Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

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September 14, 2011

How Politicians Get People to Vote Against Their Own Interest A classic example of the technique at work can be found in how the Republican Party manipulated the American people during the sixties. Read More »»

Veterans Today US Ambassador: Support for Israel drives all US policies Gordon Duff Israel and the Vote: Israelis Must Stop Netanyahu Veterans Today Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today's News - September 14, 2011 Robert Rosebrock Historic Press Conference Veterans Today Nurse Served in Vietnam Continues To Serve Proudly at VA

Veterans Today US: Palestinian Children's Art Exhibit Canceled Under Pressure from Local Jewish Groups Ed Mattson Where Does VA Stand Compared to Other Countries? Trowbridge Ford Secret Operations Led to Downfall of Thatcher Government Stephen Lendman Turkey Anti-Israeli Friction Helps Palestinians Gilad Atzmon Gilad Atzmon: Being in Time

Veterans News Now : Top 10 News For Veterans-September 14,2011 Veterans News Now : Fighting drags on near US Embassy in Afghanistan Veterans News Now : American Military Team in Libya, Assesses Reopening U.S. Embassy Veterans News Now : Anthony Hardie Resigns from Wisconsin Veterans Agency Veterans News Now : Passenger cuffed, searched over MIDEASTERN appearance Veterans News Now : Franklin Roosevelt's Statement on Signing Social Security Act Veterans News Now : Seniors See Social Security as Earned Benefits Veterans News Now : Noam Chomsky on Economic Crisis, Military Spending, Rick Perry Destroying Social Security Veterans News Now : Nasal Insulin Spray Shows Promise in Treatment of Alzheimer's Veterans News Now : Statement from Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki on the Jobs Act Veterans News Now : Connecting Disabled Veterans With Golf Enriches Lives at Iowa Event Tom Dillman : Presidential Candidate Ron Paul -A Man Of Values Veterans News Now : Taliban attacks US Embassy, NATO and government buildings in Kabul Veterans News Now : Top 10 News For Veterans-September 13,2011

Economy Editors Picks Health Living Military Politics Vet News WarZone World

Stephen Lendman What Passes for Journalism and Opinion in America On the 10th 9/11 anniversary, a September 9 Washington Post editorial highlights what readers hungry for news and information face. Titled, "Ten years after Sept. 11: The gains outweigh the mistakes," it says: »» Stephen Lendman 9/11: Echoes of the Big Lie During and after 9/11 weekend, duplicitous echoes persist, regurgitating official lies instead of full disclosure. »» Veterans Today Vets Deserve Opportunity, Mullen Tells Miami Audience Navy Adm. Mike Mullen has billed his frequent speaking engagements around the nation as a "Conversation With the Country," and that proved especially fitting as three members of the military community spoke here today. »» Veterans Today Free Flu Shots for Veterans The seasonal flu vaccine is available at the Wilmington VA Medical Center and the Ventnor, Vineland, Cape May, Dover and Georgetown clinics. »» Veterans Today Connecting Disabled Veterans with Golf Enriches Lives at Iowa Event Nearly 240 Veterans with injuries and other disabilities will be in Iowa to participate in the National Veterans TEE (Training, Exposure, and Experience) Tournament Sept. 12-15. »» Veterans Today Patient Aligned Care For Our Veterans A Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) is each Veteran working together with health care professionals to plan for whole-person care and life-long health and wellness. »» Veterans Today U.S. Department of Defense Contract Awards for Sept. 13, 2011 Millennium Engineering and Integration Co., Satellite Beach, Fla., is being awarded a $5,633,738 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, and cost-reimbursable contract to exercise option one for Consolidated Safety Support Contract II, which provides technical engineering for pad safety and launch safety analysis support. »» Jim Fetzer 9/11 Interview with Islamic Republic News Agency (Iran) Among the most interesting of my 9/11 interview requests were three for written replies to their questions, one of which came from the UK, one from a Romanian journalist (based in the US), and one from Iran. »» Veterans Today New Dental Clinic Aids Homeless Veterans Nearly 137,000 Veterans in the United States are homeless. »» Allen L Roland Orwell Was Correct - Ignorance Is Strength Maybe you need to take another hard look at the official 9/11 conspiracy story to fortify your ignorance ~ before you finally succumb to the rapidly emerging and unsettling truth that you have been bamboozled ~ as Orwell predicted. »»

