12 Jun, 2013

The US is behaving like China: Ai Weiwei – The Guardian

Even though we know governments do all kinds of things I was shocked by the information about the US surveillance operation, Prism. To me, it’s abusively using government powers to interfere in individuals’ privacy. This is an important moment for international society to reconsider and protect individual rights. I lived in the United States for […]

12 Jun, 2013

American Jews fund $2.2 million gym for Israel’s Mossad – Haaretz

Each year Friends of the IDF takes in hundreds of millions of dollars from American Jews on behalf of Israeli soldiers. At its last gala dinner in New York, the organization took in $27 million in one evening. The money is used for recreation and the general welfare of IDF soldiers, most of them young […]

11 Jun, 2013

‘More young whistleblowers 2.0 to seek justice through maximum exposure’ — RT Op-Edge

Well, often people who do blow the whistle do try to deal with it in house. I mean certainly we did. You go to your boss and you say “this is wrong”, you say “we should learn from mistakes made” or whatever it is. And they tell you just to shut up, not rock the […]

11 Jun, 2013

Japanese man completes 40,000 km round-the-world walk | The Japan Times

A 32-year-old Japanese man completed his walk around the world Sunday in which he covered around 40,000 km with a two-wheeled cart, returning to Shanghai where he started the journey about four and a half years ago. Masahito Yoshida, from the city of Tottori on the Sea of Japan coast, left Shanghai on New Year’s […]

10 Jun, 2013

4-year-old Indian girl adopted by convicted Israeli paedophile

An Israeli man convicted of sex offences against young children has gained custody of a four-year-old Indian girl through an agreement with a surrogate mother in India, according to a media report. The man legally adopted the child through an agreement with the surrogate Indian mother and under current legislation the Israeli authorities do not […]

10 Jun, 2013

This abuse of the Patriot Act must end | Jim Sensenbrenner | guardian.co.uk

The administration claims authority to sift through details of our private lives because the Patriot Act says that it can. I disagree. I authored the Patriot Act, and this is an abuse of that law. I was the chairman of the House judiciary committee when the US was attacked on 11 September 2001. Five days […]

10 Jun, 2013

Whistleblowers are heroes | Glenn Greenwald | guardian.co.uk

The people who do this are heroes. They are the embodiment of heroism. They do it knowing exactly what is likely to be done to them by the planet’s most powerful government, but they do it regardless. They don’t benefit in any way from these acts. I don’t want to over-simplify: human beings are complex, […]

9 Jun, 2013

Europe Labour Force Survey: Foreigners held 7% of total jobs in the EU27 in 2012

BRUSSELS – In 2012, 15.2 million foreign citizens worked in the EU27, accounting for 7% of total employment. Among these foreign citizens, 6.6 million were citizens of another EU Member State and 8.6 million were citizens of a country outside the EU. In the EU27, the employment rate for citizens of another EU Member State […]

8 Jun, 2013

Former drone operator says he’s haunted by his part in more than 1,600 deaths – Open Channel

A former Air Force drone operator who says he participated in missions that killed more than 1,600 people remembers watching one of the first victims bleed to death. Brandon Bryant says he was sitting in a chair at a Nevada Air Force base operating the camera when his team fired two missiles from their drone […]

8 Jun, 2013

10 Things Americans Underestimate About Our Massive Surveillance State | Alternet

June 7, 2013 | Americans may be upset about the latest revelations in the government’s ability to spy on citizens via their online lives, but no one should be surprised. We’ve underestimated and overlooked many key aspects of the government’s ability to track our lives for years. The bottom line, which resonates most strongly among […]

8 Jun, 2013

Dept. of Homeland Security: Laptops, Phones Can Be Searched Based on Hunches – CBS DC

U.S. border agents should continue to be allowed to search a traveler’s laptop, cellphone or other electronic device and keep copies of any data on them based on no more than a hunch, according to an internal Homeland Security Department study. It contends limiting such searches would prevent the U.S. from detecting child pornographers or […]

7 Jun, 2013

US Soldier: How I killed 16 civilians

US soldier describes how he murdered unarmed women and children in Afghanistan. Read the rest: How I killed 16 civilians.

