| Hard News
Pakistan : 29 Taliban fighters killed at Afghan border:
The
Pakistani military said it killed 29 Taliban fighters on Wednesday, Sept
17, in the final stage of an operation aimed at forcing hundreds of
insurgents back across the border into Afghanistan, Reuters reported.
Blast targets Air Force van in Pakistan; 10 killed:
At
least 10 people were killed and 22 others injured when a Pakistan Air
Force van was targeted with a car bomb on the outskirts of Peshawar
city in the country's restive northwest today, officials said.
Over 1000 Taliban militants attack Afghan police in Kunar:
Heavy
clashes erupted between Afghan police forces and Taliban militant in
Kamdish district of eastern Nuristan province early Wednesday morning.
Suicide blast hit police academy in Herat, 2 killed:
A
heavy explosion took place in western Herat province of Afghanistan
early Wednesday morning after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives
in Adraskan district.
Crocker: Taliban Infiltration Worse Than Estimated:
Taliban
infiltration of the Afghan army and police is much worse than the U.S.
military and NATO have admitted and was the main factor in the
surprise move to limit contacts with Afghan security forces to curb
insider attacks, former ranking U.S. officials in Afghanistan said.
Banned Labour MP Paul Flynn stands by 'Afghan lies' Commons outburst:
Labour
MP Paul Flynn, who was suspended from the Commons for calling the
government liars over the need to keep our troops in Afghanistan, has
refused to back down over the outburst.
Hacked Emails: DEA Told To Back Off From The Brother Of Afghan President Hamid Karzai:
Newly
released internal emails from the U.S. private security firm Stratfor
state that in 2007 the Bush Administration and CIA ordered the Drug
Enforcement Agency to back off a major drug trafficking investigation
of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's half brother.
Attacks in Iraq kill five people:
Militants
assaulted a police station north of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing one
policeman, as four people including two soldiers were shot dead in
other attacks, security and medical officials said.
Clashes break out between PKK militants and Free Syrian Army:
According to the newspaper, eight PKK militants were killed during the clashes.
Turkish Polls Show Waning Support for Ankara's Syria Policy:
A recent opinion poll in Turkey found that only 18 percent of Turks back their government's support for the Syrian opposition.
Syrian rebels: Too fragmented, unruly - Hurriyet:
There
are more than 30 different rebel groups, including the most prominent
rebel group, the "Free Syrian Army" (FSA), fighting in Syria, according
to officials from the most prominent Syrian opposition group, the
Syrian National Council (SNC).
SYRIA - Christians form "popular committees" armed to prevent violence:
The
Christian communities in Syria, after repeated violence suffered by
armed gangs, often jihadist groups, have begun to organize, in
different locations, "popular dissuasive committees", formed by young
armed Christians, who seek to prevent banditry and violence and defend
their neighborhoods.
UK: Syria intervention would need full US backing:
"It
would require intervention on a vastly greater scale than was the case
in Libya, with no prospect at the moment of agreement at the U.N.
Security Council, and would require the full involvement of the United
States," Hague told the committee.
Syrian rebel leader wants Libyan-style Arab initiative:
"We
call on the Arabs to undertake a clear and serious initiative, like the
position they took towards the Libyan revolution," he said after talks
in Doha with Qatari officials.
Amnesty: Indiscriminate government attacks are maiming, terrorizing Syria civilians:
The
Syrian government has carried out indiscriminate air bombardments and
artillery strikes on residential areas that do not target opposition
fighters or military objectives, and instead appear aimed solely at
punishing civilians seen as sympathetic to rebel forces
Documenting violations:
A new report detailing abuses carried out by Syrian opposition forces
Syria accuses West of nuclear double standards over Israel:
At
major UN meeting, Syrian ambassador seeks to turn tables on Damascus
accusers by hitting out at Israel, says influential Western states are
implicitly condoning Israeli atomic arsenal.
IDF chief orders surprise Golan Heights drill:
Forces
from the Central and Northern Commands, Air Force and other units are
taking part in the drill. A large number of regular army and reserve
soldiers received surprising telephone calls from their units overnight
Wednesday, ordering them to attend the exercise.
U.S. suspends aid talks with Egypt over anti-American protests, report says:
Officials
speaking to Washington Post say U.S. waiting to see 'how things
materialize'; several officials say suspension is temporary move, not
an overhaul of U.S. policy.