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Information Clearing House Newsletter News You Won't Find On CNN September 14, 2011 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Come On Folks! I Really Need You To Get Behind ICH  You Are Not Alone - Each One Teach One  "We need to take our country back from the avaricious corporatocracy that feeds on the War Economy. The War Machine has our leadership , our Media and our very lives in its pocket. Everywhere health care, education, and fundamental human rights have suffered . We , as Americans and as members of the human race , must place Peace as our primary raison d'etre and begin the movement into an Age where violence is no more." -  Barton Boyce Information Clearing House is one of the webs only truly independent sources of news and opinion.   Without YOUR help it can not continue to exist. We depend on you our readers to fund this website and newsletter.    Please help - Act now! Click the link below Please provide whatever you can- $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100- To Use your debit/credit card or check click here:  http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/support.htm     or if you prefer to send a check or money order, Information Clearing House, PO Box 365 Imperial Beach, CA 91933. USA.   Low income readers: DON'T send money, just encourage others to subscribe.  http://informationclearinghouse.info/subscribe.htm  To all who have assisted in the past. Thank you. Your help is greatly appreciated. Peace and Joy. Tom Feeley === "The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It's a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis." - Harold Pinter, 2005 Nobel Lecture   = "Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." -- Hermann Goering - (1893-1946) Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, President of the Reichstag. April 18, 1946 = "The people never give up their liberties, but under some delusion." -- Edmund Burke - (1729-1797) Irish-born British statesman, parliamentary orator, and political thinker = Take The Pledge "I pledge that if any U.S. troops, contractors, or mercenaries remain in Afghanistan on Thursday, October 6, 2011, as that occupation goes into its 11th year, I will commit to being in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., with others on that day or the days immediately following, for as long as I can, with the intention of making it our Tahrir Square, Cairo, our Madison, Wisconsin, where we will NONVIOLENTLY resist the corporate machine by occupying Freedom Plaza until our resources are invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation. We can do this together. We will be the beginning."   http://october2011.org/welcome   === Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq "1,455,590" Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America's War On Iraq:  4,792  www.icasualties.org/oif/   Number Of  International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan :  2,712 =   Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan Total Cost of Wars Since 2001 $1,249,461,062,005  http://www.costofwar.com/   =      =  Israel is Paying For War On Gaza By Gideon Levy During Hanukkah 2008, Israel attacked Gaza in Operation Cast Lead. Now it is eating the bitter fruit of that operation, which was the turning point in the attitude of the world and the region toward Israel and its belligerent and violent policies.   http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29125.htm  === The September 11 Orgie By Michael Parenti If the authorities really feel as deeply about it as they say, then why don't they launch an investigation of the whole tragedy (not that dog and pony 9/11 commission engineered by George W.)   http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29126.htm  === In Case You Missed It Former U.S General Admits to America Foreign Policy Coup Video Former four star general and NATO commander Wesley Clark talks about the neocon plan to invade seven countries in five years.   http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29129.htm  === The Decline and Fall of the American Middle Class By Paul Harris The ranks of the poor and low-income earners are growing and the rich are doing just fine - and no one is talking about it, much less doing anything about it.   http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29130.htm  === Why Are Some Americans So Shockingly Cruel? By John Thorpe I am embarrassed, saddened, and yes, disgusted, by the behavior and beliefs of the majority of Americans.   http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29127.htm  === Corruption? 5400 Lawmakers Have Become Lobbyists in the Last Decade By Julianne Escobedo Shepherd Lobbyists working for lawmakers working for lobbyists: it's not exactly what the founding fathers had in mind.   http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article29128.htm  === 27 killed in bold attack at U.S. embassy in Kabul: The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan on Wednesday acknowledged the Taliban gained a propaganda victory in a 20-hour assault focused on the U.S. Embassy, which left 27 police, civilians and insurgents dead. But he insisted the attack was not a sign of vulnerability in the Afghan capital.  http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/World/20110914/kabul-attack-embassy-NATO-110914/  === Afghan police 'killers and corrupt': The Age can reveal that only 80 men from Oruzgan province have joined the Afghan Army since 2009, and fewer are joining each year, figures show.  http://bit.ly/oFn6C0  === Spanta hints at US bases in Afghanistan: The United States may set up military bases in Afghanistan after the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement, President Hamid Karzai's national security advisor said on Tuesday.  http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2011/09/13/spanta-hints-us-bases-afghanistan  === Afghan Children Being Sold Into Forced Labor: Endemic poverty in parts of Afghanistan is forcing many poor families to sell their children in order to survive  http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan_children_being_sold_into_forced_labor/24326343.html  === Suspected Taliban kill three Pakistani intelligence officials: Suspected Taliban gunmen ambushed a security vehicle on Wednesday, killing three intelligence officials in Pakistan's north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, police said.  http://bit.ly/qLCsAC  === Blasts across Iraq kill 26, injure 70: Some 26 Iraqis were killed and another 70 were injured, including soldiers, in armed and explosive attacks across western and southern Iraq on Wednesday.  http://bit.ly/r4UVxU  === Clashes kill 12 in "liberated" southern Yemen city: Fighting between the Yemeni army and militants in and around the southern provincial capital of Zinjibar killed at least 12 people on Wednesday, just days after the government declared it had "liberated" the city from Islamist fighters.  http://reut.rs/oxuPcn  === 7 civilians killed in Yemen airstrikes north of capital: Yemeni military airstrikes on anti-government tribesmen killed seven civilians, medical officials said, as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country on Tuesday to protest the latest attempt by their president to evade pressure to step down.  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44504372/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/#.TnD4LVudDzw  === Col Gaddafi 'in Libya and readying forces': "The fight is as far away from the end as the world can imagine. We are still very powerful, our army is still powerful ... we have huge areas of Libya under our control," he said. "We are gathering our forces."  http://bit.ly/orWzTU  === Message from Libyan resistance movement: Video - Moussa Ibrahim Speaks. Gaddafi Army  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIgFtazKVq8&feature=player_embedded#! === Leave now or be killed: Besieged Bani Walid residents told to flee: NTC forces give civilians two days to escape as Gaddafi's detained son Saadi is moved to Niamey, Niger's capital.  http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011913142437846240.html  === Gaddafi Asks U. N. To Defend Sirte From Nato Attacks: Muammar Gaddafi has asked the U.N. Security Council to protect his hometown Sirte, still controlled by loyalist troops, from what he described as NATO's "atrocities"  http://bit.ly/qYJDYI  === Gaddafi UN "message" - can't surrender Libya to colonialism: Moamer Gaddafi said Wednesday in a reported message to the United Nations that his hometown of Sirte was facing "unprecedented destruction and terrorism" from NATO, dpa reported.  