U.S. and the World
NATO Kills Ex-Guantánamo Prisoner…Who Fought against Taliban
A former member of Afghanistan’s defense forces, Sabar Lal Melma was killed recently by NATO troops following his long stint as a detainee in Guantánamo.
At the time of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, Melma was a commander ... read more
Pakistan Government Detains Doctor Who Ran Fake Vaccination Program to Help U.S. Find Osama bin Laden
Dr. Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani doctor who played an instrumental role in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, is currently under arrest without criminal charge in Pakistan.
As part of the secret plan to track down and capture bin Laden, the U.S. wa... read more
35,000 Convicted of Terrorism Since 9/11…But How Many were Really Terrorists?
In the name of stopping political terror since 9/11, governments worldwide have convicted at least 35,000 people. But how many of these individuals were actually terrorists is unclear, due to the efforts of some countries to use anti-terrorism law... read more
WikiLeaks Cable Confirms U.S. Massacre in Iraq
Since the U.S. presence in Iraq began in 2003, the town of Ishaqi twice has suffered civilian massacres, allegedly involving American soldiers.
Five years ago, on March 15, 2006, the town, about 80 miles northwest of Baghdad, made headlines af... read more
First Month with No U.S. Deaths in Iraq Since 2003 Invasion
It took eight years and five months, but the U.S. finally got through a month in Iraq without any soldiers dying.
There are about 48,000 personnel still in Iraq, but not a single one was killed in August, marking the first no-fatality month ... read more
Exxon Exports Fracking to Russia…and Opens Gulf of Mexico to Russians
No shortage of potential controversy and trouble surrounds Exxon Mobil’s latest international oil venture involving a Russian state-run company.
On the surface, this is a story of a U.S.-based company making a deal to extract fossil fuels ab... read more
Inter-American Rights Group Slams U.S. over Domestic Violence
The United States is not doing enough to prevent domestic violence, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
The anti-U.S. ruling by the IACHR, which is part of the Organization of American States, marked the first... read more
State Dept. Aggressively Pushed Genetically-Modified Crops to Help Agribusiness Giants
The latest release of government files from WikiLeaks shows that the State Department has repeatedly pushed foreign governments to approve genetically-engineered crops and promote the international business interests of corporations like Monsanto ... read more
Why Does the U.S. Refuse to Ratify the Hazardous Waste Treaty?
Despite the prevalence of recycling programs throughout the country, the United States has been anything but “green” when it comes to disposing its old computers, cell phones and other electronics. The U.S. government has had two decades to beco... read more
Nokia and Siemens Helping Torture in Bahrain
Being known as a facilitator of secret police and torturers is not ideal branding for any company. But that is the reputation that Germany’s Siemens and Finland’s Nokia are developing, as a result of their partnership that’s provided spy technol... read more
Chinese Government Brags on TV about Cyber Attacks against U.S. Sites
After consistently denying any responsibility for cyber attacks directed at the United States, China aired a television documentary that contradicts the longstanding denials.
On a state-run television program, the documentary about computer ... read more
Almost One-Third of U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Aged 21 or Younger
In eight years of warfare, the Iraq campaign has cost the United States many of its youngest men. Almost 1,300 of the more than 4,400 American troops killed in the Iraq war have been aged 18 to 21. More than half were in the lowest enlisted ranks.... read more
U.S. Uses Global Warming to Lay Claim to 200,000 Square Miles of Arctic Waters
The upside of global warming and the melting of the polar icecap is that the United States may be able to significantly expand its territorial interests at sea.
But that’s assuming other countries near the Arctic Ocean go along with America’... read more
State Dept. Takes Control of Spying in Iraq
Having already spent heavily on security contractors to protect diplomats, the State Department has now taken over a $230 million contract from the U.S. Army for L-3 Communications to conduct intelligence gathering in Iraq.
The transfer was ... read more
Hamas Refuses to Allow Palestinian Teenagers to Study in U.S.
Teenagers from Gaza hoping to study in the U.S. have been forbidden to leave, on orders from Hamas, the elected government of the Gaza Strip.
Eight students were given AMIDEAST scholarships to spend a year in America. But, according to the P... read more
Rupert Murdoch Lawyers Up Big Time…Are Prosecutions on the Horizon?
Based on the large, and expensive, legal team he has assembled, Rupert Murdoch appears to be gearing up for a big legal fight, both in the United Kingdom and the U.S., over the phone-hacking scandal.
According to John Dean, writing in The Gu... read more