Egypt orders arrest of US-based Copts over film:
An
arrest warrant has also been issued for US Christian pastor Terry
Jones. One woman and seven men, including Mr Jones, are accused of
"insulting the Islamic religion, insulting the Prophet and inciting
sectarian strife", according to the prosecutor's office.
Al-Qaida threatens attacks on US diplomats:
Al-Qaida's
branch in North Africa on Tuesday called for attacks on U.S. diplomats
and an escalation of protests against an anti-Islam video that was
produced in the United States and triggered a wave of demonstrations and
riots in the Middle East and beyond.
Cartoons in French weekly fuel Prophet Mohammad furore:
A
French magazine ridiculed the Prophet Mohammad on Wednesday by
portraying him naked in cartoons, threatening to fuel the anger of
Muslims around the world. The French government said it was temporarily
shutting down premises including embassies and schools in 20 countries
on Friday, when protests sometimes break out after Muslim prayers.
Free Speech? France to ban new prophet film protest:
The
prime minister said he would block a demonstration by people angry over
a movie insulting to Islam as the country plunged into a fierce debate
about free speech.
Ancient text has Jesus referring to 'my wife':
A
Harvard University professor on Tuesday unveiled a fourth-century
fragment of papyrus she said is the only existing ancient text quoting
Jesus explicitly referring to having a wife.
Abbas moots cancelling Oslo Accords: PLO official:
President
Mahmud Abbas proposed cancelling the Oslo Accords with Israel at a
weekend meeting of the Palestinian leadership, a senior member of the
Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) told AFP on Tuesday.
PLO: Romney must stop pandering to Israeli lobby:
"It
seems to me it is about time that he stops pandering to the Israeli
lobby and funders by selling out Palestinian rights and by destroying
the chances of peace in the region. Such statements are dangerous and
could be irreparable damage to American credability."
More Secret Videos and Romney's True Thoughts on Israel: Video -
Is
Romney just pandering to filthy rich donors or is he really speaking
his mind this once? David Corn, who first broke the story for Mother
Jones, talks about what this means for the downward spiraling Romney
campaign.
NY transit authority weighs options on pro-Israel, anti-Islam subway ad:
New
York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority said it is considering its
options after a US District Court ordered the authority to run an
advertisement that reads "Support Israel. Defeat Jihad."
Russia shows USAID the door:
After
20 years of working in Russia, USAID officials said they were informed
by the Russian government that their services were no longer required.
According to the Foreign Ministry, USAID was attempting to manipulate
the election processes in the country.
Crowd attacks US ambassador in Beijing:
An
angry crowd mobbed a car carrying the US ambassador to China at the
height of protests against Japan's claims over islands in the East
China Sea.
Somali forces battle al-Shabab near Kismayo:
"Somali troops" backed by Kenyan forces say they have made progress against al-Qaeda-linked group near key port town.
Somalia's Election Farce:
While
the international media might trumpet "Somalia's First Free and Fair
Elections in 50 Years" reality on the ground in Mogadishu reveals a
truly grand farce of an "election" process.
ACLU takes CIA to court as agency denies existence of drone programme:
Despite references by president and defence secretary, CIA has refused FOIA request on grounds it cannot confirm drone use
Mapping drone proliferation: :
A new
US Congress report on the proliferation of drones has confirmed a huge
rise in the number of countries that now have military unmanned aerial
systems.
Voter ID laws and roll purges are the real defrauding of US "democracy":
'Voter fraud' has made a strong Republican rallying cry. But it's a con.
"Ten Most Wanted Corrupt US Politicians" for 2011:
Judicial
Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes
government corruption, today released its 2011 list of Washington's
"Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians." The list, in alphabetical order,
includes:
Forbes: richest Americans' net worth reaches $1.7 trillion:
The 13
percent growth in the wealth of the richest Americans far outpaced
that of the economy overall, helping widen the chasm between rich and
poor.
4,000 millionaires in Romney's '47%':
Mitt Romney's "47%" who pay no federal income tax include several thousand of the highest-income households in the country.
American prison labor means longer unemployment lines:
Two
southeast companies that make U.S. military uniforms are shedding
hundreds of jobs, as the government looks to federal inmates for the
fatigues.
Shocking Report Explodes 5 Myths About American Education:
We're number one? Hardly. The entire idea of American exceptionalism should be called into question.
California August Sales Tax Collection Down 20% From Year Ago,
Total Revenues Down 5.5%, Income Tax Up 11.6%; Spending Out Of Control By $3 Billion
===
"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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