16 April 2013 — Information Clearing House
Syria’s Civilian Suffering
Western Imperialism Resorts to Medieval Barbarity
By Finian Cunningham
How could such a rapid descent into barbarism be possible?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34630.htm
If Autocratic Regimes in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the Gulf are Acceptable,
What’s Wrong With Assad’s in Syria?
By Iftekhar A. Khan
Bloodletting financed by Muslims, inflicted by Muslims against their kin.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34632.htm
The Brutal Face of Neocolonialism in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken
The same day that Anne Smedinghoff lost her life, a US airstrike killed at least 18 people, including 11 children ranging from a few months to eight years old.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34631.htm
The Boston Bombing Produces Familiar and Revealing Reactions
By Glenn Greenwald
As usual, the limits of selective empathy, the rush to blame Muslims, and the exploitation of fear all instantly emerge.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34634.htm
Bombs from Boston to Baghdad:
What Is the Value of a Human Life?:
By Lindsey German
Judged by the media coverage, it is hard not to conclude that western lives are valued much more highly than those of people in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Middle East.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34636.htm
Boston & Cowardice & America the Blind
By Barry Lando
What could be more cowardly than for some unknown, unseen, unannounced killer to blow apart and maim innocent men women and children, without any risk to himself.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34637.htm
The Other Face Of Political Violence
By Charles P. Pierce
Likely lost amid all lachrymose coverage of the act of political violence in Boston yesterday will be the release of a magisterial, non-partisan report concerning the decade of political violence organized and executed by the American government.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34635.htm
FBI’s History of Handing “Terror Suspects” Live Explosives
By Tony Cartalucci
Has the FBI ever presided over “sting operations” that were actually carried out? The answer is yes.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34628.htm
The Gold Price Crash is Further Evidence of Market Rigging
By Thomas Pascoe
It looks as though the market has been rigged again.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34638.htm
A Tax System Stacked Against the 99 Percent
By JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ
What should shock and outrage us is that as the top 1 percent has grown extremely rich, the effective tax rates they pay have markedly decreased.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34633.htm
Black Monday in Iraq: ’55 killed while almost 300 are injured’ in deadly wave of bombings:
Officials said more than 30 bombings and a shooting hit 12 different areas of Iraq, leaving 55 people dead and making Monday the country’s deadliest day since March 19.
Nine people killed in Iraq attacks:
Nine people were killed on Tuesday in a series of gun and bomb attacks in central regions of Iraq, security officials said, days before the country is set to hold elections, dpa reported
http://en.trend.az/regions/met/iraq/2139818.html
Iraq executes 21 in one day over ‘terror’:
Iraq has put 21 men to death, a senior justice ministry official has told AFP, the latest in a series of mass executions that have drawn international condemnation.
Islamic State Declared in Syria:
Jabhabt al-Nusra currently administers various villages and cities (such as Raqqa) through a manifestation of Islamist governance embodied in shari’a councils, and if Jabhat al-Nusra is al-Qaida, then it’s not absurd to say that something resembling a rough patchwork of quasi city-states has been established by al-Qaida in Syria.
We are All Osama: Jabhat al-Nusra Celebrations for the Establishment of Islamic State in Syria – Video
This footage taken in the Latakia countryside and shows the al-Qaeda group in Syria known as Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) repeating slogans such as “Our way is Jihad!” and “Obama! We’re all here Osama”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article34629.htm
Rebels push Assad’s army away from vital north Syria highway: opposition activists say:
The two sides are struggling for control of a highway that serves as the main route into Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, after President Bashar al-Assad’s forces broke through a six-month rebel blockade of two bases near the road.
US sending weapons to Syrian “rebels”:
Contrary to statements by United States officials who claim they do not deliver weapons to militants in Syria, but deliver only assistance in the form of “non-lethal” means, there is growing evidence of the US complicity in transfer of weapons to terrorists operating in Syria.
UK sends military aid to Syria rebels:
Britain will try to tear up the EU arms embargo against Syria next month so weapons can be supplied to rebels in the country, William Hague announced yesterday.
Syrian minister says UK and France are ‘directly or indirectly’ backing al-Qaida:
Faisal al-Miqdad attacks ‘new colonialists’ providing support to opposition fighters in Syria
Jabhat al-Nusra, Ghassan Hitto Divide Syrian Opposition:
Even before the “conqueror” Abu Mohammad al-Joulani, commander of Jabhat al-Nusra, held up his hand to pledge allegiance and obedience to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, the Nusra Front had already completed its integration into the Aleppo and Idlib countrysides
Syria’s Jabhat al-Nusra seeks direct relationship with al-Qaeda leadership:
Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s announcement that his group had merged with the Syrian group Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN) marks a remarkable development in the modus operandi of armed groups affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Middle East.
