Jack Serle

Only 4% Of Drone Victims In Pakistan Named As al-Qaeda Members

As the number of US drone strikes in Pakistan hits 400, research by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism finds that fewer than 4% of the people killed have been identified by available records as named members of al Qaeda.

Jack Serle
By Jack Serle

Reports: As the number of US drone strikes in Pakistan hits 400, research by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism finds that fewer than 4% of the people killed have been identified by available records as named members of al Qaeda. This calls in to question US Secretary of State John Kerry’s claim last year that only “confirmed terrorist targets

Read Full Article

More Than 2,400 Dead As Obama’s Drone Campaign Marks Five Years

Five years ago, on January 23 2009, a CIA drone flattened a house in Pakistan’s tribal regions. It was the third day of Barack Obama’s presidency, and this was the new commander-in-chief’s first covert drone strike.

Jack Serle
By Jack Serle
President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks about the fiscal cliff, Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Five years ago, on January 23 2009, a CIA drone flattened a house in Pakistan’s tribal regions. It was the third day of Barack Obama’s presidency, and this was the new commander-in-chief’s first covert drone strike. Initial reports said up to ten militants were killed, including foreign fighters and possibly a ‘high-value target’ – a successful

Read Full Article

Secret US Documents Show Brennan’s ‘No Civilian Drone Deaths’ Claim Was False

U.S. intelligence officials were aware that at least one civilian had died in drone strikes in Pakistan during 2011, despite claims to the contrary made by the man now running the Central Intelligence Agency. In June 2011, John Brennan, at the time President Obama’s chief counter terrorism adviser, stated publicly that for ‘almost a year’ […]

Jack Serle
By Jack Serle

U.S. intelligence officials were aware that at least one civilian had died in drone strikes in Pakistan during 2011, despite claims to the contrary made by the man now running the Central Intelligence Agency. In June 2011, John Brennan, at the time President Obama’s chief counter terrorism adviser, stated publicly that for ‘almost a year’ no

Read Full Article

Update: US Covert Actions In Pakistan, Yemen And Somalia

Two strikes hit Pakistan, ending a month-long pause between attacks. There were no reported U.S. drone strikes in Yemen in March, marking the longest pause between covert attacks in three years. No strikes were again recorded in Somalia. Pakistan March 2013 actions Total CIA strikes in March: 2 Total killed in strikes in March: 2-7, of whom 0 were reportedly civilians All actions 2004 – […]

Jack Serle
By Jack Serle

Two strikes hit Pakistan, ending a month-long pause between attacks. There were no reported U.S. drone strikes in Yemen in March, marking the longest pause between covert attacks in three years. No strikes were again recorded in Somalia. Pakistan March 2013 actions Total CIA strikes in March: 2 Total killed in strikes in March: 2-7, of

Read Full Article

Starbucks: Yet Another Global Company Accused Of Massive Tax Avoidance

Starbucks has paid just £8.6m in UK taxes over the last 14 years according to a special report by Reuters. The news agency also reports that the Seattle firm has paid no income tax whatsoever in the past three years despite reporting sales of £1.2bn and telling investors that its UK arm is profitable. Starbucks is the […]

Jack Serle
By Jack Serle
A coffee cup with the Starbucks Coffee logo. (Photo Yehohanan92 via Flikr)

Starbucks has paid just £8.6m in UK taxes over the last 14 years according to a special report by Reuters. The news agency also reports that the Seattle firm has paid no income tax whatsoever in the past three years despite reporting sales of £1.2bn and telling investors that its UK arm is profitable. Starbucks is the second largest global

Read Full Article

US Rights Groups Demand An End To Solitary Confinement For Children

Children as young as 13 are being placed in solitary confinement for months at a time in US jails, according to a report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union. The report, Growing Up Locked Down documents, for the first time, the widespread use of solitary confinement on youth under the age of 18 in prisons and jails […]

Jack Serle
By Jack Serle
Solitary Confinement

Children as young as 13 are being placed in solitary confinement for months at a time in US jails, according to a report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union. The report, Growing Up Locked Down documents, for the first time, the widespread use of solitary confinement on youth under the age of 18 in prisons and jails

Read Full Article

A Growing Trend: UK Government Spends £2bn On Drones

The British government has spent over £2bn on drones since 2007, according to a new report. Shelling Out, by advocacy group Drone Wars UK, is the first complete assessment of UK government spending on unmanned aircraft. It is built on publicly available data that is buried among mountains of government documents. Drone Wars UK trawled through the […]

Jack Serle
By Jack Serle
In this June 1, 2012 photo provided by Boeing, the new Boeing Phantom Eye unmanned drone, designed to stay airborne for days, travels on its first autonomous flight at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. (AP Photo/Boeing, Robert Ferguson)

The British government has spent over £2bn on drones since 2007, according to a new report. Shelling Out, by advocacy group Drone Wars UK, is the first complete assessment of UK government spending on unmanned aircraft. It is built on publicly available data that is buried among mountains of government documents. Drone Wars UK trawled through

Read Full Article