Zika virus: Your questions answered

Zika virus: Your questions answered
First isolated in 1947 and first described in a paper in 1952, Zika has long been known to occur in Africa and Southeast Asia—but until a decade ago, fewer than 15 cases had been described in the scientific literature.

Zika virus outbreak linked to release of genetically engineered mosquitoes… disastrous unintended consequences now threaten life across the Americas
GMO skeptics like myself have been warning for years of the unintended consequences of genetic pollution. Even when genetically engineered organisms are released into the world with the best of intentions, such actions can wreak havoc on the ecosystem and human civilization in ways that simply can’t be foreseen by the world’s most well-meaning scientists.

Larvicide Manufactured By Sumitomo, Not Zika Virus, True Cause Of Brazil’s Microcephaly Outbreak: Doctors
The microcephaly outbreak in Brazil, which coincided with the spread of the Zika virus, continues to stun the world, even months after the incident was first reported.

Monsanto Breaks Silence On Zika Virus, Microcephaly And Sumitomo Larvicide

Stopping Zika may require genetically modified mosquitoes: UN

US Airstrikes Kill 38 Syrian Civilians Over 48 Hours
Strikes Targeted ISIS-Controlled Areas In and Around Hasakeh Province

Ankara Bombing Fails To Achive Strategic Changes
The bombing in Ankara yesterday killed 27 mostly military people. It was a big car bomb and a suicide attack.The Turkish government claims that the person who did this was one Saleh Nejar and also claims that he is connected to the Syrian Kurdish group YPG.

U.S. has asked Russia not to attack special forces in Syria: military

Russia warns Assad not to snub Syria ceasefire plan

Russia accuses Turkey of helping extremists recruit fighters

‘Russia a major military’: President Obama backtracks on Moscow’s defense capabilities: Russia’s military campaign in Syria seems to have changed President Barack Obama’s opinion of its armed forces. He now says it’s “the second-most powerful military in the world.” Two years ago he labeled Moscow as nothing more than a “regional power.”

U.S. stationing tanks and artillery in classified Norwegian caves

Executions Continue; 146 Killed Across Iraq

Apple isn’t protecting a shooter’s iPhone data – they’re defending digital privacy
As CEO Tim Cook’s open letter to customers stating that Apple would oppose the order points out, the request ‘has implications far beyond the legal case at hand’

Inside the FBI’s encryption battle with Apple
For months, the FBI searched for a compelling case that would force Apple to weaken iPhone security – and then the San Bernardino shooting happened

Upgrade Your iPhone Passcode to Defeat the FBI’s Backdoor Strategy
It’s true that ordering Apple to develop the backdoor will fundamentally undermine iPhone security, as Cook and other digital security advocates have argued. But it’s possible for individual iPhone users to protect themselves from government snooping by setting strong passcodes on their phones — passcodes the FBI would not be able to unlock even if it gets its iPhone backdoor.

How Israel is ‘turning Palestinians into Zionists’
Israel is forcing Palestinian schools in occupied East Jerusalem to switch over to an Israeli-controlled curriculum.

Inflating the North Korean Threat Doesn’t Help
Yet again North Korea has angered “the world.” Pyongyang violated another United Nations ban, launching a satellite into orbit. The Japanese UN ambassador spoke of “outrage” on the Security Council. Washington is leading the campaign to sanction the North.

The US Economy Has Not Recovered And Will Not Recover

Examining the Syria War Chessboard

US supports Saudi war in Yemen, says John Kerry

Syrian Civil War: Why the Endless Conflict Is at a Decisive Point
The Syrian peace talks between government and opposition will begin in the next few days in Geneva in an atmosphere of almost undiluted gloom about the prospects for success. The two sides hate each other and have spent five years trying to kill each other, making it unlikely that they will agree to share power in any way except geographically, with each side keeping the territory it currently holds and defending it with its own armed forces.

U.S. Relies Heavily on Saudi Money to Support Syrian Rebels
When President Obama secretly authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to begin arming Syria’s embattled rebels in 2013, the spy agency knew it would have a willing partner to help pay for the covert operation. It was the same partner the C.I.A. has relied on for decades for money and discretion in far-off conflicts: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

U.S. says prepared for military solution against Islamic State in Syria

The Empire Files: Examining the Syria War Chessboard
The war in Syria is an unparalleled crisis. It has gone far beyond an internal political struggle, and is marked by a complex array of forces that the U.S. Empire hopes to command: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kurdistan, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and more. To simplify this web of enemies and friends, Abby Martin interviews Dr. Vijay Prashad, professor of International Studies at Trinity College and author of several books.

The CIA’s Syria Program and the Perils of Proxies
Almost every aspect of the Obama administration’s policy toward Syria has been scrutinized, lambasted or praised in recent months, but one of the most significant facets, the CIA’s covert aid program to Syrian rebels, has largely slipped below the radar.