Former head of the UN monitoring mission calls for imposing a no-fly zone over Syria. Video –
In an interview with the BBC, Major General Robert Mood also backed the Syrian opposition’s call for Nato’s Patriot missiles to be used to defend rebel-controlled areas of northern Syria
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-21952819
Video Shows Syrian Rebels Attacking Lebanese Territory:
This following video, posted online yesterday, shows what are claimed to be attacks on Hezbollah positions in Syria and Lebanon by Syrian opposition members
Displaced Syrians being failed by foreign governments, charity warns:
Foreign governments are failing to deliver the money they promised for homeless Syrians fleeing the civil war, and this, rather than lack of access, is the main reason for the massive shortage of aid, according to the main volunteer agency in the country.
Syria’s Assad reduces sentences for some rebels:
Syria’s president on Tuesday slashed prison terms by three quarters for an unspecified number of rebels convicted as “terrorists,” state media reported, as rebels and troops fought fierce battles in the country’s south and north.
Belgium holds six suspects over Syria war recruitment; –
Belgian police raided 48 homes across the country on Tuesday and detained six men after a year-long investigation into an Islamist group suspected of recruiting fighters for Syria’s civil war.
IDF Chief of Staff: Israel capable of striking Iran on its own:
Gantz stated that the continued quiet in the Gaza Strip “attests to Operation Pillar of Defense having achieved its goals”, and that Israel was not facing the prospect of a third intifada in the West Bank. He also discussed the possibility that Israel would attack Iran.
Film-maker captures Israeli spy chiefs’ doubts over covert killing operations:
“We are making lives unbearable,” says Carmi Gillon; “We have become cruel,” says Avraham Shalom; “You can’t make peace using military means,” says Avi Dichter; “We win every battle, but we lose the war,” says Ami Ayalon.
‘France railway bans black workers amid Peres visit’;
France’s national railway banned black workers from the station where Israeli President Shimon Peres arrived to ensure that no Arab workers were present.
Kuwait opposition leader sentenced to 5 years for insulting the emir:
The sentence against former parliament member Mussallam al-Barrack could rekindle street protests that flared during disputes over parliamentary elections in December.
Police, students clash in Bahrain after raid:
Tuesday’s violence comes as the Gulf nation boosted security in preparation for next week’s Formula One race.
Afghanistan; Senior commander among 18 killed in Nangarhar:
Following police forces counterterrorism operations, the ministry of interior said in a statement on its website that Afghan National Security Forces (Special Units), killed as many as 18 insurgents .
Bomb kills 7 family members in Afghanistan:
Afghan officials say a roadside bomb has killed at least seven members of a family travelling in a trailer towed by a tractor in southern Afghanistan.
Official Says 5 Afghan Guards Killed in Ambush:
An Afghan official says insurgents have ambushed a convoy of trucks in a restive province near the capital, Kabul, killing five members of a government guard force.
5 killed by U.S. attack in Pakistan;
Five people were killed and two others wounded when a U.S. drone fired two missiles into a building in the North Waziristan tribal region, a Pakistani official told Efe Monday.
Eight killed, 49 injured in Pakistan election meeting bomb attack:
The bomb attack took place on Tuesday night in Yakatoot district in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Pakistan’s Musharraf barred from May polls:
Pakistan’s former military leader Pervez Musharraf has been barred from standing in general elections in May. An election tribunal disqualified him from running in Chitral in the north-west. Earlier, he failed in an attempt to stand in three other seats.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22165497
Quake kills at least 46 along Iran-Pakistan border:
A major earthquake described as the strongest to hit Iran in more than half a century flattened homes and offices Tuesday on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border, killing at least 46 people in the sparsely populated region and swaying skyscrapers and buildings as far away as New Delhi.
12-yr-old student killed in Togo clashes;
A 12-year-old student has been killed and another injured during the clashes between security forces and protesters in a demonstration in the tiny West African nation of Togo.
UN Peacekeeping Force Proposed for Mali:
The new draft resolution, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, would authorize French troops to intervene to support U.N. troops “under imminent and serious threat,” and at the request of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Obama: North Korea can’t put nukes on ballistic missile:
President Barack Obama said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that North Korea likely does not have the ability to arm a ballistic missile with nuclear warheads. He also compared the Stalinist regime’s recent belligerent rhetoric to a child’s temper tantrum.
John Kerry: ‘No artificial talks with North Korea’: Video –
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the United States will not enter into another round of “artificial talks” with North Korea over its nuclear programme, and wants to see Pyongyang take “real steps”.
China blasts US for Asia-Pacific military build-up:
China’s defence ministry has made a thinly veiled attack on the US for increasing tensions in the Asia-Pacific by ramping up its military presence and alliances in the region, days after John Kerry, the US secretary of state, visited Beijing.
