The Raw Story

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Wednesday, 4 March 2015

Sleepy Hollow redux: Ninth wave of mysterious sleeping sickness strikes Kazakhstan

© RTPeople suffering from the sleeping sickness are diagnosed with various diseases. New cases of the inexplicable disorder, dubbed "Sleepy Hollow," have appeared in Kalachi, the village in Kazakhstan where every tenth villager, including children, has mysteriously fallen asleep in broad daylight, some unable to wake up for days on end.manbek Kalzhanov, head of the administration of Esil district, told Interfax. "According to Kalzhanov, the overall...

Cop shoots and kills little girl's pony

An Oregon family is demanding answers after a Sheriff's deputy shot and killed their pony. The family says they had no idea the officer was going to shoot the family pet, and it all happened without their knowing and for no good reason whatsoever.Crista Fitzgerald of Clackamas County explained that the 30-year-old American Miniature Horse, named Gir, had no problems aside from being old. But when he escaped from his stall in a Molalla barn overnight...

US ally in Libya allegedly joins Islamic State and leads its forces in the country

© AP Photo/ Francois Mori, FileAbdelhakim Belhadj Belhadj, a Libyan national and former head of the al-Qaeda-linked Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, was considered by President Barack Obama's administration and some members of Congress as a "willing partner" in the overthrow of Gaddafi in 2011."Now, it's alleged he is firmly aligned with ISIS and supports the training camps in eastern Libya," Catherine Herridge, chief intelligence correspondent for...

US Ambassador to Cyprus relieved of duty after controversial tweets

The American Ambassador to Cyprus, John Koenig, has been promptly 'relieved of duty' after he posted on his Twitter account what was essentially a clever ploy to link Cyprus President Anastasiades (who recently visited Moscow) to the assassination of Boris Nemtsov.Bonehead move...oh yeah!But considering that John Kerry, America's top diplomat, almost bombed Syria over a fake Youtube video, and sanctions have been placed on Russia over tweets that...

Russian EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov - Gas blockade of Donbass sure sign Kiev no longer sees territory as its own

© ITAR-TASS/Donat SorokinFrom the standpoint of logic the Ukrainian government and Naftogaz are obliged to supply gas to Donbas if they consider this territory as Ukrainian, Russia’s EU envoy says A stop to gas supply to Donbas by Ukraine may be interpreted by all impartial onlookers as a sure sign Kiev no longer regards the area as its territory, Russia's EU envoy said on the eve of trilateral gas talks in Brussels on March 2.The problem of gas...

IMF's Director Batista spills the beans: Greek bailout was 'to save German and French banks'

© keeptalkinggreeceBailout, Executive Director, Greece, IMF, interview, Paulo Nogueira Batista. This was never said officially before! "They gave money to save German and French banks, not Greece," Paolo Batista, one of the Executive Directors of International Monetary Fund told Greek private on Tuesday. Batista strongly criticized not only the euro zone and the European Central Bank but also the IMF and the Fund's managing Director Christine Lagarde...

The Chinese put up overseas billboard ads announcing the renminbi as the new world currency

When I arrived to Bangkok the other day, coming down the motorway from the airport I saw a huge billboard - and it floored me.The billboard was from the Bank of China. It said: "RMB: New Choice; The World Currency"Given that the Bank of China is more than 70% owned by the government of the People's Republic of China, I find this very significant.It means that China is literally advertising its currency overseas, and it's making sure that everyone...

Hysterical society: Colorado 6-year old suspended for pointing his fingers in the shape of a gun

© KRDO A Colorado Springs first-grader was suspended from school after pointing his fingers at a classmate in the shape of a gun.Six-year-old Elijah goes to Stratton Meadows Elementary School. On Monday, he pointed at a classmate in the shape of a gun and said, "You're dead."According to his report, an administrator spoke with him about what being dead means and about not confusing "make-believe" or things in games with reality. And he received...

