Israeli dissent lessens threat of Iran strike
WASHINGTON — The threat of a military attack on Iran's nuclear facilities this year appears to have substantially subsided over the past several weeks as a result of several developments, including the biting criticisms voiced recently by former top national security figures of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense...Women of the world unite for rights
ISTANBUL — The world’s recent financial and political upheavals have not been kind to women. In Libya’s Tripoli, female suicide rates increased tenfold during the revolution, while dismal job prospects have young Greek women abandoning their career aspirations, participants in a global forum on women’s rights said over the...
100th ANNIVERSARY: The Titanic’s untold Arab stories
April 20th, 20120 We have all grown familiar with the story of the Titanic, the passenger liner that sank in the Northern Atlantic in 1912 after hitting an iceberg. This week as the tragedy marked its 100th Anniversary, the stories and accounts from that horrific day that resulted in the deaths of over 1,500 people have resurfaced. What many might not...POLITICAL SCAPEGOATING IN FRANCE
When immigrants become the footballPARIS — Candidates in the French presidential election are coming to use the word ‘immigrant’ like a ball to be kicked around from one side to another, analysts say. “Boot all the immigrants out, and everything will be fine. That’s the seductive and deceptive message from some...
Julian Assange talk show’s surprise first guest: Hassan Nasrallah
April 19th, 20120 BEIRUT — Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah this week appeared on the first broadcast of The World Tomorrow, a talk show hosted by Wikileaks founder and editor Julian Assange on the Kremlin-backed television station Russia Today (RT), the Associated Press wrote. The station described Assange's show as “one of the most...
‘FLYTILLA’ hits Israel
April 19th, 20120 Unwelcome in Israel, activists still make a pointJERUSALEM — That “Welcome to Palestine” isn’t ‘Welcomed to Israel’ couldn’t be clearer. Wishing to land in Israel and to protest the 45-year occupation of Palestine in Bethlehem, most ‘Fly-tilla’ activists were treated by Israel’s authorities as a “strategic...Nuclear talks aim to ease fears of Iran war
ISTANBUL — Major powers will hold their first talks with Iran this week in more than a year, hoping Tehran will give enough ground on its nuclear program to extend negotiations and avert the threat of a Middle East war.Israel has hinted at military action against Iran, arguing time is running out to stop it developing atomic arms;...
Galloway’s stunning win shakes up English political scene
March 31st, 20120 George Galloway's stunning electoral triumph in the Bradford by-election has shaken the petrified world of English politics. It was unexpected, and for that reason the Respect campaign was treated by much of the media (Helen Pidd of the Guardian being an honorable exception) as a loony fringe show. A BBC toady, an obviously...Poll: Opposition to war in Afghanistan grows to 69%
Support for the war is dwindling among Republicans and Democrats, poll findsA new New York Times/CBS News poll shows that support for the U.S. War in Afghanistan has reached an all-time low. The poll, conducted between March 21-25, revealed that of those surveyed, 69 percent opposed the war in Afghanistan. This is up from 53 percent just...Iran says nuclear talks to resume on April 13
TEHRAN — Long-stalled talks between Iran and world powers are to be revived on April 13 at a place yet to be agreed, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced on Wednesday. Erdogan (L) with Iran’s Ahmadinejad."The date has been set, but the negotiations for the venue are still ongoing," Salehi told AFP."Turkey has announced...
Brain damaged Iraq vet is Kandahar slayer?
March 16th, 20120 The death penalty may await the U.S. staff sergeant who slaughtered 16 civilians - mostly women and children - in Afghanistan. The soldier’s name has yet to be released, but new details have surfaced alleging what may have led to this tragedy. U.S.-Afghan Army soldiers interrogate residents during a patrol in Sangum Ghaki Valley in...
Polls show little U.S. popular support for Israeli attack on Iran
March 16th, 20120 WASHINGTON — Amidst persistent speculation over a possible Israeli military attack against Iranian nuclear facilities in the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit here, a detailed new public opinion survey released Tuesday suggests that such a move would enjoy little support in the United States.According to the survey by...
