| Hard News
13 PKK members, 2 soldiers killed in southeast Turkey:
Two Turkish soldiers and 13 members of Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK) have been killed in Ankara's latest military operation against
the group in the country's southeast.
45 "militants" killed in one-day Afghan operations: gov't"
"Afghan National Police in collaboration with the army and the
NATO-led coalition forces launched six joint cleanup operations in
Kunduz, Uruzgan, Wardak, Ghazni, Ghor and Helmand provinces, killing 45
armed Taliban insurgents and detaining 32 other suspects over the past
24 hours," the ministry said
Two Nato troops killed in Afghan attack Thursday :
Two Nato soldiers were killed in an insurgent suicide bombing and gun battle in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, officials said.
U.S.: Gloomy News, Prognosis Out of Afghanistan: - Analysis::
A just-released report by one of the most astute observers of the
U.S. war, Gilles Dorronsoro, an Afghanistan expert at the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), predicts that the regime in
Kabul "will most probably collapse in a few years" given current
trends.
Pakistan: 17 more killed during 24 hours in Karachi:
Seventeen
people, including activists of political and religious parties, were
killed in different parts of the metropolis during the last 24 hours
US believes it has Pakistan's 'tacit consent' for drone strikes: WSJ:
About once a month, the Central Intelligence Agency sends a fax to
a general at Pakistan's intelligence service outlining broad areas
where the US intends to conduct strikes with drone aircraft, the Wall
Street Journal quoted US officials as saying.
Explosion kills three Yemeni schoolchildren:
An explosive device went off near the courthouse of Al Qatn in
Hadramawt province, 'killing three boys on their way home from school,'
according to official news agency SABA. The victims were aged seven to
12.
Yemen sliding into hunger crisis: UN:
Yemen is descending into a humanitarian emergency situation, as
almost half of the country's 24 million people are facing hunger, the
UN food agency warned
Syrian rebel chief abandons uprising:
A Syrian rebel commander and a group of fighters told an
opposition meeting on Wednesday they had decided to abandon the
insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad and return to the regular
army.
Aleppo residents caught in crossfire losing faith in rebels:
The romantic image of a people rising up against their tyrannical
leader is beginning to fray for some residents of the northern
metropolis, whose neighborhoods are the scene of daily bombardments and
bloody street battles.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey Providing Arms For Rebels: Report:
Saudi Arabia were channelling money to a powerful Lebanese
politician in Istanbul, he said. He in turn co-ordinated with the Turks -
"everything happens in co-ordination with Turkish intelligence" - to
arrange delivery through the military council of Aleppo, a group
composed mostly of defected officers and secular and moderate
civilians.
Putin blames West for global chaos:
The Russian leader did not hesitate to name who is responsible for
sowing the seeds of disorder that is gripping many parts of the world,
including in Syria.
Israeli PM sets 'red line' on Iran at UN
:
Netanyahu gives Tehran an ultimatum to halt its disputed nuclear drive or risk coming under military attack.
Veterans For Peace Meets With Ahmadinejad:
Veterans For Peace President Leah Bolger addressed the meeting,
stressing VFP's commitment to doing everything possible to prevent a
U.S. or U.S.-assisted attack on Iran.
Engineering Consent For More Military Intervention in Africa:
Clinton ties Libyan attack to al-Qaeda rise:
US SECRETARY of State Hillary Clinton has tied the attack that
killed the US ambassador to Libya to the creation of an al-Qaeda haven
in Mali, adding that Islamist militants there pose a threat to
democratic transitions throughout northern Africa.
Engineering Consent For More Military Intervention in Africa:
France's Hollande calls for Mali intervention, Clinton says nation can't fight Islamists alone:
France and the African Union would provide logistical support to a
West African-led bid to recover northern Mali from Al-Qaeda-linked
Islamists now in control there. Hollande said at a U.N. ministerial
meeting on Africa's troubled Sahel region that "there is no question"
of negotiating with terrorists.
