Hard News
Turkish forces kill 80 Kurds in air strikes:
TURKISH
armed forces have killed more than 80 Kurdish militants near the
border with Iran and Iraq over the past week, as an offensive involving
air strikes and several thousand ground troops intensifies.
12 Afghans killed in roadside bombing in southern province:
"A
vehicle touched off a roadside bomb at around 2 p.m. local time in
Goband area of Gereshk district and the powerful blast killed 12
innocent civilians," spokesman Daud Ahmadi told Xinhua.
Three NATO soldiers killed in southern Afghanistan:
At
least three NATO service members were killed following roadside bomb
explosion and militants attack in southern Afghanistan on Friday.
2 US Marines Killed in Attack on Base in Afghanistan:
A
spokesman for the militant group said Saturday the attack was in
response to a film produced in the United States that insults the
Prophet Muhammad, and because Britain's Prince Harry is serving at the
base.
Two NATO soldiers killed by gunman thought to be Afghan police officer:
A man
thought to be an Afghan policeman killed two NATO soldiers in southern
Afghanistan's Helmand Profince on Saturday before he was himself shot
dead, security and coalition officials said.
Assad says ready to cooperate with Brahimi :
"(The
Syrian government will) cooperate with all sincere efforts to solve the
crisis, so long as the efforts are neutral and independent," President
Al-Assad said in a statement following his meeting with international
peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.
Assad calls for dialogue among Syrians: state TV:
"The
success of political action is dependent on putting pressure on the
countries that finance and train the terrorists, and which bring weapons
into Syria, until they stop doing so."
Largest Shipload of Libyan Weapons Heading to Armed Groups in Syria :
"A
Libyan ship carrying the largest consignment of weapons for Syria...has
docked in Turkey," said The Times in an article published on Friday.
Hezbollah hails Pope's Lebanon visit as 'extraordinary and historic':
Nearly
40 per cent of Lebanon's four million people are Christian, making it
the most Christian nation in the Middle East. Lebanese authorities have
imposed strict security measures, suspending weapons permits except
for politicians' bodyguards and confining the visit to central Lebanon
and the northern Christian areas.
Tunisia death toll rises to four in U.S. embassy attack:
The
death toll from Friday's attack on the U.S. embassy in Tunis, provoked
by a film that mocks the Prophet Mohammed, rose to four, with 46 people
injured, a hospital official said.
Qaeda says Benghazi attack 'revenge' for leader's death:
"The
uprising of our people in Libya, Egypt and Yemen against America and
its embassies is a sign to notify the United States that its war is not
directed against groups and organisations ... but against the Islamic
nation that has rebelled against injustice."
Islamist militia braces for reprisals as Libyan anger mounts over US deaths:
The
black flag of the Islamist Ansar al-Sharia militia continued to flutter
over its base in downtown Benghazi, but the garrison was nervous,
braced for reprisals after the killing of the US ambassador to Libya on
Tuesday night.
Ansar Al-Sharia to be disbanded "by force if necessary" :
Ansar
Al-Sharia, the militant group believed to be behind Tuesday's fatal
attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi, is to be disbanded, by force if
necessary, a reliable source close to Prime Minister-elect Mustafa
Abushagur has told the Libya Herald.
Libyan officials: U.S. drones behind airport closure:
U.S.
drones hovered over the eastern city of Benghazi on Friday and militia
forces fired toward the crafts, prompting authorities to close the
airport for several hours for fear a commercial aircraft could be hit,
Libyan officials said.
Anti-American violence sweeps across Muslim world:
In
all, there were protests in at least 23 nations, stretching from
Morocco to Indonesia and from London to Mogadishu, Somalia. At least
seven people died from the violence.
Australian police tear gas anti-US demonstrators in Sydney :
Police
in Sydney, Australia, fired tear gas at protesters staging a
demonstration against the anti-Islam film that has sparked mass public
outrage across the Arab world.
Pentagon prepares to drop the hammer on anti-US Muslim riots?:
"We
have to be prepared in the event that these demonstrations get out of
control," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a Friday interview
with Foreign Policy.
Thierry Meyssan: Blasphemy as a Tactic: Op-Ed :
The U.S. Ambassador was not merely a diplomat but was functioning as Governor, as the de facto head of state.
Inside the Islamophobic-Religious Right Alliance Whose Film Sparked a Crisis in the Middle East:
An
alliance of Egyptian Coptic Christians, right-wing American Christians
and anti-Muslim activists is behind the "Innocence of Muslims" film.
L.A. sheriff: Federal probation officers interview man linked to anti-Islamic movie:
Nakoula
Basseley Nakoula, 55, was interviewed at the department's Los Cerritos
station near his home, Sheriff's Deputy Don said. Walker said Nakoula
traveled voluntarily in a squad car with deputies.
Glenn Greenwald: US media angrily marvels at the lack of Muslim gratitude: Op-Ed :
NBC News, along with a leading US newspaper, insist that Egyptians should be grateful to the US for having 'freed' them
Robert Fisk: The forgotten massacre:
Thirty
years after 1,700 Palestinians were killed at the Sabra and Chatila
refugee camps, Robert Fisk revisits the killing fields
US, Allies Set to Launch Anti-Mine Naval Exercises:
The
United States and more than two dozen allies are gearing up for the
largest naval exercise ever in the Middle East focused on countering the
threat of anti-ship mines. A wary Iran says it will be watching
closely.
Romney's foreign policy: An ideology that dare not speak its name:
The Romney campaign does not dispute that Mitt Romney is a neoconservative, it just refuses to say the word neoconservative.
Mitt Romney's foreign policy advisers include Bush veterans and academics:
Republican candidate's team of 40-plus conservative counsellors includes a few familiar faces from the George W Bush years
Is police brutality getting worse?: Video -
Civil
rights groups are demanding federal investigators look into cases of
excessive police force and brutality. Questionable arrests, caught on
video, are putting into questions the old police motto of "to serve and
protect,"but communities are fighting back
More Americans opting out of banking system:
Released
Wednesday, the study found that 821,000 households opted out of the
banking system from 2009 to 2011 and that the so-called unbanked
population grew to 8.2 percent of U.S. households.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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