Sarkozy fury over ‘Gaddafi millions for 2007 campaign’
March 16th, 20120 Nicolas Sarkozy lashed out at journalists and rejected claims he took 50 million Euros from Muammar Gaddafi to fund his 2007 presidential campaign before backing an insurgency against him, as documents alleging a money-trail between the two emerged."If he had financed it (the 2007 campaign), then I haven't been very grateful," Sarkozy...Israeli poll on Iran undercuts Netanyahu on eve of major meet
WASHINGTON – Leading up to a critical set of meetings here between top U.S. and Israeli officials, a new survey found little backing among the Israeli public for a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities without Washington's approval.According to the poll, released at a briefing at the Brookings Institution here Wednesday,...Cold war in warm waters: U.S.-China’s dangerous contest for Asia-Pacific
On two occasions in my life I found myself living close to the South China Sea. The sea became my escape from life’s pressing responsibilities. But there is no escaping the fact that the deceptively serene waters are now also grounds for a nascent but real new cold war. China takes the name of the sea very seriously. Its claim......
Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities easier said than done?
February 20th, 20120 WASHINGTON — Despite renewed media speculation regarding possible Israeli attacks against Iran's nuclear facilities as early as this spring, skepticism that such a campaign could actually be successfully carried out remains relatively high, raising the question of whether there is more bark than bite to Israeli threats. Iran's...
U.S. says Russia-China UN veto “disgusting”, “shameful”, “deplorable”, “a travesty” . . . really?
February 10th, 20120 U.S. says Russia-China UN veto "disgusting", "shameful", "deplorable", "a travesty" . . . really?A quick listing of the United States' record of veto use at the United Nation Security Council (UNSC): 1972–2011* Year & resolution vetoed by the U.S. • 1972: Condemns Israel for killing hundreds of people in Syria and......
U.S. official: Mossad hit-squads behind Iran scientists’ murders
Israel’s Mossad trained and financed a terrorist group that carried out a series of Hollywood-style assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, unnamed U.S. officials have revealed. Iran, however, believes the CIA was also sponsoring the killings.Two senior U.S. officials confirmed to NBC that People’s Mujahideen of Iran dissident...
South Africa mulls BDS sanctions on Israel
February 10th, 20120 PRETORIA — South Africa is considering imposing economic and cultural sanctions on Israel as part of the worldwide Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.The country's Minister of Arts and Culture announced at a conference here last week that the government is seeking to increase support for the dispossessed Palestinian...
Russia, China veto UN Security Council resolution on Syria
February 4th, 20120 Russia and China have vetoed the latest UN Security Council resolution on the ongoing violence in Syria because it leaves out sanctions on the opposition alongside those on the Assad government, and leaves out Russian proposals.Moscow says it had no other option but use its veto right, claiming the draft didn't realistically reflect the...Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu wins Likud leadership vote
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has won an election for the leadership of his right-wing Likud party, according to partial results.With 85% of ballots counted, Netanyahu had received 75% of the vote, Israeli media reported."I thank you all for the confidence and renewed support you have given me," Netanyahu said in a......
BBC censors “Free Palestine” lyric in on-air performance
Broadcaster claims that allowing the lyric would have “comprised impartiality”The word “Palestine” was censored in a freestyle performance aired on the 1xtra network in February last year, during which the BBC production staff covered it up with the sound of broken glass according to a report by TheNewStatesman.com. The...
Russia “unwavering” on Syria
February 4th, 20120 Moscow stands firm against Western, Arab League draft on Syria After three days of negotiations on Syria, the UN Security Council failed to persuade Russia, which holds a veto, to back an Arab League plan to try to end the bloodshed in the Middle East nation.The revised draft resolution revealed at the meetings has taken out all......
Top search engine Google to track users like never before
In a move that has triggered outrage, Google has announced plans to bring all data collected from users’ separate accounts on its sites into a combined profile. The announced change has raised myriad questions about the popular search engine's commitment to privacy. The changes will take effect on March 1. Before that date,...
Russia warns against attack as Israel contemplates military action
January 20th, 20120 The Russian foreign minister has warned that a Western military strike against Iran would be "a catastrophe.”Sergei Lavrov said an attack would lead to "large flows" of refugees from Iran and would "fan the flames" of sectarian tension in the Middle East.Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak earlier said any decision on an Israeli attack......