6 Jun, 2013

Corporate power has turned Britain into a corrupt state | The Guardian

The truth is that parliamentary sleaze merchants are small fry in the corporate lobbying game. Before he became prime minister, Cameron predicted that secret corporate lobbying was “the next big scandal waiting to happen”, adding: “We all know how it works.” As a former lobbyist himself, he certainly did – and still does. Cameron’s own […]

6 Jun, 2013

How to destroy the future | Noam Chomsky | guardian.co.uk

What is the future likely to bring? A reasonable stance might be to try to look at the human species from the outside. So imagine that you’re an extraterrestrial observer who is trying to figure out what’s happening here or, for that matter, imagine you’re an historian 100 years from now – assuming there are […]

6 Jun, 2013

Feeling tired? Blame city living – The Independent

Living in urban areas could have major impact on the biological clocks of humans and animals, a study suggests. City life can be a draining experience compared to living in the countryside. Now scientists have proven its not just humans who are affected. A team of Scottish scientists measured the circadian rhythms, the 24-hour cycle […]

6 Jun, 2013

How to avoid harassment: Chinese Cops tell girls to shun “minimal clothing” – Indian Express

As complaints of sexual harassment of women in public transport increased here, the Beijing Police has warned women against wearing “minimal clothing” like mini skirts or hot pants while travelling in buses and subways. “Women should not wear minimal clothing, such as mini skirts or hot pants when taking public transportation and should call police […]

6 Jun, 2013

Palestinian Christians Surprised To Receive Travel Permits from Israel

Alaa from Beit Jala was surprised like many other Palestinian Christians this week when their local church leaders acquired three-month travel permits that will allow them to visit Jerusalem and Israel, and even stay overnight if they choose to. The permits, however, were not given to all Palestinian Christians. “As part of the easings given […]

6 Jun, 2013

Canadian visa refusal for Palestinian poet overturned after social media campaign

A social media victory is being claimed on behalf of the leading Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan after his visa to enter Canada to attend a prestigious poetry award ceremony – initially denied – was granted on Thursday. Zaqtan was shortlisted for the C$65,000 (£41,000) Griffin poetry prize in April for his 10th collection Like a […]

5 Jun, 2013

The 4 Plagues: Getting a Handle on the Coming Apocalypse | Alternet

June 4, 2013 | Every day, thousands, probably millions of people ask their family, friends, neighbors and colleagues similar and increasingly familiar questions: What has happened to our country? How did we get here? Isn’t it scary? Can anything be done about it? There is an abundance of evidence that there are forces tearing apart […]

4 Jun, 2013

Economic boom has affected air quality in Indian cities – Indian Express

India’s economic development has led to worsening of air quality in major Indian cities, according to a new study published here today. The survey was carried out by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in six major cities Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. The transport sector was ranked the highest followed by factories […]

3 Jun, 2013

The Tables Turn: RT becomes first TV news channel to hit 1 billion views on YouTube

It’s official: RT is the first TV news channel to reach 1 billion views on the video-sharing website YouTube, beating its long-established rivals to the mark. RT is the first dedicated news network to join YouTube’s elite “1 billion club”, dominated by comedy clips, music videos and entertainment shows produced by networks like BBC and […]

2 Jun, 2013

The perils of travelling while Muslim – The World Daily

Is the mere fact that a person prays to Allah grounds for being held at gunpoint, handcuffed and repeatedly harassed while crossing from Canada into the United States? That’s the question a federal judge in Detroit is weighing after hearing arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit filed on behalf of four Muslim Americans in Michigan who […]

31 May, 2013

Minnesota Gives Youth A Voice In Laws That Directly Affect Them

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ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– May 24, 2013 – For the first time in state history, Minnesota youth have an official voice in legislation that affects them directly, through passage of the Minnesota Youth Council Committee Bill on Wednesday, May 22 — part of the education finance omnibus bill. The Minnesota Youth Council draws 72 youth […]

31 May, 2013

Xinhua Commentary: Strengthening of U.S. dollar could weaken most Asian currencies

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SINGAPORE, May 27 (Xinhua) — As the U.S. dollar strengthened further after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke indicated the possibility of scaling back quantitative easing and after discussions among Fed officials of exiting from monetary stimulus during the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting last week were revealed, financial analysts here have predicted that […]

31 May, 2013

Imran wants Nawaz to debut term with strike at drones | DAWN.COM

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has offered public support to prime minister in waiting Nawaz Sharif to stop drone attacks either through negotiations with the US or by force. “The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) should fulfill its responsibility and begin its tenure from this point,” PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry quoted Mr Khan as […]

31 May, 2013

‘The lectures seemed like dharma teachings’ – Hindustan Times

At ISB, I have learned effective ways of management in an organisation, and would tell other monks what those ways are and how they can be attained. Nowadays, many business schools provide good classes in the field of non profit. Particularly in my major, marketing and strategy, electives regarding CRM or marketing services were very […]