http://en.trend.az/regions/met/arabicr/1931832.html  === Revenge Feeds Instability in Libya: Rebels Burn Abandoned Homes in Loyalist Town as a Transitional Government Leader Stands By; 'Tawergha Is No More'  http://on.wsj.com/nc0PnV  === Empty village raises concerns about fate of black Libyans: What happened to the residents of Tawergha appears to be another sign that despite the rebel leadership's pledges that they'll exact no revenge on supporters of deposed dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Libya's new rulers often are dealing harshly with the country's black residents.  http://bit.ly/rhlOJ8  === US envoy in Tripoli praises NTC over security: Jeffrey Feltman says interim leaders are getting Libya's many armed groups under control during visit to capital.  http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/09/2011914132633648113.html  === Syria Blames Gangs as Death Toll Rises: As clashes between the Syrian military and protesters rage, residents continue mourning dead relatives.  http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/09/14/166885.html  === Syrian forces hunt defectors in northern province of Idlib: Syrian security and military forces intensified a house-to-house arrest campaign in the north-western province of Idlib on Wednesday, hunting down army defectors, according to opposition activists.  http://bit.ly/pcxQYJ  === Syrian opposition forms military battalions: In August, the Free Army said it established its first battalion in the northeastern city of Homs, a stronghold of the Sunni insurgency.  http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2011/me_syria1147_09_13.asp  === Why many Syrians still support Assad: Despite deepening international isolation, Mr. Assad's supporters at home are likely to wield significantly more influence over his course going forward.  http://bit.ly/pkJXXF  === Israel fears settlers in West Bank are using terror tactics:  Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence agency, says that Jewish extremists are forming new "terrorist" groups that are deliberately targeting Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, intelligence sources were quoted as saying yesterday.  http://ind.pn/o90hPl  === U.N. experts say Israel's blockade of Gaza illegal:- Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip violates international law, a panel of human rights experts reporting to a U.N. body said on Tuesday, disputing a conclusion reached by a separate U.N. probe into Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.  http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/un-experts-say-israels-blockade-of-gaza-illegal/  === Israel warns PA of harsh consequences: Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has warned of what he calls harsh consequences if the Palestinian Authority goes ahead with its plan to seek UN membership as an independent state.  http://www.presstv.ir/detail/199084.html  === U.S. Scrambles to Avert Palestinian Vote at U.N.: The administration has spent months trying to avoid casting its veto in the Security Council to block membership of a Palestinian state.  http://nyti.ms/nXdHbs  === Israels Useful Idiot: Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen: We must stop Palestinians' 'dangerous scheme':  Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is behind a bill that would cut U.S. funding for UN organizations who support recognition of Palestine as state.  http://bit.ly/r0eVDf  === Erdogan to Abbas: The time has come to wave the Palestinian flag at UN: Turkish PM meets with Palestinian president to discuss international support for Palestinians' UN statehood bid.  http://bit.ly/o9rNCQ  === Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood criticizes Erdogan's call for a secular state: "Do not be wary of secularism. I hope there will be a secular state in Egypt," Erdogan said. He stressed that people have the right to choose whether or not to be religious, adding that he is a Muslim prime minister for a secular state.  http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/09/14/166814.html  === U.S. 'Not Encouraged' by India, South Africa, Brazil at UN: - "Whether in the context of Libya, or Cote d'Ivoire or Sudan even," Rice said, the countries have taken positions "that one might not have anticipated, given that each of them come out of strong and proud democratic traditions."  http://bloom.bg/qkLvoG  === CIA boosts covert operations in Somalia: These operations allegedly include the rendition of suspected jihadists seized in East Africa and spirited to an underground CIA interrogation center in Mogadishu and using mercenaries to train Somali assassination teams to hit al-Shabaab, the main insurgent group and which is linked to al-Qaida.  http://bit.ly/raRVMF  === Paronia in the USA: Racially profiled and cuffed in Detroit: . I thought flying on 9/11 would be easy. - But then armed officers stormed my plane, threw me in handcuffs and locked me up.  http://bit.ly/p377I1  === New York-to-Phoenix Flight Diverted to St. Louis: US Airways flight 457 landed at Lambert Airport just before 8 a.m. after crew became concerned about the activities of three male passengers, all three of whom were Israeli citizens.  http://bit.ly/rhsNP5  === Witness: Suspicious Men on Plane Were Federal Marshals: Meyers said both men were in the bathroom on board the plane for some time and when they were confronted by airport personnel, they identified themselves as federal air marshals. But because they didn't have any paperwork confirming that, they were removed from the plane in handcuffs.  http://bit.ly/orVx30  === Vote on austerity plan sparks clash in Italy: Demonstrators, some armed with smoke bombs, clashed with police in Rome near Parliament on Wednesday night as Italian lawmakers prepared to cast a final vote on a package of new taxes and spending cuts designed to fend off a financial crisis threatening much of Europe.  http://bit.ly/qFnurZ  === Greeks Vow to Rebel Against New 'Monster Tax': The Greek government's new real estate tax, a desperate bid to meet its budget goals and secure fresh foreign aid, will hit the population hard. Greeks have almost their entire wealth invested in property -- and are more worried about the tax than about the prospect of a national insolvency or leaving the euro.  http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,785993,00.html#ref=nlint  === UK unemployment increases to 2.51m: According to the official figures published on Wednesday, the rate of unemployment in Britain has faced its largest increase in nearly two years.  http://www.presstv.ir/detail/199149.html  === UK Unions Plot a Winter of Discontent: Unions Ballot More Than a Million Workers for Biggest General Strike Since 1926  http://bit.ly/oAiTBN  === Decline in U.S. Household Income Raises Stakes for 2012 Presidential Race: US yearly median household income at its lowest level since 1996. No income growth in 15yrs as inequality at 1929 level  http://bloom.bg/q1aEjW  === Maintenance of low wages key to US auto profits: "I was making more money as a door greeter at Wal-Mart than I am now"  http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/sep2011/auto-s13.shtml  === Retail Sales in U.S. "Unexpectedly" Stagnate: Retail sales in the U.S. unexpectedly stagnated in August as a lack of employment and limited income growth restrained demand, highlighting the risk the economy will stall.  http://bloom.bg/qa5fWR  === Why A Working Class Revolt Might Not Be Unthinkable: The loss of 8.75 million payroll jobs since the recession began should be a national emergency. But it's not, and the question is why. Why has deficit reduction taken precedence over job creation?  http://www.antiwar.com/  === The GOP's Genius Plan to Beat Obama in 2012: Republican state legislators in Pennsylvania are pushing a scheme that, if GOPers in other states follow their lead, could cause President Barack Obama to lose the 2012 election-not because of the vote count, but because of new rules. That's not all: there's no legal way for Democrats to stop them.  http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/09/gop-electoral-college-plan-beat-obama-2012  === SAT reading scores fall to lowest level on record: SAT reading scores for the high school class of 2011 were the lowest on record, and combined reading and math scores fell to their lowest point since 1995.  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/14/national/a100251D61.DTL  === "Let us be peace and joy" Tom Feeley

