Winning Hearts & Minds

Critics object to Obama nominating ‘Mr. Drone’ John Brennan to CIA head

"The nomination of President Barack Obama’s top counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan to head the CIA has sparked outrage and concern about America’s growing drones programme and its use for targeted killings of suspected Islamic militants. Brennan has been a key architect of drones policy under Obama and many experts believe that the use of the unmanned robot planes in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia is likely to increase if he becomes America’s top spy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCritics object to Obama nominating ‘Mr. Drone’ John Brennan to CIA head

White House wins fight to keep drone killings of Americans secret

"A federal judge issued a 75-page ruling on Wednesday that declares that the US Justice Department does not have a legal obligation to explain the rationale behind killing Americans with targeted drone strikes. United States District Court Judge Colleen McMahon wrote in her finding this week that the Obama administration was largely in the right by rejecting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and The New York Times for materials pertaining to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to execute three US citizens abroad in late 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House wins fight to keep drone killings of Americans secret

Iraq unearths 1,400-year-old gold coins

"Iraqi archaeologists have found 66 gold coins that are at least 1,400 years old, officials said on Monday, adding that they hope to put them on display in Baghdad’s National Museum. Many of Iraq’s archaeological sites have been vandalised and encroached upon in recent decades, but especially in the years following the US-led invasion of 2003. The capital’s National Museum was also looted in its aftermath. At the time, nearly 32,000 pieces were stolen from 12,000 archaeological sites across Iraq, and 15,000 others disappeared from the National Museum in Baghdad, according to official figures." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIraq unearths 1,400-year-old gold coins

Saudis aiding U.S. drone attacks in Yemen: report

"Saudi Arabia has provided fighter jets to assist the United States with its drone strikes against Al-Qaeda targets in Yemen, the London Times reported on Friday. US drones are backing Yemeni forces combating militants of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The group’s Yemen branch is considered by Washington to be the most active and deadliest franchise of the global jihadist network. The Times cited a US intelligence source as saying that 'some of the so-called drone missions are actually Saudi Air Force missions'. US drone attacks in Yemen nearly tripled in 2012 compared to 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSaudis aiding U.S. drone attacks in Yemen: report

Majority of polled Israelis support Palestinian state

"A slender majority of Israelis support the creation of a separate Palestinian state, but do not have high hopes for a peace deal, a survey said on Friday. The survey by daily Israel Hayom asked more than 800 Israelis 'do you support or oppose the idea of two states for two peoples, i.e. the creation of a Palestinian state independent from Israel?' Almost 54 percent said they favoured the idea, and 38 percent rejected it, with the rest refusing to answer. The survey’s margin of error was 3.4 percentage points. More than 54 percent of those surveyed, however, thought a peace deal with the Palestinians was impossible, the study said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMajority of polled Israelis support Palestinian state

Pharma firms paid East German state to test drugs on population

"Major Western pharmaceutical companies carried out tests of medications in the 1980s on patients in communist East Germany, in some cases without the subjects’ knowledge. A newspaper, which examined the documents, reported that more than 50 Western firms had contracts with East Germany’s Health Ministry to carry out a total of 165 medical tests between 1983 and 1989. In exchange, the communist authorities were paid up to 860,000 deutschmarks (around 430,000 euros today or $567,000), according to the report, at a time when East Germany was desperate for hard currency." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPharma firms paid East German state to test drugs on population

America’s Allies Feed Christians to the Dogs

"Andrei Arbashe, a young Syrian Christian, had just gotten married and his wife was about to give birth. He had his life ahead of him. But thanks to the US/Saudi/Qatari/Israeli-supported rebels that was not to be. Instead, as the Australian reports today, he was beheaded by Obama and Hillary's rebels, cut into pieces, and fed to the dogs. His 'crime' was nothing more than his being a Christian whose brother was overheard complaining of the brutality of the rebels. The rebels are also schooling the children in the arts of beheading bound prisoners whose crime is loyalty to the Syrian government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica’s Allies Feed Christians to the Dogs

Obtained ‘Compensation log’ illustrates human cost of Afghan war

"The killing of six members of a family, including a mother and her children, when a rocket overshot a target and hit the compound in which they were living are among the incidents in recent months for which the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has paid out compensation to Afghan civilians. The cases – contained in a log released by the MoD to the Guardian under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act – paint a picture of the ongoing human cost of the conflict ranging from many frequent payments for crop damage caused by operations through to more serious events involving civilians caught up in the war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObtained ‘Compensation log’ illustrates human cost of Afghan war

Another woman arrested for defending herself against the TSA

"A South Korean woman visiting this country and, of course, having no idea that she was required to undergo physical assault as a condition of getting on a plane, was arrested at Orlando International Airport. 39-year-old Hyunjoo Kim was being groped by a TSA agent when she allegedly 'slapped' said agent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother woman arrested for defending herself against the TSA

Evictions Become Focus of Spanish Crisis

"There are now 1.7 million Spanish households in which not a single family member still earns a salary. Nearly 4 million people have lost their jobs since late 2007, when the real estate bubble burst. More than half of those out of work in Spain are now considered to be long-term unemployed. The result is that an increasing number of them can no longer service the loans they took to purchase apartments, houses and commercial space during the boom years prior to the crisis. According to a forecast by the Spanish central bank, the number of foreclosures will increase by another 30 percent in the coming year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEvictions Become Focus of Spanish Crisis