Joe Biden Says the PKK and the Islamic State Are Equal Threats to Turkey
US Vice President Joe Biden described the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a terror group “plain and simple” during a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul on Saturday, suggesting that the militant group poses as much of a threat to Turkish national security as the Islamic State (IS).

Turkey alarmed by Russian troop build up in northern Syria
Turkish President Erdogan voices concern as Russian forces mass on the Syria-Turkey border

U.S. to Put ‘Boots on the Ground’ in Iraq to Combat ISIL
Defense Secretary Carter announces plans to deploy 101st Airborne Division in latest escalation of war.

Another Whitehall Farce: George Galloway and Alex Goldfarb on Litvinenko “Inquiry”

Report: UK, U.S., Russian troops in Libya

Another Fine Mess: NATO’s ‘Laurel & Hardy Act’ In Libya Not Getting Laughs

Egypt, five years later: A human-rights catastrophe of America’s making
After vowing to support the country’s revolutionaries, the U.S. is now aiding and abetting their violent oppression

Nearly $8 trillion wiped off world stocks in January, US recession chances rising: BAML

“The Australian Dream Is Rooted In Racism”

White people have least confidence in the American Dream

U.S Troops Go to Sy-Raq to Reinforce Democracy

Iran’s leader says never trusted the West, seeks closer ties with China

Iran Wishes to Purchase Hundreds of Airplanes From Europe, U.S.
As the Islamic Republic emerges from sanctions and international isolation, it seeks to revamp its aging fleet.

Sanctions lifted, Iran’s Rouhani heads to Europe to drum up business

U.S. Prisoner Who Stayed in Iran Was F.B.I. Consultant, Expatriate News Service Says

AFRICOM’s Secret Empire

AFRICOM’s Secret Empire: US Military Turns Africa Into ‘Laboratory’ Of Modern Warfare
The U.S. military already plans to expand its massive military footprint in Africa and elsewhere to the tune of “several million dollars” a year and thousands of troops.

China’s Xi Jinping says internet users must be free to speak their minds
Even as prominent free speech advocate is put on trial for online posts, president says governments must respect citizens’ right to exchange ideas

Assad can stay, for now: Kerry accepts Russian stance

‘We see Syria fundamentally very similarly’ – Kerry after talks with Putin, Lavrov

Bashar al-Assad has more support than the Western-backed opposition

Moscow Sets 3 Conditions for Improving Ties With Turkey After Su-24 Downing
According to the diplomat, Turkey should apologize for the attack on the Russian Su-24 aircraft, which resulted in the death of two Russian servicemen. The Turkish authorities are also expected to find and punish those responsible for the incident as well as pay damage compensation to the Russian side.

Erdogan’s Strikes in the Dark and Russia’s Thousand Stings

NATO’s got a brand new (Syrian) bag
The FSB, SVR and GRU in Russia, while drawing all the right connections, cannot help but conclude that Washington is letting Cold War 2.0 escalate to the boiling point. Imagine Russian intel surveying the geopolitical chessboard.

Putin Throws Down the Gauntlet
Would you be willing to defend your country against a foreign invasion? That’s all Putin is doing in Syria. He’s just preempting the tidal wave of jihadis that’ll be coming his way once the current fracas is over.

Russian security service claims neutralizing 20 Caucasus armed group leaders loyal to IS

Week Ten of the Russian Intervention in Syria
The “Assad must go” policy implies war with Russia, Iran and Hezbollah

US-Backed Syrian Rebel Group on Verge of Collapse

The Saudi-Hosted “Opposition Talks” Fiasco
A Saudi-led plan to draw “moderate” Syrian opposition groups into a unified political front collapsed on Wednesday when a powerful Islamic militia refused to participate in the meetings after their demands were rejected. Ahrar al-Sham, a hardcore amalgam of Wahhabi extremists and fanatical jihadis, withdrew from the anti-Assad confab because, according to the Washington Post: “some of its comments and recommendations have been disregarded at the meeting.”

Saudi Arabia assembles coalition of 34 Muslim countries to fight ‘terrorism’ – but there’s no mention of Isis
The new alliance also fails to include key players in region including Iran, Iraq or Syria

ISIS flags & photos of severed heads found amongst refugees in Norway

Syrian opposition provides Russian Air Force with coordinates to target terrorists – MoD

Syria in 2016 Will be Like the Balkans in 1914

Hackers trace ISIS Twitter accounts back to internet addresses linked to Department of Work and Pension
Hackers have claimed that a number of Islamic State supporters’ social media accounts are being run from internet addresses linked to the Department of Work and Pensions.

Nigerian Army Forces commit a massacre by killing at least 300 people

Outcry over alleged Israeli war crimes grows louder as accused military officer goes free in Britain
Rights groups say the IDF committed war crimes in Gaza, while UN says military officers are liable for violations

Mass Murderers Follow the Example set by their Government
There are many complicated reasons for the almost daily mass murders committed in this country. As we are the only nation to have mass murders on a regular basis, it might be instructive to examine why we have so many.