U.S. expands its secret war in Africa:
U.S. President Barack Obama's "secret wars" against al-Qaida are
steadily widening, most notably in Africa, with the U.S. military's
Special Forces Operation Command doubling in size and the CIA's strike
capabilities undergoing a radical expansion, international analysts
said.
Defense Secretary Panetta visits U.S. base in Djibouti, :
To grasp the changes that are rapidly transforming the American
military presence in the Middle East and nearby environs, consider that
in a few days there will be more U.S. troops based here, in a tiny
country on the Horn of Africa, than in Iraq.
Mali's PM calls for foreign intervention
:
Cheick Modibo Diarra calls for military help to defeat Islamist rebels, who control vast swathes of territory in north.
Daughter of Bahrain opposition leader sentenced:
The daughter of a jailed rights activist in Bahrain was sentenced
Wednesday to two months in prison for damaging property at the police
station, including tearing a picture of the Gulf nation's king,
officials said.
After Making a Mess of Iraq, Bush Advisers Join Team Romney:
I haven't been paying much attention to Mitt Romney's foreign
policy; the domestic side already offers a target-rich environment. But
my eyebrows shot up when Dan Senor popped up speaking for Mr. Romney in
the aftermath of the protests in Libya and Egypt. Dan Senor?
Nagasaki further voices protest against "new" type of nuclear test by U.S.:
Japan's southwestern city of Nagasaki expressed its outrage and
protest against a new type of nuclear test conducted for the sixth time
in August by the United States, local press reported on Tuesday.
LatAm presidents call for drug debate at UN:
The leaders of three Latin American nations hit hard by drug
trafficking called on the membership of the United Nations on Wednesday
to promote a debate on alternative ways to combat drug trafficking.
Justice Department Documents Show Huge Increase in Warrantless Electronic Surveillance:
Justice Department documents released today by the ACLU reveal
that federal law enforcement agencies are increasingly monitoring
Americans' electronic communications, and doing so without warrants,
sufficient oversight, or meaningful accountability.
Amnesty objects to 'shocking' California prison cells:
Rights group Amnesty International on Thursday called on California
to end the "shocking" conditions inside its prison isolation cells,
which house some 3,000 inmates.
Greece Sell Out to ECB, More Riots Expected:
Greece's 3-party coalition government leaders came to a "basic
agreement" on the new austerity package for Y 2013-2014 in an efforts
to resolve the Greek debt crisis, Greek Finance Minister Yannis
Stournaras said Thursday.
Spain budget imposes further austerity measures:
Spain has been setting out new spending cuts in its austerity
budget for 2013, against a backdrop of a deteriorating economy and 25%
unemployment rate.
Almost 20,000 children in homeless shelters in New York City:
The number of children in shelters would be even higher were it not
for the fact that 65% of homeless families seeking admission to
shelters are being turned away.
Low-wage work force grows 30% as the number of jobs shrinks:
The report revealed the share of payroll employees ages 18 to 64
working in low-wage jobs rose from 23.8 percent in 2001 to 31.2 percent
last year. That's a more than a 30 percent rise in the proportion of
such workers.
Americans' Incomes Have Fallen $3,040 During the Obama 'Recovery':
Americans must be wondering how much more of this "recovery" they
can afford. New figures from the Census Bureau's Current Population
Survey, compiled by Sentier Research, show that the typical American
household's real (inflation-adjusted) income has actually dropped 5.7
percent during the Obama "recovery."
The United States of ALEC: Bill Moyers on the Secretive Corporate-Legislative Body Writing Our Laws:
"The United States of ALEC," a special report by legendary
journalist Bill Moyers on how the secretive American Legislative
Exchange Council has helped corporate America propose and even draft
legislation for states across the country. ALEC brings together major
U.S. corporations and right-wing legislators to craft and vote on
"model" bills behind closed doors
The Alarming Ties Between Debt Collectors and District Attorneys:
From Baltimore to Los Angeles, prosecuting attorneys are renting
out their letterhead -- and their law enforcement clout and credibility
-- to debt collection companies, as a recent exposé in the New York
Times revealed.
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"Let us be peace and joy"
Tom Feeley
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