31 May, 2013

Indian hotels, cabbies move to address women’s security concerns – Hindustan Times

As fear and caution sweet working women across India with travelling jobs, the nation’s hospitality industry and associated businesses like taxi services have woken up to the security needs of women, with special measures to make their guests and customers feel safer. The concern is based on sound market logic. Career women at all levels […]

31 May, 2013

One-third of Britons are too poor to ‘join in with society’ – The Independent

Just under a third of people in Britain are excluded from mainstream society because they cannot afford to join in cultural activities such as going to the cinema, taking a holiday or buying consumer goods. Research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that the poorest 30 per cent are also prevented from “participating in society” […]

31 May, 2013

Woolwich backlash: Ten attacks on mosques since murder of Drummer Lee Rigby – The Independent

The number of reported Islamophobic attacks since the Woolwich murder has continued to rise dramatically amid warnings from Muslim community leaders that the backlash which has seen attempted firebombings of mosques is being fuelled by far right groups. As participants in an English Defence League (EDL) march in Whitehall were recorded giving Nazi-style salutes, Faith […]

31 May, 2013

Britain’s “Hidden Hungry”: Welfare cuts force 500,000+ people to use food banks, warns Oxfam – The Independent

More than half a million Britons have resorted to using food banks to stave off hunger and destitution, the Government has been warned. Major charities signalled their alarm over a dramatic rise in the nation’s “hidden hungry” – families who are forced to ask for help to feed themselves – because of wage cuts, the […]

30 May, 2013

Unprecedented U.N. Study of Bedouins “Relocated” by Israel Says Their Situation is Unsustainable

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Jerusalem, 28 May 2013, (UNRWA Media release) – The first study of its kind about the transfer against their will of 150 Palestine refugee Bedouin families says that their situation has become socially and economically “non viable”. The joint UNRWA-Bimkom report analyses the consequences of the relocation which started in 1997 in order to expand […]

29 May, 2013

Do CEOs have any shame? They’re Firing Workers and Giving Themselves Raises | Alternet

Author George Packer’s “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America” gets to the bottom of the question. I’m angry at what’s happened to our country and what it’s done to a lot of Americans. I’m angry at the elites who have proved so self-interested and short-sighted that time and again they’ve led us […]

29 May, 2013

The World’s Richest 8% Earn Half of All Planetary Income | Alternet

The lead research economist at the World Bank, Branko Milanovic, will be reporting soon, in the journal Global Policy, the first calculation of global income-inequality, and he has found that the top 8% of global earners are drawing 50% of all of this planet’s income. He notes: “Global inequality is much greater than inequality within […]

28 May, 2013

Silencing the Whistle-Blowers – NYTimes.com

LAST week Pfc. Bradley Manning returned to court for his final pretrial hearing in the WikiLeaks case, an appearance that has renewed debate about how to balance the imperatives of national security against the rights of whistle-blowers. But while Private Manning’s ordeal has received exhaustive news coverage, it may ultimately have a less profound bearing […]

28 May, 2013

Immigration and Border Injustice – NYTimes.com

Those who view fixing immigration as simply a matter of getting tougher on lawbreakers tend to overlook how tough the system already is, an ever-growing web of agents, cops, courts and prisons whose cruelty and deficiencies are appalling. Much attention has focused on the excesses of local law enforcement, exemplified by self-appointed immigration enforcers like […]

28 May, 2013

York mosque counters EDL protest with tea, biscuits and football – guardian.co.uk

A York mosque dealt with a potentially volatile situation after reports that it was going to be the focus of a demonstration organised by a far-right street protest movement – by inviting those taking part in the protest in for tea and biscuits. Around half a dozen people arrived for the protest, promoted online by […]

27 May, 2013

Expats welcome in UAE but should respect local culture | GulfNews.com

With some 85 per cent of the country’s population made up of foreigners, there remain some concerns among UAE nationals about outside cultures’ influence on local language and culture, which is shaped by Arabic and an Islamic-Arab heritage. Emiratis of the old guard as well as the young generation shared their views in a candid […]

27 May, 2013

When can we call a 17-year-old white kid a terrorist? | ArabNews

Yesterday morning I read a news account of a 17-year-old Portland, Oregon, boy who had planned to detonate bombs at his high school to kill as many of his schoolmates as possible. He had detailed plans, a timeline and a variety of explosive devices. Mass murder was his agenda. Here is what Benton County District […]

27 May, 2013

Neo-imperialist U.S. “Experts” Want Middle East to be at perpetual war – Al-Ahram Weekly