Winters are going to get colder...much colder - NASA consultant

The Maunder Minimum (also known as the prolonged sunspot minimum) is the name used for the period roughly spanning 1645 to 1715 when sunspots became exceedingly rare, as noted by solar observers of the time.Like the Dalton Minimum and Spörer Minimum, the Maunder Minimum coincided with a period of lower-than-average global temperatures.During one 30-year period within the Maunder Minimum, astronomers observed only about 50 sunspots, as opposed to...

US commander in Europe Ben Hodges looses it: says Vladimir Putin wants to destroy NATO

© AFP 2015/ ATTILA KISBENEDEK The commander of the US army in Europe has spoken out in support of the military relationship with Britain, amid concerns it could be damaged by defence cuts."The US-UK relationship is as important as ever," Lt-Gen. Frederick "Ben" Hodges said. "The UK is our oldest ally and still a leader in NATO. I think the UK will live up to its leadership position."He accused Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, of seeking to...

Funding from U.S. trains Christians for private war on Iraq jihadists

VanDyke, who rose to fame as a foreign fighter backing Libyan rebels against Gathafi, is training Christian volunteers to take on jihadists in Iraq. © www.20min.chAmerican Matthew VanDyke After fighting with rebels in Libya and Syria, Matthew VanDyke has rolled up in northern Iraq, but the celebrity American revolutionary-cum-filmmaker has traded his fatigues for a three-piece suit.VanDyke, who rose to fame as a foreign fighter backing Libyan rebels...

#Gitmo2Chicago: Thousands expected to attend Chicago protest against Homan Square torture site

© AP Photo/ Jeff Roberson The Chicago police department reportedly operates a secret interrogation compound, similar to the CIA's black sites, at the Homan Square warehouse. Practices at the site allegedly include beatings, prolonged shackling and denying detainees legal counsel."I have spoken with several people who have been detained and several attorneys who have represented the detained, so people are coming forward, but the more people who...

US Ambassador to South Korea injured in razor attack

© TWITTER/usembassyseoulMark Lippert US envoy to Seoul Mark Lippert was taken to hospital after the attack that followed a lecture Thursday morning, reported the news agency.Lippert is the United States ambassador to the Republic of Korea. He previously held senior positions in the Department of Defense from May 2012 until September 2014.Televised pictures showed Lippert bleeding heavily. A suspect was arrested, though officials have not made a...

Congressman: U.S. should aim for peace in Ukraine, not to humiliate Russia

© AP Photo/ Lauren Victoria BurkeUS Congressman Dana Rohrabacher The United States should aim to establish peace in Ukraine and not repeatedly to humiliate Russia, US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said on Wednesday."Our goal should be to try to have peace in that part of the world [Ukraine], not to try to humiliate Russia again and again and again," Rohrabacher said during US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's hearing in the US Congress...

More lies please! Polls show Netanyahu's popularity was boosted by US speech

© DesconocidoThe face of terrorism Israeli opinion polls on Wednesday showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a slight boost in popularity after his U.S. speech slamming an emerging nuclear deal with Iran , but he is still running neck and neck with his leading rival in a March 17 election.A survey published by Channel 10 television indicated Netanyahu's Likud party would gaining two seats to 23 compared with what he had a week ago. That would...

In defense of Dr. Willie Soon's humble quest for truth

As a follow up to the statement made yesterday by Dr. Willie Soon, this essay is appropriate. Christopher Monckton of Brenchley answers the campaign of assaults on the reputation of Dr. Willie Soon, an unsalaried astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics - Anthony The recent campaign of concerted assaults on Dr Soon's reputation Recently the Boston Globe, The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, Scientific...

Whitewash: Federal government will not charge Darren Wilson in murder of Michael Brown

© Getty ImagesDarren Wilson Darren Wilson, the white police officer whose fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, led to months of unrest and revived a debate on race and law enforcement in the US, will not face federal criminal charges.The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that after a six-month inquiry it has concluded no civil rights charges should be brought against Wilson for killing Michael Brown. A...
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