RFE/RL Afghanistan Report 9/14/2011 8:32:39 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Afghanistan. For more stories on Afghanistan, please visit and bookmark our Afghanistan page .

Clash On Afghan-Iranian Border Afghan officials say fighting erupted in western Afghanistan when Iranian security forces crossed the border and opened fire on Afghan border guards. More Attack On Kabul Ends After 20 Hours An assault by Taliban insurgents on the heart of Kabul's diplomatic and military enclave has ended after 20 hours, when security forces killed the last of six attackers, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said. More Religious-Freedom Report Singles Out Iran, Uzbekistan, China The U.S. State Department's "Report on International Religious Freedom" identifies Iran, Uzbekistan, China, and Burma among "countries of particular concern" and says Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan also face significant challenges in securing religious freedom. More Weight Problem Could Squander New Afghan Roads Afghanistan's new roads cost millions to build. Now they're being destroyed by overweight trucks. More Afghan Children Being Sold Into Forced Labor Endemic poverty in parts of Afghanistan is forcing many poor families to sell their children in order to survive. More For Some Returning U.S. Veterans, It's A Hard Road Back America has now been at war for the longest period in its history; nearly 11 years in Afghanistan and more than eight years in Iraq. More The Taliban's Internet Strategy The Taliban once banned photography, movies, and use of the Internet on the grounds that they were all “un-Islamic.” Now, however, the terrorist group’s perspective has radically changed. More Podcast: Remembering 9/11, And Other Days Like It As the world commemorates the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Episode 35 of The Blender explores memory, pain, and consequence, as we examine the lives around the world affected by 9/11 and other tragedies like it. More What If Ahmad Shah Masud, Afghanistan's 'Lion Of Panjshir,' Hadn't Been Killed? People around the world are taking time out this week to ponder how their lives have changed in the 10 years since 9/11. But in Afghanistan, which has felt the brunt of the war on terrorism, some will be remembering the loss of someone closer to home. Just two days before the attacks on the United States, Al-Qaeda assassinated one of the most charismatic and polarizing figures of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. More Counterfeit Dollars Flooding Afghanistan Money-exchange dealers in Kabul say they are concerned by the large amounts of counterfeit foreign money that they say is entering Afghanistan from neighboring countries. More