Some neo-imperialists in America have long had the Islamic world in their sights. They know that the real problem lies with extremist Muslims, yet their strategies aimed against the Islamic world as a whole are extraordinarily destructive. They regard the source of the problem as radicals who appear in the name of Islam. Unfortunately, they […]

27 May, 2013

Fishermen pay price in Asia’s volatile sea rifts – Manila Bulletin

Large swarms of fishing fleets are getting entangled in an expanding labyrinth of Asian territorial conflicts. The stakes are rising as China and other rival claimants in the South China Sea pour more air, naval and paramilitary forces into the area, increasing the risk of confrontations. Chinese maritime surveillance ships took control of Scarborough, which […]

25 May, 2013

United Airlines refuses to apologize after insulting Chinese passengers – People’s Daily Online

People’s Daily Online reporters did a research about the service ratings of UA. We found that the airline’s services and staffs’ attitudes are extremely poor. And their manner is worst when dealing with Chinese passengers, who are usually timid and reticent when outside of China. A Chinese couple once had an argument with a crew […]

25 May, 2013

WHO: Gaza Patients Await Treatment Permits After Israeli “Security Interviews”

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JERUSALEM, May 23, 2013 (WAFA) – Israeli permit approval rate for Gaza patients during April reached 83%, the lowest since January 2011, reflecting a dramatic increase in delays in responding to applications, said the World Health Organization (WHO) in its monthly report on referral of patients from the Gaza Strip for medical treatment abroad published […]

25 May, 2013

Neo-Nazi Denial in Myanmar: Asia Times Online

Myanmar has a newly registered Nazi party, the Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP), created ceremoniously in the wake of last year’s anti-Muslim ethnic cleansing in western Rakhine State. Naypyidaw has incubated the party, while opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has wined and dined publicly with controversial RNDP leaders, including party chairman and member of […]

25 May, 2013

Island allure: The tax secrets of big business – Sydney Morning Herald

Very few Australians will have heard of Burdekin Investments, one of the thousands of low-profile post-box companies that makes its home at Ugland House, a resort-style office building in George Town, the capital of Caribbean tax haven the Cayman Islands. It keeps a much lower profile than its parent, Australia’s biggest company, Commonwealth Bank, whose […]

23 May, 2013

Prisoners who starved for art honored by Gaza show | The Electronic Intifada

For former Palestinian detainee Abdelfattah Abu Jahil, prison art is a victory. “At the beginning, it was really hard,” he said of painting, embroidery and sculpture during his first detention by Israeli forces in 1983. “It wasn’t allowed. We had to keep it hidden from the guards. And we had to smuggle the tools, like […]

23 May, 2013

Japanese 80-year-old breaks Everest record | Sydney Morning Herald

An 80-year-old Japanese mountain climber who has had four heart surgeries reached the top of Mount Everest on Thursday, becoming the oldest person to conquer the world’s highest mountain. Yuichiro Miura, who took the standard southeast ridge route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay 60 years ago, reached the top of the 8,848 […]

23 May, 2013

Teenagers ‘burdened’ by Facebook are turning to Twitter says new study – The Independent

A new report from the Pew Research Centre in America has shown that teenagers “have waning enthusiasm” for Facebook, and that social-networks are increasingly seen as a burden. The report cited a number of reasons for the decreased enthusiasm in Facebook including an “increasing number of adults on the site” (70 per cent of teenagers […]

21 May, 2013

Where’s all the money gone? Asia Times Online

By David Vine Outside the United States, the Pentagon controls a collection of military bases unprecedented in history. With US troops gone from Iraq and the withdrawal from Afghanistan underway, it’s easy to forget that we probably still have about 1,000 military bases in other peoples’ lands. This giant collection of bases receives remarkably little […]

21 May, 2013

Political dysfunctions spells trouble for democracies – The Washington Post

By E.J. Dionne Jr. We know American politics are dysfunctional. But after a week of scandal obsession during which the nation’s capital and the media virtually ignored the problems most voters care about — jobs, incomes, growth, opportunity, education — it’s worth asking if there is something especially flawed about our democracy. Our circumstances certainly […]

21 May, 2013

How Egypt lost the Suez Canal – Ahram Online

by Wael Gamal When built, the Suez Canal contributed to transforming desert into an economic hub. But capitalist-imperialist schemes prevented Egypt from benefiting from the infrastructure it created. Read the rest:  How Egypt lost the Suez Canal – Opinion – Ahram Online.

