To know and to care are the only
antidotes for ignorance and apathy. – Paul Balles
Intro: Well, this month was different. Big stories took up most of the media space,
and that included Hurricane Sandy, the US
election, the Petreaus affair (nice touch that the FBI spied on the director of
the CIA) and its many complications, then the Gaza assault, followed by the truce. [While
the world focused on Gaza, many more people were
killed in Syria.
Syria
is a huge, huge mess. Iraq
is not doing well either. DR Congo is becoming more of a mess every day. – all of
that missed in the corporate media.] At the end of the month, there was a
seemingly endless discussion about the “fiscal cliff” in our corporate media.
But here are some stories you might have missed:
USA – San Diego’s drone
industry doubles in size. http://www.nctimes.com/news/science/san-diego-s-drone-industry-doubles-in-size/article_81e5b68e-ca71-5a81-8553-3c9603d415ea.html
USA
– The US Navy is now arming drone boats.
USA
– Homeland Security now has underwater drones.
USA
– Obama administration sets out to “codify” drone rules for next
administration. [Since Obama does not care about legislative or judicial
oversight, why would the next President?] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/world/white-house-presses-for-drone-rule-book.html?pagewanted=all
USA
– Record number of people on food stamps in August 2012. PBS has made a
documentary about poor kids in the USA.
USA – The
US government battles Iraq and Afghanistan over detention without charges. The Obama administration fights to spread its
own values on the core, fundamental right of due process. [They are arguing to spread the practice of indefinite
detention without a trial. How far we
have fallen.] http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/20/iraq-afghanistan-daqduq-indefinite-detention
USA
– Militia groups in US grow to more than 1,200.
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/militia-groups-us-grows-more-1200/nTCnJ/
USA
– US
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack strikes again. Food pantries are hurting
while farmers are “selling their crops overseas” at record high prices due to
the drought and higher demand. Of the corn crop, 40% goes to ethanol, 40% to
feed animals and 20% for consumers to eat. In August the UN asked the US to stop
using so much corn for biofuels given world-wide hunger. Vilsack rejected the
notion.
USA – The
US Senate passed a non-binding resolution that backs a quicker withdrawal from Afghanistan.
[Some good news!]
Environment – Are you 28 yet? No? Then you have never seen a
cooler-than-average month. http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/are-you-28-yet-no-you-have-never-experienced-cooler-average-month.html
Environment – For the first time ever, a large tanker has
sailed north through the Arctic on its way from Norway
to Japan,
cutting the travel time by 20 days. Global warming has made this possible.
Jordan
– Protesters called for the downfall of the regime on 11-16-12.
Gaza – Egyptian-brokered
ceasefire between Gaza and Israel collapsed today when Israel launched
a major escalation. In airstrikes almost certainly involving U.S.-made
F-16 warplanes and/or U.S.-made Apache helicopters, Israel’s air force assassinated
Ahmad Jaabari, the longtime military leader of Hamas. 11-14-12 http://www.thenation.com/blog/171265/israel-escalates-gaza-attack-assassination
Gaza – Massive Israeli
bombing of Gaza
started on 11-14-12. Hamas fired rockets
into Israel,
killing three. Israeli bombing killed 27
by the evening of 11-16-12, and seven of them were children. Israel calls up 75,000 Reservists. The
US Senate votes unanimously to support the Israeli attack on Gaza. Also supported by Obama and the US
House of Representatives. As of the morning of 11-19-12, over 100 Palestinians
and 3 Israelis were killed. Twenty four
of the killed Palestinians were children.
Gaza
– Ceasefire is place on 11-21-12. After eight days of attacks, the death toll
is 170 Palestinians and 5 Israelis. 50 of the dead were children.
Gaza – In spite of Hamas’s
support for the Free Syrian Army, Iran
and Hezbollah still express their support during the attack by Israel.
Palestine
– UN General Assembly recognizes the Palestinian state. [More good news!]
Israel – Israel is
attacked by Anonymous. More than 44
million hacking attempts have been made
on Israeli government websites since Wednesday when Israel began its Gaza offensive, according
to Israeli officials. [Israel claims most of these attacks came from
around the world, but the majority were from inside Israel
and occupied Palestine.]
Anonymous said on 11-17-12 that it had taken down or erased the databases of
nearly 700 Israeli private and public websites, including that of the Bank of
Jerusalem finance house. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/19/hackers-target-israeli-websites
Israel –
They authorized the building of 3,000 more settlements after Palestine is recognized as a state at the
UN. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20552391
Israel – Israel and the US are planning to build a $100
million nuclear bunker near Tel Aviv. http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=6580
World – Protests around the world against the Israeli
bombing of Gaza.
Anonymous – They stand with Gaza.
