans’ finances:
The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country, according to a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters.
You Won’t Like What Your Facebook ‘Likes’ Reveal:
Researchers at the University of Cambridge published a study this week, titled “Private traits and attributes are predictable from digital records of human behavior” that shows-with alarming accuracy-the types of sensitive, personal information that can be predicted based solely on your Facebook likes.
UK finance sector is bankrolling climate change:
Want to know how many UK ministers have links with big finance and big oil? Find out how many executives at UK banks are also working for big oil
http://www.wdm.org.uk/carbon-capital
Wave of “Ag Gag” Bills Threaten US Food Safety and Freedom of the Press:
In the modern era, effective enforcement of food safety and the humane treatment of animals has long relied on undercover video investigations by reporters and citizens.
Greek unemployment reaches record 26 percent:
Unemployment in debt-crippled Greece rose to a record of 26 percent in the last quarter of 2012, as austerity measures combined with a deep recession took a harsh toll on the workforce.
Insanity!:
Ireland mulls selling forests to pay debt ;
Ireland is not the only eurozone member to try to sell off its environment to make some money. Greece has put some of its islands up for sale. But the move would make Ireland the only country in the developed world without a publicly owned forest.
Once Upon a Time, Corporations Paid Taxes: Op-Ed:
In America today, the New York Times reports, we’re living in “a golden age” – for corporate profits. These earnings have been leaping at a 20 percent annual clip. In fact, to find a year when corporations were grabbing as great a share of America’s income as they’re grabbing now, you have to go back to 1950.
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 : 3,267
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,432,732,021,071
The New Dark Age 