21 May, 2013

Pressure and job insecurity felt by UK workers at 20-year high | guardian.co.uk

British workers are feeling less secure and more pressured at work than at any time in the past 20 years, with pay cuts and diminished control over their jobs among the biggest concerns, according to a national survey of employees’ wellbeing. More than 3,000 workers aged between 20 and 60 were interviewed in 2012 for […]

20 May, 2013

Gaza: We will keep coming back – Al-Ahram Weekly

By Bill Dienst I’ve been coming to Gaza for a long time. My first was in 1985 and this is now my seventh trip to the region. In the 1980s, there were no substantial physical barriers between Gaza and Israel. Many Gazans worked as day labourers in Israel and many spoke Hebrew. Group taxis travelled […]

19 May, 2013

Destitute, orphan students outclass rest in Andhra Class 10 exams – Indian Express

POOR, destitute and orphan students from the SC and ST community, studying in schools run by the Andhra Pradesh government’s social welfare department, have performed extremely well in the SSC or class 10 exams this year, beating the general pass percentage and outperforming students tutored in expensive private coaching classes. Results for the 2012-13 academic […]

19 May, 2013

Obama’s media shield law makes prosecuting journalists even easier — RT USA

Now as the White House shifts focus from one scandal to another, free speech advocates are concerned that the shield law, as written, wouldn’t do much more than current legislation in terms of thwarting future subpoenas sent to journalists. Trevor Timm, an activist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a board member of the Freedom […]

19 May, 2013

Heading for America? Prepare for longest US immigration queues ever – The Independent

Welcome to America: now stand in line for three hours. Millions of British holidaymakers and business travellers heading for the US this summer face longer waits than ever to be processed by immigration. Research by The Independent reveals that budget cuts at US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have sharply increased airport queues, with the […]

19 May, 2013

The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act – The Independent

The conscientious objector is a popular trope in any drama touching on the First World War: Downton Abbey, Upstairs Downstairs and more recently The Village have been awash with young men persecuted for their moral stance, the white feathers they were shamed with fluttering about TV screens as if war was a pillow fight. As […]

18 May, 2013

Afghans recall US soldier’s killing rampage – Dawn.com

Masooma said that the soldier returned to the family’s bedroom after killing her husband. She stood in terror. Her children hid under their blankets. The soldier moved slowly and seemed angry. Gesturing to show how he hit her in the arms and shoved her to the ground, Masooma said he then moved toward her son […]

18 May, 2013

‘Unhealthy’ drinking culture among British MPs: Survey – The Times of India

LONDON: Grabbing a drink at one of many parliament bars or pubs down the road is common practice among many UK parliamentarians but now some of them fear this seemingly harmless British pastime may be getting out of hand. A quarter of MPs believe there is an “unhealthy” culture of drinking in parliament, a new […]

18 May, 2013

Arab-American Group Asks “Newseum” to Reinstate Palestinian Journalists in Memorial

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WASHINGTON, May 15, 2013 (WAFA) – An Arab-American organization Tuesday called on Newseum, a Washington-based memorial for fallen journalists, to re-evaluate its decision to remove the names of two Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli airstrike from the list of fallen journalists honored at its memorial. Newseum removed on Monday the names of Mahmoud al-Kumi and […]

18 May, 2013

Palestinian Jobless Rate Hits 27.5% in First Quarter of 2013

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RAMALLAH, May 16, 2013 (WAFA) – The unemployment rate in the Palestinian Territory increased from 26.7% in the fourth quarter of 2012 to 27.5% in the first quarter of 2013, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said Thursday. Using International Labor Organization standards, the number of unemployed persons was 271,000, distributed to 152,000 in […]

16 May, 2013

Don’t Expand the War on Terror – NYTimes.com

One of the most troubling consequences of an open-ended authorization to use force is that it might actually undercut intelligence gathering. Already, key allies are nervous about sharing intelligence with the United States because it might be used in drone strikes; Germany, in fact, restricted information sharing as a result. These concerns would most likely […]

16 May, 2013

‘Recessions can hurt, but austerity kills’ | The Guardian

The austerity programmes administered by western governments in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis were, of course, intended as a remedy, a tough but necessary course of treatment to relieve the symptoms of debts and deficits and to cure recession. But if, David Stuckler says, austerity had been run like a clinical trial, […]

16 May, 2013

EU Group recommends doubling use of buses, coaches & taxis to save lives, cut emissions

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Brussels 15 May 2013, IRU Media Release – The EU public-private Smart Move High Level Group (HLG) presented recommendations on doubling the use of buses, coaches and taxis to save lives and cut carbon emissions, to European Commission Vice President Siim Kallas, at a concluding public debate today at the European Parliament and called on […]