They have attacked Israeli websites in response to an Israeli threat to
turn off telecommunication links in Gaza.
Nigeria
– Massive oil spill by Exxon spreads over 20 miles.
Libya –
Dozens of gunmen have
occupied Libya’s parliament to register their anger over the formation of
the new government. They want some ministers removed who are suspected of
“links to the late Muammar Gaddafi’s regime”. Trucks carrying anti-aircraft
guns are outside Parliament. 11-1-12
Libya - Rival Libya militias battle in streets of Tripoli. 11-4-12
Libya –
The man who led Libya’s
rebel movement at the height of U.S.
and NATO involvement in last year’s uprising has been ordered to face questions
over the assassination of the top rebel army general whose troops helped end
Gadhafi’s regime.
Libya
– Petraeus’s mistress spilled the beans last month in saying that there were
Libyan militiamen being held at the Benghazi CIA compound. The CIA denies
this. [Meanwhile, 22,000 shoulder-held
missiles are still unaccounted for. They
were part of Gaddafi’s weapons. They are reportedly going to Syria and some may have ended up in Gaza.] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/12/petraeus-mistress-may-have-revealed-classified-information-at-denver-speech/#ixzz2C1dnTo3s
Libya –
Libyan security chief assassinated in Benghazi.
The Libyan security chief who led an anti-militia crackdown in the wake of the
killing of the country's US
ambassador has been assassinated in Benghazi,
raising questions about the government's ability to impose the rule of law.
[There is no ‘rule of law’ in a civil war zone.] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/21/libya-security-chief-assassinated-benghazi
Libya –
Petraeus told lawmakers that the agency had secretly assessed that al
Qaida-linked gunman attacked the US
consulate in Benghazi. [November 16] http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/16/174933/petraeus-cia-secrets-cut-from.html#emlnl=McClatchys_10_Best_Read
Libya/Syria – Stolen anti-aircraft missiles from Libya appear to be in Syria. They also showed up in Gaza. http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htada/articles/20121123.aspx
Syria –
Syrian rebels executed at least a half-dozen unarmed government soldiers after
attacks on checkpoints near the town of Saraqeb
in northwest Syria. At least 28 soldiers and five opposition
fighters were killed in the rebel operation, which targeted checkpoints on
roads connecting Saraqeb to Aleppo
and Ariha, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 11-1-12
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/syrian-rebels-reportedly-execute-unarmed-government-soldiers-more-than-two-dozen-others-killed-in-fighting/2012/11/01/460df3fa-2438-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html
Syria – A top U.S. diplomat met into the wee hours Wednesday
with leaders of the Syrian National Council to discuss future coordination with
them, just a week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had chastised them
as being out of touch with the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad
and said the United State no longer would recognize the council as a key player
in the rebellion. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/07/174041/us-diplomat-meets-with-syrian.html
Syria
– GCC recognizes new Syrian opposition forces.
[What could go wrong?]
Syria – Israel shells Syria
after Golan Heights mortar blast for second
day. [Nov 12, 2012]
Syria –
Rebels take villages near Golan Heights.
During a tour of the Golan Heights, Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave a scathing
assessment of Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and said Israel will
remain "vigilant and alert." [But the rebels are not working for
Assad, they are fighting Assad’s forces.] http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j06sEnikg8qvrMhaX75Mv65G8r1g?docId=8881f4673f324d60b3aabc933dd359a6
Syria
– Kurds in disputed town on Turkish border ask Syrian rebels to withdraw.
