US government back to business after debt deal
UN Expert Challenges Foundations of US Covert Drone War
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
US government back to business after debt deal
Republican infighting continues, while president and Democrats express new unity
Senate Debt Deal Weakens Congress on Debt Ceiling
Capitol Hill talk regarding the Senate deal apparently includes a provision that would take away the Congress’ power to increase the debt ceiling. According to Politico, it looks like the buzz appears to be true.
Documents reveal NSA’s extensive involvement in targeted killing program
Obama Administration fights quick Supreme Court review of NSA program
Door May Open for Challenge to Secret Wiretaps
New EU rules to curb transfer of data to US after Edward Snowden revelations
Regulations will make it harder to move European data to third countries, with fines running into billions for failure to comply
MPs set to investigate Guardian’s involvement in Snowden leaks
Keith Vaz says home affairs committee to look at newspaper’s activities as part of inquiry into counter-terrorism
Extent of spies’ mass surveillance to be investigated in public inquiry
Intelligence inquiry begun after Edward Snowden leaks and Guardian revelations on GCHQ and NSA personal data sharing
Pierre Omidyar commits $250m to new media venture with Glenn Greenwald
Omidyar says decision to set up news organisation fuelled by ‘concern about press freedoms in the US and around the world’
Rebel infighting between Kurds and Al Qaeda kills more than 40 in northeast Syria
Israel and the Gulf Increasingly Nervous Over Iran-US Détente
As hopeful, albeit vague, statements about talks in Geneva between Iran and the great powers continued to issue from the Swiss city Tuesday, foes of détente between Washington and Tehran maintained their own high tempo of work.
U.S. says talks intense, serious after Iran hints at atomic concessions
Iranian man who survived execution must be hanged again, judges say
Morgue workers spotted that 37-year-old Alireza was alive a day after he was hanged for possessing crystal meth
Experts confirm polonium on Arafat clothing
Iran nuclear talks in Geneva to continue into second day
Iran gives hour-long presentation on proposals to end deadlock, and detailed technical discussions take place in afternoon
Iranian Jews to Obama: Seize ‘unrepeatable’ chance for deal with Tehran
Ahead of nuclear talks on Tuesday, head of Jewish community calls on US president to ‘make best of this golden opportunity’
Remarkably Timed Spamouflage, Scary Iran Plot Edition
WaPo has its latest Snowden scoop out, describing how the NSA collects hundreds of thousands of email contact lists daily.
The perfect epitaph for establishment journalism
‘If MI5 warns that this is not in the public interest who am I to disbelieve them?’, says the former editor of The Independent
NSA collects millions of e-mail address books globally
The National Security Agency is harvesting hundreds of millions of contact lists from personal e-mail and instant messaging accounts around the world, many of them belonging to Americans, according to senior intelligence officials and top-secret documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Sickening US Hypocrisy
Washington’s self-appointed right to kidnap and kill across the world shows double standards
Military Turns Libyan Over to NY Courts, Ending Detention at Sea
The Justice Department has confirmed that the US military has ended its weeklong “detention at sea” for captive “suspect” Abu Anas al-Liby, and has turned him over to the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Taliban Attacks US Bagram Base: Conflicting Reports on Death Toll
Taliban Claims Dozens Killed in Airfield Strike
Syria: Car bomb strikes rebel-held town, killing at least 27 people
A car bomb exploded in the bustling central shopping district of a rebel-controlled town in northern Syria on Monday, killing at least 27 people.
Key opposition group will not attend Geneva II talks
West can’t get Syrian opp to peace talks, blames Russia – Lavrov
John Kerry now says Syria’s Assad must go, situation ‘urgent’
Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that Syria President Bashar Assad has no future and must be removed from power — a somewhat confusing stance given the recent praise he gave the regime for cooperating with a Russia-forged chemical weapons deal.
Obscuring the Details: A Panoramic Look at America’s Case Against Syria
Lebanon has cause for shame in its treatment of Syrian refugees
They are beaten in the immigration queues and cheated with exorbitant rents
Deadly blast in Ethiopia impacts US Embassy home
Officials say a weekend explosion in Ethiopia’s capital that killed two people impacted a home used by U.S. Embassy personnel.
Central African Republic: Intervention Needed in CAR – Zuma
South Africa and France agree that intervention is needed in the Central African Republic (CAR) to help stabilise the country, President Jacob Zuma said on Monday.
How the World Health Organisation covered up Iraq’s nuclear nightmare
Ex-UN, WHO officials reveal political interference to suppress scientific evidence of postwar environmental health catastrophe
2500+ Killed by Drones in Pakistan, Names of Victims Now Available
Medea Benjamin: U.S. government claims drone victims are mostly militants, but about half identified victims thus far are civilians and children
The Crisis of Representation and the Liberation of the Self
To overcome the crisis of democracy and reaffirm our autonomy, we first of all need to liberate our empty self from mindless consumerism and conformity.
