Middle East

Baghdad cafe bombing kills 27 ahead of elections

"The bombing comes ahead of provincial elections on Saturday in which an estimated 13.8 million Iraqis are eligible to vote for more than 8,000 candidates, with 378 seats being contested. Diplomats have raised questions over the credibility of the vote, however, as a spike in violence has left at least 14 candidates dead and a third of the country’s provinces are not even taking part, including two where authorities say security cannot be guaranteed. Thursday’s bombing struck at 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) in the mostly-Sunni Amriyah neighbourhood and also wounded more than 50 people, security and medical officials said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBaghdad cafe bombing kills 27 ahead of elections

Kerry blames Iran for attack on Iraq camp

"US Secretary of State John Kerry blamed the Iranian government for a deadly attack on an opposition camp in Iraq, and voiced fears of another assault. 'We are deeply engaged in this. I am very concerned about the potential of another attack,' Kerry told US lawmakers when asked about the February attack on a camp housing members of an exiled Iranian dissident group, the MEK. The People’s Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK) has accused Tehran of being behind the rocket and mortar attack on Camp Liberty, a former US military base near Baghdad housing about 3,000 members of the MEK, in which seven people died." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKerry blames Iran for attack on Iraq camp

Israeli police head to US to aid in Boston Marathon bombing investigation

"The investigation into Monday’s deadly bombing at the Boston Marathon has officially gone international: law enforcement officials from Israel have been sent to the United States to assist in the probe. Israel Police Chief Yohanan Danino says he has dispatched officials to Boston, Massachusetts, where they will meet with Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and other authorities, the Times of Israel Reports." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIsraeli police head to US to aid in Boston Marathon bombing investigation

For Pakistanis It’s A Boston Marathon Bombing Nearly Everyday

"What a terrible and senseless tragedy. I can’t let myself think about it for too long without welling up inside. While my timing in saying what I’m about to say may seem harsh to some, now is the only time to make this point. For the people of Pakistan the Boston Marathon bombing happens nearly every day. Sometimes it’s a lesser bomb and fewer people are killed or injured. Sometimes it’s a much larger bomb like one example that left nearly seventy children dead at one time (that’s about three times the loss of children that happened in Sandy Hook). Can you imagine?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFor Pakistanis It’s A Boston Marathon Bombing Nearly Everyday

Is the Boston Bombing the “Moral Equivalent” of Drone Strikes?

"While Obama demands justice in the Boston bombing, he is silent about his own role in setting off bombs in overseas countries. If the U.S. drones have killed about 4,700 people abroad, then we are talking about something that dwarfs the horror of what happened at Boston. I am not speaking of tit-for-tat. However, I am sure that the horror that people in Muslim countries experience at a drone strike is every bit as awful as what people experienced in Boston yesterday. I do not believe that we are free to denounce the evil at Boston and cheer on the evil our government perpetrates overseas. We must denounce both or risk being the worst hypocrites on the planet." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs the Boston Bombing the “Moral Equivalent” of Drone Strikes?

Leaked report: Nearly half of US drone strikes in Pakistan not against al-Qaeda

"A trove of leaked classified reports has confirmed what many had suspected – US drone kills in Pakistan are not the precision strikes against top-level al-Qaeda terrorists they are portrayed as by the Obama administration. Instead, many of the attacks are aimed at suspected low-level tribal militants, who may pose no direct danger to the United States – and for many there appears to be little evidence to justify the assassinations. The statistics illustrate the breadth of the US ‘drone doctrine’ – which has never been defined by consecutive US administrations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLeaked report: Nearly half of US drone strikes in Pakistan not against al-Qaeda

NATO air strike kills 10 children in Afghanistan

"A NATO air attack in eastern Afghanistan has killed 10 children, officials said Sunday, the latest case of civilian casualties which provoke great anger in the war-torn country. The children were killed during a joint Afghan-NATO operation in the Shigal district of restive Kunar province bordering Pakistan late on Saturday. An Afghan official involved in the operation who did not want to be named said air support was called in after local and coalition forces came under attack, resulting in the death of an American and injuries to several Afghan soldiers. The official said the force did not know there were women and children in the houses that were hit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNATO air strike kills 10 children in Afghanistan

Glenn Greenwald: The message sent by America’s invisible victims

"The most propagandistic aspect of the US War on Terror has been, and remains, that its victims are rendered invisible and voiceless. They are almost never named by newspapers. They and their surviving family members are virtually never heard from on television. The Bush and Obama DOJs have collaborated with federal judges to ensure that even those who everyone admits are completely innocent have no access to American courts and thus no means of having their stories heard or their rights vindicated. Radical secrecy theories and escalating attacks on whistleblowers push these victims further into the dark." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: The message sent by America’s invisible victims

Iranian dairy company unveils five-ton ice cream tub to break world record

"An Iranian dairy company unveiled a five-ton tub of chocolate ice cream in Tehran on Monday in a bid to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records. The company, Choopan, put the giant tub, which is more than two metres (6.5 feet) wide and 1.60 metres (5.2 feet) tall on display at a ski resort in the foothills of Tochal, just north of the capital, where over 10,000 people came to see it. Representatives of the Guinness Book of World Records did witness the record attempt in Tehran, but could not speak to the media for 'security reasons,' the company's CEO said. The current record is held by American ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIranian dairy company unveils five-ton ice cream tub to break world record

Iran: One question fifty answers (English Captions)

"Iranian graphic artist Ali Molavi asked 50 people in Tehran: 'What's your wish for today?' At first timid, they answered candidly, reflecting the passions, problems and politics in Iran today. Their wishes ranged from buying a motorcycle, being reborn, to finding a good job. One man wanted 'all the inflation and high prices to go away.' Another wished for Iran to 'move towards peace and understanding with other countries. One woman did not have any wishes. 'They have not left any room for us to dream anymore,' she said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIran: One question fifty answers (English Captions)