Middle East

We Love You – Iran & Israel

"I don't even know you. No Iranian ever did me no harm. I never even met an Iranian...Just one in Paris in a museum. Nice dude. My name is Ronny, I'm 41 years old. I'm a father, a teacher, a Graphic Designer. I'm an Israeli citizen and I need your help. Lately, in the news, we've been hearing about a war coming while we, the people are sitting, watching like it has nothing to do with us. On March 15th, I posted a poster on Facebook. The message was simple. Iranians. We love you. We will never bomb your country." Continue reading →

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Christianity ‘close to extinction’ in Middle East

"The report, entitled Christianophobia, highlights a fear among oppressive regimes that Christianity is a 'Western creed' which can be used to undermine them. State hostility towards Christianity is particularly rife in China, where more Christians are imprisoned than in any other country in the world, according to the report. It claims George Bush’s use of the word 'crusade' after the September 11 attacks on New York created the impression for Muslims in the Middle East of a 'Christian assault on the Muslim world'." Continue reading →

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UN Takes on Al Qaeda in Mali

"War and more war. There are plenty of questions about the legitimacy of what is about to occur. It all begins with the Tuaregs, a blue-daubed fierce tribe of warriors who are part of the larger Berber peoples that were recognized by the UN in the 1990s as legitimate claimants of the northern African Maghreb that spans Tunisia, Libya, Niger and Algeria. After the destabilization of Libya, a Tuareg rebellion took place throughout the African Maghreb and also destabilized parts of Mali. What is evident is that the fighting between secularist Tuaregs and Islamic Tuaregs has now resolved itself in favor the Islamic factions. And this is supposedly the reason for the UN involvement." Continue reading →

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Tajikistan orders Twitter ban

"Tajikistan has ordered local Internet providers to block Twitter, one of more than 100 sites including popular Russian-language social networks starting next week. 'The (government) communications service has sent Internet companies a huge list of 131 sites that must be blocked in the country from Monday,' said Asomiddin Atoyev, the head of the Tajik association of Internet providers. The Central Asian country bordering Afghanistan lifted only this month a ban on Facebook. The state-run service said it blocked Facebook because of a 'deluge of lies' and 'insults to the head of state and government members.'" Continue reading →

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Thousands protest in Bahrain seeking PM’s ouster

"Thousands of Shiite protesters in Bahrain Saturday demanded a transition government and the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who has been premier since 1974, witnesses said. They said the demonstrators marched in the village of Diya near the capital Manama, chanting 'Resign, Khalifa!' and waving Bahraini flags. Since February last year, Bahrain has been shaken by opposition protests that the authorities accuse of being exploited by Shiite Iran across the Gulf. At least 80 people have died since the start of the unrest in February 2011, according to the International Federation of Human Rights." Continue reading →

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The £240million private jet with a Turkish bath, boardroom and concert hall

"When you have £16billion in the bank, a Cessna is simply not an option. Instead, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud is about to take delivery of an Airbus A380, the world’s biggest private jet. The same model is used by Singapore Airlines and Emirates and can fly 800 passengers 8,000 miles before refuelling. But the Saudi prince doesn’t need 800 seats, so he will have them removed to make room for an opulent, marble-finished Turkish bath and a parking space for his Rolls-Royce. The Western-educated prince, 57, is known as the Warren Buffett of the Middle East because of his reputation as a shrewd investor. He also owns 7 per cent of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation." Continue reading →

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The Hidden Cost of Oil

"Prior to its $130 billion social-spending spree, Saudi Arabia needed oil prices somewhere north of $70 to balance the kingdom’s budget, according to the International Monetary Fund. Now the per-barrel cost is reportedly approaching $100. Russia needs something close to $120. Social costs also play a similarly large role in Bahrain, Kuwait, Venezuela, Iran and elsewhere, where oil revenue accounts for up to 90% of domestic income. The United Arab Emirates, for instance, needs oil prices in the $85 range to balance a budget larded with social programs. Tiny Bahrain needs about $119." Continue reading →

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An Afghan Mystery: Why Are Large Shipments of Gold Leaving the Country?

"Without knowledge of how much gold is leaving, it is impossible to calculate the value of the trade. But airport security forms that cover the last two weeks of October indicate about 560 pounds, worth about $14 million, were carried by hand out of Afghanistan during that period. That is a princely sum in one of the world’s 10 poorest countries. But it is perhaps a measure of the current state of affairs in Afghanistan that seemingly no one — not Afghan bank regulators, not American investigators of illicit financing, not European economic experts — found it particularly surprising that gold appears to have joined bank notes in the skies over Afghanistan." Continue reading →

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The Woes of an American Drone Operator

"A soldier sets out to graduate at the top of his class. He succeeds, and he becomes a drone pilot working with a special unit of the United States Air Force in New Mexico. He kills dozens of people. But then, one day, he realizes that he can't do it anymore. For more than five years, Brandon Bryant worked in an oblong, windowless container about the size of a trailer, where the air-conditioning was kept at 63 degrees Fahrenheit and, for security reasons, the door couldn't be opened. Bryant and his coworkers sat in front of 14 computer monitors and four keyboards. When Bryant pressed a button in New Mexico, someone died on the other side of the world." Continue reading →

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Double Tap Drones: What Has Happened to the United States?

"NYU student Josh Begley is tweeting every reported U.S. drone strike since 2002, and the feed highlights a disturbing tactic employed by the U.S. that is widely considered a war crime. Known as the 'double tap,' the tactic involves bombing a target multiple times in relatively quick succession, meaning that the second strike often hits first responders. A 2007 report by the Homeland Security Institute called double taps a 'favorite tactic of Hamas' and the FBI considers it a tactic employed by terrorists. The reports featured on @dronestream clearly document that U.S. hellfire missiles have intentionally targeted funerals and civilian rescuers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDouble Tap Drones: What Has Happened to the United States?