15 May, 2013

Renaming the ‘Arab Spring’ cannot hide American prejudice

(People's Daily Online)

May 11, 2013 – With war scale expanding, death toll increasing, a view that Syrian war has gone to the critical point is spreading. When the attention was concentrated on the changing war situation, some people may have forgotten the tragedy was regard as the extension of the “Arab Spring” at the very beginning. The […]

13 May, 2013

Modern lifestyle causing dementia to strike at early age – Indian Express

Modern lifestyle is causing dementia and other brain diseases to strike at a younger age, with widespread use of computers, mobile phones and chemicals to blame, a new study has found. The latest research has found that the sharp rise of dementia and other neurological deaths in people under 74 cannot be put down to […]

12 May, 2013

American media distortion on Palestine | Veterans News Now

By Alison Weir Thirteen years ago I knew very little about Israel-Palestine. Like most Americans, this seemed to be a distant, confusing conflict that had little to do with me. I was unaware –again, like most Americans – that American taxpayers give Israel over $8 million per day, more than we give to any other […]

12 May, 2013

Why I converted to Islam: Van Doorn

Arnoud Van Doorn, former member of an anti-Islamic party of Netherland has given his reasons for conversion to Islam, and reactions by his co-partisans after his conversion, and Western accusations against Islam and his own recommendations to atheists. The news about the conversion to Islam of Arnoud Van Doorn, former vice-chairman for Geert Wilders, famous […]

10 May, 2013

7 Financial Facts That Will Blow Your Mind | Alternet

Big banks are getting even bigger. As Bloomberg reports, the biggest U.S. banks have gotten even bigger since their risky and criminal behavior helped spark the financial crisis. The number of too-big-to-fail banks is projected to increase by 40 percent over the next 15 years. And consider this: When big banks get help from you […]

10 May, 2013

Here Lies Love — a Broadway play about Imelda and her shoes

Have shoes, will party. Imelda Marcos’ vast collection of shoes takes center stage once again with the world premiere of “Here Lies Love”, a new musical that features music from David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and circles around the shoe-obsessed former First Lady of the Philippines. David Cote of Time Out New York who reviewed […]

9 May, 2013

Did Make-Up Give My Wife Breast Cancer? | Alternet

Through a coalition of health and environmental groups called the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (of which the Breast Cancer Fund is the principal sponsor), the organization has been drawing attention to the fact that known carcinogens—substances like formaldehyde—are used as preservatives in everything from suntan oil to makeup. Kathleen frantically threw out her all her […]

7 May, 2013

Chinese President: China supports Palestinian people

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BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping here on Monday stressed that China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people. Xi and visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held official talks amidst Abbas’s state visit to China. The Palestine issue dominated the talks between Xi and Abbas, the first head of state […]

7 May, 2013

Chinese President makes four-point Proposal for Middle East Settlement

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BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping here on Monday made a four-point proposal for the settlement of the Palestinian question during his talks with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The four-point proposal is as follows: First, the right direction to follow should be an independent Palestinian State and peaceful co-existence of Palestine […]

7 May, 2013

‘Blind Justice’ — TV Ad Campaign Calls For Accountability in Wake of U.S. Prosecutorial Misconduct Pandemic

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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– May 07, 2013  – Blind Justice, the first national nonprofit advocate dedicated to conviction integrity and accountability within the justice system, marks its official formation today with the launch of a national ad campaign calling for prosecutor accountability. The new 501(c)(4) social welfare organization’s television ads will be part of a bigger campaign […]

5 May, 2013

DHS orders checks on all student visas – The Japan Times

WASHINGTON – The Homeland Security Department ordered border agents “effective immediately” to verify that every international student who arrives in the United States has a valid student visa, according to an internal memorandum obtained Friday by AP. The new procedure is the government’s first security change directly related to the Boston bombings. The order from […]

4 May, 2013

Middle East Deadlock: Same Process, No Progress – The Daily Beast

Most observers agree that if the Israeli-Palestinian “peace process” is still alive it is on life support with the plug half hanging out of the socket. Last year’s vote at the United Nations, when most of the world opposed the United States’ position and voted for Palestinian statehood, was an international referendum on U.S. mediation. […]

4 May, 2013

Asia Times Online: Irrational rhetoric fuels illegal wars – Ramzy Baroud

During a talk sponsored by the New American Foundation in March 2008, author Parag Khanna addressed the rising challenges facing the US’s global hegemony. According to Khanna, China and the European Union are the new contenders with the battlefield being a global “geopolitical marketplace”. One remark particularly puzzled this author greatly. “Why am I talking […]