“Every place the Free Syrian Army controls has been destroyed,” Suleiman
Ismail, a Kurdish National Council representative in Dar Bassiyeh, a
predominantly Kurdish city about 30 miles east of Ras al Ayn. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/14/174668/kurds-in-disputed-town-on-turkish.html
Syria –
Fresh fighting between Kurdish militiamen and Syrian rebels erupted on Tuesday
[November 20] in the northern Syria
town of Ras al-Ain, where dozens have died since
the new front in Syria's
complex civil war opened last week. The
casualties included four Kurdish fighters, a local Kurdish official, and 24
members of the Islamist Al-Nusra Front and Gharba al-Sham rebel
battalions. The Kurdish fighters are
members of the People's Defence Units, the armed wing of the Democratic Union
Party (PYD) which is linked to Turkey's
rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/58675/World/Region/Dozens-die-as-Kurds,-rebels-clash-in-northern-Syri.aspx
Syria –At
least 122 people were killed nationwide on Monday [November 19] in Syria
-- 37 civilians, 28 soldiers and 57 rebels, according to the Observatory, which
relies on a network of activists, lawyers and medics in civilian and military
hospitals. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/58675/World/Region/Dozens-die-as-Kurds,-rebels-clash-in-northern-Syri.aspx
Syria – Turkey made it clear on Thursday [November 15] that
it officially recognized a newly formed rebel coalition as the legitimate
leader of the Syrian people, an important step in the group’s effort to attract
legitimacy and, it hopes, more weapons to bring about the end of President
Assad’s rule. On Monday, members of the
Gulf Cooperation Council — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates,
Oman, Qatar and Kuwait — recognized the group, known as the National Coalition
of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. On Tuesday, France became the first Western country to do so, and
it said it was considering providing arms to the insurgent groups within Syria
that have been engaged in a 20-month-long war with the government that has
claimed nearly 40,000 lives. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/16/world/middleeast/turkey-recognizes-new-syrian-rebel-group-as-legitimate-leader-of-syria.html?_r=0
Syria
– Islamist groups reject opposition coalition. A group of extremist Islamist
factions in Syria has
rejected the country's new opposition coalition, saying in a video statement
they have formed an "Islamic state" in the embattled city of Aleppo to underline that
they want nothing to do with the Western-backed bloc. http://ap.augustachronicle.com/pstories/20121119/1067666484.shtml
Syria –
The Pentagon has told the Obama administration that any military effort to
seize Syria’s
stockpiles of chemical weapons would require upward of 75,000 troops, amid
increasing concern that the militant group Hezbollah has set up small training
camps close to some of the chemical weapons depots, according to senior
American officials. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/16/world/middleeast/pentagon-sees-seizing-syria-chemical-arms-as-vast-task.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Syria –
With Syria’s
eastern oilfields in rebel hands, a brisk business in pirated crude grows. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/21/175299/with-syrias-eastern-oilfields.html#emlnl=Weekly_World_News_Update
Syria
– More than 40,000 people have been killed in 20 months of conflict between
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and those fighting for his overthrow,
a violence monitoring group said on Friday. [November 23] Rami Abdelrahman,
head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said about half the fatalities
were civilians and the other half split about evenly between rebels and
government soldiers. "The figure is likely much higher as the rebels and
the government lie about how many of their forces have died to make it look
like they are winning," Abdelrahman told Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/23/us-syria-crisis-toll-idUSBRE8AM0AN20121123
Syria
– Syrian newspaper named 142 dead foreign fighters. A Syrian newspaper
yesterday published the names of 142 foreign fighters from 18 countries the
regime said were killed alongside rebels in Syria's conflict. "Most are
jihadists who belong to Al Qaeda's network, or who joined it after arriving in Syria,"
the paper reported. http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/syrian-newspaper-names-142-dead-foreign-fighters#ixzz2DUwT1wav
Syria
– Two car bombs killed at least 34 people in a district of Damascus loyal to
President Bashar Assad on Wednesday [November 28] in the deadliest attack on
the Syrian capital in months.
Syria
– Human Rights Watch has accused Syrian rebels of using young boys for
fighting. http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_11_29/Human-Rights-Watch-accuses-Syrian-rebels-of-using-children-for-fighting/
Syria –
Rebels have used surface-to-air missile to strike down two aircraft in northern
Syria. http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/11/29/252393.html
Syria
– Syrian rebel films himself shooting ten unarmed prisoners. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/30/us-syria-crisis-execution-idUSBRE8AT0UI20121130
Syria - Seventeen
young Sunni men from the Lebanese city of Tripoli
were killed in the Syrian border town of Tal
Kalakh, a Lebanese security source and an Islamist
leader said. [It appears they were executed by Syrian forces.] http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-77735-Syria:-17-Lebanese-Sunni-fighters-killed
Mali –
European armies are expected to send up to 400 special forces troops to Mali to join an
African-led mission against Islamists allied to al-Qaeda occupying the
country’s desert north, diplomats said. [Because, of course, the white men are
only going to Africa to help, just like they do
everywhere else in the world. War is coming to Mali, mainly thanks to the Obama
administration.] http://www.punchng.com/business/europe-to-send-400-special-forces-to-mali/
Yemen – US drones hit Yemen a day after Obama wins the
election. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/11/08/yemen-drones-a-day-after-obama-won/
Iran – The
Pentagon says an Iranian military plane fired upon, but did not hit, an unarmed
U.S. drone aircraft a week
