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Egyptian protesters set fire to Muslim Brotherhood headquarters

“Egyptian protesters on Friday set fire to the Muslim Brotherhood party headquarters in the canal city of Ismailiya. Black smoke could be seen coming out of the windows of the apartment housing the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) offices, as Egyptians staged nationwide rallies against President Mohamed Morsi on the second anniversary of the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak and brought Islamists to power. The Muslim Brotherhood said protesters also attempted to storm one of its offices in the Cairo district of Tawfikiya.” Continue reading →

UN to investigate legality of U.S drone strikes

“A newly-announced UN inquiry into the rise of drone strikes and targeted killings around the world has drawn measured optimism and concerns from national security experts and the international human rights community. While 51 states possess the technology to use drones, according to Emmerson, the US is responsible for the vast majority of the world’s drone strikes and the practice of targeted killing has become a central component of the Obama administration’s efforts to combat al-Qaida. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, CIA drone strikes in Pakistan alone have resulted in as many as 3,461 deaths, including up to 891 civilians.” Continue reading →

Antiwar protester thrown out of Kerry confirmation hearing

“A protester interrupted Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) on Thursday during his confirmation hearings. The woman shouted that the United States was killing thousands of people in the Middle East who were not a threat. Security officers quickly escorted her out of the room.” Continue reading →

‘Rise of the Drones’ Is Mostly a PBS Infomercial for the Military Defense Industry

“The widely-acclaimed PBS program, NOVA, premiered a documentary on unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. The documentary, ‘Rise of the Drones,’ was produced to explore how the technology is revolutionizing warfare and creating the next generation of cutting-edge surveillance. It was created to provide a glimpse at how the technology has advanced and how innovations might progress in the future. Before the documentary began, PBS noted the program had received funding from the David H. Koch Foundation for Science. It also received ‘additional funding’ from Lockheed Martin.” Continue reading →

NATO deploys Patriot as warplanes hit Syria capital

“NATO declared that a Patriot missile battery went operational on Turkey’s border with Syria on Saturday, as a watchdog reported regime warplanes launched raids on a Damascus district. Ankara and NATO have stressed the deployment is for defensive purposes only, while Damascus and its ally Moscow have criticised the measure. The US-made missiles can take out cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as aircraft. Britain, meanwhile, pledged a multi-million dollar aid package to help Syrian civilians, nearly half of which would be channelled through agencies in Jordan where a record 6,400 refugees arrived on Friday.” Continue reading →

Rare trees turned into firewood as Syrian civilians struggle for warmth

“Beset by a freezing winter and stifling fuel and electricity shortages, Syrian civilians desperate to stay warm in a northern forest have no choice but to cut down trees for firewood. Once a tourist destination for Syrians and other Arabs across the Middle East, the formerly pristine national park to the north and west of the city of Idlib is being systematically stripped bare. Bald, muddy swathes of fresh-cut land now stretch in many directions, with men using chainsaws to bring trees down and dozens of pick-up trucks coming and going for loads of lumber.” Continue reading →

Owner wins court battle against feds trying to seize his Tewksbury motel

“Caswell has been battling the government since September 2009 to save the motel his father built in 1955. The government sought to seize the motel using a civil asset forfeiture law that allows the government to seize property linked to drug crimes. The government introduced information about 15 specific drug-related incidents at the motel from 1994 to 2008, a period of time, the judge noted, when the motel had rented out 196,000 rooms. But Caswell has never been charged with — or even accused of — any criminal wrongdoing, the Globe reported in November.” Continue reading →

Web founder Berners-Lee: Governments are suppressing online freedom

“While Yahoo!’s chief Marissa Mayer told the forum there was a ‘trade off’ between privacy and the benefits of increasingly personalised services offered by Internet giants, the network’s founding father took up the ethical issues at stake. ‘The dream is of a more open web,’ Berners-Lee told the gathering in the Swiss ski resort, citing social media as a way of breaking down barriers. But he said the recent suicide of Aaron Swartz, a 26-year-old US Internet activist who faced charges of illegally copying and distributing millions of academic articles, highlighted government efforts to police the Internet.” Continue reading →