Palestinians deserve an independent and sovereign state and an end to occupation by Israel – Obama
American President Barack Obama confirms the US is committed to creating two independent states, Israel and Palestine, whatever time it takes to reach the goal. Obama stressed direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis is the only way to do so. Obama spoke at a news conference in the West Bank with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud [...]
Thing and a prayer: NASA chief says Earth defenseless in asteroid strike
If an unknown large meteor or asteroid were on a collision course with Earth, NASA chief Charles Bolden told a US House of Representatives Science Committee hearing Tuesday, then praying is all America or anyone else could do. Events in Russia last month have reignited concern about the threat civilization on Earth faces from asteroids. [...]
US B-52s imitate nuclear bombing of North Korea
In a bid to intimidate North Korea and draw attention to the US military’s capabilities, American B-52 bombers – which are capable of carrying out nuclear strikes – are practicing over South Korea. The move is in response to rising tensions after North Korea conducted its third successful nuclear test last month. This month’s first [...]
Cypriot parliament votes against deposit levy
The Cypriot parliament has voted against a revised bank deposit levy. The tax was meant to shave 9.9% off any deposits over €100,000 and has since caused uproar in the country. Thirty six deputies voted against the proposal to tax bank deposits in the 56-member chamber, while 19 abstained. One deputy was not present for [...]
Stop, thief! Run on ATMs in Cyprus as govt mulls savings tax
Panic withdrawals hit Cyprus after officials announced bailout terms viewed as ‘robbery’ by the public, as the UK is reportedly ready to protect British depositors’ savings. The adage ‘the best way to rob a bank is to own a bank’ has perhaps never before held more truth than now. On Saturday, Cypriot deposit-holders got a [...]
Rand Paul lashes out at Obama over NDAA at conservative conference
Fresh off the heels of last week’s sure-to-be-historic filibuster, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) gave a rousing speech at Thursday’s Conservative Political Action Conference that once again ripped into US President Barack Obama. Speaking on day one of the annual CPAC conference near Washington, DC, the libertarian-leaning senator briefly rehashed his arguments from last week’s 13-hour filibuster on [...]
Pentagon creates 13 offensive cyber teams for worldwide attacks
The head of the United States Cyber Command says the US is developing 40 new teams of cyber-agents that will both protect America’s critical infrastructure from hackers and as well as launch attacks against the country’s adversaries. Gen. Keith Alexander, who leads both the Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, told the US Senate [...]
Three-quarters of Americans distrust the government
A new poll shows that 73 percent of Americans distrust the decisions made by the federal government – a number that has been steadily increasing throughout the last two administrations. At its highest point, which occurred during President Obama’s first term, 80 percent of Americans lacked faith in the federal government. While former President George [...]
Sequestration Cuts Medicare Reimbursement Beginning April 1
Newswise — The federal budget sequester went into effect March 1 after a lack of Congressional action to avoid the automatic spending cuts. Effective April 1, Medicare payments to hospitals, doctors, and other health care providers will be reduced by 2%. In the weeks leading up to the March 1 deadline, the Senate twice voted [...]
Freedom of (some) information: US ‘national security’ hampers data access
Despite President Obama’s promise that openness will prevail, America’s government agencies continue to tighten their grip over free public access of state documents, AP reports. Papers are mostly being censored to conform to the security policy. America’s Freedom of Information Act has been increasingly sacrificed for the sake of national security, revealed the latest analyses [...]