Mainstream News

Bombs kill 42 outside mosques in Lebanon’s Tripoli after car bomb kills 24

The apparently coordinated blasts - the biggest and deadliest in Tripoli since the end of Lebanon's own civil war - struck as locals were finishing Friday prayers in the largely Sunni Muslim city. Lebanese officials appealed for calm. The explosions in Tripoli came a week after a huge car bomb killed at least 24 people in a part of Beirut controlled by the Shi'ite Muslim militant movement Hezbollah. Both Hezbollah and radical Sunni groups in Lebanon have sent fighters over the border to support opposing sides in Syria. Salem al-Rafei, chief cleric of the Taqwa mosque, is a staunch supporter of Syrian Sunni rebels as well as Lebanese Sunni militants who have joined the anti-Assad battle in Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBombs kill 42 outside mosques in Lebanon’s Tripoli after car bomb kills 24

Should Bales Bail?

"Afghanistan war vet/killer Robert Bales was sentenced today to life in prison without parole after he was convicted of killing sixteen Afghan villagers. Actually, he was convicted of being caught killing sixteen Afghan villagers. God only knows how many thousands more civilians were killed by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. And since U.S. soldiers were invaders, not defenders, they are guilty of murdering everyone that died at their hands in Afghanistan. If we are going to lock up Bales for life, then he should be joined by thousands more. Of course, we know that this will never happen. If you kill only those whom the government says to kill, then that is okay." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShould Bales Bail?

Should Bales Bail?

"Afghanistan war vet/killer Robert Bales was sentenced today to life in prison without parole after he was convicted of killing sixteen Afghan villagers. Actually, he was convicted of being caught killing sixteen Afghan villagers. God only knows how many thousands more civilians were killed by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. And since U.S. soldiers were invaders, not defenders, they are guilty of murdering everyone that died at their hands in Afghanistan. If we are going to lock up Bales for life, then he should be joined by thousands more. Of course, we know that this will never happen. If you kill only those whom the government says to kill, then that is okay." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShould Bales Bail?

A Long List of What We Know Thanks to Private Manning

"The debate in the media, and in political circles over Edward Snowden—Right or Wrong—often doubles back on references to Pfc. Manning, who was sentenced to thirty-five years in prison on Wednesday. Too often (that is, most of the time), the value and import of the Manning/WikiLeaks disclosures are ignored or dismissed, just as Snowden’s NSA scoops are often derided as 'nothing new.' So for those who either suffer from memory loss or ignorance on this particular score, here is a partial accounting of some of the important revelations in the Manning leak, drawn from my book—with Kevin Gosztola—on the Manning case, Truth and Consequences." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Long List of What We Know Thanks to Private Manning

Chicago ‘Safe Passage’ routes put to test amid more shootings

"Six hundred newly hired Safe Passage workers in yellow vests fanned out early Monday along 53 new routes marked with bright yellow 'Safe Passage' signs. The new routes are an expansion of an already existing program that Emanuel has touted as a success. The routes, released less than three weeks ago, are meant to offset any hazards that could arise as children walk unfamiliar sidewalks and, many parents worry, cross gang boundaries to get to their new schools. The program has garnered negative news coverage for what critics say is an ill-thought-out plan that was hatched at the last minute. CPS approved in June the closure of 49 elementary schools and a high school program." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChicago ‘Safe Passage’ routes put to test amid more shootings

‘The U.S. effect’: Researchers encouraged to report exaggerated or eye-catching results

"Scientists who study human behaviour are more likely than average to report exaggerated or eye-catching results if they are based in the United States, according to an analysis of more than 1,000 research papers in psychiatry and genetics. This bias could be due to the research culture in the US, authors of the analysis said, which tends to preferentially reward scientists for the novelty and immediate impact of a piece of work over the quality or its long-term contribution to the field. One of the authors said that there was intense competition in the US for research funds and, subsequently, pressure to report novel findings in prestigious, high-impact scientific journals." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘The U.S. effect’: Researchers encouraged to report exaggerated or eye-catching results

Military ready to act over Syria says U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel

"US officials said Washington wanted to cultivate military ties with Malaysia and other governments in Southeast Asia to ensure stability in the region and to encourage a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. China’s assertive stance over the waterway has raised concerns in Washington. Beijing claims virtually all of the South China Sea and has stoked rising concern among rival claimants, particularly the Philippines, of a gradual takeover of disputed islets. The Pentagon is offering help to Southeast Asian countries with ships, aerial reconnaissance, joint training and other initiatives as they try to better monitor their coastal waters." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMilitary ready to act over Syria says U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel

Al-Qaeda ‘targeting European rail network’: report

"Al-Qaeda is plotting attacks on Europe’s high-speed rail network, German mass circulation daily Bild reported, citing intelligence sources. The extremist group could plant explosives on trains and tunnels or sabotage tracks and electrical cabling, said Bild. Bild said the information came from the National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States, which had listened in to a conference call involving top Al-Qaeda operatives. The attacks on Europe’s rail network was a 'central topic' of this call, Bild said. Authorities in Germany have responded to the threat with discrete measures such as deploying plain-clothed police officers at key stations and on main routes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAl-Qaeda ‘targeting European rail network’: report

Thousands of hungry and scared Syrian refugees enter Iraq

"Faced with brutal violence and soaring prices, thousands of Syrian Kurds have poured into Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, seeking respite from privation and fighting between Kurdish fighters and jihadists. Government forces pulled out of most Kurdish-majority areas of northern and northeastern Syria last year, leaving Kurdish groups to run their own affairs. But Al-Qaeda loyalists, who have played a significant role in the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, see the region as a vital link to fellow jihadists in Iraq and have been locked in deadly fighting with Kurdish militia in recent months. More than 1.9 million Syrians have fled their homeland, with most in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThousands of hungry and scared Syrian refugees enter Iraq

American al Qaeda militant urges attacks on U.S. diplomats

"An American al Qaeda militant has called for more attacks on Western diplomats in the Arab world, praising the killers of the U.S. ambassador to Libya on September 11 last year, a U.S.-based monitoring group said on Sunday. Adam Gadahn, a California-born convert to Islam with a $1 million U.S. price on his head, appealed to wealthy Muslims to offer militants rewards to kill ambassadors in the region, citing bounty set for killing the U.S. ambassador to Yemen, Washington-based SITE monitoring group said. The Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda last year offered 3 kg (106 ounces) of gold for the killing of the U.S. ambassador in Sanaa or 5 million rials ($23,350) for an American soldier." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerican al Qaeda militant urges attacks on U.S. diplomats