RFE/RL Iraq Report 9/14/2011 8:31:44 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Iraq

For Some Returning U.S. Veterans, It's A Hard Road Back America has now been at war for the longest period in its history; nearly 11 years in Afghanistan and more than eight years in Iraq. More Iraqi Bill To Expedite Death Sentences A leading member of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's political party said a draft law is being prepared that would make it obligatory for the president to sign death sentences. More Iraq Kurd Leader: U.S. 'Still Needed' The president of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government says U.S. forces will still be needed in Iraq in 2012 and that their absence could lead to a civil war or sectarian conflicts. More Oil Price Pads Iraq Currency Reserves The Iraqi Central Bank has announced a large increase in the country's foreign-currency reserves. More Fires Ravage Baghdad Market Centers Major fires at separate markets in central Baghdad have destroyed many shops and warehouses and caused millions of dollars in damage. More U.S. Says Forces Coordinate With Iraq, Turkey On Rebel Attacks A senior U.S. military official says American forces jointly patrol with the Iraqi Army and Kurdistan Regional Government forces in disputed areas and coordinate with Iraq and Turkey about crossborder attacks by Kurdish rebels. More

RFE/RL Headlines 9/14/2011 8:34:01 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty RFE/RL is looking for guest bloggers, preferably writing from and about our broadcast region. If you're interested, drop us a line at webteam@rferl.org.