Japan Claims Right to Pre-Emptive Strike on N.Korea:
Former Japanese defense minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is considered a likely prime minister, on Sunday said Tokyo should have the ability to deliver a preemptive strike against its enemies.
Guantanamo prisoners continue hunger strike Video report:
A hunger strike to protest against indefinite detentions at the Guantanamo Bay military prison is now into its third month, raising questions about the US government’s commitment to shutting it down.
ACLU Appeals Ruling Allowing Feds to Stay Mum on Drone Killings:
“The public has a right to know the circumstances in which the U.S. government believes it can kill people, including American citizens, who are far from any battlefield and have never been charged with a crime,”
Boston: Dorchester father mourns 8 year old son;
Hopes wife and daughter will recover from Boston Marathon injuries
Boston bombs were pressure cookers filled with metal:
The explosive devices that killed three people and injured scores at the Boston Marathon finish line were pressure cookers filled with metal and ball bearings, according to a federal law enforcement official.
Feds Warned Of Pressure Cooker Bombs: –
With reports that the Boston Marathon bombs were likely a pressure cooker device, a previous Department of Homeland Security information bulletin is worth revisiting.
Boston doctors: Pellets, nails removed from patients from the marathon:
Dr. David P. Mooney, Boston Children’s Hospital trauma director, described deep shrapnel wounds in a 10-year-old being treated there who is in critical condition.
In pictures: ‘These runners just finished and now they don’t have legs’:
Witnesses recount war zone at end of Boston Marathon as bombs left race course littered with limbs of 25-30 people
Boston Marathon bombing: Feds raid apartment, police seek rental van (+video) :
Federal authorities late Monday removed several bags from an apartment in a nearby suburb. Police investigating the Boston Marathon bombing have also issued an alert for a rental van and for a hooded man who left the area before the blasts.
‘Neither liberty nor safety’: Has American freedom’s race been run at Boston Marathon?: Op-Ed:
The fallout from the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon on Monday, which killed three and injured 152, will likely prompt a new assault on civil liberties in the supposed defense of freedom.
The Boston Bombing – The Eerily Predictable Symbolism of an Age of Terror:
Yair Rosenberg, a writer at Tablet Magazine and the editor of the English-language blog of the Israeli National Archives, makes an intriguing observation about the multiple explosions at the Boston Marathon
Peter King “We Can’t Be Cutting Homeland Security Funding Or Local Police Departments” Video
Cui Bono?
Iran condemns civilian deaths in Boston blasts:
Mehmanparast described the deadly incident as a “source of sorrow,” and called for greater global efforts to eradicate terrorism.
War criminal:
Dick Cheney to attend Lady Thatcher funeral:
Other high-profile US guests include Dr Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state in the Nixon and Ford administrations and a key cold war figure, and the maverick rightwinger Ross Perot.
Four killed in Venezuela post-vote violence: State news agency:
Violence over Venezuela’s disputed presidential election has killed four people, state news agency AVN said on Tuesday. It reported that two people died in Miranda state which includes part of Caracas, one in Tachira state on the border with Colombia, and another in western Zulia state, when trouble flared on Monday.
Maduro Proclaimed Venezuelan President Elect Amid Opposition Claims of “Illegitimacy”:
Nicolas Maduro was declared Venezuelan president elect this afternoon, but the opposition continues to refuse to recognise the result unless a manual recount is undertaken.
http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/8640
Venezuela’s Maduro accuses opposition leader Capriles of planning a coup:
Venezuela’s post-election crisis is growing deeper, with seven people killed during clashes between the opposition and police. Sixty-one others have been injured. Meanwhile, President Nicolas Maduro has accused Henrique Capriles of staging a coup.
White House backs Venezuela recount:
The White House said it supports a recount in the presidential election in Venezuela, where the hand-picked successor of the late communist leader Hugo Chavez narrowly won.
Hagel cancels new drone medal:
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is rescinding a special medal announced in February for operators of unmanned drones, instead establishing a “distinguishing device” to be affixed to existing medals.
US Army staff sergeant says she betrayed country in $1-million scam:
Long, 30, had pleaded guilty to stealing at least $1 million and shipping the cash in hundred-dollar bills to the U.S. in the guts of hollowed-out VCR players
Yeah right!:
IRS Promises To Abandon Warrantless Email Spying After Public Outcry:
The IRS chief has promised to abandon a controversial policy of snooping emails without a warrant. During congressional testimony, the IRS’s acting commissioner, Steven Miller, said “we intend to do that” after Sen. Ron Wyden (CrunchGov Grade: A) asked whether the agency would ditch its warrantless spying policy.
Foreign Demand for U.S. Financial Assets Plunged in February:
International demand for U.S. stocks, bonds and other financial assets plunged in February as investors in Japan, the U.K. and Switzerland reduced their holdings of Treasuries.
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 : 3,281
Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,443,616,064,383
The New Dark Age 