3 May, 2013

Chomsky: The Boston Bombings Gave Americans a Taste of the Terrorism the U.S. Inflicts Abroad Every Day | Alternet

April is usually a cheerful month in New England, with the first signs of spring, and the harsh winter at last receding. Not this year. There are few in Boston who were not touched in some way by the marathon bombings on April 15 and the tense week that followed. Several friends of mine were […]

3 May, 2013

China Bids to Help Israel, Palestinians resume peace talks

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JERUSALEM, April 29 (Xinhua) — Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Wu Sike said here Monday that China is willing to exert efforts for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Wu made the remarks after holding separate meetings in Jerusalem with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni who is […]

2 May, 2013

Reporting of Disasters Pits Social Media Against Traditional Media

By Bai Ping (China Daily)

Beijing, 2013-04-27 – You must have seen the Chinese television journalist who, dressed in full bridal finery complete with a veil, reported the strong earthquake that struck near her town in Sichuan province last week? In a video that went viral on the Internet and appeared on some major international networks as well, Cheng Ying, […]

2 May, 2013

Jewish fanatic settlers launch “price tag” attacks in West Bank

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JERUSALEM, May 1 (Xinhua) — Jewish settlers in the West Bank painted “price tag” graffiti on Palestinian homes and smashed their windows in an apparent “price tag” attack overnight Wednesday, Israeli police confirmed to Xinhua. The Israeli attack was apparently in retaliation for a stabbing incident on Tuesday morning, in which a Palestinian stabbed an […]

2 May, 2013

BDS takes Arab and Western worlds by storm – Ahram Online

A flare-up of protest broke out worldwide over a multinational security firm’s complicity in human rights abuses in Israeli settlements, prisons and checkpoints. Group4Security (G4S), a private British-Danish conglomerate that operates in 125 countries, is the largest private security service provider in the world. It operates in Israel through its largest subsidiary, G4S Israel or […]

2 May, 2013

PressTV – Canada’s slavish obedience to US, Israel

The world is taking note of the ruling Conservatives’ shameful betrayal of Canada’s once admirable reputation as a fair country, sincerely working on the world stage to improve the lot of the disadvantaged and suffering. In the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review, Canada was criticized to such an extent that the Council decided […]

2 May, 2013

Israel Is The Birthright Of Palestinian Refugees, Not Jews From Brooklyn | Desertpeace

As the summer months approach, thousands of young Jews from more than 60 countries prepare to participate in the Taglit-Birthright program. Since 1999, Birthright has brought 340,000 young Jews to Israel on free ten-day trips. In the midst of the fervor to sign up for this bi-annual program, we have launched the website Renounce Birthright […]

1 May, 2013

Billions Proposed for U.S. Border Security. Where Would the Money Go?

U.S. Federal spending on border security is at an all-time high—and it would get even higher under the Gang of Eight’s new plan. The Senate immigration proposal, released last week, would allocate $4.5 billion in the next five years to tighten control of U.S. borders. The U.S. spent nearly $18 billion dollars on immigration enforcement […]

1 May, 2013

The US’s Narrow-Minded Anti-Terrorism Strategy: Blowback and the Cycle of Violence

The United States and the Central Intelligence Agency have never acknowledged the potential for “blowback,” or negative fallout, from their military and covert actions. The Watergate burglary by the veterans of the Bay of Pigs was an obvious example of blowback. CIA’s support for the anti-Soviet mujahideen in the 1980s proved particularly damaging, because the […]

1 May, 2013

Robert Scheer: Google’s Spymasters Are Now Worried About Your Secrets – Truthdig

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal by Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, “The Dark Side of the Digital Revolution,” makes for very scary reading. It is not so much because of what he and co-author Jared Cohen, the director of Google Ideas, have to say about how dictators can use new information technology […]

28 Apr, 2013

I could justify fighting in Afghanistan — until the Boston bombing – The Washington Post

I deployed to Afghanistan believing my presence in that country would help stop attacks such as Boston’s from happening. But instead, my war has spilled over, striking the city where my 22-year-old brother goes to school and where my mom, until recently, felt perfectly safe eating lunch outdoors. The Tsarnaev brothers aren’t the first alleged […]

28 Apr, 2013

Trust in European Union hits record low | Deutsche-Welle

Public confidence in the European Union has hit rock bottom, a recent survey reveals. Since the onset of the euro crisis, Europeans have lost faith in the bloc, even in pro-European countries, like Germany. Jose Ignacio Torreblanca compares the growing skepticism sweeping across Europe to a virus from which no one is able to escape. […]

