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Al Jazeera Obtains Secret Syria Files

March 19, 2012 by ·

Al Jazeera has gained access to confidential documents prepared for the Syrian president by his intelligence and security chiefs on the conflict raging across the nation.

The files provide an insight into President Bashar al-Assad’s strategy to suppress anti-government protests, including the lengths the government went to for protecting its strongholds.

The documents, running into hundreds of pages, pointed to a government that was desperate to keep control of the capital Damascus and included clear orders to stop protesters from getting into the city. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Documentary, Foreign Policy, News ·

Middle Eastern Press Praises Yemen’s Single-Candidate Election

February 22, 2012 by ·

Yemeni voters have gone to the polls to elect a new president to replace Ali Abdullah Saleh. The only candidate in the election, which comes after a year of anti-government protests, is Vice-President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Press in the Middle East and Gulf region have praised the poll, remarking that most of Yemen’s interest groups have rallied behind Mr Hadi as a consensus candidate who might unite the divided nation.

Newspapers in Iran, however, criticised the election, seeing the hand of America and the West involved in the process, and speculating that a deal is in place to protect former President Saleh. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Documentary, Foreign Policy, Government ·

Iran Says Pre-Emptive Strike On ‘Enemies’ Possible

February 21, 2012 by ·

An Iranian military commander has said Iran would take pre-emptive action against its enemies if it felt its national interests were endangered.

Mohammad Hejazi, deputy head of Iran’s armed forces, made his comments to the Iranian Fars news agency.

Iran is facing mounting international pressure over its controversial nuclear programme.

On Monday it unveiled fresh military exercises in the south that it said was to protect its nuclear sites. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Documentary, Foreign Policy, Government ·

Air Strike Out Of Israel’s Reach, Say Analysts

February 20, 2012 by ·

An attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would test the capabilities of a superpower.

SHOULD Israel decide to strike Iran, its pilots would have to fly more than 1600 kilometres across unfriendly airspace, refuel in the air, fight off Iran’s air defences, attack multiple underground sites simultaneously – and use at least 100 planes.

That is the assessment of US defence officials and military analysts close to the Pentagon, who say an Israeli attack meant to set back Iran’s nuclear program would be a huge and highly complex operation. They describe it as far different to Israel’s ”surgical” strikes on a nuclear reactor in Syria in 2007 and Iraq’s Osirak reactor in 1981. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Documentary, Foreign Policy, Government ·

Is The End Near? Opinions Vary On Mayan Calendar, Doomsday

January 9, 2012 by ·

Have a good New Year’s Eve? Party a bit? Drink too much? First week of 2012 been going pretty well?

Well, enjoy yourself while you can because, if some anonymous and long-deceased Mayan calendar-maker is to be believed, it’s the last new year you’ll ever get.

That’s right: The official countdown to the biggest blowout Ma Earth has ever seen has begun.

Unless, of course, it hasn’t.

Wishy-washy? Sure. And for that, blame a calendar created by the Mayans a few thousand years ago that, some believe, portends all sorts of apocalyptic ugliness happening on or around Dec. 21, 2012. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Change, Documentary, Environment ·

Your 2012 Guide To Surviving The End Of The World

January 8, 2012 by ·

The year 2012 is finally upon us, and December 21 looms on the yearend horizon. At the moment, doomsday believers are already counting down the roughly 350 days left in the Mayan Calendar.

Most people find the 2012 prophecies laughable, but that’s only because the earth, tenacious planet that it is, has managed to survive many doomsdays in the past decade.

People may think of it as an unfulfilled prophecy, but it is actually an incredible feat of survival on the earth’s part. Why, just last year, we’ve survived the apocalypse twice when Harold Camping made his two magnificently mistaken rapture predictions. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Documentary, Ecology, Environment, Facts ·

Dogs Worst Enemy?

May 10, 2011 by ·

America’s sick fascination over the Special Forces gunning down Osama bin Laden included man’s best friend, man’s best friend, that is, according to the mainstream media. But man using canines in times of war actually dates back to 4000 BCE. According to Egyptian wall art, dogs were used in battles. Other ancient civilizations used dogs for war too, mainly to engage the enemy while fighting beside their masters. Dogs were often used to carry messages and human belongings or to serve as sentries. The Corinthians even built a monument in honor of a dog which warned them of an approaching enemy.

Sadly, mankind’s use (abuse?) of dogs did not change during the Age of Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. In fact, some thinkers viewed dogs much like machines. Many dogs were killed as they were trained to run along the front lines so as to draw enemy fire and to reveal the gun positions of opposing forces. Wars in the 20th century witnessed military dog training centers and specialized breeding to produce the ultimate canine warrior. They were gassed, used to blow up tanks (known as suicide dogs) and to detect land mines or booby traps. Dogs also flushed-out enemy snipers and uncovered terrorist bomb materials. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Documentary, Facts, Humanities ·