Middle East

Senator highlights U.S.-backed war crimes in unauthorized Yemen war

"The brutal war in Yemen has killed well over 10,000 people since Saudi Arabia began bombing the country in 2015, but in recent months cholera has been killing people much faster than bombs. Saudi Arabia, led by its headstrong Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is hoping to use disease and starvation to force the country to surrender to its terms, a strategy that is on its face a war crime. Murphy’s comments came a day after the House of Representatives voted 366-30 to passing a non-binding resolution that said the U.S. role in the war had not been authorized by Congress."

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U.S. Spent $5.6 Trillion On Wars In The Middle East And Asia: Study

"The U.S. has been fighting in and bombing several countries in the Middle East and Asia for 16 years. According to a new study, all that war has cost the U.S. taxpayers $5.6 trillion, which is over three times what the Pentagon estimates."

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Saudis withdraw from US-backed starvation blockade in Yemen

"As children in war-torn Yemen continue to face severe malnutrition and a deadly cholera outbreak, Saudi Arabia has agreed to reopen air and sea ports following a week-long blockade. The Saudi-led coalition, which is backed by the US, launched an aerial campaign against Shiite Houthi rebels in March 2015, and later began a ground operation. The coalition is allied to Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who fled to Saudi Arabia when the Houthis took power in Yemen. According to the latest UN figures, the conflict has so far led to the deaths of over 5,000 civilians. More than 8,500 people have been injured in the ongoing fighting."

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Leaked Cable Confirms Israeli-Saudi Coordination To Provoke War

"The classified embassy cable, written in Hebrew, constitutes the first formal evidence proving that the Saudis and Israelis are deliberately coordinating to escalate the situation in the Middle East. As is already well-known, the Saudi and Israeli common cause against perceived Iranian influence and expansion in places like Syria, Lebanon and Iraq of late has led the historic bitter enemies down a pragmatic path of unspoken cooperation as both seem to have placed the break up of the so-called 'Shia crescent' as their primary policy goal in the region."

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Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive

"In 2016, Alwaleed bin Talal, an influential Saudi prince called for an 'urgent' end to the ban, saying it is a matter not just of rights but economic necessity. He also detailed the 'economic costs' of women having to rely on private drivers or taxis, since public transit is not a viable alternative in the kingdom. Using foreign drivers drains billions of dollars from the Saudi economy, Alwaleed said. He calculated that families spend an average of $1,000 a month on a driver, money that otherwise could help household income at a time when many are making do with less."

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Duty, Honor, Atrocity: George W. Bush Receives West Point Character Award

"In George W. Bush’s home state of Texas, if you are an ordinary citizen found guilty of capital murder, the mandatory sentence is either life in prison or the death penalty. If, however, you are a former president of the United States responsible for initiating two illegal wars of aggression, which killed 7,000 U.S. servicemen and at least 210,000 civilians, displaced more than 10 million people from their homes, condoned torture, initiated a global drone assassination campaign, and imprisoned people for years without substantive evidence or trial in Guantanamo Bay, the punishment evidently is to be given the Thayer Award at West Point."

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Saudi Arabia intercepts ballistic missile near capital Riyadh

"The Saudi air force shot down the alleged weapon on Saturday, Al Arabiya reports, adding that no damage has been caused. The missile was allegedly aimed at the King Khalid International Airport. Yemeni Houthi forces have claimed responsibility for the attempted strike, Al Jazeera reported, citing a spokesman for the rebels. A missile with a range of more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) was launched toward Riyadh late Saturday, having flown more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) over the border."

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Saudi King Purges Billionaire Prince Bin Talal, Dozens Of Others

"Prominent billionaire, member of the royal Saudi family, and one of the biggest shareholders of Citi, News Corp. and Twitter - not to mention frequent CNBC guest - Al-Waleed bin Talal, along with ten senior princes, and some 38 ministers, has been arrested for corruption and money laundering charges on orders from the new anti-corruption committee headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while Royal princes’ private planes have been grounded."

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French Gov’t Has Paid Out Nearly $600,000 To ISIS Fighters In Syria

"Jihadis have claimed unemployment benefits and family allowance for years while living in Syria. Over the past five years, some 500,000 euros ($583,200) have gone directly from the French taxpayers to the terror group, according to the report. Other European countries have uncovered similar problems. Close to every person who left Sweden to fight for terror groups in the Middle East received welfare, according to a government report."

Continue ReadingFrench Gov’t Has Paid Out Nearly $600,000 To ISIS Fighters In Syria