28 Apr, 2013

We Are in the Middle of a Global Civil War | Alternet

Casino capitalism – aka turbocharged neoliberalism – is ruthlessly destroying the last vestiges of the welfare state and the egalitarian consensus in the industrialized West, possibly with the odd Scandinavian exception. It has established a “New Normal” consensus, intruding into private lives, dominating the political debate and institutionalizing for good the marketization of life itself […]

28 Apr, 2013

Pressure grows for the nation’s housewives – The Japan Times

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s April 19 National Press Club speech about boosting women’s participation in the workforce has been covered extensively in the domestic and foreign media since it signals a sea change in the Liberal Democratic Party’s view of women’s role in society. He said the government will work to increase the number of […]

28 Apr, 2013

Number of elderly workers in 2012 hit record high – The Japan Times

The number of workers aged 60 or above averaged 11.92 million in 2012, setting a record high for the sixth straight year, according to recently released government data. The average number of elderly employees last year increased by 170,000 from 2011, accounting for 19.0 percent of the nation’s total workforce, the Internal Affairs and Communications […]

27 Apr, 2013

U.S. academic nonprofit votes in favor of boycotting Israeli academia | Haaretz

The Association for Asian American Studies voted in favor of boycotting Israeli academic institutions. The academic nonprofit, known by the acronym AAAS, passed the vote last week during its annual conference in Seattle, according to Inside Higher Ed. The resolution calling for a boycott passed unanimously and accused Israeli universities of being complicit in violations […]

27 Apr, 2013

Whose terror, whose pain? – Zillah Eisenstein – Al Jazeera English

Who gets to say what terror”ism” is? Terror and its trauma exists in too many places with too much heartbreak – in wars, random accidents, rapes, bombings and plant explosions; in tsunamis and earthquakes, in mass shootings and gang wars. Terror when an “ism” is always politically loaded. When Obama went on national television to […]

27 Apr, 2013

Judiciary Panel Hears Testimony on Use of Drones – NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — A Yemeni man who studied at an American high school told Congress on Tuesday that a drone strike on his village in Yemen last week terrified his neighbors, turning them against the United States in a way that terrorist propaganda had failed to do. The man, Farea al-Muslimi, said his friends and neighbors […]

27 Apr, 2013

UK to confiscate passports from ‘suspected’ terrorists, criminals, football hooligans — RT News

UK citizens can now be stripped of their passports for “actual or suspected” activities declared to be “contrary to the public interest” without a legal procedure, Conservative Home Secretary Theresa May has announced. Previously, the Home Office could only confiscate passports if a UK citizen engaged in “demonstrably undesirable” acts. The sanction was applied infrequently, […]

27 Apr, 2013

China’s Top leaders see Difficulties, Challenges for Economy

BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) — China’s top leaders on Thursday pointed out difficulties and challenges facing the country, saying macro policies should be stabilized and control over micro segments loosened with better social security measures. The message by the top decision-making body of the Communist Party of China (CPC) came at a special session held […]

27 Apr, 2013

Homework, games limit Chinese kids’ reading

(Shanghai Daily)

April 23, 2013 –  A heavy load of studies and homework is a primary reason hindering local students from reading after school, a report released yesterday by the Youth League’s children and teenager research center showed. More than 1,400 local students in the fourth to the seventh grade were surveyed about their extracurricular reading hours […]

27 Apr, 2013

China: Insisting on Wrong Road, Japan has No Future

Zhong Sheng, People's Daily

April 23, 2013 –  Visit to the Yasukuni Shrine is to revive militarism. It seriously hurts the feelings of the people of Asian countries, and blatantly challenges the current international order. If Japan continues to slide down the wrong road, it has no future. A fox cannot hide its tail. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe […]

27 Apr, 2013

What Responses To Different Tragedies Teach Us About Ourselves – The Daily Beast

Something about the third week of April brings tragedy and bloodshed into American history: Waco, Oklahoma City, Columbine, Virginia Tech. Now Boston and West, Texas, are added to the list. The United States has too many memorials to remember in this short span. But the 2013 version of this week will prove important to reflect […]

26 Apr, 2013

The “Facts” Keep Changing About the Boston Bombings | Alternet

April 25, 2013 | In the aftermath of massive, complicated crimes it’s not uncommon for a bit of crucial information to be immediately put forward by police, only to be contradicted later on. While it’s understandable that initial leads and assertions might end up being wrong in a dynamic situation like the aftermath of the […]