US wants 9 permanent bases in Afghanistan after 2014 ISAF withdrawal
As US and other NATO troops begin to withdraw from the country by 2014, Washington is in talks with Karzai’s government to allow the US Military to retain a residual presence. The size of the force has not yet been determined, but could number between 2,500 and 12,000, according to US officials. The stated aim [...]
$26mln for excess kids: China’s top director probed for having seven kids instead of one
Family planning authorities in the eastern city of Wuxi, where Zhang’s wife lives, are preparing a report and will release it soon, Xinhua agency said. Online rumors surfaced earlier that 61-year-old Zhang might have a total of seven children: three with his current spouse actress Chen Ting, three with two other women and a daughter [...]
‘Our homeland defense system failed’ – Congress holds first hearing on Boston bombing
Authorities attribute three casualties and more than 260 injuries to a pair of ethnic Chechens brothers accused of detonating explosives near the finish line of the Boston Marathon last month in the state of Massachusetts. But as investigators learn that the Tsarnaev family raised international red flags in the years before the April 15 tragedy, [...]
US sending $100mln aid package to Syria
US Secretary of State John F. Kerry announced the new aid during his visit to Rome on Thursday, detailing that the funds will be used to support 1.4 million Syrian refugees that have been displaced during the civil war. Much of the aid will be given to countries that are now home to refugee camps, [...]
US anti-terror policy 'creates hundreds of new enemies'
Arguably the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam believes the US authorities greatly underestimate the tribal nature of most of the Muslim societies in their war on terror. RT: Post 9/11 the US has been all over the map chasing terrorists. But then you see terror growing right here in the US in a well-educated [...]
Her Majesty's annual gothic horror movie
In this tradition, elected MPs in the House of Commons are ‘summoned’ to the House of Lords to hear the Queen announcing the government’s forthcoming plans. But a lone voice has broken the silence to challenge the feudal juggernaut that is Queen Elizabeth II’s unelected authority. Left-wing Labour MP Dennis Skinner, ‘the beast of Bolsover,’ [...]
Monsanto protests scheduled in 36 countries
Amid growing concerns over St. Louis, Missouri-based Monsanto and the impact the company is having on agriculture, activists have planned rallies for later this month in 36 countries. Monsanto, a titan of the emerging biotech industry, has come under attack from environmentalists, agriculturalists and average consumers over the company’s conduct in the realm of genetically-modified [...]
Colorado lawmakers approve regulation and tax bills for legal marijuana
If signed by the governor, these bills will take major steps toward completing the legalization process within Colorado. In November, voters there passed an amendment to the state constitution that essentially legalized the personal use of marijuana, making it one of the first states in the nation to do so. “The adoption of these bills [...]
Hezbollah to accept Syria arms ‘to break power balance’ with Israel – Nasrallah
Nasrallah made a TV appearance after Israeli warplanes reportedly launched strikes within Syrian territory on Friday and Sunday. In carrying out the attacks, Israeli fighters flew over Lebanon and allegedly fired air-to-ground weapons at their targets. The airstrike were targeting Iranian-supplied missiles that were en route to Hezbollah, anonymous Israeli officials later told media, a [...]
US Congress seeks to block Iran’s access to foreign reserves
The legislation backed by a bipartisan group of US senators seeks to block Iran’s access to an estimated $60-$100 billion in foreign exchange reserves currently held in foreign bank accounts. According to Washington lawmakers Teheran taps the reserves held in banks around the world to get around US and EU sanctions on oil sales that [...]