ago in what a spokesman said was international airspace over the Persian Gulf. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAN?SECTION=HOME&SITE=AP&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Iran
– US denies visas to Iranian officials for U.N. meeting. [And this is why the
U.N. headquarters should not be in the USA.] http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/17/us-iran-usa-idUSBRE8AG0F320121117
Iraq
– Two Iraqi civilians were killed and three more wounded in a Turkish airstrike
on northern Iraqi Kurdistan targetting Kurdish separatists. [November 7] http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/turkish-airstrike-kills-two-iraqi-civilians-official
Iraq –
Turkish ground forces carried out a two-day cross-border operation targeting
Kurdish militants in northern Iraq
on November 5-6, Turkish media reported on Wednesday. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/7/worldupdates/2012-11-07T135056Z_1_BRE8A61IK_RTROPTT_0_UK-TURKEY-IRAQ-OPERATION&sec=Worldupdates
Iraq – At
least 17 people have been killed and dozens wounded in bombings across Iraq,
on the eve of the Islamic new year and the holy month of Muharram. [Another
source says 19 were killed and over 150 wounded.] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20322400
Iraq –
5.3 million children in Iraq
still deprived of many rights. Child
rights violations across Iraq that need to be addressed include: inadequate
access to and promotion of health services; lack of access to quality
education; violence against children in schools and families; psychological
trauma from years of extreme violence; discrimination; prolonged detention in
juvenile facilities; insufficient attention to the special needs of children
with disabilities and who are not in their family environment; and lack of
access to information and participation in cultural life. While the majority of children in Iraq experience
at least one violation of their fundamental rights, around 1.7 million
children, or 10 per cent of all Iraqi children, have most of their rights
fulfilled. http://www.unicef.org/media/media_66414.html
Iraq –
Two people were killed and 10 others wounded in clashes Friday between Iraqi
soldiers and Kurdish forces in Tuz Khurmato, a town in a disputed area of
northern Iraq, police
officials in Kirkuk and Baghdad told CNN. [There have been several
incidents like this in Iraq
this month, particularly around Kirkuk.]
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/16/world/meast/iraq-violence/index.html
Iraq –
Iraqi Kurds send more troops into standoff with Iraq army. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/iraqi-kurds-send-more-troops-standoff-iraq-army-003235077.html
Iraq
– 29 killed, 126 wounded in eight car bombings.
[November 27] This happened in Kirkuk and
Baghdad. No claim of responsibility, al Qaeda
suspected. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/27/world/meast/iraq-violence/
Iraq – At
least 49 killed and 150 injured in bombs in Hilla and Karbala. [November 29] http://en.trend.az/regions/met/iraq/2093608.html
Pakistan
– Obama victory infuriates Pakistani drone victims.
Pakistan
– At least 36 people killed in string of Pakistan
attacks in the cities of Karachi, Quetta and Rawalpindi.
The attacks in Karachi and Rawalpindi targeted members of the Shia sect.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/11/2012112201551449540.html
Afghanistan
– British soldier killed by insider attack.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/nov/12/soldier-killed-insider-attack-afghanistan
Afghanistan
– Logar, a strategic province that neighbors Kabul and is home to an all-important copper
mine, is increasingly under Taliban control as NATO sources begin to withdraw. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/afghanistan/121120/afghanistan-logar-taliban-withdrawal
Afghanistan
– Daily reports of violence at this blog:
http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/
Cambodia
– US expands counterterrorism assistance in Cambodia in spite of humanr rights
concerns. [The article refers to human
rights concerns about Cambodia’s
leaders; I have more concerns about Obama human rights records.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-expands-counterterrorism-assistance-in-cambodia-in-spite-of-human-rights-concerns/2012/11/15/f2df3de8-2e59-11e2-abff-7d780620a97a_story.html
Bahrain
– Twenty three Bahraini health workers sentenced to prison for treating
Bahraini protesters and taking part in demonstrations. http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=366821
Egypt
– President Morsi has granted himself sweeping new powers. Major protests break out. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20458148
Saudi
Arabia – They implemented an electronic
tracking system for women when they happen to cross a border. A text message goes to their male
“guardians”. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/22/saudi-arabia-implements-electronic-tracking-system-for-women/
Honduras
– US State Department issues
a warning about Honduras to US
travelers. Honduras has become the homicide
capital of the world since the US-supported coup in June 2009. [Thanks, Obama!] http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-22/us/35301421_1_travellers-honduras-exercise-caution
Congo – Congo
once again descends into chaos. Such is the cycle of despair in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo – scene of massacres, of mass rape, of children
forced to fight, of families fleeing in fear again and again, so many sordid
events that rarely make the headlines. It can seem a conflict of crushing
complexity rooted in thorny issues of identity and race, involving murderous
militias with an alphabet of acronyms and savagely exploited by grasping
outsiders. But consider one simple fact: right now, there is the risk of another
round breaking out in the deadliest conflict since the Second World War. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/25/ian-birrell-congo-rwanda-civil-war
Congo – “The resurgent conflict
in the vast African nation of Congo involves several armed groups, at least
two other countries and the minerals [gold, tin, tungsten, copper, coltan and
cobalt] . . . It’s complicated but it boils down to a struggle for wealth,
ethnic animosity and a lack of central government control.” Concise,
clearly-written article on a very complex and tragic situation. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/congo-war-stems-minerals-ethnic-animosity
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