Features Tired, Angry, But Determined, Striking Kazakh Oil Workers Say Fight Will Go On Since May, thousands of oil workers in western Kazakhstan have been on strike to protest unfair pay and demand better recognition for local unions. The strike has been largely ignored by the government, but it's raising questions about how long the energy-driven country can overlook its labor unrest. More Economist Says Russia Could Be Safe From Euro Debt Crisis Although a growing debt crisis is rocking Europe and threatening the stability of the eurozone, economics analyst Sergei Seninsky says Russia might be better positioned to weather this storm than it was during the 2008 global financial meltdown. More News Flotation Sinks Belarusian Ruble Belarus is going to let the ruble trade freely, in a move that is expected to amount to this year's second planned currency devaluation. More From Our Bureaus Clash On Afghan-Iranian Border Afghan officials say fighting erupted in western Afghanistan when Iranian security forces crossed the border and opened fire on Afghan border guards. More Belarus Pardons 11 More Protesters Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has pardoned 11 more of the demonstrators jailed for the protests that erupted after the presidential election on December 19, 2010. More Yanukovych Plagued By Plagiarism Claim An influential Austrian writers' association has expressed concern that some parts of a recently published book by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych may have been plagiarized. More Karabakh Says Shot Down Azeri Drone Defense officials of separatist-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh say its forces have for the first time shot down an unmanned Azerbaijani drone that was flying over the disputed region. More Russian Homeowners Launch Protest Hunger Strike Prospective homeowners in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk are demanding apartments or their money back -- and have gone on hunger strike to push their point. More 'Political Amnesty' Talk For Tymoshenko The Ukrainian parliament is to discuss a bill on "political amnesty" for former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko. More Kosovo To Reopen Northern Border Posts Kosovo says it will reopen two border outposts in its Serb-dominated north this week in a move that could reignite tensions that led to deadly clashes in July. More Kyrgyz Presidential Aide 'Murdered' Kyrgyz police say a former top official found dead in a burned-out car two years ago was in fact murdered and that 17 people have been taken into custody in connection with the killing. More Iranian Cultural Figures Call For Release Of Detained Colleagues More than 80 Iranian cultural figures are calling for the release of jailed fellow artists and the review of the verdicts handed down to them. More Armenian Court Rejects Libel Appeal By Opposition Daily Armenia's Court of Cassation has thrown out an appeal by the opposition daily "Haykakan Zhamanak" against a 6 million drams ($16,200) fine imposed on it earlier this year in a defamation case. More Tajikistan To Recognize More Mosques In Dushanbe Tajik officials say that more than 50 structures in Dushanbe will soon be officially registered as mosques. More Kyrgyz Party To Take Leadership Role Away From Founder A Kyrgyz parliamentary party faction has decided to replace longtime leader Feliks Kulov as its leader in the legislature. More Court: Khodorkovsky Detention Illegal The Russian Supreme Court has ruled that the the law was violated when the preliminary detention of former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his deputy was extended. More Moldovan Orthodox Church Rejects UN Official's Comments Moldova's Orthodox Church has criticized a UN official for suggesting it has too much influence in the country. More Transmission Schulz Picked In Euro Parliament's Opaque Process The Socialists & Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament announces that its leader, Germany's Martin Schulz, was unanimously backed by party colleagues for the presidency of the European Parliament. Will calm heads prevail during those negotiations? More Persian Letters 'News Of A Kidnapping' A Hit In Iran After Opposition Leader's Recommendation "If you want to understand my situation, read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 'News of a Kidnapping,'" Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi was quoted as having said in a recent meeting with his daughters. More The NBC Report That Could Have Been Produced By Iranian State TV With the NBC report and his promise to grant the hikers a "unilateral pardon," Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is off to a good start in what appears to be a charm offensive ahead of his New York trip. More