Middle East

The United States Should Quit Meddling in Egypt

"Liberal demonstrations have claimed that the Obama administration had supported the Brotherhood and its former President Mohamed Morsi. Yet the Brotherhood has claimed that despite the U.S. government’s neutral rhetoric during the latest crisis—calling on all sides to rein in violence from their supporters—American diplomats secretly pressured the Brotherhood to resign itself to Morsi’s ouster by the Egyptian military, re-enter the political process, and thus legitimate the coup. Both sides are correct. How can this be?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe United States Should Quit Meddling in Egypt

Britain is exporting arms to human rights violators: report

"Britain has issued export licences worth £12 billion ($18 billion, 14 billion euros) for the sale of military equipment to states deemed possible rights violators including Syria, Iran and China, lawmakers said Wednesday. The countries for which licences have been issued include Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Belarus and Zimbawe, the Committees on Arms Export Controls of parliament’s lower House of Commons said. The countries with the largest numbers of licences include China with 1,163 licences worth £1.4 billion, Saudi Arabia with 417 licences worth £1.8 billion, and Israel and the Palestinian Territories with 381 licences worth £7.8 billion." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritain is exporting arms to human rights violators: report

Afghani accused of murdering and torturing civilian blames U.S. commanders

"He blamed the murders on three Americans, whom he named as Dave, Hagen and Chris, and whom he said were fluent in Afghanistan’s two main languages Dari and Pashto. 'I was simply a low-rank translator and did not have authorisation to roam around inside the base, or (go) to interrogation sections,' the report quoted Kandahari as saying. He did admit to 'slapping' and 'kicking' the detainee allegedly shown in the video reportedly obtained by Afghan intelligence agents, according to the report. US investigations have found 'no credible evidence' to substantiate any allegations of abuse by either NATO or US forces, a military spokesman told AFP on Tuesday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfghani accused of murdering and torturing civilian blames U.S. commanders

Unemployment crisis in Italy hits immigrants the worst

"Immigrants are being hit harder than Italians by the country’s unemployment crisis, a new report showed Monday, saying the figures were 'extremely worrying' and could lead to 'major social destabilisation'. The report said the number of unemployed foreigners in the country was currently 385,000 — up from 220,000 at the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008. The report also outlined the importance of immigrants in Italian society and said those who did work were often stuck in low-skill and low-pay jobs. Without migrants, Italian demographic growth would be zero and the population would be ageing at a faster rate, according to the report.." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUnemployment crisis in Italy hits immigrants the worst

Christie accepts $4.5M donation from United Arab Emirates for Sandy relief

"The United Arab Emirates Embassy has donated $4.5 million to the Hurricane Sandy relief organization founded by Gov. Chris Christie’s wife to upgrade computer technology for schools in areas hardest hit by the storm. The money will be divided among 30 schools in nine school districts most affected by Sandy to upgrade their computer technology and position them for the new statewide standardized testing to start in the spring of 2015. The announcement was made Monday by Christie, his wife Mary Pat and Yousef Al Otaiba, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United States, at the Highlands Elementary School, one of the recipients of the funding." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChristie accepts $4.5M donation from United Arab Emirates for Sandy relief

A Citizens Protest Movement Builds in Kuwait

"'Bedoun,' literally 'without,' are stateless people, without citizenship and without the right to education, health care and other civil rights held by Kuwaiti citizens. There are more than 100,000 of these stateless people living a life without rights in Kuwait, most of them because they or their relatives didn't bother to get the necessary documents when the State of Kuwait was established in 1961. After all, they likely reasoned, things had gone just fine for centuries without such documentation. The Bedoun, the non-citizens, were the first in Kuwait to take to the streets demanding equality and dignity, concurrent with the Arab Spring." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Citizens Protest Movement Builds in Kuwait

Seven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

"The clashes in the heart of Cairo and in adjacent Giza were the first to rock the Egyptian capital since dozens of Morsi supporters were shot dead outside an elite army barracks early last week. They came just hours after Under Secretary of State Bill Burns — the most senior US official to visit since the army toppled the elected Islamist president on July 3 — appealed for an end to the violence rocking the Arab world’s most populous nation. Thousands of Morsi supporters had poured onto the streets after the iftar meal with which Muslims break their daytime fast during the holy month of Ramadan, to demand the reinstatement of the ousted president." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

Seven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

"The clashes in the heart of Cairo and in adjacent Giza were the first to rock the Egyptian capital since dozens of Morsi supporters were shot dead outside an elite army barracks early last week. They came just hours after Under Secretary of State Bill Burns — the most senior US official to visit since the army toppled the elected Islamist president on July 3 — appealed for an end to the violence rocking the Arab world’s most populous nation. Thousands of Morsi supporters had poured onto the streets after the iftar meal with which Muslims break their daytime fast during the holy month of Ramadan, to demand the reinstatement of the ousted president." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeven killed, 261 wounded in Cairo clashes over military coup

A ‘disposition matrix’ system is now generating Obama’s secret kill list

"Since the Obama administration largely shut down the CIA’s rendition programme, choosing instead to dispose of its enemies in drone attacks, those individuals who are being nominated for killing have been discussed at a weekly counter-terrorism meeting at the White House situation room that has become known as Terror Tuesday. Barack Obama, in the chair and wishing to be seen as a restraining influence, agrees the final schedule of names. Once details of these meetings began to emerge it was not long before the media began talking of 'kill lists'. Before long the term disposition matrix was born." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA ‘disposition matrix’ system is now generating Obama’s secret kill list

Judge Napolitano: President Obama Puts Politics Above the Rule of Law

"What's going on? What we have is a runaway government, dismissive of the Constitution it has sworn to uphold, contemptuous of the law it is required to enforce and driven by its own values of maximum control and minimum personal freedom. And we have a Congress supine enough to let this happen, as well as a judiciary so tangled in its own arcane procedures that immeasurable human freedom will be destroyed and Obama out of office before any meaningful judicial review can be had. Is this the rule of law? What shall we do about it?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge Napolitano: President Obama Puts Politics Above the Rule of Law