Radiation experts confirm polonium on Arafat clothing
Swiss radiation experts have confirmed they found traces of polonium on clothing used by Yasser Arafat which “support the possibility” the veteran Palestinian leader was poisoned.
Yasser Arafat’s belongings have traces of polonium-210, say Swiss scientists
Discovery ‘supports possibility Palestinian leader was poisoned with radioactive substance’ but Russians reject suggestion
Majority of Americans Against NSA Spying
President al-Assad to Der Spiegel: No dialogue with gunmen, all decisions taken by the West for the past ten years have been in support of al-Qaeda
President Bashar al-Assad said that all the political decisions that have been taken by the west in the last ten years have been in support of al-Qaeda, intentionally or inadvertently.
Saudis fund new rebel force to fight own war on Assad
$2 Billion NSA Spy Center is Going Up in Flames
Technical glitches have sparked fiery explosions within the NSA’s newest and largest data storage facility in Utah, destroying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and delaying the facility’s opening by one year.
Polls Continue to Show Majority of Americans Against NSA Spying
At the UN, a Latin American Rebellion
Latin American leaders are reclaiming a right to differentiate their views from Washington’s—and refusing to render it diplomatic tribute.
Brazil accuses Canada of spying after NSA leaks
Canadian ambassador summoned to explain claims spy agency collected Brazilian energy ministry internet and phone data
Canadian spy agency ‘dissected’ Brazilian Energy Ministry
The US needs to take the hint from Dilma Rousseff’s snub
The Brazilian president’s cancelled visit, over NSA spying, ought to jolt the US out of its arrogant disrespect for Latin America
Hamid Karzai blasts US and Nato over attacks as security talks drag on
Afghan president says foreign military coalition is demanding the right to ‘continue to attack our people and our villages’
UN Expert: Torture of ‘Angola 3’ Shows Inhumanity of US Prisons
Special Rapporteur on torture blasts continued isolation of Albert Woodfox, last imprisoned member of ‘Angola 3’
What a 16-year-old Pakistani Girl Knows That Obama Doesn’t: Peace Talks Essential
Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head by Taliban, says US must hold talks to end the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan
U.S. Tripoli Raid Deepens Sense of Chaos in Libya
The stealthy American capture of a wanted al-Qaeda operative risks stirring up tensions and animosities in Libya, a vulnerable, fractious nation.
Libya demands US return seized Qaeda operative
Libya’s top political authority, the General National Congress, demanded on Tuesday that the United States hand back an alleged Al-Qaeda operative its forces seized from Tripoli in a weekend raid.
Kerry Insists Libya Raid Was ‘Legal,’ Warns Against Criticism
Insists Critics Would ‘Sympathize’ With Suspect
Obama’s Rendition Operation in Libya: It’s Like President George W. Bush Got a Fourth Term
Libya wants “clarifications” over U.S. raid that captured Anas al-Libi
Libya said Sunday it has asked the United States for “clarifications” regarding the abduction in Tripoli of an al Qaeda leader linked to the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa, adding that Libyan nationals should be tried in their own country.
Jihadists Threaten Revenge for US Libya Snatch Operation
US Troops Interrogate Captured Libyan on Navy Ship
Exclusive: How the SEAL raid on Somalia went bad
The team of less than two dozen Navy SEALs from Seal Team 6 huddled in one fast boat and headed toward the Somali shoreline under the cover of darkness in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Billions at stake for economic winners and losers of Iran thaw
After years of being caught in the geopolitical crossfire over Iran’s disputed nuclear program, Iranian businessmen in Dubai are daring to hope that signs of a diplomatic thaw will allow crippling economic sanctions to be lifted.
Bombers Return To Baghdad; 71 Killed, 164 Wounded
Baghdad once again suffered a series of coordinated bombings. Today’s mostly occurred during a 40-minute window. Violence, meanwhile, continued outside the capital as well. Overall, at least 71 people were killed and 164 more were wounded.
Road 443: More Evidence of a Long Deception
As a journalist covering settlements, I can’t avoid West Bank roads. In fact, no Jerusalemite can really avoid highways cutting through occupied territory; the main route from Tel Aviv to the capital briefly crosses the Green Line.
Is Iran the Next China?
Thomas Friedman had a mostly sensible column in yesterday’s New York Times, in which he endorsed the crazy, dangerous, irrational, doesn’t-make-any-sense-at-all idea of seriously negotiating with Iran. Not only did he correctly note that Iran might see a nuclear capability (if not nuclear weapons) as insurance against regime change (i.e., the same reason that other nuclear-armed states got them), but he also made a useful comparison between Iran today and the People’s Republic of China.
Alzheimer’s treatment breakthrough: British scientists pave way for simple pill to cure disease
Historic ‘turning point’ hailed as UK researchers discover how to halt death of brain cells, opening new pathway for future drug treatments