Middle East

Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri says U.S. behind coup against Mohamed Morsi

"The head of al-Qaida has accused the US of overthrowing the former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, but also said he was responsible for his own downfall by for trying to appease Washington. Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian, said Morsi, who was deposed in a coup on 3 July, was targeted for being an Islamist by a conspiracy of secularists, Coptic Christians, and Egypt’s 'Americanised' army. But in his 15-minute internet audio message posted online on Friday, Zawahiri condemned Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood for having 'tried its best to satisfy America and the secularists' by relinquishing jihad, usually defined by al-Qaida to mean armed struggle." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAl-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri says U.S. behind coup against Mohamed Morsi

Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri says U.S. behind coup against Mohamed Morsi

"The head of al-Qaida has accused the US of overthrowing the former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, but also said he was responsible for his own downfall by for trying to appease Washington. Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian, said Morsi, who was deposed in a coup on 3 July, was targeted for being an Islamist by a conspiracy of secularists, Coptic Christians, and Egypt’s 'Americanised' army. But in his 15-minute internet audio message posted online on Friday, Zawahiri condemned Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood for having 'tried its best to satisfy America and the secularists' by relinquishing jihad, usually defined by al-Qaida to mean armed struggle." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAl-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri says U.S. behind coup against Mohamed Morsi

Pepe Escobar: Manning guilty; war criminals on the loose

"In a show trial/kangaroo court with an American twist, worthy of the Cultural Revolution in 1960s China, Bradley Manning was predictably found guilty of multiple counts of violating the Espionage Act. If only Walter Benjamin were alive to see the Angel of History once again throwing one of his trademark lightning bolts of irony; Manning was pronounced guilty of being a spy - by a Pentagon judge - just next door to Spy Central, the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: Manning guilty; war criminals on the loose

Pepe Escobar: Manning guilty; war criminals on the loose

"In a show trial/kangaroo court with an American twist, worthy of the Cultural Revolution in 1960s China, Bradley Manning was predictably found guilty of multiple counts of violating the Espionage Act. If only Walter Benjamin were alive to see the Angel of History once again throwing one of his trademark lightning bolts of irony; Manning was pronounced guilty of being a spy - by a Pentagon judge - just next door to Spy Central, the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: Manning guilty; war criminals on the loose

Gold imports jump 102% in Pakistan; ban imposed

"Following the Indian government’s decision to discourage gold import by imposing 8% duties, buyers have reportedly shifted to Pakistan where the precious metal is allowed to be imported duty free since 2001. An official handout by Pakistan's Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, has noted that there have been serious apprehensions that the duty free import of gold is being abused by unscrupulous elements." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGold imports jump 102% in Pakistan; ban imposed

U.S. gives seal of approval to Egypt’s new leaders

"Supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi prepared for confrontation on Friday, and the United States said Egypt’s military had been 'restoring democracy' when it drove him from office. Thousands were gathered in two Muslim Brotherhood camps in Cairo, defying warnings from the new army-backed government to abandon their protest or face action from security forces. Mursi, an Islamist who became Egypt’s first freely-elected president in June 2011, had faced weeks of street demonstrations against his rule. The turmoil has left Egypt more polarized than at any time since U.S.-backed autocrat Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. gives seal of approval to Egypt’s new leaders

Al-Qaeda Backers Found With U.S. Contracts in Afghanistan

"Supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan have been getting U.S. military contracts, and American officials are citing 'due process rights' as a reason not to cancel the agreements, according to an independent agency monitoring spending. The U.S. Army Suspension and Debarment Office has declined to act in 43 such cases, John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said today. 'I am deeply troubled that the U.S. military can pursue, attack, and even kill terrorists and their supporters, but that some in the U.S. government believe we cannot prevent these same people from receiving a government contract,' Sopko said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAl-Qaeda Backers Found With U.S. Contracts in Afghanistan

Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack

"Four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in the assault by armed militants last September 11 in eastern Libya. Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret. Since January, some CIA operatives involved in the agency's missions in Libya, have been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency's workings. The goal of the questioning, according to sources, is to find out if anyone is talking to the media or Congress." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingExclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack

It is capitalism, not democracy, that the Arab world needs most

"Hernando de Soto, a Peruvian economist, travelled to Egypt to investigate the causes of the Arab Spring. His team of researchers found that Bouazizi had inspired 60 similar cases of self-immolation, including five in Egypt, almost all of which had been overlooked by the press. The narrative of a 1989-style revolution in hope of regime change seemed so compelling to foreigners that there was little appetite for further explanation. But de Soto’s team tracked down those who survived their suicide attempts, and the bereaved families. Time and again, they found the same story: this was a protest for the basic freedom to own and acquire ras el mel, or capital." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIt is capitalism, not democracy, that the Arab world needs most

BTCTurk becomes the first Turkish lira-to-bitcoin exchange

"We’ve recently reported the rise of bitcoin in Iran, Afghanistan and Israel, but now another country has jumped on the digital currency bandwagon – Turkey. BTCTurk launched earlier this month, becoming the first company to enable the exchange of Turkish lira for bitcoin and vice versa. Emre Kenci, CTO of BTCTurk, said he and his colleagues started to develop the company in January 2013 having watched interest in bitcoin increase across the globe. Kenci said there are currently no laws in Turkey that specifically regulate bitcoin, but BTCTurk operates to the same know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering policies that are compulsory for banks in the country." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBTCTurk becomes the first Turkish lira-to-bitcoin exchange